In this small town, two gangs are constantly at war. The Kings vs. The North Shore Alliance. Caden and Billie come from rival gangs and have been at war for years. Billie’s dad is the leader of The North Shore and Caden’s dad is the leader of the Kings. Two years ago, Caden did unspeakable things to Billie and broke her; she is trying to make her way back from it and escape the North Shore. He is blackmailing her to do a job for him, that puts everything at risk. Billie is left to do exactly what she is told and is unsure if she will be able to survive the consequences. 

This is a dark romance. There are scenes of violence and these two hate each other. Caden King is a deplorable man who has done terrible things and has done horrible things to Billie, yet I was there for their relationship. I think part of what I liked is that neither Caden nor Billie are innocent in the violence that ravages this town. They are both doing what they need to do to survive and though none of that is excusable, the author gets us to see that through both of their lenses. I found that I hated both characters, but at the same time saw that in their messed up-ness they ended up being meant for each other. 

I was not expecting this book to make me as emotional as it did, but there were so many points in it that I wanted to burn this entire town down and wreck everyone in it. The dynamics between all the characters were so interesting, and they kept me wanting to know what happened. 

This was a read like no other I have read before. This book will not be for everyone, but if you like pitch-black romances, this may be the one to check out.