Spirit

Holy Freaking Hell! She did it... Brigid Kemmerer did what I thought would be impossible. She found a way for me to like and possibly love Hunter Garrity. Believe me, this was a miracle.

I have made no secret about my dislike of Hunter. There was nothing about him I liked. I thought he was a master manipulator and not once did I trust him. I couldn't understand why he was getting his own book. I was pretty upset about it, too. This is about the Merricks. How could Hunter get his own book before Nick? I mean, sheesh, does Kemmerer know what she's doing?

Short answer... Yes, she does.

This story pushed all sorts of limits. I have to give Kemmerer props. With her last novella and now with Spirit, I've seen so much growth as a writer. She does follow a certain formula such as, alternating pov's, romance, action, conflict but she's switching things up a bit and not delivering what we normally expect from this series. I'm really digging her little bag of tricks and surprises.

A lot of time and care is given to making Hunter more relatable, human, and broken. You quickly realize that he doesn't have all the answers, he's not always right and things are never what they seem. You seriously feel bad for this kid. Made me want to slap him upside the head and hug him a few times.

This book would not be complete if you don't get a healthy dose of Merrick and you do. By far the most impressive Merrick in this one was Michael. The Merricks are not really a mushy bunch. They pretty much show their affection by getting into a brawl every now and then. Weird, I know, but it works. You just know they love one another. Michael, the oldest of the bunch, seems to have the hardest time showing affection. Imagine my surprise when Michael turns out to be the one to give Hunter the benefit of the doubt and brings him closer to the family.

As I mentioned before, I questioned Kemmerer's decision to give Hunter his own book 3. Now I've come to the conclusion that it was totally necessary and that this is exactly when it should have been done. Things come to light that will definitely question all you knew about this world.

Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster full of revelations. Enjoy the ride!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

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