seriously romantic: beneath the shadows by meghan march

the sixth book of the beneath series takes on bishop--the brooding tattoo artist first introduced in beneath these chains--and eden--a mob princess on the run from something, problem is, she's not entirely sure what that is. [full disclosure: i was not that enamored of the last installment of the series, for some reason i failed to connect with valentina and rix, and i'm still dying to get to hennessey's story, which rumor has is the next one up.] but beneath these shadows might be my new favorite. it's kind of a toss up, beneath these scars is so good too. it's hard for anyone to live up to lucas titan in the alpha hero department, but bishop does a pretty amazing job of it.

bishop whose last name i'm not entirely sure of. if it comes up somewhere in the book it's not a memorable moment, and for some reason i keep thinking of him as bishop connors but i also am aware that i totally made that up. for some reason that's the last name my brain keeps giving him. anyway, bishop is a lumbersexual who would despise being told that's what he is. he's got the man bun and the beard and the giant frame and the tattoos and the broody personality. bishop's thing is that he doesn't get involved. he never lets anyone get close, because he's already lost too much and the truth is his heart can't take losing more.

but when eden swoops into town and keeps running into trouble and crossing his path, he can't stop himself from saving her. he can't stop himself from thinking about her. and when it comes right down to it, he can't stop himself from tasting her. the chemistry between these two leads is crazy hot. eden is sheltered and naive and unworldly, and bishop definitely sets out to help corrupt her, but there is a sweetness to their relationship that makes their story that much more emotional and deep.

i also loved that what came between them at the end wasn't some crazy misunderstanding, because that is sometimes a trope that is so overused in romance novels. there was never a doubt about their relationship and the strength of their love, even when they were keeping secrets from one another. the only thing that came between them was distance when eden was kidnapped, but you know bishop would leave no stone unturned at get her back. and that let them get through all the revelations in record time, because the stakes were too high to worry about petty shit.

i like that they get their happy ending, but still take things slowly. it seems just right for them.