Run to Me

Run to me is a story about what life is with all the ugly, all the bad, a touch of good and a lot of duplicity, hidden beneath what seems to be perfection, but isn't. It's also a story about Choices - the ones that can build us up, erase who we are or alter the flow of our lives to the point where we don't recognize ourselves anymore. Ashlynn Mills writes heart-touching and thought provoking books, dressed like pretty romance novels, but containing a lot more. And this one isn't an exception, definitely crossing the line in quite dark direction. In the grand scheme of things, Jace and Nate as characters are showcasing what life is from two completely different perspectives - the light and the dark so different from each other, but intimately entwined. I love complex characters like Jace, watching the layers that form their personalities. The plot line spans from Jace's first formative years to adulthood. No, this isn't a boring biography, on the contrary. The way the story evolves through all these years helped me fully enjoy what's happening on page and it was a lot. Abandoned by his mother, raised by a father, fully embroiled in human trafficking and groomed by him to help from early age, all Jace ever knew was the sting of betrayal, the taste of punishments and the bitter realization that no matter what he does, he won't ever be enough, taken care off or wanted.
But despite his grim reality and the fact that everything he received was under some sort of requirement or condition, Jace managed to survive and retain a spark of humanity that people often lose more easily even in circumstances less dire than his. Nate is the exact opposite - he brings the light where Jace's darkness lingers. The perfect son, living the perfect fairytale in a stable home, surrounded by everything he has ever wanted, shielded by the ugliness life has dumped all over Jace, with an easy smile and soft personality, Nate is a genuinely good guy, compassionate, giving and emphatic. What starts as an uneasy co living arrangement between step brothers, morphs into hesitant friendship and later deepens more and more until romance blooms and lines blur. It was fascinating to read and heartbreaking to experience because life just refused to give Jace a break and let him have a spoon of happiness. Like a greedy shark that has tasted blood, Jace's blood, darkness keeps coming back for a bite, taking away the little Jace had, offering only pain and loneliness in return. And once again that spark of internal goodness - battered and bruised, shined through, putting Jace on a new path and me in a very cranky mood. Because, let's face it, there is only so much a person can take without breaking.
Time and time again, twisted and thorny,
the story spins again and again, revealing new challenges, more heartbreak, hard choices and unexpected crossroads.