WTF (Westbrook Elite, #4) by Cambria Hebert

I had so many highlights after finishing WTF that it took me forever to pick ones to use in my review. This book was emotional and heartbreaking, yet filled with love and acceptance. It was family and friends coming together to prove that no one needs to fight alone.

From the blurb:

I don’t do commitment. And though I swing both ways, I don’t do men either.

It’s too messy, too stressful, and just asking for trouble.

I’d rather shine bright like the sun than drown in the rain, so I adopt a pounce-and-bounce lifestyle for which my sparkling charm keeps me from being hated.

When I show up in Sweden for a semester abroad, I expect a roomie. What I don’t expect is Lars. The storm to my sun. The test of my patience. How easy he makes it to forget all my reasons for staying away from guys.

No big deal. I’ll just pivot from pounce and bounce to roomies with benefits. I’ll get to indulge in that side of me, then leave it half a world away. What happens in Sweden stays in Sweden… until he follows me home.

Lars shows up at Westbrook looking like my little brother’s new swim bro. Just as alluring as he did before.

And all I can do is ask myself,

My resolve for an uncomplicated, stress-free life isn’t something I’m willing to give up for anyone, even if his icy-blond hair begs for my fingers and those pale-blue eyes are haunted by shadows.

I might be the sun, but I am not his sun, and it’s not my job to chase away whatever sent him running here. He swears it isn’t me. But I’m calling bullshit. Why else would he show up on my turf?

But then shit starts happening, and the shadows in his eyes turn to panic. I catch a glimpse of the bruises on his creamy, flawless skin.

I can’t keep him at arm’s length anymore. I don’t want to. Protecting him means surrendering to everything I always refused. His destruction or mine.

The choice is simple, so achingly absolute that I can’t help but wonder once more…

WTF?

Please note that WTF contains stalking and domestic abuse (not between the main characters). There is also mention of (off-page) parental death. Some readers may find these things uncomfortable.

Jacqueleen the Reading Queen's Review:

Gosh this book. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it after reading Wish. Win was a character that stuck with me and when I heard his book was going to be MM I might have yelled out loud. Though Hebert writes majority MF, she sure can write the hell out of an MM romance. There's no glossing over the steam like you sometimes see with MF authors who dip their toe into the genre. Hebert has more than dipped, as she has several MM titles. She's actually the author who introduced me to the joys of MM Romance with the Gearshark series and I've been happily making my way through it ever since.

"Even when we were nothing...somehow he was still everything."

The feels in this one went straight to my heart. Lars with his hidden vulnerability and desperation for just a moment of true peace. Lets just say he has a bit in common with Max and leave it at that. And Win. Win who was so terrified of losing another person he loved that he just decided to stop himself from loving anyone else ever. It broke my heart. Here was a man ready to love Win with all his heart, yet Win was adamant he remain alone.

"I can't do it Lars. Not again. I can't lose anyone. It hurts too much. I can't risk what's left of my heart."

But that's the funny thing about love. Oftentimes our hearts don't give us a choice. Win can try and ignore the way he feels all he wants, but at the end of the day his heart still beat for a man with a halo of platinum blonde hair atop his head. His angel. That's not to say their road to forever was easy by any means. Lars has secrets. Secrets that threaten. Secrets that made me want to hold that man in my arms and never let him go. To promise him he would always be safe. Luckily he had Win for that. Win who made Lars feel safe and protected. Cherished. Home.

"You're mine now. Do you understand me?"

"I've always been yours."

Rating: 5 Stars

WTF is available to buy as an ebook, paperback, or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.