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I absolutely loved this � this is Kristen Ashley at her finest.

Part 2 in The Burgs series and we have the newly widowed Violet and her two daughters moving in over the street from Feb and Colt to start a new life away from Chicago. Her neighbour, Joe� Cal� Callahan working as security to the stars is often away from home and they have never met until one night she has to go over to ask him to turn his music down in a ratty old dressing gown and pink wellies.

He’s instantly captivated by her and they soon start a relationship that is purely sexual. He makes it clear that’s all he wants but Violet is falling for him. He senses this and immediately and cruelly dumps her by announcing that ‘he’s done�. Violet is crushed, heartbroken and tries to start over.

Unfortunately she has a major league stalker, the man who executed her cop husband and he’s not done with her. Colt tells Joe this and his deeply hidden and denied feelings for Violet resurface and they start up again only for him to lie to her to force her to end the relationship……�..again. He’s brutally cruel and Violet is devastated.

She starts a relationship with Mike Haines (hero to be of book 4) but it’s not the same and Joe eventually wises up and ‘claims� Vi and their relationship finally gets going in earnest.

It’s an intensely emotional journey � there’s so much tragedy here both past and present that I got misty eyed on several occasions. They’ve both suffered great sadness and there is more yet to come in this book and it’s a beautiful, carefully constructed emotional journey from intense pain, emptiness and loss to a new love, new beginnings and new happiness. They have amazing chemistry, setting the pages on fire � they are hotter than a thousand suns together. It was a totally absorbing read, all-consuming and beds went unmade, dust gathered and washing was left unwashed as I selfishly and completely gave up my whole Saturday to reading this and it was totally, totally worth it!!

It’s great to see Feb and Colt and their new arrival enjoying their HEA and to revisit the crowd from the previous books.

5 stars ++++ contemporary romance