I knew you were the one for me when I realized my happiness lived in your smiles, not my own.
Jillian West
Madness
Format:
ebook
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Lyric Sinclair has had a whirlwind couple of months. She got sucked back into the industry she thought she was free of, she’s in an exclusive relationship with a rock band, and her ex is back in the picture.
A whole new set of challenges arise as Lyric and her guys work through their grief. Moving on is never a simple task, but Lyric has back up and these guys aren’t afraid to fight for what they want most.
Danger is closer than ever… but Lyric is learning to face her demons rather than running at the first sign of trouble. She better figure it out. Or it’ll be her biggest regret yet.
This is part two of a duet and ends with a happy ending. This is a reverse harem omegaverse that includes mild MM (one couple) but for the most part everyone is focused on our heroine. There are growly men, knots, snarling, bonds, and you’ll see the Sinclair pack come together in these pages.
Point of view:
1st person. Alternating between Lyric, Griffin, Lachlan, Callan, Rooker, Saint & Storm’s perspectives.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
This is the second in the Ruined Records duet. It is not meant as a standalone. Read Left in Ruins first. I’m going to try my best, but there might be some slight spoilers to book 1 in my review. Also, if you found her other works first like I did (Not Many Options, A Pack for Christmas) – know that while her humor does shine through at times, these are significantly darker/angstier novels.
Oh man! Jillian West put me through the ringer with this duet and I loved it. My favorite part of West’s writing is how distinct and well crafted her characters are. She opens each chapter with the name of the character, but even if she didn’t – I would know exactly whose perspective it is.
Lyric, Griffin, Lachlan, Callan, & to an extent Rooker have come together and are starting to form a pack. They are healing from their pasts, learning about each other, and trying to work at communicating better. Griffin, oh Griffin! He’s so amazing at keeping the other guys in check from trying to manage Lyric in misguided attempts to protect her. Lachlan seems like he’d be flaky, but he’s all in. Callan is so sweet and almost a male version of Lyric. Rooker is another protector and growly goodness.
Then. THEN! West doubles down (hah!) and adds two more guys to the pack. I didn’t think it would be possible, but she does a great job with solidifying them in ways I didn’t imagine. Won’t spoil who they are, but it’s a perfect fit.
There is a bit of an MM element between two of the guys, but the sexual aspect is only lightly touched on. If I’m being honest I would have loved for that to have been explored more, but I did appreciate their relationship and how it was an integral part of the pack dynamic.
There’s a bit of a mystery/suspense element with an unidentified stalker and a growing list of suspects. It’s a minor part of the story but adds an interesting twist to the the Pack’s interactions. I liked that West spent the time to show a lot of growth and healing for all of the characters, but especially Lyric. She has been through so much and there are no easy fixes, but her growing pack becomes the family and support system she’s always needed.
I know West did a bit of a spinoff from this with Not Many Options – but there’s several secondary characters that I would love to see explored a bit more. I’ll jump on any books she releases in the future.
Content Warnings:
Please read the content warnings West provides at the beginning of the book. This isn’t an easy path for most of the characters and several are still coping in very unhealthy ways at the beginning.
About the author:
You can connect with Jillian West here:
My Favorite Quotes
“The way I see it, you both took her choice away. You protected her in your own way by disappearing. He protected her in his, by sticking around. The one thing you both have in common? Neither of you thought to include her in the decision.”
“His smile is far too charming for such a questionable human being.”
“You’ve got me, little one. No. Matter. What.”
“Stuck in an elevator with weird uncle Riggs and grandma Walker was not the time for declarations of love.”
“That’s the good thing about having a pack. You all share. The responsibilities, the successes, the failures, it’s all a team effort.”
“Ever tried to play in front of three or four thousand people with a hard-on? Yeah, me neither, before today.”
“I knew you were the one for me when I realized my happiness lived in your smiles, not my own.”
“It’s strange to realize that my life had to completely fall apart for me to get everything I ever wanted.”
Rellim Reads 