FORSAKEN TRAIL (Runaway #4) by DEVNEY PERRY

“What are you doing?” I asked as he inched closer…” I’m going to kiss you.”

Oh gosh, we LOVED Forsaken Trail! Aria and Brody’s (oh Brody! Talk about major swoon material!) story is our favourite so far! We loved everything about this book – the enemies to lovers, the surprise pregnancy, and the gorgeous romantically clueless alpha hero. The execution, the banter, the bickering, and the way these total opposites worked on their differences held us spellbound.

‘One sentence. One answer. And the world fell away from my feet.’

Devney Perry has delivered a varied and engaging series from the start, and we can’t begin to tell you how excited we are for the Dotted Lines, the concluding book in the Runaway Series! We know it’s going to bring all the emotions as it sows the last thread in this wonderful creative tapestry.

Devney Perry teased us about the disdain Aria Saint-James held for her sisters’ boss in Quarter Miles and we couldn’t wait to see how Brody and Aria’s story panned out. We do love a good enemy to lovers’ romance and this one, packed full of searing chemistry, romance, a swoony hero who completely stole our hearts, and the passion lurking beneath the snarky banter captivated us.

Aria lived her most impressionable young years in the junkyard with her twin sister Clara following the tragic death of their parents. Protected by fellow teen runaways Londyn, Gemma, Katherine and the only boy, Karson, we witness each woman carving out her own path and in the process finding love, all thanks to a red Cadillac and road trips that take them to various destinations in the US. The end game is for Aria’s twin sister Clara returning the car to its rightful owner in Dotted Lines.

This was Aria’s story, and it was beautiful. Devney Perry illustrates time and again the human frailties through warmth, love, humour, emotion, and angst and especially so in Forsaken Trail. Although each woman’s story is tragic, Devney Perry doesn’t linger or drag us into despair, instead, she focuses on the strength and resilience it takes for these women (and their love interests) to blossom and heal.

‘Aria had a lasting effect. She walked into your life and you struggled to remember what it had been like before you’d seen that first smile.’

Aria’s life is turned on its head when a trip to see her sister and nephew in Welcome Arizona results in a  one night stand with her nemesis and sisters boss the broody, ostentatious and extremely good looking Broderick (Brody) Carmichael. Come on, how was she going to resist this guy? Whilst his demeanour screamed grumpy and standoffish, Brody was a man with a beautiful heart, a sad past which left his with a desire to be loved. He was quite the man who radiated sex appeal in spades!

Aria and Brody couldn’t be more different, yet they gelled so beautifully and bickered belligerently as they navigated the minefield of a pregnancy resulting from their night of passion. Aria who, despite a job she loved, a sister and nephew who meant the world to her and friends she could depend upon, cut a picture of loneliness and we desperately wanted her to find love.

‘She didn’t want anything from me. She didn’t care about my money. She didn’t care about my business. She was simply honest. Sometimes, brutally so.’

Devney Perry captured every moment of their relationship so beautifully with the dual POV working perfectly to help us understand the conflicting emotions between the characters. Sometimes it seemed for every step forward, they took two back, and we were there with them every step of the way. Through wonderful storytelling, we were visually afforded the luxury of experiencing the characters and their story through their eyes.

“Never in my life have I met a person so inflexible as your sister.” Clara scoffed. “Then you need to look in the mirror.”

Now with the Cadillac on the road once again, we wait with bated breath as Clara faces her demons and we find out all about the elusive Karson in Dotted Lines. We can’t wait!