When a goddess and a normal guy fall in love…

Synopsis

Some crushes never fade—they just burn deeper.

Scott

Hockey was my ticket out—my one-way pass to a better life. I’ve been laser-focused: graduate, get drafted, and build a career that proves I’m more than just another farm kid with big dreams. Athena de la Peña was always the one mesmerizing distraction I couldn’t afford. She’s my best friends’ older sister, and way out of my league.

But when she’s hurt and vulnerable, my carefully planned future becomes secondary. Everything I’ve worked for means nothing compared to protecting her. She deserves someone who’ll fight for her, stay for her, even if she doesn’t think she needs it.

Athena

Scott Raine was always there—my brothers’ best friend, the guy who saw me when no one else did. After my assault, I’m broken, raw, and searching for something solid. Suddenly, he’s my rock. The boy who watched me from afar is now the man holding me together, fighting my battles, and showing me what real love looks like.

And I have no idea what to do with that.

My review

From the moment Scott met Athena de la Pen֮a, he knew that he wanted to marry the girl. But with her being his best friends’ and hockey team mates’ older sister, he has loved her from afar. Not only because he doesn’t want to cause a break between the people that feel more family than his actual, disrupted and dysfunctional family, but also and mainly because he feels that a goddess like her could never fall for a guy like him. But what Scott doesn’t know, is that Athena feels that Scott is the only one that truly sees and understands her. And if only Scott wouldn’t see her as a member of his best friends… or at least that is what Athena thinks. Sparks have flown around them like forever, but they have never betrayed the de la Pen֮a – brothers. Until there is that one drunk night where Scott unintentional tells Athena what he truly feels about her. And that is the moment that their love story starts, until one event leaves Athena literally battered and broken. It is up to Scott now to make Athena understand that he will hold her, be her rock and love her forever unconditionally.

Lasairiona has made me feel a lot of different emotions while ready any of her books. Yet with this one, she not only managed to make swoon (as usual), made me fall in love (as usual), but she also broke my heart and yes, she made me cry…

I knew from the other books in this amazing series, that Athena is a force of nature. I don’t know if I would meet her in real life, if I would adore her, or fear her…

Athena is the kind of person that takes no crap from anyone. She knows what she is fighting for, and fighting she does. She is also the kind of person that if you mess with any of her family members, you will regret the day you were born. Of course that not only applies to Athena, but also to the de la Pen֮a brothers. She will protect her family from anyone, even from her own father, whose betrayal truly breaks her heart.

Athena is also the most non – judgemental person in the whole wide world, and she is also the most open – minded person, the most loving and caring one beside the most fierce one!

When her path crosses with Scott, right from the start sparks start to fly around. Or rather, fireworks do. I am not a believer of love or lust at first sight, but with Athena and Scott, well, they are exception to confirm that rule!

Can I say just how sweet Scott is throughout the whole book? Yes yes, he is also hot and fierce as hell. But there is this protectiveness in him, such a great care and love. All that bundled in one man, who didn’t have great examples while growing up, with a family that never follow the right path and keep making mistakes after mistakes.

And to see how despite his background, Scott turned out to be this magnificent specimen, just wow!

But back to his sweetness… because he shows time after time that even if his love for Athen is not requitted, and that he could never act upon his feelings, being her friend and in Athena’s life is better than nothing at all. Come on, how can you not swoon over that???

And the fact that he doesn’t want to betray his hockey – brothers, shows how much he respects the de la Pen֮a’s. And how much not only the brothers but also Athena matter to him. He doesn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize the friendship.

On the other hand, it saddened me to read how his background makes him believe that he could never be good enough for Athena. Because he for sure is more than good enough! His love for her goes that far that he is even willing to let her have someone extra in their bed, if she would be feel like missing out on something. Not every man would be willing to share the woman they love.

So I was a bit shocked to read how well everything was evolving for Scott and Athena, and I wasn’t even halfway the book!

And then came the moment that broke my heart. Because Athena has to endure the most despicable act that a woman can endure. No woman, no person should ever have to go through what Athena goes through. It got me so angry, so furious!

Yet I couldn’t stop to admire Athena, because no matter what she is going through, she manages to think about how to make sure that she can gather evidence. I admired her, because I don’t think I would able to just think about anything if it were me instead of her.

Reading those bits for sure wasn’t easy… And the aftermath wasn’t… Because the fierce Athena that I started to love, has been broken, torn apart. I didn’t want to read those bits, not only the act itself, but to see how Athena is coping with it all, because it is all so raw. But it is also necessary, because we can see how Athena is surrounded by people that would literally kill for her, and how she is getting back up.

What I liked about these painful bits is that Lasairiona shows us that it isn’t like a romantic book or movie, where after just a few days or weeks, things are solved easily. We see that Athena is struggling to cope with what has happened to her. And with the fact that she is seeking help, it also shows us that asking for help isn’t something to be ashamed of.

Even better, we see how not only Athena is seeking help, but also Scott and Athena’s brothers. Because yes, Athena went through her ordeal, but all her loved ones are feeling her pain, have their hearts broken.

The way Scott stands by Athena’s side through every difficult moment, being strong when he is by her side, because she needs his strong presence, just once again shows what an amazing man Scott is. But the way he falls into pieces with his brothers around (yes, because the de la Pen֮a brothers ARE his brothers), shows us that he is a real man, with real, strong and raw emotions.

Yes, there are difficult bits in this book, but there are also so many funny moments, sweet moments and of course also hot moments. We see a love story in its essence, the struggles to admit feelings, the fear of losing more than just a loved one, but a whole family, a whole community. We see love that is understanding, open, accepting and forgiving. We see a love that tries to conquer it all, with trial and error, like love in real life is too.

Lasairiona wrote about a passionate, strong woman, that doesn’t give up, stand up for not only her rights, and fights back. Lasairiona wrote a story about a committed, sweet, strong man, who would to anything for the woman he loves, without judgement.

Lasairiona wrote a story about love, how it can be found with just one encounter, but how it can grow. A love that makes you see your partner( – to – be) for who he/she/they/… truly are. A love that can fight back against the injustices of the world. A love that will not back down, a love that is so strong that a goddess like Athena and a ‘normal’ (not so normal in my eyes!) like Scott isn’t a story like a fairytale thus impossible, but so strong that even the evilest characters of fairytales cannot break…