What is the Book about?
Emma decided to skip the gym and went home early. It was the last easy decision she made because she found her roommate being raped by the boyfriend. She had two choices. Call the cops and be killed by his family’s mafia connections or kill him first and hope to survive. There was no choice to her. She killed the bastard first and went to the one person who could protect her. Carter Reed. He’s a weapon for the rivaling mafia family, but he’s also Emma’s secret. Not only was he best friends with her brother, but she’s the reason he became that weapon in the first place. 
What did I think about the Book?
I love Tijan's books, because she always writes and creates the most complex and interesting characters. She always bases a book around a strong female character and an equally strong male lead with a dark and dangerous story line, and Carter Reed is no different.The book starts with Emma, coming home to find her roommate, Mallory, beaten and being raped by her boyfriend, Jeremy. All instinct takes over, and Emma grabs the gun that she has her apartment and shots Jeremy. Things become very complicated as Emma knows that Jeremy Dunvan was the son to the mob boss Franco Dunvan from the Bartel Family. As Emma witnessed the murder of her brother at the hands of the Bartel Family, she knows that she needs to get help before they seek revenge for his death. With no-one else to turn to, she seeks out her brothers former best friend, Carter Reed, who got a dangerous reputation, as he is an assassin for the Mauricio family, the rival family to the Bartel's.
"I have been protecting you since you were a child, Emma. I'm not going to stop now." - Carter
The problem is that Emma has not seen Carter since her brother's death, and is unsure if he will help her. When she finds Carter, she discovers that he is no longer the boy that used to sleep on her sofa as a child when his father became abusive, but a hard face killer. Emma tells Carter what happened with Jeremy Dunvan, and Carter offers to help her stay alive, only if she agrees to stay with him where he can keep an eye on her, however she will have to leave Mallory and all her friends behind. Emma is torn as to whether she can leave Mallory behind, who has seeked refuge at Ben's house, a friend of Mallory's, who secretly loves her. When Carter point's out that Emma is the one that killed Jeremy, therefore the Bartel family will becoming after her not her friend, she realises that she doesn't have a choice, if she wants to stay alive, she must go with Carter.
"I wanted you to live your life free, but when you came to me, I couldn't allow you that freedom anymore. You have to be with me. You have to be with me at all times" - Carter
Emma thinks that Carter is offering her safety to fulfil his obligation to his former best friend, however as the story develops, Carter lets his walls down when he is with Emma, and opens up to her about his past and his involvement with the Mauricio family.
"I've been protecting you since I joined the Mauricio family. You were why I joined them in the first place" - Carter
When Emma finds out that everything that Carter has done in his life, all the bad he did, was done to protect and keep Emma save, when she didn't even know that she was in danger. Emma's feelings for Carter deepen as time goes on and they start to develop a pseudo-relationship.
"Your mine Emma. You always have been" - Carter
One night Carter and Emma go out to Octave, a club owned by Carter, and when they are leaving, their car is ambushed by the Bartel family members. Carter springs into action and Emma sees the Cold Killer first hand. Will this change the way that she thinks about him? Will Carter be able to protect Emma from the Bartel family and can he stop them from seeking her out?
As always the book is dark and twisty with characters that captivate your attention. Like all the other books that I have read by Tijan, the main focus is family and the unbreakable connection between Carter and Emma. Carter who doesn't have any contact with his abusive father, and Emma, who doesn't have any living relatives left, find solis and a family like bound in each other. They share a deep love for each other, and will do anything to keep the other safe.
This book is about love and romance with a undertone of danger and fear, which makes the story different from most romance books. Tijan has done a brilliant job of enabling the reader to connect with the characters and I have actually fallen in love with Mr Reed myself. He is hot, tough and fearless when it comes to protecting the woman that he loves. If you like a book that has suspense, drama but mostly love, romance and passion, then this is the book for you.
