I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book, but I was thought I was at least getting a dark romance, but it mostly just a dark tale of destruction and vengeance. Even the HEA lacked sun. My biggest issue was the heroine. She was an adult at the time that her life was plunged into darkness - but she allowed a lot of that to happen to herself. She put herself in harm's way several times by knowingly behaving stupidly. Her total personality transformation, and her twistedness when it came to Damon, felt out of character to the solidly moral and ambitious young adult who started the story. I get that the abuse she suffered would effect her, but her personality was solidly formed before any of that happened, so her very dramatic change was hard to believe.

I felt bad that Leo got this book as his story - he was a really great character. He had a much harder upbringing that Cassie did, but he weathered his horrible storm far better than she did. His HEA was bittersweet - I would have wanted a better outcome for him than he got - to some degree, it felt like settling. It felt like there was some ambiguity in the ending, so I won't be surprised to see a sequel down the road.

If you read Gypsy Brothers, there were some similarities in the character profiles of the H, h, and anti-H, but GB was far better done (maybe that's because the characters were allowed to unfold over a longer period time).

This book was all kinds of dark and twisted, full of WTF and WTH did I just read moments. It had all the triggers, rape, psuedo-incest, incest, brutality, captivity, and even a serial killer or two, all in the back drop of a small town where nothing is as it seems and secrets abound. Sounds like a book that my dark heart would consume and salivate over for days. Yeah, not so much. And no one is more shocked than me.

I will say, this author has talent putting words to paper, so it wasn't the writing that turned me off. It was the overall tone of the book, the depressing feeling that only deepened as the story developed. Every character succummed to the victimization they suffered or became the perpetrators of the that same abuse. Look, I don't need hearts and rainbows or even happily ever afters. What I do need is some sense of strength and the ability to overcome. Gun Shy is a long slow slide into darkness with no light, not even a glimmer.

I realize my opinion is in the minority and that's okay. While I understand the appeal, it just didn't speak to my dark heart.

Please keep in mind as you read my review, that this is my opinion. I know based on seeing other's reviews that I'm in the minority, but this story was just....well, just no.

I'm all for a thrilling, dark and twisted read, but Gun Shy was beyond the pale. It was absolutely depressing without a glimmer of hope or redemption.

One can't possibly imagine what the mind would do to protect itself from the horrors that Cassie, our MC, endured but, wow. This was definitely a journey into madness. And Leo? Are you kidding me?

There was more than one occasion throughout the book where I almost gave up and DNF, but I kept holding out hope that I would be rewarded with a sliver of light. Much to my disappointment that never happened, I could hardly believe it as I closed the cover on my kindle.

I read for entertainment and enjoyment, this story met none of my criteria.

How far can a reader be sucked into the downward spiral of a twisted world created by the mastermind of darkness, Lili St. Germain? Answer: I didn’t read this book, I survived it! I now consider myself a survivor of my most anticipated book of 2017. I have read the Seven Brothers series and therefore am a willing victim of the words, places and situations created by Lili St. Germain. I bow down to you, my dear author. When I found out about this book, I did a Nevadan pride happy dance while saying (I don’t sing it well) the lyrics to the state song, Home Means Nevada. I grew up in Reno but in all my years of reading I have only once found a book that takes place in my home state. After reading the Seven Brothers series and the Cartel series, I craved more of the twisted mess that only Lili could create. I was disappointed to see that paperbacks were not available yet but I will buy one when it becomes available because I will display my ‘I survived trophy’ on my VIA (Very Important Author) shelf. This book brought me to places that I have not been in a while. Name dropping towns that I have been to gave me a sense of homesickness. I did try to piece together where this fictional town was and my best guess is somewhere in Esmeralda County, in southern Nevada. My favorite quote is about Lovelock Prison: “Lovelock prison, ironically, doesn’t contain a lot of love.”
The further I was pushed (willingly- imagine a person forcing you to walk and see things you could never imagine and you will get the picture) into the world of Leo and Cassandra, the more I wondered what an author (that I one click without thinking twice about) thought of my beloved home state and the people that live in it. Leo, Cassie, Damon, Ray, Jennifer, Karen, Chris and all the others in the twisted world held within the confines of electronic paper are so devastating believable, likable and have left me scarred. As I traveled further into the messed-up town of Gun Creek, I desperately looked for a hero or at least a person with a moral compass and even as I write this review… I must say that I have come up empty handed. As always with Lili’s books, the story telling is top notch. The way that you get sucked in is simply exquisite. You have no idea how quickly you get sucked until you are gasping for breath thinking ‘how much worse can this get?’ Then you think that you shouldn’t even ask yourself that question. You should just let the darkness take you under. The imagery is constructed so well that you can taste the beer being poured on Cassandra, taste & smell the blood on certain people, hear the ear-piercing gunshot and the quietness that follows.
Strangely enough, I did have a sense of compassion for some despite the destruction that they created. I also questioned what the moral of the story is because even the darkest horrific stories have something that it leaves in its wake. For me it started with a little-known character, Leo’s sister and continued to be a ‘read in between the lines’ theme through the book. I believe that overall theme is that no matter how messed up your world is, you press forward. The past will always be there but we move forward as best we can. Bad things happen to good people and all of that.
Closing the attic door on the darkness that dragged me down and left me still craving more, I will say that my new favorite woman/character (heroine isn’t right, maybe anti-heroine) is Cassandra. She has balls, she had exceptional skills at hiding the darkness that lurks within, she is more than a survivor, she is the craziest badass, no moments of weakness or drama queen antics, character that I have ever read.
You may be asking my now (if you have read this far) if there was anything that I didn’t like about this book and I will say with absolute certainty No. This is the darkest perfection that I have read so far. It is highly recommended.
Here are my warnings for you: If you would like a happy ending with a pretty bow do not read this book. Nor should you read if you are expecting a knight on a white horse. There are simply no heroes, no fairytale ending, no big hugs and happy tears. If you want to watch someone bleed and then watch as they lick their victim’s blood than dive right in. This is simply not for the faint at heart. If you think this is simply about a girl disappearing in a small town, you are sorely wrong. Proceed with caution, my dear friends. Stay on your guard because the rug will be swept out from under you. Like a boxer who expects the opponent to hit with the right so you look right but you get a full-blown knock-out punch from the left. I was often left with the WTF!!! Moments, Moments of utter despair, moments of bracing myself for the next blow but like I said at the beginning I survived and it was a hell of a ride. Thank you, Lili St. Germain for making me homesick, making me love & hate certain character and above all creating such a wonderfully dark and terrifying story. I’m look forward to the next.