#ThrowbackThursday: Nothing More

 

He said, “Everyone’s going to know, now.”

“Let them know.”

He arched a brow. “Your sister?”

She sighed, because it did smart a little, the idea of having to do the walk of shame in front of Cass – but she was determined to be an adult about it. About him. “She’s seventeen, not four. She has to understand that I have–” A love life, she almost said. A boyfriend. “You,” she finished, instead, and something shivered across his face, impossible to parse, before he went grim and nodded. Puffed on his smoke.

“Fine.”

She went to the ensuite to brush her teeth and check that the collar of her gown covered any love bites. He joined her, stony-faced and composed once more, hair tied back in a low knot, wearing last night’s clothes, since his bag was presumably elsewhere in the flat. Raven debated going out ahead of him, providing at least the semblance of having slept separately – but dashed the thought. If everyone was going to know, she might as well leave little doubt.

“Ready?” she asked him.

He made a face. “You sound like we’re going to war.”

“Darling, with my family, war is always a distinct possibility.” 

 

I could say that if I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't make all the Dartmoor books so expansive and interlaced. Shorter, snappier standalones that could be skipped or read out of order. 

I could say that...but it wouldn't be true. My favorite aspects of these books are all the connections, carry-throughs, and messy entanglements. I really enjoyed Nothing More, and it, like all the other books in the series, lays groundwork for future messiness. I originally planned to tackle Cassandra next, but that feels like a Bad Idea at this point. 

Anyway: if you skipped this one when it released, and wondered who the heck Toly was in LHM, this is his and Raven's book - as much as any book in this series belongs to one couple. It's also about Tenny, and Reese, and Devin, and Ian, and the New York Dogs, and the Kozlov bratva. It's about families: families worth being loyal to, and families who scar you deeply. It's about second and even third chances, and how, sometimes, even when we know better, it's impossible to let go of bonds from the past. 

Fun fact: Toly first appeared in The Wild Charge, guarding the elevator in the Ritz. He then had a guest starring role in Long Way Down, before finally landing his own headliner role. His and Raven's first real interaction was in TWC, when he hustled her away from Times Square after she watched Ian [redacted] Jack Waverly on the taken-over big screens. 

You can check the "Nothing More" tag for debriefs and reflections on the novel.