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A review by amym84
Hooked on You by Kate Meader
5.0
Hooked On You is the final book in Kate Meader's Chicago Rebels series and oh what a way to go out! Youngest Chase sister Violet and Rebels Captin Bren St. James have been circling around each other on the periphery of the previous books in the series and now we finally get their story. I love how typically in romance trilogies, it's the third couple that have been quietly built up throughout the series, and that is definitely the case here with Bren and Violet. I love how they each have things from their past that they're dealing with. In regards to Bren it's his drinking and for Violet it's surviving cancer. It just seems right that these two find each other / are perfect compliments to one another.
I loved how both what Bren is going through and what Violet has gone through are almost put up against one another as a comparison point between them, and we get to see how they handle things similarly and how they handle some things differently. And I cannot recall another story I've read dealing with the after effects of surviving cancer (I've racked my brain for another book, but I keep coming up blank). I really liked how Violet's breast cancer storyline was dealt with and I loved seeing this character who decided to embrace life and all that, that entails rather than shut down.
Similarly, Bren's alcohol addiction lead him down a dark path, one in which he's just begun the slow climb up for air. He has the chance to get his kids back full-time and he doesn't want to squander that. So, in his eyes, the attraction he feels for Violet, while not inconvenient, is definitely not coming at the right time. I loved that Kate Meader doesn't mince words when it comes to the fact that Bren is still struggling, and will probably always struggle, with his sobriety. He's been clean for over a year now, but that doesn't mean he's suddenly healed. It will be a constant with him, that temptation, for probably the rest of his life, but he's strong enough, and has the motivation in his kids, to beat back the temptation.
I also loved that while Bren and Violet's love story is playing out in the foreground, the overarching storyline surrounding the Rebels making the playoffs going on in the background is still important. I feel like from the first book to now readers have been on this journey with the team so it was only right that we finish it out with them too. As to the outcome, I'll not spoil anything, but suffice it to say, Kate Meader has written an exceptional end to this trilogy.
Kate Meader has become an author I know I can count on to deliver steamy, swoon-worthy romance, with great characters and heart. Hooked On You was everything I built up in my head it would be. If you've followed this series, this team, from the beginning, I can't imagine you'd be disappointed.
I loved how both what Bren is going through and what Violet has gone through are almost put up against one another as a comparison point between them, and we get to see how they handle things similarly and how they handle some things differently. And I cannot recall another story I've read dealing with the after effects of surviving cancer (I've racked my brain for another book, but I keep coming up blank). I really liked how Violet's breast cancer storyline was dealt with and I loved seeing this character who decided to embrace life and all that, that entails rather than shut down.
Similarly, Bren's alcohol addiction lead him down a dark path, one in which he's just begun the slow climb up for air. He has the chance to get his kids back full-time and he doesn't want to squander that. So, in his eyes, the attraction he feels for Violet, while not inconvenient, is definitely not coming at the right time. I loved that Kate Meader doesn't mince words when it comes to the fact that Bren is still struggling, and will probably always struggle, with his sobriety. He's been clean for over a year now, but that doesn't mean he's suddenly healed. It will be a constant with him, that temptation, for probably the rest of his life, but he's strong enough, and has the motivation in his kids, to beat back the temptation.
I also loved that while Bren and Violet's love story is playing out in the foreground, the overarching storyline surrounding the Rebels making the playoffs going on in the background is still important. I feel like from the first book to now readers have been on this journey with the team so it was only right that we finish it out with them too. As to the outcome, I'll not spoil anything, but suffice it to say, Kate Meader has written an exceptional end to this trilogy.
Kate Meader has become an author I know I can count on to deliver steamy, swoon-worthy romance, with great characters and heart. Hooked On You was everything I built up in my head it would be. If you've followed this series, this team, from the beginning, I can't imagine you'd be disappointed.