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A review by mdalida
Hurts to Love You by Alisha Rai
5.0
WOWZA. WOW.
To be honest, my expectations for this book were a little lower than for the other two. I've just learned that, try as they might, the third in a highly anticipated trilogy just doesn't meet expectations... but WOW. I'm so happy I was wrong!
I finished this book a week ago and just needed some time because it was so good, and I felt that this book in particular resonated with me so deeply. I absolutely loved the first book - the ANGST, the LOVE, the TATTOOS, the HEAT, the...everything. The second book was...... not my cup of tea. I could not get over the "widow and her dead husband's brother" thing..
But this third book! It might just be that I could see myself in the heroine SO. MUCH. Her past trauma, her father issues, how she is trying to recover, how seemingly small things will bring back memories long buried, and yet how she trusts herself at the core.
And the hero! What a beautiful Beta, to me. He feels like he would soothe the heroine's soul. That sounds cheesy, but I can imagine that the best partner for a woman who has been emotionally abused since her adolescence would be drawn to someone whose essence is calming, warm, and accepting. He obviously had his own personal issues to work through, and it was actually his personal resolution at the end of the book that had me crying! I think they are my favorite couple in the series!
At the end of it all, I truly enjoyed how Rai handles emotions, especially within and between families. I have unresolved issues with some family members, and seeing how this dysfunctional group of family works through their issues almost made me sad that it doesn't always work like that in real life. I did love how Rai presented darker parts of a person - depression, anxiety, emotional/verbal trauma. I appreciated how she made space for not only romantic conflict, but family conflict.
I cannot recommend this series enough!!!
To be honest, my expectations for this book were a little lower than for the other two. I've just learned that, try as they might, the third in a highly anticipated trilogy just doesn't meet expectations... but WOW. I'm so happy I was wrong!
I finished this book a week ago and just needed some time because it was so good, and I felt that this book in particular resonated with me so deeply. I absolutely loved the first book - the ANGST, the LOVE, the TATTOOS, the HEAT, the...everything. The second book was...... not my cup of tea. I could not get over the "widow and her dead husband's brother" thing..
But this third book! It might just be that I could see myself in the heroine SO. MUCH. Her past trauma, her father issues, how she is trying to recover, how seemingly small things will bring back memories long buried, and yet how she trusts herself at the core.
And the hero! What a beautiful Beta, to me. He feels like he would soothe the heroine's soul. That sounds cheesy, but I can imagine that the best partner for a woman who has been emotionally abused since her adolescence would be drawn to someone whose essence is calming, warm, and accepting. He obviously had his own personal issues to work through, and it was actually his personal resolution at the end of the book that had me crying! I think they are my favorite couple in the series!
At the end of it all, I truly enjoyed how Rai handles emotions, especially within and between families. I have unresolved issues with some family members, and seeing how this dysfunctional group of family works through their issues almost made me sad that it doesn't always work like that in real life. I did love how Rai presented darker parts of a person - depression, anxiety, emotional/verbal trauma. I appreciated how she made space for not only romantic conflict, but family conflict.
I cannot recommend this series enough!!!