After reading the synopsis for this book, I was intrigued by the premise and was looking forward to reading the story...and it did not disappoint. Lots of angst, tension (sexual and otherwise), twisted past events in both the main characters' pasts...a recipe for romantic suspense.While I loved Sebastian's character when he was first introduced, he quickly became aggravating with his constant mood swings towards Sklyar. I understand he is trying to keep his distance, but even he realizes the way he is acting towards her is wrong, but he still keeps doing it. Sklyar though-she is the perfect female lead, vulnerable yet strong, and protective of her sister Sophie. You can't help but feel for her and want everything for her to turn out well, especially after everything she has gone through in her life. And Lucas...*sigh*...just...*sigh*. Please tell me things will be resolved with him in the next book. Because-Lucas...*sigh*I was more engaged with the second half of the story than the first half, mostly due to Sebastian's attitude being so back-and-forth during the first half. The second half, however, is where everything starts to really kick into overdrive-the romance, the suspense, the action-everything. And when the end comes, yes-you are left with a HUGE cliffhanger and so many questions that you're going to want the answers to...and you're not going to get them in this book. BUT, the way the author has written the story, you are going to want those answers. You are going to NEED those answers. I sure do, and I plan on getting them ASAP.4 stars for this 18+ contemporary romance, and be prepared for some difficult scenes and adult situations. Skylar's whole world is forever changed on one night - her sixteenth birthday. A drunk driver hits her family's car on their way home from her birthday dinner, and her family is reduced to just her and her sister. The only person left to the two of them is their older grandmother, so they move in with her and begin slowly struggling to move forward. Skylar, as the older sister, takes on much of the burden of not only caring for her sister, but also trying to help her grandmother financially. She grows up carrying so much extra weight on her shoulders, as well as giving up many of her dreams along the way.Sebastian Thorne, on the other hand, has grown up with the whole world handed to him. He has not been without his own losses, as his mother died when he was young, but he has not had the financial struggles that Skylar has experienced. He does, however, lack any type of caring or warmth for which Skylar had much, when she was younger. Sebastian's dad is tough and constantly wants Sebastian to be just like him and take over his company. One night in Sebastian's life gives his dad that opportunity - and he takes full advantage of making Sebastian into a hardened man, just like himself. Sebastian and Skylar's paths cross, however, and both immediately feel a connection to one another. Skylar begins to care about Sebastian, and she doesn't understand how he seems to go back and forth between caring about her and being very cold towards her. She doesn't know of his inner struggle regarding her. He constantly steps in to save her from hardships and from different situations, but he refuses to give her his heart. Skylar tries to move on, however, but the connection between her and Sebastian is too strong, and they are drawn back to one another. There are many secrets that connect these two, however, so it remains to be seen if they can work through these. For the most part, Skylar and Sebastian were easy characters to want to root for, even though you know pretty quickly what happened that horrible night when Skylar lost her parents and Sebastian lost the ability to make his own decisions. Sebastian is a good character, in that he is somewhat complex. He fights himself so much and tries to push Skylar away, yet you can't help but to feel somewhat drawn to him. You feel how much he hates himself, at times, but yet, how much he loves Skylar. I did get a little tired of how many guys seemed so drawn to Skylar. You would think that she was literally the most beautiful woman on earth and every man HAS to have her - and yet, she has no idea of her beauty...and so on. This type of insta-draw for one female sometimes feels fake to me, so I had to throw that in here in case others feel the same. There are several side stories that seem to develop throughout this book, which makes sense, as there are several books in this series, and I think that most of them were set up well, and it all ties back to all of the many different guys that are drawn to Skylar throughout the book. Most of these guys also seem to be somewhat unhinged, so I can't wait to see how those stories develop. There is violence in this book, there is underaged drinking, and there is also stalking and a cliffhanger, so...be warned if any of those things bother you.
What do You think about Rose Of Thorne (2000)?
I really enjoyed reading this book! Starting the next one now Thorneless (Rose of Thorne)
—iulia
what a wild ride....I can't wait to do it again in book 2
—Zach
