review || FATAL { blog tour } by Evie Harper

Evie Harper Author | March 28, 2016 | Romantic Suspense
Portland Street Kings, book 2
★★★★1/2

SOURCE: ENTICING JOURNEY

Mackson King’s past is a dark, horror-filled chasm that could swallow the toughest, most dangerous men. A member of the notorious Portland Street Kings, he’s impossible to intimidate—but he can be hurt. He learned that the hard way, thanks to her. Lana. The one woman capable of easing his nightmares, of soothing his demons, was the very woman who shredded his heart. She took away his torments, only to become one of them.

Born into a family who lost their way long before she arrived, Lana Scavello has carefully enforced a steely interior that shields her heart from harm. But that doesn’t mean she can’t cry, and she’s spared Mackson King more tears than he ever deserved. Finding Lana at her most vulnerable, saving her when she felt the most invisible, he burrowed beneath her defenses to carve his own personal door to her soul. Only to decimate it, along with everything she’d ever known.

Now, years later, fate has thrown the couple together once more. Pain, heartbreak and betrayal will explode to the surface, leaving both of them raw, aching, exposed. And that’s when their true love story begins…

amazon | bn | itunes

{ add to goodreads } .

{ review } .

Last time, we had big 'brother' Slater. This time, we're moving on to the brother who I fell for almost as quickly as him -- Mackson.

What I loved about Mack in the last book was how he was the first to start giving Piper hell -- in a loving way. He accepted her into the family almost before everyone else. Granted, he had a leg-up on that situation, being Piper and Slater's "guard" and finally having enough, but still...

These books are interconnected. While each is a standalone, there is an underlying story that connects each of them -- more than just the family unit that makes up the Portland Street Kings. Mack and Lana's story started at the end of Collision -- hints of their past as well as the reasoning for why they're currently thrown together. Mack may want Lana, but Lana certainly holds a grudge against Mack... Equally though, Mack holds himself back from women because of the wound this particular one left behind.

"You're going to get out of here and fly away, just like a dove." -- Young Mack to Lana

Mack and his family are currently at war with Rex and his people -- and Rex just so happens to be Lana's brother. There's a big reason why the boys are going after Rex, and we get to see more of that story in the gripping prologue. We get to see a scene in Della's point of view, a scene that happened in the previous book but we didn't get to actually witness.

While the war is happening, Mack and Lana's tension starts to simmer and grow. Their past was rocky and their future is questionable... but watching big bad Mack melt for her? I just loved it. He was her savior in their early twenties, always fighting for her to believe in herself and block out her father's words. While he's angry for her choices five years ago (he does hold part of the blame), him standing up for her, even when the perpetrator is herself, is a habit deeply engrained.

"I hate you," I seethe. 

"No, baby, you hate that you love me." Mack turns and begins walking out of the kitchen, but before he's out the door, he lays his final blow. "Feeling's mutual."

Like in the previous, I found the characterizations to be extremely well thought out. It was easy to get lost in the book and feel like you knew the people. I found the suspense line this time to build up appropriately but still felt a little let down in some places. The author also seemed to keep the similar makeup of the plot line. Where previously, Mack was the brother welcoming Piper, this time we have Pacer welcoming Lana -- Mack's family is unaware of their true history so it wasn't set up like re-welcoming. Granted, Kelso had his ideas.... The major difference in the set-up, something that I enjoyed but went back and forth on, was that the prologue is in Dell's point of view, and that we get a few other view points further in, too. I'm torn in whether or not I liked that, or if the set-up should have been the same, with the reader only getting those views once that particular family member's story was told.

Regardless...

Next up is Della! I've enjoyed watching this "only" sister. She's fiercely protected by her older brothers and hasn't had the easiest time during all the build up and excitement going on around her. I'm excited to watch as Dom forces his way into her heart; this woman has a lot of healing to do, and I'm anxious to watch it happen.