Down to my Bones by Bijou HunterMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Odd One And The Outsider
This is the first book in a continuing series of standalone stories. Though this book is the first in this series, it is part of a connected group of series set in the same world. This series directly follows after the White Horse Series by the same author but is about the children of Cooper and Farah from The Damaged series.
Miranda or Rando as she likes to be called has always been labelled a bit ‘odd’. Family lore is that her uncle dropped her on her head as a baby and she’s never been right. What we learn about in this book is that Miranda is not quite as mentally deficient as people believe because that’s what she wants. Miranda has the family wrapped around her finger by behaving the way she does, plus she gets to say all the weird stuff that pops into her head whenever she feels like it without anyone questioning her ‘odd’-ness.
Quaid is nearly 10 years older than Miranda, and he’s an ex-Ranger. His family is pretty neglectful and he hasn’t heard from them in years. He got badly injured in the army and when he retired he tried working for a contractor and didn’t like it. He moved back home and ended up joining the Reapers MC in Shasta where he first saw Miranda trying to feed geese potato salad with a spoon. He was immediately smitten and followed her to Ellsberg and set up a tent in a field at Vaughn’s house (he had a book in The Damaged series too).
Their strange and delightful courtship goes well, despite her father’s general distaste for his daughters having men in their lives until someone decides that Miranda is a good target.
This is a wonderfully strange book, filled with odd conversations and internal monologues. I love Miranda. She’s what we Brits would call an ‘Eccentric’. This means they don’t care what anyone thinks about them and act accordingly. She alternates between wearing her heart on her sleeve and burying her feelings so deep no one knows what she’s thinking. This keeps everyone off balance.
Quaid is delighted by his wonderful quirky girl and jumps feet first into caring for her. He’s never felt deeply about anyone before Miranda and would do anything to keep her in his life, even living in a tent and tolerating her father’s passive-aggressive behaviour. He’s always made sure to let go of his feelings and live on the surface until he meets Miranda and gets knocked for six. He’s not stupid though and holds on tight with both hands to the person who makes his emotions sing.
I love the way these two collaborate to continue Miranda’s long con with her family. Quaid instantly speaks Miranda’s language and it’s really sweet to see. I also really enjoy their long rambling conversations. I also appreciate how Quaid is when Miranda is targeted and how he handles her panic attacks in the calmest possible way whilst plotting the painful torture and death of the perpetrator.
This is not a particularly high action or deep book. It’s sweet, funny and odd. It’s entertaining and heart warming, because everyone wants to be accepted, no matter how odd everyone thinks you are.
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