⚠️ Deals with and trigger warnings// Grief, severe depression, suicide ideation, murder, shootings, blood, light torture, slight drug use, smoking, drinking, very light age play, age gape ⚠️ DESCRIPTION: In the wake of the bloodiest war the Sons of Munster had seen in a long time, we were supposed to celebrate our victory and move on with our lives. I wanted to see my brothers-in-arms dance and drink way too much. I wanted to hear laughter and Irish music. Instead, we were a syndicate crushed by grief. Shannon O’Shea had lost more than most, and every fiber of my being screamed at me to pull him from the depths of his despair. As the father of my best friend, he’d been there for me when my parents kicked me out for being gay. Now it was my turn. I had to find the answers. I had to rescue him. The day he asked for a favor and demanded discretion, the plan unfolded before my eyes, and I couldn’t resist the temptation. No names, no faces. He wouldn’t know it was me in the darkness. At the same time, the shackles around my wrists tightened as old enemies slithered back out of the gutters of my city, and my brothers and I were once again on the warpath. -------- ☘️ “May the rebellion in your blood save you from their shackles." ☘️ Side note: Thank you so very much to Cara Dee and Eliza Rae for allowing me to experience being a ARC reader! Especially for one my favorite authors! It was an honor! 😭 And another thank you to Eliza for taking time out of your day to help be download the ARC 😅💞 So.... If I'm being honest, it took me a minute to vibe with the characters and storyline. But I've also not exactly been in the right head space this month due to some personal things going on in my life. And also, Kellan is a stubborn, Irish diva that was driving me up the wall for a good chunk of the story 😅😤 I swear, I so wanted to take one of his fancy ass suits and take it on a mudding trip - sorry not sorry 🤣🤷 But then I would've had to high tail it out of there because I would prefer to not have a bullet in my ass 🙄🤣 But Cara has some sort of sorcery where you can't help falling in love with her characters. 😅💗 She did a really spot on job at representing the weight of grieve and the battle with depression. It's not just something that magically disappears, no matter how many years may have passed. Depression is like a vast ocean; sometimes there are small waves that you can let roll off your back and others hit you like a tsunami and you have to fight not to drown. I felt both Shannon's emotional turmoil of trying to keep going in a world that's become so bleak and Kellan's desperate and heart wrenching need to try and rescue him. I understood Kellan's struggle all too well.... watching someone that you love and that's usually always a pillar of strength and reliability, be so broken that death sounds like the easier option. 😮‍💨 There was a certain part of the story that felt.... kind of unnecessary. I don't want to spill any major spoilers, so I'll just say the kinky shit that went on in the dark. 😅 I felt like the relationship would've developed just fine without that filler. 🤷 I loved Shannon and Kellan's dynamic and the way they slowly drew towards each other in a more intimate way. They balanced each other out and they equally took care of each other. Shannon helped Kellan allow himself to be more emotionally vulnerable and filled in all the empty places inside him. And Kellan loved and accepted all of Shannon, including his jagged and shattered pieces; and brought passion into his life, also. 💞 It wasn't as action-packed as I was expecting for a mafia romance. The action parts were more mild, especially compared to her Auction series. Though, the way Cara can outline a smart and in detail war strategy in her stories is slightly scary and ingenious. 😅👏💯✊ This isn't my favorite Cara book but I did enjoy it. I may not have fallen in love with the story but I did really like it. If you enjoy: snark, emotional messes, Irish Mafia and age gape, than I very much recommend this. That is all. ✌️🧡💚