Review: Haven by Mary Lindsey

Book Blurb:

"We all hold a beast inside. The only difference is what form it takes when freed."

Rain Ryland has never belonged anywhere, He’s used to people judging him for his rough background, his intimidating size, and now, his orphan status. He’s always been on the outside, looking in, and he’s fine with that. Until he moves to New Wurzburg and meets Friederike Burkhart.

Freddie isn’t like normal teen girls, though. And someone wants her dead for it. Freddie warns he’d better stay far away if he wants to stay alive, but Rain’s never been good at running from trouble. For the first time, Rain has something worth fighting for, worth living for. Worth dying for.

My Review:

5 Out of 5 Stars

Genre: Mystery, Romance, Scary, Supernatural, Suspense, Teen, Werewolves, Witches--

​Rain has spent most of his 17 years bouncing between homeless shelters and the street with his drug addicted mom, learning that life is not easy. When his mom dies, he is surprised to find himself sent to the middle of nowhere to live with an aunt he didn't even know existed. Rain is trying hard to fit into this strange, small town life thing, but something just feels off about the town. To make things more complicated he is drawn to Freddie, a tough hard edge girl that everyone says is bad news. Rain learned on the streets to trust his gut instinct, and it is telling him that something is wrong, and Freddie is right at the center of it.

I had heard Haven mentioned a ton recently, but I did not realize that it had previously had a different title and cover, so I didn't put the two together (both were on my to-read list). Can I just say that the new cover and title are so much more appropriate for the content of the book? Oh, and mysterious, giving nothing away. I had no idea what the story was really going to be about but I had heard good things and it had crept up to one of my most anticipated reads for the fall over the last few months. That being said, I had some high expectations when I started the story.

​Eeek, did I mention that I love the particular topic that this book just so happens to be about?! Yeah, so the story instantly became love for me when a particular paranormal thing was made apparent. And yes, I am being super vague because I don't want to give away any spoilers and ruin any surprises, but anyone who knows me knows why I am ever so excited.

The story was completely narrated by Rain which I loved- I can't remember any other male narrated teen mystery/romances/paranormal stories I have read, making this standout for me. We meet Rain as he is beating a guy senseless for potentially hurting a girl, and I was a little entranced. Here we have this large, aggressive, tough street kid, but he has a good heart, saving innocent girls and watching over the weak. He had quite the swagger, but he needed a hug more than anybody I met. When he described how he got his nickname, my heart melted for him. I enjoyed how he used the word "whatever" in all situations as a was to shove his true feelings away (coping mechanism) and to give himself some bravado. It was seriously his go to in any situation he was out of his league- He feels he is being watched, he mutters "whatever", he gets into a fight, he says "whatever". It really became an all purpose word in Rain's hands.

​ And yes, since this story is narrated by a hormone riddled teen boy, we do have some thought and acts of sex. Woah, the book got unexpectedly hot, there was practically steam rising off the pages at a few encounters! The fact he could pretend he wasn't openly staring at a certain girl's unexpected naked arrival was impressive. As a side note, I appreciated how in touch Freddie was with her own sexuality as well though, the fact she was forward about getting it and came prepared with condoms to protect herself was pretty refreshing.

I am like 99% sure that this is a standalone story because the plot and the world semed to wrap up nicely. That being said, I would gladly take more books about Rain, or at least set in this world, but I am ok with how things are now. I do enjoy a good standalone since I get sucked into series against my will usually. I can't wait to read more from Mary, and I will now need to get my grabby hands on her Shattered Souls book next.

I received this title for reviewing purposes.