His Light in the Dark by L.A. Fiore

ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

My first memory was of a slap, hard across the face: the sting on my cheek and the jarring of my bones as I slammed back into my bed. It was my dad who had hit me.

I had been four.

Most of my memories were much of the same and no one ever saw, no one ever fought to help, no one ever cared.

Then we moved.

My new neighbor cared, rescued the twelve-year-old I had been from a beating. Always thought I'd suffer the nightmare alone, I was wrong.

Mace Donati saved me that day in all the ways a person could be saved.

And his daughter, Mia, she became the friend I had always wanted, my conscience when my own faltered, the light that led me home when I had lost my way.

The girl who grew into the only woman I would ever love.

But when you realize you're more like your father than the good people who took you in and gave you a home, the only way to return their kindness is to let them go.

I let them go, got so far lost in the shadows I couldn't remember who I was anymore. Mia never gave up on me. She fought for me, kept the light on so I'd find my way back.

And when I did, life threw us a curveball. I had to hurt Mia in order to save her.

But when my past comes back to haunt me and I almost lose her, I'm ready to fight for her...fight to find a way back into her heart while keeping the demons from my past from finishing what they started.

Cole Campbell

Holy smokes !!

"But it was his pretty blue eyes that looked the worst.There was no light in them. [...] they were dark , like he was lost and couldn't find his way. Being lost in the dark was my biggerst fear and Cole seemed to be living that nightmare."

Having  an alcoholic as a father and being constantly abused, Cole's childhood wasn't by far innocent or filled with love. As the two of them move in a new neighbourhood , Cole meets his guardian angel, a tall scarry man brave enough to step between Cole and his abusive father.

Ever since then Cole becomes like a third member of the Donati family. 

But then something happened and Cole ends up in jouvie. And from here Cole chances. A lot. When he gets out he no longer feels worthy of being part of Mace's family. 

"And every time I took my fists to someone , a little piece of my soul died because I was becoming him. "

Mia grew up as daddy's princess , and even if she was just seven years old when Cole came into her home she felt something for him from the start. Grewing up she couldn't understand why Cole stopped  being her friend and why he was avoiding her like plague 

Slowly she tries to rebuild their relationship  and even if the attraction between them was visible, Cole continued to keep his distance and keep an eye on her from the shadows.

"A man who's willing to change himself, to deny himself what he wants , all in the name of wanting what's best for the woman he loves , he's more than good enough."

But then Cole's.... unorthodox past comes and bites him in the ass.  Mace is in trouble, Mia is at risk and Cole is the one who needs to protect her and find the truth about Mace's accident.

This story goes from romance to suspense / mystery.