A review by bribreez
Cold Hard Truth by Eva Simmons

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

*Thank you to Wordsmith Publicity and Eva Simmons for providing me with an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

*PLEASE CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING.

4.75⭐️/ 4🌶️

Omg we are back in the world of Twisted Roses, with morally gray characters, intriguing storylines, spice galore, and bad boys to steal the golden girl or bad girls heart. Eva Simmons always creates such great stories with the elements of darkness that vary from really dark to just enough darkness that is enough at least for me haha. This followed another friend from Jude’s friend group, but with the added fun of being part of an MC club and falling for the MC’s president’s daughter!!!! OMG! Sage was on his way to becoming an even more prominent member within the MC club he grew up in, but with the forbidden aspect of the MC’s daughter, Lyla constantly on his mind it became more glaring he couldn’t avoid her any longer. For Lyla, she grew up around things most kids shouldn’t see, but with the protection of Sage always keeping an eye on her, she always had feelings for the dark haired, tattooed MC prospect. This story was dark, spicy, focused on the ever growing connection between Lyla and Sage, and more! 

I’ve only ever read one MC romance story before so, when I read that Eva Simmons next book was going to revolve around an MC president’s daughter and forbidden romance, I was so EXCITED! I liked seeing how Sage was when it came to the Twisted Kings (MC club name) and it was slightly different compared to when he was at the tattoo shop his friend, Jude ran. Sage had a lot of responsibilities when it came to the club, but namely making sure Lyla didn’t get into trouble which was most of what he dealt with throughout his life. Lyla was a bit of a fiery person who wanted adventure and often times trying to get into trouble that resulted in Sage dealing with. Lyla and Sage had grown up together, but as much as Lyla had a crush on Sage, there was always something that prevented them from fully being together. 

OMG! The way this book started was both very intriguing, but also showed the level of darkness that both Sage and Lyla experienced. Having the book start off in the past really highlighted the way Sage and Lyla grew up in the Twisted Kings club, but also how their relationship became much more over the course of years. Yes, Sage started off as a prospect for the Twisted Kings, but seeing the protectiveness he had over Lyla was great as well as seeing him unable to deny the deep chemistry they had. As much as I had high hopes for Lyla and Sage in the beginning, I just KNEW something was bound to happen that would break the little moments of happiness they had. With that in mind, please check trigger warnings before reading this book because, it isn’t all sunshine’s and rainbows and more so dark, heavy, and twisted. 

Nonetheless, with the first part of the story, I was hooked and safe to say I was unable to put it down! You know a books is good when you refuse to stop reading, and you’re trying to keep your eyes open in order to see what’s going to happen next! That was literally me the whole time while reading! Reading this story made me remember why I’ve enjoyed reading Eva Simmons stories before. The way Eva Simmons writes about morally gray men, how obsessed they are over the women they love, and how absolutely unhinged they are makes me adore them! I had such a great time reading this story, and for it being my second MC (motorcycle club) romance to read, THIS WAS AMAZING! 

When it comes to Eva Simmons’s male character’s in her books, from the ones I’ve read I’ve loved them, but my goodness Sage was another level of OBSESSED! A few times I threw my feminism OUT THE DOOR, and it was all for SAGE! Sage was a man on a mission determined to keep Lyla safe, but also ensure she never left him again. Sage dealt with a lot from Lyla leaving after the events in part one to the losses he experienced, and feeling like his life wasn’t the same in the years following. I liked how Sage wasn’t just a certain type of man, he was unhinged when the occasion was “appropriate”, and when it came to Lyla’s wellbeing, he did anything to protect her. If you love a fictional man who gives off, “I will burn the world for you” vibes or, “I’ll unalive anyone who tries to harm you”, then you’ll definitely love Sage. 

My poor sweet Lyla suffered so many losses and traumatic experiences, but despite all that she rose from the ashes and found her strength again. Throughout the whole story, Lyla was faced with the reality her nightmares weren’t over, and without putting an actual face to those trying to harm her, she felt unsafe. The only person who did make Lyla feel safe was, Sage, MC enforcer, and the man who still held Lyla’s heart. Lyla was a lovable character and seeing her over the course of the story I saw her grow stronger and find her place in the world, even in the place she never really imagined herself ending up, it made sense when she was alongside Sage. 

Overall, this was a highly addictive story! Eva Simmons just knows how to write morally gray men, but also showing how far men like Sage will do in order to protect their  loved ones like Lyla. The chemistry between Lyla and Sage was crystal clear from the moment they met, and it was nice to see how far they had come from growing up to becoming adults and finding their ways back to each other. The spice was hot, and oh my, Sage had a DIRTY MOUTH! All in all, if you’ve read Eva Simmon’s spicy scenes before, you’ll enjoy the ones Sage and Lyla have. My favorite part of this story was seeing the deep love Lyla and Sage had for each other. From being back in each others lives, to facing danger, and almost death, nothing was going to stand in the way of Lyla and Sage getting their happily ever after. This story had suspense, danger, spice, romance, overprotective ML, found family, heartbreak, grief, and an interesting look into an MC club. Throughly loved Sage and Lyla, loved the way the book ended on an amazing note, but also that cliffhanger in the epilogue left me with questions/ theories on the next book!!!! Can’t wait to read more within this series, and IT KEEPS GETTING BETTER!!!!
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