by SAM MARIANOBrantley Morrison is a drinker of whiskey, a solver of problems, and a collector of mutts; the kind of loyal, hardworking guy you want on your side—and you’d best not get on the wrong side of.
Alyssa Walton never meant to find herself on Brant’s bad side—never even met the man until he showed up in her bedroom with a loaded gun and a plan to destroy her.
When Alyssa and Brant collide, his simple problem-solving mission gets a whole lot more complicated. Turns out, Alyssa is nothing like he expected, and she just might be everything he’s ever wanted. Sure, she’s a little afraid of him, but every relationship has its obstacles.
Brant’s never had anyone like Alyssa around, someone loyal and kind who smoothes over his rough edges like she was born to do it. Alyssa’s never met a man like Brant, either, and while she admires the way he looks out for those he loves, she can’t help wondering, who’s looking out for Brant?
Now, faced with wanting the girl he was never supposed to keep, Brant has to make an impossible choice. Does he give up the girl who has brought sunshine into his lonely life, or does he hold on tight, even if it might mean letting down the people he’s spent his whole life protecting?
REVIEW: 3.5-4 STARS
"Some choices can't be undone and some roles can't be recast."
Sam Mariano trips me up and trips me out. She can mess with my head and heart in such a way, I don't know if I'm supposed to laugh or be confused. And that's exactly what she did with this one....
This book was soooo good. So good but with.....a caveat. In all fairness, this one didn't start out as my favorite, but it quickly became a book I couldn't put down. I say that because I did put this down TWICE and I walked away, intent on DNF'ing it. This storyline with all its crazy actions, literally and figuratively, made NO sense to me. Not one. "I’m conflicted. But I’m hooked." <-- That's what I kept telling myself while I was reading. But, by the time I was...coerced? totally the wrong word, but by the time I was actually talked through the fact that this is a different side of Sam Mariano and that there were reasons for everything, I continued on. I'm so glad I did but that was a very long and rough initial 30% to get through.
With one eye open, squinting at that opening chapter, I knew that I was in for something. Sam Mariano is a shock starter in the beginning - with good intentions. After the first few chapters, I knew she was going to make me say what the f^&k!! So I settled in, and lo and behold - a story surfaced and I was hooked! Was it immediate? Uh, NO. Capital N. Capital O. Not even close. But once I made it a significant way into this book, it unfolded crazily good. Because, make no mistake, this whole story was crazy, right down to the very ending.
If you want logical, you might have to look the other way.
If you want common sense, that might not be very common.
If you want real, this might pass for real - with a side-to-side head wobble or shoulder shake.
To be honest, this almost read more like a parody: what not to do when...
While this was well written, it made me cringe in some places, but I smiled throughout. Once I got to the crux of the story, I couldn't stop reading - I was hooked. I suppose if I shelved logic, eschewed normality, lived in an alternate universe, this would be a simply laid out love story. But I'm ever so thankful it was not that simple or straightforward. I'm almost sorry I questioned the track I was meandering down when I first started this book, but the reward was definitely mine for the taking. I learned that sometimes it's hard to push aside what I think would be considered "the right way" and realized that I need to make sure I allow myself to live in the author's head as she's telling me a story. This was light and airy for a 'dark read', but it possessed an underlying sense of comedy of sorts. This has a cult classic/comedy vibe to it. It’s like a Quentin Tarantino movie in romance book form - but gosh, I really enjoyed it. It had plenty of humor - so go in knowing it's a darkish comedy, but also know that this is where Mariano shines.
I was glad I had the option of "phoning a friend" to help me out in the beginning - I was so dumbfounded at first. I had to be reminded that this was Sam in her element. She doesn't write the dictionary definition of normal in a character - and that was my reminder to keep going. Can I recommend it? Will I? Oh, yeah!! Totally. Totally will and happily so. But I also figure, if I can tell you why I had a hard time and why I kept going, you'll understand my rating and review a little better after you've read it. I really, truly did enjoy this book.
I was glad I had the option of "phoning a friend" to help me out in the beginning - I was so dumbfounded at first. I had to be reminded that this was Sam in her element. She doesn't write the dictionary definition of normal in a character - and that was my reminder to keep going. Can I recommend it? Will I? Oh, yeah!! Totally. Totally will and happily so. But I also figure, if I can tell you why I had a hard time and why I kept going, you'll understand my rating and review a little better after you've read it. I really, truly did enjoy this book.
Mariano is not a "clean" writer and she likes her love stories "messy" - yes, necessary quotation marks utilized. What I mean by that is, her writing floats, it soars, and she's such an easy read, but I love that the love she writes isn't cookie-cutter-clean. There are truths, deep within, and there are realities that aren't in mainstream love stories because not always is the 'disturbed' written about finding love. That is most definitely something Mariano excels at - a messy love. There was almost a coldness - a certain detached voice or emotion present as the scenes originally played out. The fear and emotion on the page was second to the curiosities that caused quite a few eyebrow scrunches from me. It’s almost.....eerie. Brant is ruthless and cold - zero fucks given. Buuuuut......if you make it far enough in, you are rewarded with a crazy love that plays out in the most fantastical of ways. Fitting for Brant and Alyssa, I should say.
"You need a therapist. That was meant to scare you, not turn you on."
Alyssa definitely showed her age throughout the book and I could appreciate the fact that she was a teenager in every sense of the word - true to her age even. I saw Brant getting caught up in his thoughts of her, which made me fall a little harder for him. But, Alyssa? That girl was fixated. He may have been the voice of reason - in a chaotically paced way, but she put the "crazy" in crazy. Without having a conceptualized understanding of who Brantley was originally, I had a hard time placing him in the role he was playing in the very beginning. But knowing what the synopsis said, I knew I was supposed to meet this hard ass that was hell bent on taking care of a "problem." There were so many variables I had to recognize and accept, but also question as their story unfolded just to try and make sense of it all.
There's a reason I follow Sam on every social media outlet I have. She really does write super interesting characters and off the cuff stories that give me a whole new perspective on a love that is so different, but doesn't have any less meaning than the next. I'm usually left thinking harder about how their loved worked instead of why it shouldn't have.
Don't mind me....I'll just be sitting over here wondering when her next story is coming out. I've decided her brand of crazy is exactly what I've signed up for with her books. I'll need that ASAP. Kthxbye.
"I'd rather be with a man thoroughly intent on keeping me than one who's okay with losing me."
~BEE
~MEET SAM MARIANO~
Sam Mariano has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. She lives in Ohio and has a sweet and wonderful daughter.
Because of You was her first finished story (she started writing it when she was 18) and due to a full-time work and college schedule, it took her years to finish. She has also been telling people for years that there would never be a sequel (sorry, guys!)…which turned out to be a lie.
Sam Mariano is currently working on Dante’s book (if you’re a Morelli reader) and some other WIP.
Feel free to find her on Facebook, Goodreads, or her blog—she loves hearing from readers!
~CONNECT WITH SAM~
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