Repentance: The Story of Kace Haywood by Meghan Quinn

Repentance: The Story of Kace Haywood by Meghan Quinn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Flippin’ heck!!! Repentance was awesome! Having read the Bourbon series, I was quite familiar with Kace and jumped at the chance to review this book (which I also bought). At least I thought I knew Kace. While I knew that our moody, broody, sexy as sin former boxer’s story was going to be intense, I was not prepared for the rollercoaster ride that Ms. Quinn took me on. Truth be told, I should have been because the author has ripped my heart out and repaired it with each book in the Bourbon series, from which Repentance hails, and yet I was still taken by surprise time and time again as Kace’s story unfolded.

To begin with, I had drawn my own conclusions as to the events of the night that changed Kace’s life. Fans of the Bourbon series know that Kace killed a man while he was drunk one evening and I had always assumed that it was a drunk driving incident. The truth of that night was both better and worse than I imagined. Yes, Kace killed a man. Yes, he was drunk when it occurred. But it wasn’t the black and white situation that I had believed it to be based on Kace and Jett’s conversations about the past. While Kace did indeed feel a boatload of guilt over his actions, the main reason was because of the family he destroyed – taking away a husband and a father. I had wondered how Jett managed to cover up Kace’s crime and when we see that night play out, any doubts I had about Jett’s actions that night were obliterated. Even though Jett managed to keep Kace out of jail, he couldn’t keep Kace from living in his own self-imposed prison. What made this whole situation even more devastating was that it came on the heels of the loss of Kace’s boxing career. I nearly cried when Kace learned that his trainer had been doping him without his knowledge. To have your dreams stolen by the person you’re supposed to be able to trust – I can’t even imagine. I was devastated for him. I knew that Kace’s life had not been a good one, but until this book I had no idea of just how bad of a hand he had been dealt. The one thing that Repentance did reaffirm for me was that despite his outward demeanor, Kace Haywood is a good man.

Ms. Quinn presents Kace’s story by alternating between the past and the present and it works beautifully. We get to see the work that Jett, the girls, and Kace have put into the community center that Jett decided to open so he could help more people than just the Jett Girls. This format allows us to see the damage that Kace is doing to himself and those around him as he drowns in his guilt that has been increasing over the years. We get to see him try to destroy his relationship with Lyla even as we see how it started. Thankfully Lyla is just as spunky as Goldie and despite Kace throwing some seriously damaging blows to their relationship, she soldiers forth until she can make him see that she wants him – Kace, the man – bad moods, emotional baggage, sexy abs, and all. Let me assure you that Ms. Quinn still has it when it comes to writing steamy sex scenes. Yowser! Though I won’t say that I knew that the healing revelation was going to be what it was, I will say that I had begun to hope with all my heart that the situation would turn out that way because I could see no better way for Kace to find his redemption. And those scenes were made even better by Kace sharing them with Jett, his best friend and the man who had walked the journey with him, refusing to abandon him. And yes, tissues were needed. While Repentance is not officially a part of the Bourbon series, it is a must read for Bourbon fans because you not only get Kase’s story, but you also get to keep tabs on the lives of Jett, Goldie, and the Jett Girls. If you haven’t read the Bourbon series don’t worry because Repentance easily stands on its own, but you may find yourself adding three books to your to-be-read list. Well done Ms. Quinn! I cannot wait for the next spin-off.

I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
Check out the Repentance: The Story of Kace Haywood by Meghan Quinn Blog Tour post on Wicked Reads.


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