Face Off

Face Off throws us right into the thick of where Fresh Ice drew the curtains, into Orion's mind the moment he's outed as an Omega and left to brave the aftermath in the choppy seas of a superficially supportive league. but through this public reveal and happenstance, bridges - albeit flimsy - begin to form and link his and his past love Gabby's worlds after years of distance apart.

compared to the first book, there's an extra spicy kick derived from the unspoken grief shared between these two former lovers. they revolve about the fringe of each other's circles, occasionally daring to toe the invisible boundaries separating them so, but too frightened to take a leap both giant and bold. this back-and-forth won't be for everyone with its inclusion of the infamous Miscommunication™, but the way MV translates conflict into words has it going down so smoothly. objectively i know it's angst and heartbreaking, but subjectively, i feel like i'm taking a light afternoon stroll for some vitamin d. diet angst? or am i simply turning into someone who lives off angst as sustenance? does this make any sense? probably not, but i digress