Between the Lines: REVIEW: All Things Pretty (Pretty #3; part 1) By, M. Leighton

Pretending to be something they’re not, afraid to trust anyone completely, destined to tear each other apart– this is the story of unlikely love and unbearable consequences.

Sig Locke is a cop. He was raised by a cop and all his brothers are cops. He bleeds blue, believes in right and wrong, and sees in black and white, never in shades of gray.

But that was before he met Tommi.

Tommi, with her long legs and bright green eyes, she captured Sig’s interest from the moment he saw her. Even after he discovered who she was–the girlfriend of a drug dealer, the beauty behind a criminal–he still found her utterly irresistible. What Sig doesn’t know, however, is that she has a secret even a cop can’t uncover.

Tommi Lawrence hasn’t had an easy life, and it only got more complicated the day she met Sig. She learned long ago that she can’t trust anyone. Her gut tells her that Sig is no exception, her heart tells her that he is. But that was before she found out his real identity.

Can love be forged in a fire of lies? Or will the truth destroy them both?

All Things Pretty is the third installment in the Pretty series. We had Sloane and Hemi, then we got Reese and Kennedy, and now we finally have Sig and Tommi. I am a huge Michelle fan and when I realized that this book was being released I did a little squeal and happy dance on my couch. (My husband thought I was crazy.) When you have a favorite author you are always nervous for the next book to come out. You know deep down that you’ll love it but there is always a part of you that is waiting for that one book that you don’t really care for. So I went into this book a little anxious. There was no reason for me to be. This book was a-freaking-mazing. I loved everything about from the first page to the last.

“I’m planning my every step, my every word, my every breath. And my plan will work. It has to.”

Tommi Lawrence’s life has been anything but easy. Her childhood was messy and it became even more complicated when she meets Lance Tonin. Known drug dealer, a dealer that the cops have had their eyes on for a while. Know she is planning her lies carefully. Playing a role for so long she has forgotten how to be the real Tommi. And things only get more complicated when she meets Sig. She knows there is something different about him. Other than the insanely strong attraction they have there’s something else there too. She can’t explore it. Tommi doesn’t trust anyone and she can’t stop now or her whole world could come crumbling down around her.

“He’s playful and flirtatious, but at the same time something about him threatens to consume me.”

How can I explain to you how great of a character Tommi is? She is willing to do everything and anything for the people she loves. She makes the hard decisions that will keep everyone safe except for her. She puts everything she has into saving her family that there isn’t anything left for her. Tommi is a survivor. She is the girl next door that had to turn herself into a kept woman wearing expensive clothing to keep her world intact. She doesn’t even think twice about giving up Sig to keep her plan in motion. She is not the typical damsel in distress. And her story in not a typical story.

"I remind myself that nobody knows me. Not really. They might think they do, that they can judge me, but they can't. They have no idea what my life is like, what's involved and why I do the things that I do."

Sig Locke is a cop. In fact his brothers are cops and so is his dad. He bleeds blue and everything changes the day he drives up to a blonde stuck on the side of the road. When he realized exactly who she is he takes the opportunity to go into his first undercover assignment to take down Lance Tonin, Tommi’s boyfriend. The more time Sig spends with Tommi the more he realizes she needs saving, and the more he realizes the world isn’t as black and white as he thought it was. The world is full of dark, cold, beautiful, heart wrenching gray.

“His dark whiskey eyes are fixed on mine, unmoving, unwavering. They lure me in, in to him, to his trust, to his web, so I back away. I know what lies in the web-a spider. That’s what always lies in the web. Never anything good.”

Sig Locke is one sexy man in blue. When we meet him in the first books we see his playful side. He was always joking around with Sloane and Hemi. We also know that he is fiercely loyal to his family and the people he loves. In All Things Pretty we get to see all sides of Sig and not one of them are bad. Sig is not your typical hero and we wouldn’t want him in any other way. Sig is protective, and loyal. He knows Tonin is a bad guy but he also realizes that, that doesn’t make Tommi a bad person. He sees that she needs help and he wants to give it to her. He is one sexy beast too. That man can make one hell of a steamy scene.

“His lips take mine in a slow deep assault that hits me like a drug, like he’s injected me with a mind-altering substance that turns off everything except Sig. His presence, his closeness, his touch. Nothing else exists. And I’m not very anxious for the moment it will.”

Michelle Leighton creates a story that pulled you in from the very first page. We meet characters that are not what you would expect them to be. This story is full of heart stopping, gut-wrenching moments that keep you guessing and turning the page to figure out the big secret. For every mysterious moment Michelle gave us some heart-warming and beautiful moments as well. Not only between Sig and Tommi but with Sig and Travis as well.

“I want the woman who kisses like she’s on fire and makes me feel like I’m the only one who can put her out.”

Sig and Tommi’s connection was instant and powerful. It leads the two of them to get in some risky and deadly situations. Their connection took my on a road that was full of secrets, longing, and stolen moments of happiness that made everything worth it. With Sig in this book you know it is downright sexy. Michelle Leighton knows how to write a sex scene and not just sex scenes. All Things Pretty was full of tension. Sexual tension that you could feel through the book that made you turn up your AC, fan, and maybe even sit in front of the freezer while you read.

“When his lips find mine, he teases them, brushing them lightly and then skimming them with the tip of his tongue. “Or do you want more? Something thick and deep? Something that you’ll feel when you walk tomorrow, like I’m still inside you?”

Michelle Leighton’s writing was brilliant and beautiful. I got what bits and pieces of the book when I needed it and not a moment before. She keeps you mesmerized with the intense emotion that she fills this book with. Michelle creates a world that is filled with intense, deep, and real character that enthrall you with their story. This is not a book that you want to miss. A story about two people who have secrets that should keep them a part but only bring them explosively together. I loved every single heart stopping, heartwarming, heart wrenching moment and I recommend this to any and every one!

“Something abou thte way he’s keeping me folded against him makes me think that I will remember this night long after I might’ve forgotten the others. Even though another voice mutters from the far recesses of my soul that I won’t be able to forget a single moment of my time with him. But somehow I know that there will be a significance to this time that I’ll carry with me forever.”