This book. I waited what felt like forever for this novel and it was absolutely everything I was hoping it would be.
I can't think of the last time I was so invested in a book to be written. I was absolutely thrilled when it popped on my kindle and though I had to break it up over a few days, this novel was everything I needed it to be.
I hurt reading this. Some of the characters just rip your heart out as you read and some fo the scenes do exactly that same thing.
BUT this book was everything. It was broken and bleeding out on the ground and it was healing and bandaged. John and Hook. I just. I don't have the words.
This is a continued retelling of Peter Pan and it was absolutely everything. I hesitate to write it but I loved this novel twice as much as the first and that should tell you something.
This novel can be a particular triggering read but Gina gave ample warning and you are prepared for what you may read. It was beautiful.
She healed you as a reader as she healed her characters and she did so in a healthy and safe way. Absolutely a beautiful read.
Synopsis:
Journey back to Neverland, NC with NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author Gina L. Maxwell as she turns your favorite villain into the hero you never knew you needed.
THEY CALL ME HOOK
I’m Captain of the Pirates; a villain by design and a loner by nature.
I don’t need anyone. More than that, I don’t want anyone. Especially Officer John Darling who insists on seeing the good in everything, including me. If there was ever any good inside of me, it was snuffed out long ago.
I’ve avoided him for years, but now I need his help to save my brother’s life and take down Fred Croc, the monster from my childhood and my current employer.
Now Darling is undercover in my crew, living in my loft and forever working out shirtless. Taking Croc’s operation down from the inside is dangerous as hell, but Darling’s probing gaze and the natural way he defers to my dominant side might just be the end of me.
But I’ve lived in the dark for too long, and no amount of light can save me. Not even one as bright as Johnathan Darling.
HE CALLS ME DARLING
I’m a Task Force Officer with the FBI; a protector of the innocent and a man in love with a villain.
Before I was even old enough to understand it, I had a crush on the broody teen called Captain Hook, following him around like a puppy and hoping he’d show me the slightest bit of attention.
He never did, though, not for years. Not until I became his only viable option for getting his crew member back and throwing Croc behind bars. Now he can’t ignore me, and he can’t hide the desire burning in his eyes when I sink to my knees, eager to serve my Captain however he needs.
But secrets are hard to keep in close quarters, and when I discover the darkness lurking in his past, eradicating the evil in Neverland is no longer my only mission. Come hell or high water, I’ll make Hook see that he’s never been the villain of this story…he’s the hero.
*Trigger Warning for readers sensitive to characters with sexual assault in their pasts. Please read the Author’s Note in the beginning of the book for more details.
