‘Hideaway’ by Penelope Douglas

Penelope Douglas is one of my favorite authors and I have been waiting for ‘Hideaway’ since I finished the first book of the Devil’s Night series ‘Corrupt’. And all I can say is, it was worth the wait. I finished ‘Hideaway’ the day after the release day, which was 11 days ago but I was having a hard time to write this review because firstly I don’t want to spoil the book for the people who still haven’t read and secondly I wasn’t sure if I was able to write something that will make justice to the book. I am still not sure but here I go 🙂

For the people, who haven’t read the first book, let me give you guys a little back-story. Michael, Kai, Will and Damon, who are also known as the Horsemen, ruled Thunder Bay. Every year in Devil’s Night, which is the night before Halloween, the Horsemen pulls different pranks and do whatever they wish. Everyone knows who are behind the masks but no one will do anything to stop them. After they graduated from high school and went to different universities, the Horsemen comes back to Thunder Bay for the Devil’s Night but something goes wrong and Kai, Will and Damon gets arrested. Michael blames Rika for what went down on that night. ‘Corrupt’ tells past and present story about what happened that night and what happens after they are released from prison.

Just like ‘Corrupt’, ‘Hideaway’ is written back and forth between the past and the present. As someone who doesn’t really enjoy switching back and forth between past and present, I really enjoyed both stories and I think this is mainly because of Penelope Douglas’s writing style. Every time, you read something related to past you realize the reasons behind the behaviors and the events of present. The best part is you are not lost between past and present. ‘Hideaway’ is written from dual POV, gives us more chance to see depth and inner struggles of the characters.

Kai, Michael and Will still trying to get over Damon’s betrayal and also trying to figure out where he is and what will be his next move. With the addition of Rika and Alex to the group, you see how far and how little they moved on. The dynamics and the priorities of the group have changed but they still cannot let go of the past. When they decide to go to Damon’s father in the hopes of finding Damon so that they can move on but instead of finding Damon, after years they meet with Banks once again.

Kai Mori is the planner. He is quiet, observant and reserved. Even when he is not wearing his silver mask, he doesn’t allow people to see the real Kai, not even his closest friends.  What I loved about Kai the most is how honorable, he is. His inner struggle with shame and disappointment he caused to his father was touching. As for Banks, she is smart, loyal and sassy. The mind games and scheming between Banks and Kai shows that she is the Horsemen’s match but seeing her need to be accepted and loved leading to an unconditional loyalty towards some people might annoy you a little bit until you get to the real reasons behind it.

Switching between past and present shows how Kai and Banks’s relationship started and how she turned him down every time because of her loyalty and love to Damon. It was great because you get so many information regarding who really Kai and Banks is and some shocking information about Damon that will change the way you see him. When Damon came back at the end, after everything I learned about him through the book and what he did at the end, OMG! I couldn’t hate the guy as much as I did before.

‘Hideaway’ is dark, sexy, intense and suspenseful, and also emotional. Some parts of the book, I was reading it with a lump in my throat, it was heartbreaking. You will definitely have a love and hate relationship with all the characters throughout the book. Also, thank you Penelope for making this long wait worth it and I am so not thanking her for the little intro of ‘Kill Switch’ she gave at the end of the book because she just started another waiting period LOL! Damon’s story ‘Kill Switch’ will be released in 2018. Cannot wait to get my hands on it 🙂

• Would I recommend this book: Yes.
• Would I re-read this book: Yes.
• Would I read future books by this author: Yes.

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