Review – These Defiant Souls by L.A. Cotton

These Defiant Souls; Darling Hill #3
(#3 within an interconnected series)

Publication Date: October 25, 2022

Genre/Tropes: New Adult/Opposites Attract/Enemies-to-Lovers Romance

Author: L.A. Cotton

Review Rating: 5 Gold Stars

Review/Synopsis:

Review:
Angsty and raw with lots of teenage emotion. It’s opposites attract at its best.

Zane is a wounded animal, in theory, lashing out at everyone around him, well, everyone except his Grams. His Grams his is entire world, the woman who raised him when his mother left, his father leaving before he was ever born. With his grandmother’s failing health Zane isn’t looking toward the future knowing he will take care of her the same way she took care of him. With all of his friends soon heading off to college he knows he will be left behind and seeing someone like Celeste who has both parents, money, and a future…he lashes out, over and over and over again. If he only didn’t want her while he was also trying to get rid of her maybe he wouldn’t feel so terrible.

Celeste’s life isn’t all roses and sunshine. Money doesn’t instantly make everything better, nor does having two parents, they actually have to care. She is alone with no one to really talk to for most of the book and I felt for her numerous times. Celeste is probably the strongest female character I’ve ever read. As much as Zane tries to bring her down or push her away, she stays strong and never gives up or really inwardly puts herself down. I was constantly in awe of her. Personally I would have walked away numerous times, so I admired her courage to be so strong.

These two were more than grumpy/sunshine…Zane is so full anger, but he doesn’t know how to release it except when Celeste is near. She really just wants to help and pretty much can’t stay away, which is why she finds herself back in his presence over and over again, and a lot of it isn’t the attraction, but the basic need to help another human being.

I was a tad disappointed in some of the people in Celeste’s life as the story played out, but as the story came to a close I was happy at how everything turned out. I’ll be excited to see who comes next in this series because there are a few possibilities and just like with other Darling Hill characters, I’ll need updates on how everyone is doing.

Synopsis:

𝗔 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘀𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝙐𝙎𝘼 𝙏𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙅𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗟 𝗔 𝗖𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗻!

Celeste Rowe is lucky.

At least, that’s what everyone thinks. Rich, beautiful, and smart, she has it all.

She knows one thing though: the heart is a treacherous thing.

It wants what it wants. You can try to fight it. Ignore it. But in the end, it’ll ruin you.

Zane Washington is doomed.

At least, that’s what it feels like. Poor, cynical, and desperate, he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He knows one thing though: the heart is a treacherous thing.

It wants what it wants. You can try and resist it. Avoid it. But in the end, it will break you.

On paper, they couldn’t be more different. But Celeste and Zane are about to discover that, sometimes, the very thing you shouldn’t want, is the only thing you need.

And maybe it’s time for love to defy the odds.

* 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘋𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 17+

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘡𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦 …

High School Romance

Enemies to Lovers / hate-to-love-you vibes

Football / School Rivals

All the Angst

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