The Sixteenth Need
by Calia Read
Self-Published
My sin...
My addiction...
Before Samson McShane, I was merely Sable Cole, the oldest daughter of our town's druggie. Multiple eyes were on me, watching my every action—waiting for me to mess up.
When I met Samson, we couldn’t be more different yet he became my escape. He took me out of the protective shell I created for myself and showed me what it meant to be free.
Our lives would drift apart.
I saw him, clashed with him, and loved him sixteen times.
My past should have shown me the error in loving him. It never did.
Samson McShane was my sin and my addiction. He was my sixteenth need.
Genre:
Before I begin, I would like to thank Calia Read and her team for sending me an arc of The Sixteenth Need in exchange for a fair and honest review.
If you have seen my other reviews for Calia Read's work, you know I love her books.
She writes such incredible romances that stick with you long after you've read them.
So when she mentioned on her social media that she was releasing another book this year that was years in the making, I knew I had to apply for an arc.
Calia Read is an auto-buy author for me, so I would have read it anyways, but a chance to read and promote a beloved authors work? I can't pass that up.
The Sixteenth Need blew me away.
This story is written so beautifully. The back and forth between past and present was top notch. I felt the tension, the chemistry, and the history between Sam and Sable before we even get into their past memories. The memories themselves are weaved into the present day storyline perfectly, and invoke the needed emotions to become invested in these characters. One of the unique things that Calia Read did in The Sixteenth Need that really added something to the story was how she approached going back and forth in the past and present, and having a dual pov book. The scenes in the present were all in Sable's POV, whereas all the memories were in Sam's. I haven't come across this before, and I really enjoyed it.
The romance was amazing. Of course it was.
But Sam and Sable on their own were equally as amazing. Total opposites in their personalities, and perceptions, which makes for some fun banter, and intense, very real moments.
But The Sixteenth Need isn't just a love story.
This is a story about four young women who embody strength. Perseverance. Determination to not let public perception and statistics dictate their futures. Calia Read was able to convey through her words that these characters were strong, not by overcoming everything, but by surviving. The juxtaposition on how each of these characters deal with the hands they are dealt - to the worst ways of dealing with it, to the best - felt very real. Raw.
I didn't just cry when Sable and Sam were having a hard time.
I bawled for Sable, and her sisters, because what they go through in this book happens every day.
For fictional characters, they just felt very realistic.
So yes, I swooned for Sam.
I loved Sable, and despite being complicated, I never felt frustrated with her.
But I also fell in love with Sable's sisters.
I fell in love with Sam's sister. His whole family, actually.
Hell, I fell in love with this book.
And I wouldn't be upset if Calia decided to write books for Sable's sisters.
There is no denying that The Sixteenth Need is definitely of a more darker nature than Calia Read's other work to date. The chemistry, the banter, and the intense bond, not only between Sable and Sam, but with the side characters as well, even out the darkness of this story though. It's not just about two people falling in love, despite everything against them. Each character is layered and unique, and it adds so much to this story. I guarantee, you will love this book.
Coming soon after publication on May 25th, 2023!
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