Facade by Nyrae Dawn

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing).. 
And boy did I just <3 this second book..

Can love save them?
After her father commits a crime that shatters her family, eighteen-year-old Delaney Cross is tired of pretending everything is all right. Packing up her car, she sets out to find the people her father hurt. Her search leads her to places she’s never been—and into the arms of Adrian Westfall.
To the outside world, Adrian is a sexy, charming ladies’ man. But his playboy persona is just an act. Secretly his soul is tortured by a memory too painful to share. Only Delaney seems to see through his façade to the real man underneath. And for the first time in his life, Adrian feels he can begin to open up about his past.
Together, Adrian and Delaney share a passionate love they never expected to find. Yet both still harbor their own secrets. When the dark truth is finally revealed, will it bring them closer together—or tear them apart forever?

My Thoughts

So Delaney and Adrian are two hot messes full of remorse, guilt, sadness, secrets, ghosts etc, etc, etc.. 

Adrian was a character we met in Charade (the first book in The Game Series) this book is a standalone and can be read without reading the first one but to get a better sense of Adrian's character through other people's eyes, you probably should read the first one, first. 

He seemed like the regular playboy stoner friend that is fun to party with but not to get close enough too, he was too shut off for that to happen. What people didn't know was he had secrets that were eating him alive. Throughout the book we know what happened with him and why he is the way he is but it isn't until towards the end that a curve ball is thrown at you that you didn't expect and you are left in a with a gut-wrenching revelation. 

Delaney was the type of girl that tried to fix everyone's problems, she liked to shoulder the burden and she forgave easily even when people didn't deserve it. She set out on a journey with her brother in order to right the wrongs that her family caused, which leads her to the same place as Adrian. She notices his demons and her inner ghosts call out to him and all she wants to do is fix his demons while combating hers at the same time.

"He's broken, Maddy. I don't know how I know it, but I do"

Adrian didn't expect to start caring for this "little ghost" but he sees something in her and just like with her, they call out to him to try and help heal her. Their romance is frustratingly sweet but at the same time you are thinking that the secrets that Delaney needs to tell Adrian are way too big for her to keep from him and you are sighing, swooning, and then you remember what she needs to do and you are yelling at her for being so careless.. 

"Or it might be the ghosts in her eyes. The dark shadows that lurk there and make me wonder what's chasing her when the lights go out"

The characters are very likable in this book, I loved every single one of them, they were believable and real, like they could be your best friend and you'd never think twice about it. 

The story was told in two POV's, Adrian and Delaney's, it was easy to follow along and I wasn't left confused on what was going on.

The book was really well-written and it flowed nicely but it was slow at first and I could easily put it down until a certain part where I wouldn't put it down, at all. 

The ending was ok, I would have liked to see if Delaney's mom ever got her head out of her ass and even with the Epilogue I felt like their story needed a little more but I am happy with how it ended because that might mean more about them in the future (I know, I know I am a selfish book trollop ;)

I really enjoyed this book and the story of Delaney and Adrian, they were sweet and forgiving and it just made me feel all warm and fuzzy but at the same time it had the right amount of angst and gut wrenching moments that left you biting your nails to see what was going to happen next. 

Both characters grew and changed, they weren't the same people at the end as they were in the beginning, they were good apart but better together. They completed one another and saved each other but at the same time they were also stronger apart. They were able to deal with their demons and ghosts on their own without falling apart. 

"Skin to skin

Breath to breath

Touch to feel

Body to soul

But only

To Chase

Away 

Your ghosts"

I give this book a 4/5 

If you want to check it out for yourself here is the link: