Book Review: Relentless by Cassia Leo

Synopsis:

Book One in the NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling series.

"Sometimes letting someone go is the ultimate act of love."



Claire Nixon is a college student with a past full of secrets and heartbreak.

 At seven years old, the death of her mother by drug overdose destroys her faith in humanity and herself as she is tossed from one foster home to another. Feeling unwanted and disposable, she fights to keep herself safe in the system. Until, at the age of fifteen, she is saved by her first love, and soon-to-be rock star, Chris Knight and his mother, who quickly becomes the mother she always wanted. 



When Claire encourages Chris to leave town to pursue his dreams of musical stardom, both Claire and Chris don't realize this will be the biggest mistake of their lives.



One year after Chris leaves on tour, Claire has carved out a new life for herself in a new city far away from the life she left behind with Chris. On a fateful morning, she meets sexy surfer Adam Parker. 



To Claire, Adam is just another flirty customer at the cafe, until a chance encounter and seemingly innocent comment spurs a bet between them. The bet is simple: If Adam can get Claire to reveal the secret that made her drop out of college and leave her life behind, she has to re-enroll. If he doesn't succeed, she gets to keep her secret and he has to stop stalking her at the cafe.



Claire thinks she has this one in the bag. She's perfected the art of forgetting her past. But she isn't prepared for Adam's relentless pursuit or for him to share his own secrets. And she's definitely not prepared for the love of her life, Chris Knight, and her secret, to come banging down her door one year later.


Jenny's Review:
I started Relentless by Cassia Leo on my way to work. I finished it by the time I got home. Sneaking in time during work, reading on my lunch, taking longer than usual breaks.To say that this book was a page turner is an understatement. So many twist and turns. And when you think that you have something figured out, it throws you for a complete loop.At times, I could literally feel Claire's pain.  The writing was beautifully done.

Claire is a complicated character. She breakup with the love of her life, Chris, so he can fulfill her dream of being a musician. Plagued my guilt, she uses meditation as a coping mechanism. At time I wondered what was the horrible thing that she did that caused her so much pain. And let me tell, what happened between her and Chris comes out of left field. Of all the possible scenarios that I thought of, that was not one of them. I l literally gasped when I found out Claire's secret. Claire also finds out something from her mother's past, that left me in tears. It makes you wonder how someone can deal with so much hurt.

I absolutely loved Adam. He's also dealing with his own guilt but he somehow manages to break Claire from her shell and help her learn how to love and trust again. He was funny, witty, and amusing. Despite his own pain, he's willing to understand Claire and patient with her, which I loved. You still have a  feeling
that there is a lot more beneath Adam's surface, especially in regards to his relationship with his father.

And Chris, I mean, whoa, is he intense. He only makes a brief appearance in the book, but already you can tell that he will be a lot of the drama in the second book.

The novel didn't exactly leave with a cliffhanger, put it did leave you with a lot of questions, I can't wait to start book 2.

 About the Author:

New York Times bestselling author Cassia Leo loves her coffee, chocolate, and margaritas with salt. When she's not writing, she spends way too much time watching old reruns of Friends and Sex and the City. When she's not watching reruns, she's usually enjoying the California sunshine or reading--sometimes both.


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