ONCE LOVED

ONCE LOVED                                         CECY ROBSON
Posted:  Feb. 17, 2015

Every memory Lety Tres Santos has from her childhood comes with a scar—some emotional, some physical. Her father is an abusive drug addict, and her mother enables his destructive behavior. College offers Lety a fresh start . . . until her father finds a way to ruin that, too. Now, after losing her scholarship to kick off junior year, Lety must somehow stay in school, pay tuition, and turn a deaf ear to the whispers that follow her. And she intends to do it all without Brody Quaid’s help.

Brody is a lacrosse star, a 4.0 student—and as a freshman, he fell hard for the beautiful and spirited Lety. But their relationship crashed and burned because he couldn’t break through the walls she’s put up around her heart. With Lety hurting more than ever, Brody strives to win her back and make her believe in real love and true partnership. That will mean opening up secrets locked away in his own past—and trusting someone more than he’s ever dared.

Lety knows how painful it can be to depend on the wrong man. She also knows how much Brody wants to do this the right way. But it takes more than sizzling desire to move on and build a future together. 

MY REVIEW:

     I love this series and can’t wait to read the next installment.  This author knows how to really pull in her reader and make you get engulfed with the lives of the characters.

     This book revolves around Lety Tres Santos and her family Mateo and his wife Evie, Sofia the youngest sister who had been raped, her mother the abused spouse, and Carlos the sperm donor to all three children which I’m sure if you asked one of them they would stand in a new sperm donor line.  Carlos is not only Bi-polar but he is a drug abuser and a family abuser, mentally and physically.

     Once again he has shown up again at Lety’s campus at St. Jude’s college in Allentown.  As an RA she and the other RA’s are arriving back by bus from a field trip to police cars and Carlos battering several campus cops as well as police.  As all the bus shifts to the seats nearest the action to see better, Lety shrinks in her seat.  When she feels a hand thread hers and without looking she knows it’s her ex Brody Quaid the love of her life.  She had spent all last school year and summer trying to get over him to save him from this very thing.  It was bad enough that she had to go through it but she didn’t want him to have to be drug through the mud too.  Trying to forget him didn’t work though not at all, especially now when he knew she was dying inside.  He engulfed her in a hug and she just held on.  He was her savior in so many ways.

     This was the opening Brody needed.  He had been a wreck since Lety walked away from him.  He knew she was in love with him too but was embarrassed that he had seen her father in action as he beat her and her brother at a family party.  He was held back by the family members from helping her for in her culture it was not allowed.  He had to make this work.

     This is an intense story line and not for the weak at heart.  It deals with not only MMA fighting in the first story, abuse in this both these stories, but I’m sure in the next the youngest sister who had been raped and it had only referred to will be handling the fallout from that once and for all or at least trying.  Yet, this story has some humorous parts that will just make you roll.  I totally enjoyed.  I give it 5 stars.  Provided by Net Galley.

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