Dare to Stay by Jen McLaughlinMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reviewed by: Michelle
ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
“Something about that soft dent, that charming little flaw, made him more human. But I knew better. He was more monster than human. All men like him were. Deep down, beneath his acts of neighborhood friendliness and that devastatingly handsome smile . . . He was a killer. He would always be a killer. But he was hurt.”
Chris O’Brien knows what it means to live, breathe, and kill in order to survive the mean and rugged streets of South Boston. As member of the gang, The Sons of Steel Row, Chris has committed his life to breaking the rules. He is ruthless. He is a killer. He is cunning. He is merciless. And now Chris finds himself on the other side looking in when he is left bruised and bloodied in a darken alley.
“He lived in his world, and I lived in mine. The two didn’t mix. Just like we didn’t.”After Chris’s betrayed his best friend, Lucas, he begins to see what he did was wrong. Filled with regret and shame, Chris has to live with the consequences of his actions. But living with that guilt comes at a price when a rival gang wants Chris’s head and Lucas’s little brother, Scott as well. And on that bloody alley, Chris vowed to make it up to his best friend by protecting the life of Scott even if it means sacrificing himself.
Molly Lachlan had to make a detour on her way home to stop by the pharmacy to get some bandages and it is there she comes face to face with an old friend. Bruised and bloodied, Chris O’Brien reunites with the one girl that made him feel alive. Molly couldn’t leave Chris there in the dark alley and so she forces him to go with her so she can attend to his injuries. As much as she knows she should stay away from him, she can’t.
“I refused to dirty her. She deserved a prince. Not a villain.”He is ruthless. He is a criminal. He is a killer. As much as she tries to remind herself that, Molly knew one thing that Chris didn’t even know about himself. Molly knew without a doubt that Chris O’Brien wouldn’t harm her because she knew deep deep down, he has a soul worth saving and that he is a good man who is trapped under the circumstance of family and obligation to his gang.
“Yes, he was still dangerous, and I wasn’t foolish enough to think otherwise, and the stormy, untamed emotion brewing inside him was enough to make any sane woman turn away . . . and yet, I couldn’t.”As Molly attended to Chris’s medical needs, she informs him that he can stay at her place till he is fully healed. While at her house, the sexual tension was palpable and like a moth to a flame, Molly craves and needs Chris’s touch. Soon, Molly begins to unravels Chris’s hard exterior and guarded heart. Feelings of love, hope, and new beginnings begins to surface. But what happens when danger and death comes knocking on their door? Will Chris be able to protect Molly from the gang? And will Chris be able to protect Scott? How far will one man go to redeem himself?
“I see you, Chris. I see who you are. I know you. I see your beauty, and I see your darkness. I see it all. And I am here for you.”Dare To Stay was intense, sexy, provocative, gritty, suspenseful and sinfully intoxicating. Jen McLaughlin did not just deliver a love story but she held you hostage with her raw and addictive prose. She brought forth a love story that embodied every essence of hope, justice, forgiveness, honor, passion, and redemption. Jen captured our attention as she beautifully weaved elements of grit, stubbornness, iron will, and atonement that readers could feel the raw emotions pouring off the pages and Chris’ determination to right his wrongs. And in such, Jen bewitchingly paints a bold literary creation where life, death, sacrifices and love are sublimely splashed onto a blank canvas giving readers a full depth of how far will one go to make amends of his sins. So if you are looking for a story that was intense, thrilling, and sinfully intoxicating then I dare you to read Dare To Stay. All there is left to say, Jen McLaughlin, I am so ready for Scott’s story.
Jen McLaughlin
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