5 STAR REVIEW!! Leo's Chance by Mia Sheridan

"Why are you looking at me?" ... "Because I like your face."

Leo (A Sign of Love #1) was one of the best books I've read this year. It was a complete story start to finish that told a beautiful, emotional love story with a twist. The story was told primarily from the heroine's perspective though and despite it reading very fluidly as a stand alone romance with a happy ending, we didn't see any of the hero's POV. So this book, Leo's Chance, gives that story. It is not a sequel and it is not a stand alone, but rather a companion novel to Leo that goes back and retells the same story but from the hero's perspective. You definitely have to read book #1 first because here you'll find references, details and reveals that you'd only know about if you'd read the first book. I have to admit though, after how "complete" a story Leo was, I was curious what else there could be to the story. But one page in and I was sucked right into the book. Just like with the first one, this book flowed effortlessly. I really love Mia Sheridan's writing style. She has a very fluid way of telling the story where suddenly you'll look down and realize that 10% of your book just flew by! The whole book is told from his POV in a mixture of present day scenes and flashbacks. The flashbacks fill in the blanks from right before they met giving us a bit more detail as to the set up of their meeting. Mia Sheridan did a wonderful job of telling the guy POV. I really found myself understanding all his thoughts, decisions and actions. Even his mistakes became clearer because, by experiencing them through his eyes, you could literally see how much he didn't mean them. Haha there were moments where you really felt him just go 'oh shit' and realize he'd just put his foot in his mouth. There were moments where he came off as bossy (in a good way) in the first book but seeing those scenes from his perspective show how he was really just trying to make a point. And most importantly, throughout the whole book, you could truly see the true depth of his feelings for Evie and how madly in love he was with her right from the start.

"My heart starts beating faster. I can't mess this up. I've come so far and now the only girl I've ever loved is right in front of me. And she might hate my fucking guts." "She probably thinks I'm all over the map. Unsure one minute and caveman the next. But that's pretty much exactly what's going on inside of me. The two halves of me are duelling. I'm scared to death and possessive as hell."

I will say though that despite enjoying the story a lot, I did find it a little easy to put down during the first half. Not at all because of any fault of the story, just because it's harder to get quite as into a book when you know all the reveals and exactly what is about to happen. But at the same time, for a nice quiet day's read, it worked perfectly.Given his rather painful history and the abuse he went through, it was really wonderful seeing inside his head as they developed their relationship. There were some things about him that I really didn't think about or fully appreciate in the first book but, seeing them brought to light here made so much sense -- like how huge it was for him to give control over the pacing of certain parts of their relationship to her. When you read it in the first book from Evie's POV, you just assume he's a nice guy, but what you don't immediately realize is what a huge gesture of caring and trust it was for him.You really see how crazy in love with her he's always been and how miserable he was with the choice he made before, with the choices that were taken away from him and how desperately he'd do anything to win her heart and make her his.

"I'm going to show her how deep my feelings are for her and make her trust down to her soul that I want to take care of her. Because I do. And then when I tell her who I am she'll know who we can be together."

He's just such a GOOD guy. Screwed over to hell and back by life but such a sweet, kind guy and a protector in every way. It's in his nature, in his heart, and you can see it in all of his actions. He's impossible not to fall for. The big reveal scene hit me again hard even though I knew it was coming. It's like the whole story builds up to this point and I'll admit I teared up again and loved seeing the new explanation and insight into the details that were revealed. The steam level is high. Graphic but tasteful. Just like with the first book, it was HOT! Ohhhh and the EPILOGUE!!!!!!! I was in tears for the whole thing. It's in Evie's POV and it gave us two brand new scenes that so deeply touched my heart!!! The book is worth it for this alone even. *happy sigh* I just love epilogues! This whole story (book #1 & 2) is a beautiful, emotional journey of resilience, lasting love, and overcoming the worst life can throw at you and, in the end, coming out of it stronger, together, with something that will last forever. Remember though, this is not a stand alone! I'm not going to lie, this really is the same story as the first book, but if you were a fan of the first book and fell in love with the hero, you'll love this too.

#5stars #6stars #review #favoriteauthor #adultcontemporary #angst #miasheridan