Llevaba desde que salió a la venta con este libro en mi Kindle, esperando a que mi condición de mood reader dejase de encontrar otros libros que leer y me pusiera con él. Desde entonces, ha salido el final de la bilogía y un tercer libro que sigue a otros personajes de la historia.

“Because I don’t want to freak you out. Because I don’t want you to do more than your slow-as-fuck brain can catch up with. Because I don’t want you to run!”
He looked shocked at that last bit.
“Fuck, because I don’t want this to be the only time this shit happens.” His face was red, and he had this weird combination of expressions on his face—vulnerable, pissed off, scared.
“Because as much as I fucking hate you, Maddox, I fucking like you, too. Okay?”

En este primer libro conocemos Garron Park, un pequeño pueblo de gente de clase baja que vive en tráileres. En Garron todo el mundo tiene problemas similares: poco trabajo, trabajo mal pagado, muchas adicciones y pocas posibilidades de futuro. Devon y Maddox, nuestros protagonistas, han crecido allí y saben que las posibilidades de salir de Garron son entre pocas y ninguna, y han asimilado que la mierda de vida que tienen es la que tendrán siempre.

Y puedo decir que este no es uno de esos casos en los que los personajes se quejan por tener pocas posibilidades en la vida o haber nacido con un mal juego de cartas con el que tener que jugar. No, los dos tienen padres de mierda que les dan más problemas y disgustos que otra cosa, y pese a todo tratan de seguir adelante.

“Why? Why risk it all for me?”
“Because.”
“Because?”
“Because…you’re mine or some shit.” I blushed for real this time.

El único consuelo que ambos tienen es el Motocross y el odio que sienten el uno por el otro, espoleado desde que eran pequeños por sus propios padres. Y cuando digo odio es odio de verdad, porque si lo que queréis es un Enemies to Lovers visceral y real, este es uno de los pocos que realmente os dará esa sensación.

Madd y Dev no saben cómo hablar sin acabar dándose de puños, no quieren entender al otro aunque hasta cierto punto, siendo los dos de Garron y con sus respectivos hermanos siendo mejor amigos de toda la vida, es imposible no hacer. Pero poco importa, porque ambos están empeñados en odiarse y hacerse la vida imposible el uno al otro. Hasta que una noche todo cambia.

“Stay,” he whispered. I didn’t know what to make of that.
“Maddox?” It was barely a whisper this time, and he wasn’t even fully lucid. I barely moved, not wanting to hear whatever he was about to say. “Thanks.”
Oh, fuck him.

El padre de Devon lleva su agresión física habitual un paso más allá, y cuando Devon aparece en el tráiler de Maddox ensangrentado, perdido y vulnerable, en busca de Nate, su hermano mayor, que como os digo es el mejor amigo de Xabi, el hermano de Maddox, algo se rompe entre ellos. Maddox tendrá que cuidar de Devon, su mayor enemigo, y evitar que se muera sin perder de vista quién es Devon y por qué lo odia.

“You touch him again, I’ll fucking kill you.” Chills spread over my skin. The tone of his voice was ice cold, demonic, dangerous, and etched with something that told me he wasn’t making idle threats. The look in his eyes must have conveyed all that, because my dad hesitated, backing up a step.

Pero a partir de ahí las cosas cambian y sentimientos que ninguno entiende comienzan a despertar. Lo mejor, sin embargo, es que en ningún momento dejan de ser enemigos, y esto me ha resultado fascinante. El equilibrio que tienen para odiarse, amarse y desearse es brutal: su dinámica nunca deja de ser algo extrema, y su dinámica personal no cambia de la noche a la mañana, no; lo que significa que aunque hay espacio para momentos peculiarmente dulces y confesiones muy tiernas y bonitas, entre ellos sigue habiendo un puntito extremo, físico y confrontacional que los ha caracterizado toda su vida y que sería surrealista pensar que vaya a desaparecer de pronto.

Devon y Maddox juntos, tanto emocional como físicamente, tienen una tensión e intensidad constante que acompaña a la historia y le da un punto extra que, acompañado de la trama del padre de Devon, que no deja de darles problemas, crea una historia frenética que es imposible dejar de leer.

“You fucked with my head,” I blurted, completely unaware I was going to confess all my shit to him in the middle of a forest. “You got all beat up and vulnerable, and I’d never seen you like that before…”
What was I doing?
“And then you slept in my bed, twice! And I felt you there, okay? I felt you, and I saw some shit that I shouldn’t have, and I goddamn showered you! And now my head’s all fucked up and I don’t know what to do about it!”
Shut up, Maddox.

Además, he de decir que este libro ha tenido un par de escena BRUTALES que se quedan en mi mente como el top en mi cabeza. Ver a Maddox y a Devon luchar por lo que tienen, por el otro, en ciertas ocasiones ha sido espectacular. En este caso, tenemos varios puntos en los que Devon acaba al límite de las circunstancias por culpa de su padre y Maddox moverá cielo y tierra por protegerlo, por traerlo de vuelta a su lado, y es que, aunque su relación aún está muy fresca y están acostumbrados a ser enemigos más que amantes, en cuanto asimilan lo que sienten el uno por el otro ambos están dentrísimo y dispuestos a destruir el mundo por seguir juntos.

La historia acaba con una nota positiva, un felices por el momento que te deja con ganas de más (sobre todo tras descubrir de dónde viene Lot 62, el título del segundo libro), aunque luego va la autora y te dice como nota que el siguiente libro tendrá más drama e intensidad. En serio, a prepararse emocionalmente para lo que se viene.

