Dishearten - Greer Rivers

The first few chapters took me a little while to settle into because it had been long enough since I read Unveil that I had forgotten some of the connections between the characters and families. As those memories came back, everything started falling into place, and I found myself completely invested again.

Lucy was such an easy character to love. She's incredibly innocent despite everything she's been through, and her decision to run away, believing it was the best way to protect everyone else, says so much about who she is. I was fascinated by the life she managed to build for herself. At first, her working as a stripper felt surprising given her personality, but as we learned more about her boundaries and why she avoided the VIP rooms, it all made perfect sense.

And then there's Hatton.  He might be one of the most beautifully broken characters in this series. He follows Lucy because he wants to protect her, but he never tries to control her. Even when every instinct tells him to keep her close, he respects her choices, and I loved that about him. As more layers of Lucy's story were uncovered, you could almost feel Hatton's heart breaking for everything she'd endured. His protectiveness wasn't about possession, it was the purest form of care, and it made him impossible not to love.

One of my favorite parts of their relationship was the conversations they shared. They were constantly balancing truth with secrets, honesty with caution. Neither of them was ready to fully trust, yet they continually gave each other pieces of themselves. Watching that trust slowly build made their relationship feel genuine and well-earned.

And when they finally gave in to the chemistry between them... Greer absolutely delivered. The connection wasn't rushed. The emotional bond came first, making every intimate moment feel earned rather than expected. But once those walls came down? Greer knows exactly how to write spice. Every scene felt like a natural extension of their relationship and carried just as much emotion as passion.

The pacing also worked well for me. It never felt rushed, but it also never dragged. Every chapter added another layer to the larger story, and I loved seeing how each character, and each revelation connected together into something much bigger than I expected.

I'll admit it took me an embarrassingly long time to connect some of the characters to their Alice in Wonderland counterparts. I had a general idea of where everyone fit, but I'm not always great at picking up on implied connections. By the end, I appreciated the Wonderland parallels even more than I did at the beginning, and I'm completely invested in seeing where Greer takes this series next. I received this as an ARC and am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

I’m not good, and I’m sure as hell not patient. This is fast for you. But for me? It’s been a g*****n eternity.

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