We all play victims to our pasts, to the choices we make and the lives we create.
They define who we are.
And sometimes if we’re lucky enough, the past stays where it belongs: in the past.
Kyler Parker is not one of the lucky ones.
He has never been.
Abused and neglected until he was sixteen, Kyler needed an out. A way to escape. And he found it in the most unlikely friendship.
But at seventeen, tragedy struck, and he made himself disappear.
Now, at twenty-four, Kyler’s past is knocking on his door, offering a deal he has no choice but to take… a deal that will help bring justice—not just for him, but for his brothers.
The problem?
He’s distracted by the girl across the hall.
Madison comes with her own past, her own secrets... and her own deal.
And those deals?
They’re ticking time bombs.
Ones they didn’t know existed.
Tick.
Tock.
I have had this book sitting on my reader since it first came out - nearly 5 years ago! - and I never picked it up to read it. Seeing the final book in the trilogy come out made me pick it up.
And what the hell took me so long to pick it up??
Ky and Madison's story had me engrossed from the minute I picked it up.
It focuses mostly on Ky in this installment, set in the present with some flashbacks to his past
My heart hurt for him as we learn how he came to be the man he is today.
We also meet Mr Nate Deluca, and spent the entire time reading, now sure whether I liked or loathed the man (and I love that in my stories!)
And then BAM - we were cliffied with something I really, really did not see coming.
Thankfully I could move right onto book 2, Redemptive
It’s said that your life flashes before your eyes when you die.
It must only happen to those whose lives are worthy.
Clearly, Bailey’s life is not.
Unwanted from the day she was born, and then discarded, Bailey’s only plan in life is to make it through to the next day.
But one hopeless night, one wrong decision, and one pull of the trigger changes everything.
Not just for her, but for Nate DeLuca too.
Born into a world of crime, he had his entire life planned out for him.
He wasn’t supposed to find her that night.
He wasn’t meant to capture her, either.
And he sure as hell wasn’t meant to save her.
Sometimes villains are born.
And sometimes… heroes are made.
It must only happen to those whose lives are worthy.
Clearly, Bailey’s life is not.
Unwanted from the day she was born, and then discarded, Bailey’s only plan in life is to make it through to the next day.
But one hopeless night, one wrong decision, and one pull of the trigger changes everything.
Not just for her, but for Nate DeLuca too.
Born into a world of crime, he had his entire life planned out for him.
He wasn’t supposed to find her that night.
He wasn’t meant to capture her, either.
And he sure as hell wasn’t meant to save her.
Sometimes villains are born.
And sometimes… heroes are made.
I couldn't wait to dive straight into Redemptive after the end of Combative - so I did!
Well, this series sure went in a direction that I sure as heck was not expecting!
We now learn more about "Madison" and the elusive Nate.
I think I cried for at least 50% of this story. Oh my gosh, my head and my heart hurt so much, that I had a shocking headache when I finished from all the emotion felt.
I have to say that I made up my mind about Nate in this intallment - love, love LOVE the man. Even knowing now what he does and what he has done in the past, I couldn't help but fall for him.
I really liked getting to know more of Nate's friend Tiny, and aside from our lovelies, he is definitely my favourite character in this series.
I am also glad that I did wait all these years to read the series, for if had to wait for a few years to get the final installment, it would have done my head in. I now know why people were always asking when i was coming.
Holy sh!t and WTF Jay McLean!
You have kept me on my toes this whole series, however Ms McLean has definitely left the best till last with Destructive.
I was still on an adrenaline high after finishing Redemptive, and had no idea where things would go with Destructive.
I wanted to race my way through this story, however I also wanted, no needed to savour each and every word.
Gah! I never knew where the story was going to take me, I turned each page, holding my breath in anticipation. It was amazing too see how the stories from books one and two came together in book 3 - so many surprises for this reader, so many questions answered.
I just don't know how to give this book the justice it deserves with my words.
Ms Mclean ripped my heart out, stomped on it and put it back together with Destructive.
The day after finishing this series ( which I read in just over a day) I am still speechless, and keep thinking about this series.
Buy it, read it, love it. I know I did.
Buy it, read it, love it. I know I did.
