The sharp thorn often produces delicate roses - OvidShe was pure with a quick tongue-a rose with the sharpest of thorns.Rose Fields fought through years of therapy to learn how to get her voice back-yet, the one thing she couldn't get out was that she was in love with her best friend, August Coleman. It's not until a mysterious man from her past, Briggs Andrews, steps in that she begins to question the friendship and love she held so close to her heart. Rose begins to face the harsh reality that August could never be the man she wanted him to be, but turning to Briggs Andrews might be the end of the safe life she worked so hard for.Claiming his Rose was always going to be messy.Briggs Andrews knew he should have stayed away. He knew the consequences of getting involved-of getting too close to the one person he ruined all those years ago. But staying away from Rose was becoming harder than he thought possible. He never felt worthy of anything until her, never believed he'd want to break down those carefully constructed walls just to be with her.But those walls were crumbling down faster than either anticipated. Love hangs in the balance, muddled between lines that are crossed and secrets that begin to unravel, bringing change neither could have envisioned.

CW: This book contains elements that may be unsettling for some and are darker than your average romance book(18+ only!). Those include: Trauma, mentions of death of parents, mentions of abandonment by parents, use of drugs and alcohol, being drugged (NOT DONE TO FMC OR MMC), obsessive/possessive behavior by the MMC, assault and described intent of sexual assault (NOT DONE BY FMC OR MMC), use of guns, excessive violence with descriptions of damage done by MMC (yes, he's violent at times), mentions of domestic abuse and homelessness (NEITHER FMC OR MMC), mentions of sex trafficking, and torture on page. There are also explicit sexual scenes that include light bondage/suspension bondage, spit & cum play, somnophilia, breeding kinks, use of objects for pleasure that are not designed for it, and mild sexual degradation.