It's been a while since a book has kept me up until the early hours of the morning, but Strength did that...and on a weekday when I had to tutor and be up early (at least my version of early :P). I just did not want to put it down at all! I loved the story, the characters, and just the all-around emotion that this book made me feel! :DFirst, I loved the introduction! Rena starts this book off by hiding from the "Madman" a.k.a. Wallace, who turns out to be super hunky, and super in some other ways, too. ;) It was definitely a fresh and exciting way to start the book since I was expecting some kind of mass murderer, and got a hunk instead. :P hahaMy favourite part of Strength was the characters. I just loved Rena! I found her so easy to relate to, and I loved her fierce spirit! :D I especially loved when she would stand up to Wallace, or stand up for him. It's nice to see a main character who isn't afraid to say what she really feels and thinks. It's also awesome to see a character who sets a great example by standing up for others. I really wish I had a Rena in my life because she's amazing. :) I also LOVED Wallace! Yes, he was totally sexy, but he was also such a sweet character...and so chivalrous! ;D I always forget how sexy I find chivalry until I meet a character like Wallace...it's kind of sad how little can make me swoon. Men...you need to be more chivalrous! You'll have ALL the ladies! :P Anyway...I loved Rena and Wallace...and when you put them together, I LOVED them even more!!!! I also kind of love that Rena pretty much would just blurt out whatever she wanted to know about Wallace right to his face...it's the kind of awkward thing I would do, so thumbs up for Rena! ;DAlong with the awesome characters, the story itself was amazing! Carrie Butler has crafted an incredibly unique backstory that explains what Wallace and his family are, and I loved that within their history there were myths, too...myths that we got to see in Strength. I'm a huge fan of new-to-me paranormals with awesome backstories, so I completely love it, and I can't wait to find out more about the mark of Nexus!!! :DOverall, I absolutely loved Strength and I would recommend it to anyone who loves paranormal stories with fierce, yet vulnerable main characters. While Rena was strong and stood up for herself, it's clear that she's vulnerable in the world that Wallace belongs to, and the fact that she stays strong in the face of all of that impressed me even more! I'd also recommend this one to people who like to see romance evolve. I really enjoyed the pacing of Rena and Wallace's relationship. It was a bit fast at times when we'd get the time jumps so that the story would progress, but it was clear to see that it wasn't sudden and it wasn't instalove...although there was definitely some attraction from the start. ;) haha
