Collide, Gail McHugh

Emily is moving away from town she’s always called home after the death of her mother and to New York City to be with the one she loves Dillon Parker. Trying to get her life on track after the move until Gavin storms into her life and changes all the rules.

After his fiancé leaves him, Gavin doesn’t think he’ll ever find love again, let again find love at first site that is until Emily walks into his office delivering his food and turns his world upside down, he’s never chased after a woman before, but he was not going to let Emily slip through his fingers.

I read both Collide and Pulse in one day because I could not put them down, the constant battle between Emily and Gavin made my heart ache. But also I have never been so infuriated with a character like I was with Emily, the moment she saw Gavin she should have broken up with Dillon, should have left his sorry arse behind and been with Gavin, but instead she sticks with Dillon lets him control her, lets him slowly manipulate her.

At the beginning Dillon and Emily’s relationship seems normal, but as the reader you pick up on things that Emily didn’t, Dillon’s slimy behaviour, his controlling nature and his cheating, all oblivious to Emily’s eyes. You also see how Gavin looks at her, how he wants to consume her, own her soul, her heart, her every desire, and you can’t help but want to scream at her to notice.

It makes you crave the attention and love that Gavin would give Emily, you want to have that for yourself and you get angry because she could easily have it but she’s pushing it away, pushing Gavin away so much and she does this by agreeing to marry Dillon.

After some drama between Dillon and Emily they separate for a couple of days and in this time she comes to terms with the fact that she has fallen head over heels in love with Gavin without even meaning too. Refusing to keep fighting her feelings she goes to his apartment and they devour each other and have the most intense sex, they are both finally able to give into their desires and the way Gail McHugh describes it is amazing.

However their story doesn’t end there, not even close, they don’t get their happily ever after there. Emily walks in on something as she tries to surprise Gavin at his apartment and leaves before he is given a chance to explain, he doesn’t even know what’s happened. And Emily goes running back to Dillon and agrees to put the wedding back on.

“Why are you marrying someone you don’t love?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m marrying someone who loves me!”

The rehearsal dinner was where this story really broke my heart; I could envision the look on Gavin’s face at the end before he was driven away by Olivia, the heart break he had to endure, the scare that Emily had left him. The ending of this book was the reason I had to continue to read Pulse straight after, I needed their happily ever after.

A review for 'Pulse' will be coming soon, I happily give this book a 4* rating.