Harsh look at the world of addiction and how guilt and shame always run hand and hand with it. Both main characters have lost someone they loved while they were high. The situations were different, one has now been sober a year but never dealt with the grief and chooses to continually punish himself while the other is fresh in her grief but also not dealing with it which just leads her back to old habits.

We met “biker” Melody Lachlan in the first book. She and her best friend were hard partiers but Mel was there for Sam when she really needed a friend. See that’s that Mel does – she takes care of other people. She’s been taking care of her best friend Darla since grade school. The two were inseparable and lived their lives on Mel’s bike roaming from town to town. Mel never thought twice about the amount of drugs she was doing.. She knew she wasn’t an addict.. Then tragedy strikes and Mel is left to face a harsh reality. Not only does she lose her best friend and the guilt of the part she played in that but she has to face that maybe she isn’t as put together as she thinks. Her probation requires her to do a 20 day stint in rehab where she doesn’t think she belongs but between some of the things the counselors say that manage to get through her thick skull and meeting a man who comes every week to tell his story over and over she starts to realize that the only life she’s ever known – being part of a MC club and under the protection of it because of her father – may not have been the best influence.

As a reader you know Melody is a hard core addict as the author lets us see her in full using mode. It’s a horrible disease and tricks you into doing and believing things you know you shouldn’t do. Its also a crutch to not have to face reality. One of the other things I applaud the author for showing is that even though Boone has been sober a year and was talking the talk he wasn’t walking the walk. He traded his sobriety for underground fighting which was an outlet for his anger and rage. Even though it might have looked like he was on the straight and narrow he was just as messed up today as he was when he was using because he refused to deal with his grief – he chose to just punish himself instead.

This book was full of so many harsh realities that at times its almost painful to read and even when your ¾’s into the book and think things can only get better for these two your heart is kinda ripped out again. No worries though there is a HEA but boy did these two have to work for it once they finally decided to start dealing with their grief.
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Review
Losing track is dark, gritty, and honest. I love that it deals with substance abuse and shows that there is hope after going through hell.

I was so happy when I learned that Mel was going to have her own book. I loved her small part in The Darkest Part, and wanted a better life for her. She goes through so many things in this book. She has to deal with the fact that she is an addict. She never saw it before, but awful events show her that she has a problem. I freaking love Boone. He's got his own demons, and they are heartbreaking.

The relationship between Boone & Mel has rocky moments. Both of them know they aren't good for the other, but try the whole friends thing. They lean on each other more than they realize. I loved seeing the progress of these characters. They have had so many awful things happen because of choices they made, but have to learn to accept them. It's definitely not an easy road.

I can't wait to see what comes next in this series, and hope we get glimpses of these characters in the next installment.

 

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I wanted to read Losing Track because I enjoyed the first in the series (see link to review above). I have also thoroughly enjoyed everything of Trisha's writings that I've had the pleasure to see. Losing Track doesn't disappoint. It draws me into the dark world of Melody and it immerses me into her love hate relationship with drugs and attempts to stop. But a tragic night causes her to take more seriously how her life has been going and if she wants to keep on the way she's going.

Melody is a tough girl and she love to ride her motorcycle and to party hard. I know there is more beneath the surface and it was a hard journey to read about her transformation and realization that there is balance in life.

There was undeniable chemistry between the two, and the lust was immediate, but the deeper feelings cultivated as their walls came down bit by bit with each other. Both Melody and Boone are determined to keep private and do what they need to do. Boone is pretty straight edged, and at first that put Mel off a little, but as she realizes why he is so tough on himself and doesn't let himself enjoy things, you can't help to feel for him. And once his past is revealed and his history with Hunter is out, I got goosebumps and wanted to hug him.

The romance was great in my opinion. I loved watching the trust between the two build and what they learn from each other. Their secrets and different lifestyles but the places where it meets was amazing to read and see how they are so different yet so apart.

It was hard to see Mel when she just wants to get out of rehab and get back to her lifestyle. But as the desire to actually get clean and when she sees how her life was skewed from the drugs, and she considers the dominoes that fell into place--not fault, but the healthy realization of the situation... That she can make better choices, and maybe that will come back around to those that she cares about.

The storyline with Jesse added another element to the story. As an intiate into a MC (motorcyle club) he and Mel were close for a while. But they just crossed too many lines, and as Mel realizes she can't let others form her future if she starts to desire something else. But Mel is accepted by the MC even if she can't be a full member since they don't accept girls. Her and Darla had their own things like the pink bandannas that showed them as a sisterhood to each other and lovers of partying hard and riding.

Mel's grief over losing Darla was so complete. They'd been friends for so long and they were closer than anyone else in Mel's family since her dad passed. She tried to just not think of it, and live as best as she can, but the memories refuse to be repressed. She had to realize that her memories can honor Darla and even help Mel heal if she doesn't let it become all consuming,

The ending is amazing, and it really brings everything together for Boone and Mel. Nothing is solved the easy way and it shows that hard work to get or stay sober, but love and someone having your back certainly helps along the way. I liked too that it was realistic with Mel and just because she was with Boone, she could do it on her own, but she needed medical help, and she had to want it. With the tragedy both characters faced, it was good to see their hopeful start at a HEA.

Bottom Line: Loved this dark and deeply emotional story with a steamy and addictive romance.

(pun intended, lol) ( )