REVIEW – The Destiny of Violet & Luke by Jessica Sorensen

Title: The Destiny of Violet & Luke
Author: Jessica Sorensen
Series: The Coincidence #3
Release Date: January 7, 2014

Luke Price’s life has always been about order, control, and acting tough on the outside. For Luke, meaningless relationships are a distraction-a way to tune out the twisted memories of his childhood. He desperately wishes he could forget his past, but it haunts him no matter what he does.

Violet Hayes has had a rough life. When she was young, she was left with no family and the memory of her parents’ unsolved murders. She grew up in foster homes, living with irresponsible parents, drugs, and neglect, and trying to fight the painful memories of the night her parents were taken from her. But it’s hard to forget when she never got closure-and she can’t stop dreaming about what happened that tragic night. To make it through life, she keeps her distance from everyone and never allows herself to feel anything.

Then Violet meets Luke. The two clash instantly, yet they can’t seem to stay away from each other. Although they fight it, they both start to open up and feel things they’ve never felt before. They discover just how similar they are. But they also discover something else: The past always catches up with you . . .

After falling for Luke in the first two Coincidence books, I was excited that his story was coming our way! I would never have matched him with the seemingly slutty Violet who barely says two words to Callie in the time they’ve been roommates. As Jessica told Luke and Violet’s story I was absolutely floored. I never would have expected these two confident college students to have such dark pasts and to share so much heartache. I was so pleasantly surprised by their relationship. The story that unraveled between them was exciting and unexpected. I rode the highs and lows, hoping these two characters would somehow find love and safety in each other.

Jessica Sorensen has poured some serious heart and soul into these two characters. Luke was always a bit of a mystery to me, but I adored his relationship with Kayden, Callie and Seth. With Luke, Jessica has written a beautifully broken man who is desperate to feel safe and loved. As we got inside his head and learned more about who he is, I fell harder for Luke than I ever could have imagined. Luke is a complex soul stuck living a complicated life and as I read his story, even bit of his pain became my own. Jessica has really pushed the limits with both Violet and Luke, crafting characters that are equal parts damaged and redeemable.

This story was heart-wrenching, emotionally overwhelming, and incredibly sad at times. There were clearly plenty of secrets being kept by both Luke and Violet and as pieces of their pasts were revealed, I was dying to see the whole picture. Jessica kept the suspense building to an all-time high, keeping me on the edge of my seat. When she finally let the most important clue fall into place, I was furiously reading and praying that I was wrong somehow. The cliffhanger we’re left with was absolutely life-altering and I just knew Violet and Luke’s whole story was about to change. Jessica left me with a serious book hangover. I can’t wait to see what happens next with these two!