Book: Cross My Heart by Åndrea Hutson
Reviewed by Michelles_Cosy_Booknook
Rating: 4/5
Åndrea Huston, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!
Seriously. My heart cannot take much more of this woman and her books!
Cross My Heart isn't simply an emotional rollercoaster. It's the kind of ride that leaves you battered, bruised, emotionally wrung out, and somehow STILL begging for more.
And Stevie and Rocky? Bl00dy hell. WHAT A JOURNEY.
We follow Stevie and Rocky's journey from Vow in Vain, book three of the Forbidden Forma series. These two have a history that's as complicated as it is devastating. You absolutely need to read this series in release order to fully appreciate the emotional weight of their story.
STEVIE. MY GIRL. MY ABSOLUTE QUEEN.
This woman has been dragged through hell. Emotionally. Physically. Psychologically. Life has knocked her down, kicked her while she's there, and then had the audacity to come back for another round.
But my girl? SHE. GETS. BACK. UP.
Every. Damn. Time.
And each time she rises, she's a little tougher, a little fiercer, takes considerably less cr4p, and hits back twice as hard.
She's not some untouchable, invincible heroine. She's damaged. She's vulnerable. She's human. And that's precisely what makes her strength so extraordinary.
We could all do with a little more Stevie in our lives. Better yet, we could all do with a Stevie in our corner.
AND THEN THERE'S ROCKY. OH, ROCKY...
A man who would burn his entire world to the ground for the people he loves, without a second thought.
He's brutal when he needs to be. Protective to his very core. A force of nature when someone threatens what's his.
But beneath that beast of a man is someone capable of being the safest place in the world to land. His love runs deep. His loyalty runs deeper.
But betray his heart? Break his trust? Goddess help you.
THE EMOTIONAL DAMAGE?!
I was EXHAUSTED.
Not mildly overwhelmed. Not a little emotional. I'm talking emotionally battered, heart racing, stomach in knots, genuinely afraid to turn the next page.
There were moments when I had to mentally prepare myself to keep reading because I simply did not trust Åndrea with my feelings anymore.
And yet, I couldn't stop.
Because that's what Åndrea does. She drags you into the darkest, rawest corners of her characters' lives, makes you feel every ounce of their pain, their desperation, their fury, their love — and then somehow makes you grateful for the privilege.
ÅNDREA HUSTON'S WRITING
The relentless release schedule alone is staggering. But the fact that she continues to deliver books of this calibre, without sacrificing the emotional depth, complexity or sheer intensity of her storytelling, absolutely blows my mind.
Her characters don't exist on a page. They exist under your skin.
You don't simply understand their heartbreak. You feel it. You don't just witness their battles. You fight alongside them. Their victories feel personal. Their losses leave bruises.
These aren't stories you simply consume and move on from. They're stories that get inside you, tear you apart, put you back together, and leave pieces of themselves behind.
I haven't just read the Forbidden Forma series. I feel as though I've lived it.