“So, no, Devon, I don’t know what the fuck this is,” he sneered. “But I wanna tear you down while lifting you up. I wanna protect you and kill you at the same time. I want to resent you for how you make me feel, but then I want to resent myself even more for letting you affect me.” He reached forward and grabbed my hand. “And I want to be confused about the fact that fighting with you does this to me.” He put my hand on his hard cock. “So don’t fucking push me to know what label to slap on this. I don’t know the damn answer. I just want to hate you, have you, fuck you, and fight with you. That’s it. That’s what this is for me.”
God-fucking-dammit.

I had this book downloaded on my Kindle since it came out, waiting for my mood reader tendencies to stop finding other books to read and finally dive into it. In the meantime, the conclusion of the duology and a third book following other characters from the story have been released.

“Because I don’t want to freak you out. Because I don’t want you to do more than your slow-as-fuck brain can catch up with. Because I don’t want you to run!”
He looked shocked at that last bit.
“Fuck, because I don’t want this to be the only time this shit happens.” His face was red, and he had this weird combination of expressions on his face—vulnerable, pissed off, scared.
“Because as much as I fucking hate you, Maddox, I fucking like you, too. Okay?”

In this first book, we get to know Garron Park, a small town of low-class people living in trailers. In Garron, everyone faces similar issues: scarce employment, poorly paid jobs, numerous addictions, and limited prospects for the future. Devon and Maddox, our MCs, grew up there and understand that the chances of escaping Garron are slim to none. They've accepted that the challenging life they have is the life they will always have.

And I can say this is not one of those cases where characters complain about having few opportunities in life or being dealt a bad hand to play. No, both of them have awful parents who cause them more problems and distress than anything else, yet they strive to move forward.

“Why? Why risk it all for me?”
“Because.”
“Because?”
“Because…you’re mine or some shit.” I blushed for real this time.

The only solace they both have is Motocross and the genuine hatred they feel for each other, fueled since childhood by their own parents. And when I say hatred, I mean real hatred, because if you're looking for a visceral and authentic Enemies to Lovers, this is one of the few that will truly give you that feeling.

Madd and Dev don't know how to talk without ending up in a fistfight, and they don't want to understand each other, even though, to a certain extent, being both from Garron and with their respective brothers being lifelong best friends, it's impossible not to. But it doesn't matter, because they are determined to hate each other and make each other's lives miserable. Until one night everything changes.

“Stay,” he whispered. I didn’t know what to make of that.
“Maddox?” It was barely a whisper this time, and he wasn’t even fully lucid. I barely moved, not wanting to hear whatever he was about to say. “Thanks.”
Oh, fuck him.

Devon's father takes his usual physical aggression a step further, and when Devon shows up at Maddox's trailer bloodied, lost, and vulnerable, looking for Nate, his older brother and Xabi's best friend (who is Maddox's brother), something breaks between them. Maddox has to take care of Devon, his biggest enemy, and prevent him from dying while trying to remember Devon is his lifelong enemy.

“You touch him again, I’ll fucking kill you.” Chills spread over my skin. The tone of his voice was ice cold, demonic, dangerous, and etched with something that told me he wasn’t making idle threats. The look in his eyes must have conveyed all that, because my dad hesitated, backing up a step.

But from there on, things change, and feelings that neither understands begin to awaken. The best part, however, is that at no point do they stop being enemies, and this has fascinated me. The balance they have in hating each other, loving each other, and desiring each other is brutal. Their dynamic never stops being extreme, and their personal dynamics don't change overnight, which means that, although there's room for uniquely sweet moments and very tender and beautiful confessions, there is still that extreme, physical, and confrontational edge that has characterized them their entire lives, and it would be surreal to think it will suddenly disappear.

Devon and Maddox together, both emotionally and physically, have a constant tension and intensity that accompanies the story and adds an extra layer to it. Coupled with the subplot involving Devon's father, who continues to cause them problems, it creates a frenetic story that is impossible to put down.

“You fucked with my head,” I blurted, completely unaware I was going to confess all my shit to him in the middle of a forest. “You got all beat up and vulnerable, and I’d never seen you like that before…”
What was I doing?
“And then you slept in my bed, twice! And I felt you there, okay? I felt you, and I saw some shit that I shouldn’t have, and I goddamn showered you! And now my head’s all fucked up and I don’t know what to do about it!”
Shut up, Maddox.

Furthermore, I must say that this book has had a couple of BRUTAL scenes that entered my top. Watching Maddox and Devon fight for what they have, for each other, on certain occasions has been spectacular. There are several instances where Devon ends up pushed to the limit by his father, and Maddox will move heaven and earth to protect him, to bring him back to his side. Even though their relationship is still very fresh, and they are used to being enemies more than lovers, once they come to terms with what they feel for each other, they are all in and ready to destroy the world to stay together.

The story ends on a positive note, a happy-for-now moment that leaves you wanting more (especially after discovering what Lot 62, the title of the second book, means). However, the author adds a note saying that the next book will have more drama and intensity, so… I must get ready emotionally for what's coming.

“So, no, Devon, I don’t know what the fuck this is,” he sneered. “But I wanna tear you down while lifting you up. I wanna protect you and kill you at the same time. I want to resent you for how you make me feel, but then I want to resent myself even more for letting you affect me.” He reached forward and grabbed my hand. “And I want to be confused about the fact that fighting with you does this to me.” He put my hand on his hard cock. “So don’t fucking push me to know what label to slap on this. I don’t know the damn answer. I just want to hate you, have you, fuck you, and fight with you. That’s it. That’s what this is for me.”
God-fucking-dammit.