Mateo Alvarez knew only darkness in his childhood and youth. He finally gets a break working at Rydell Rides because his boss, Shane Rydell, gives him the job opportunity, despite his prison record. But Shane also warns Mateo to go nowhere near his daughter, Iris. The problem is, that’s not the daughter that has caught Mateo’s eye. Rose has.Rose Rydell is home in River’s End with her education … education and job training done to start working with her mom as a dyslexia specialist and tutor. She avoids the world her dad and sister inhabit as car mechanics. But most especially she avoids Mateo. With his violent past, prison record and neck-tattoo… she’s more than unnerved by him but completely distrustful of what he thinks or might do.
Until one day… he changes everything between them.
It shocks her. And… also, changes everything she notices and thinks about him. And she will never again go back to ignoring or fearing him. He finally has her attention but he has no idea what to do with it. She starts to see things he’s hidden from everyone his entire life. Things that aren’t dark or violent, but talents and interests far beyond what’s ever been noticed before.
But when violence touches River’s End… Mateo is the first suspect. The natural suspect in everyone’s eyes. The exact thing Mateo always expected to happen. As their relationship finally comes out to all of River’s End, they have to find a way to keep Mateo free and their love together…
*Warning: This book contains profanity, sex and mature content matter. Mature audiences ONLY.
Recommended Reading Order For The River’s End Series:
River’s End
River’s Escape
River’s Return
River Road
River on Fire
River’s Lost
River of Change
River’s Destiny
River’s Rescue
River’s Winter
River in Darkness
River in Light
River in the Mountains
more
Rose Rydell has followed more in her mother’s footsteps than her father, Shane. She has decided that she wants to work with Allison and wants to teach kids with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia. Rose has generally been the girl who follows the rules and can’t understand how her father could hire ex-con Mateo Alvarez to work in his shop as a mechanic.
Mateo Alvarez is a mechanic and best friends with Rose’s sister, Iris. He was warned by Shane to stay away from Iris but for some reason Mateo finds himself attracted to Iris. Yet he can tell she is afraid of him and avoids him at all costs.
When Mateo and Rose slowly begin to get to know each other will Rose realize how much Mateo has to offer?
Then an incident occurs at River’s Edge and Mateo is the first to be accused. Can Mateo and Rose survive the accusations and will anyone see the real Mateo before it’s too late?
This is another great book in the series and I love how they are all unique yet tied together.
I thought Rose was a good character but she definitely had some prejudice against Mateo yet at the same time she was so kind and caring about kids who had learning disabilities. I found that kind of interesting as she really had no idea what situation Mateo was born into and judged him for what she perceived him to be like yet she wanted to work with kids who were born into their own learning difficulties. Yet when Rose slowly began to spend time with Mateo she realized the kind of guy he really was and was shocked.
We first met Mateo in the first book and you saw what a great friendship he had with Iris. Yet you also knew everything that went down and how he took the fall for something that he was not involved in and who was there for him. So that being said you knew that certain things were going to be explained in this book. I really loved getting to know him and realizing the guy he really was but wasn’t given the chance to be.
I really enjoyed watching Mateo and Rose get to know each other and Rose discovering what Mateo had kept hidden from everyone. I loved learning about his passions and how Rose encouraged him to step out of his comfort zone and try new things.
I was shocked about what I learned about the relationship between Mateo and his brother and it definitely made me mad and see things in a different light.
After the big situation I felt horrible for Mateo as I totally understood why he panicked. I was so glad that Chan and Jeff knew he wasn’t responsible and were trying to make his work life as steady as possible.
I was happy when Rose opened up to her parents and then encouraged Mateo to take some tests! I was so happy when everyone really saw how much Mateo had to offer. I was incredibly proud of him for deciding which path to take and that he would have Rose by his side!
Wow, wow, wow. Leanne Davis always leaves my captivated and wanting more. This is another amazing book in the rivers end series. I fell in love with the main characters and felt like I could relate to their story. Once I started reading this book, I honestly could not put it down. Absolutely amazing book and definitely recommended.
Not sure how the author manages to do it, but each book in this series gets better than the one before it. This is a fantastic addition to a wonderful series. Highly recommend this book and all the books in the series.
Another wonderful book in the River’s End Series.
Prim and proper Rose meets Mateo, a tattooed up ex-con who works for her father. She’s surprised she has feelings for him after avoiding him for so long because she was afraid of him because of his looks and demeanor.
She finds out what a bad child hood and life he had and realizes that he’s really a genius. People only judged him because he was an ex-con with tattoos.
This is a heartwarming story about how a young woman falls for someone “not in her league” and makes him realize his true potential and what a great person he really is by pushing him and showing him fun and love along with caring and compassion.
There’s a deep family secret of his that comes out as things progress. You must read this book.
Rose and Mateo are an unlikely couple but that’s what makes this story so engrossing. The old saying you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover is literally true in this story. I started off liking Rose a lot in the beginning of this story, and Mateo not so much and had a hard time trying to see what Rose saw in him. By the end of the book, I completely understood what Rose saw in Mateo from the very beginning.
Leanne Davis writes excellent books. I’ve yet to be disappointed in one of her books. Mateo and Rose’s story is definitely a favorite of mine. I loved how they interacted with each other. Rose is my heroine, and Mateo is definitely my hero. My emotions were all over the place with these two. I look forward to catching up by reading earlier books in this series. If I love the characters now, they can only get better by understanding more about the past.
This is without a doubt one of the most amazingly beautiful and emotional stories I have ever read. The characters are just so appealing and you warm to them immediately. I wanted a happy ending for them and for Mateo to reach his full potential.
It made me think of how easy it is to see the outside of a person and immediately stereo type them. Just who are they inside? Mateo is a classic example of this thinking. So misunderstood. Only Rose sees him as he is.
Each page of this stunning and incredible book is perfectly written with incredible dialogue and intriguing storyline.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and highly recommend it.