Review: Salvation and Secrets

Salvation and Secrets by L.A. Cotton
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Starting from the last book, Ana has had a hard summer to deal with Jackson's decision of breaking off their relationship. "It had faded some over the summer, the pink puckered skin turning a lighter shade, but it was still obvious. A constant reminder tattooed on my wrist. And now the bracelet was another reminder of what I had lost. "
Ana is back to just getting through each day. Avoiding Jackson was going to be hard. But she had to keep moving, if she let herself breakdown any more, there would be nothing left. Every time he ignores her presence, pretends they were nothing, a little bit more of her breaks. She's doing everything she can to hold herself together. But her friends are worried, she's shutting everyone out and falling into old harmful habits "I wanted to run. Instead, I dug my nails into the scar on my wrist. The pain sliced through me, but I breathed through it, needing the sensation to ground me. Needing something to replace the heartache tearing me up inside."

All he wanted to do was protect her. Braiden was on him like a hawk, criticizing his every move. He still loved Ana, but this life wasn't safe. That doesn't make it any easier to see her; thinking about her was tearing him apart, let alone thinking she could be with anyone else. But he can't easily forget what happened to Ana because of him. He has to ignore her, pretend she doesn't consume his every thought and seeing her isn't his undoing. But he's not fooling anyone; when he runs into Ana, his true feelings shine through, "I had imagined this moment over and over. Played it out in my head. The pain and hurt I would feel seeing him again. But I hadn’t anticipated one thing. The devastation that reflected in his eyes as he stared back at me."
Braiden is getting out of control and his actions are proving more dangerous than ever. This should be motivation enough to keep Ana at arm's length. But they can't help the magnetic pull that's pulling them in.
The push and pull is ruining them both. "My love for Jackson remained the same, but I was tired. Tired of the lies and the secrets, tired of never knowing what side of Jackson I was going to encounter. Maybe it was Elena’s words playing on my mind. She made it sound like I never knew the real Jackson, and maybe I didn’t."

He has to choose once and for all, Ana or the family that's raised him. But when Chastity Falls' rivalry borders on the line of deadly, Jackson's choice might be taken away from him and a whole new world might be dropped in his lap.

View all my reviews