Review: Muscle Memory by Stylo Fantôme

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone
Release - August 28, 2017
Genre - Contemporary Second Chance Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Length - 285 pages

Her lips, the way she feels, how she moves against me. Her voice when she laughs, her eyes when she cries. Her soul connected to mine, for better or for worse, for all eternity.

I don't remember.

A blank face. Unrecognizable. The darkness and impenetrable fog, day after day after day. Who am I? And for that matter, who is she?

I can't remember.

Two sides to the same coin – one wants to remember, and the other wants to stay forgotten. Which side will win? Can he trust his heart to bring him back to her? Or will she stay lost in the fog forever?

I might never remember.

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MY REVIEW

I swear, Stylo Fantôme must sit at her computer thinking up ways to mess with our minds, emotions and souls. This story quite literally had me messed up!

Imagine falling in love.
I mean that all-encompassing, all-consuming, can’t-live-without-out-you kind of love with someone.
Where there is no beginning or end of you.
Where your breath is their oxygen.
You can’t envision or dream up a life without your person.
That’s what Delaney and Jayson shared.
Now imagine that your other half just disappears without a trace.
And then one day, you see your other half but they don’t remember who you are.
Heart freaking breaking!!

In true Fantôme-style, this story was full of angst and full of feels. It moved from past to present fluidly and gave a well-developed picture of who these people were as a couple. The emotional turmoil was effectively splattered upon the pages. It was felt no matter where I went in this story. I think this showed an intriguing look into amnesia. Jayson’s plight was not one to envy and his journey to recover his memories was an ever-increasing struggle. I liked how his support network (Sloany) was worked in and given their own chance in the spotlight. I enjoyed the way that this book mainly explored Jon’s new life and how he tried to navigate it the best way he could and how he tried to embrace it. And I think the author took a realistic outlook on this and didn’t make it too easy for her character to grow.

I found myself constantly cheering Del on, but I really wanted her to get well and truly angry at the cruel twist of fate. At the people who were hurting her and continued to hurt her, albeit unintentionally. I wanted her to rage! I’m not sure, if I were caught in the same predicament, if I could be as genteel, graceful and optimistic as she was. No, actually, I’m sure I would be putting a beat down on someone or something. I wouldn’t be able to hold it in. I’d try to grin and bear it, but eventually the explosion would be felt all around. I for damn sure wouldn’t be okay watching my love with someone else. And Jayson needed to be put in his freaking place.

Okay, so I didn’t give this five stars for two reasons:
➜ I could have really done without the intimate scenes between Jon and Kitty. I mean I really didn’t need them. I get how they may have been necessary to tell the story from all points of view, but it further distanced me from these characters and I ended up lacking any sympathy for them. I hated Kitty and had a pretty low tolerance of Jon.
➜ I wanted more of an HEA for Jayson and Delaney. They finally reconnect, and don’t get me wrong it was beautiful, but I wanted something more. I’m not sure what I was really looking for, but I wanted him to make up for all the pain he caused her. I understand he has suffered. I really and truly get that. But I needed him to GROVEL!!

In short, this was a beautiful story of true love. Of friendships formed in the strangest of circumstances. Of the true meaning of friendship, such as wanting your friend’s happiness above all else. Of love lost and then found. Of refusing to give up in the face of certain defeat. Of how powerful that elusive emotion known as love really is. The mind may forget, but the body and soul will never ever.