Then a party guest from the night of the crash recognizes the heroine in the tabloid photo. He witnessed her mother driving the car and not the heroine. Both the h and the H's brother were trying to stop her, but to no avail. The party guest never realized there was a crash or a trial because he was out of the country. Now the lawyers will work to clear her name. The h and H's chemistry has simmered since they first met when she was Ollie's, his younger half-brother, best friend. Spending time in jail for drunk driving and what I assume was some kind of manslaughter charge put a wrench in that. They meet up again when she gets a first job at a company he's just taken on.

The hero wasn't bad too- yes he blamed the heroine occasionally, but also believed that she had paid her due and hence stood like a wall for her whenever possible. He is enamored by her, and pursues her relentlessly. He also helps her find the truth in the end. The blurb made it sound like angst-filled drama but there was very little drama and intensity really. I did like the main characters well enough but they didn't stand out as special. And what could possibly make her think it was okay to clear out the room like that of Olly's? Who in their right minds would take it upon themselves to do that in someone else's home???? At least she felt remorse about it when he was enraged and understand how wrong she was. There is a lot of shared emotion between the hero and heroine, and lots of well thought out conflict. The heroine is particularly well written; she had a lot to deal with but never caved under everything and didn't come across as a martyr. Heroine is devastated that her mother let her go to jail rather than tell the truth. Hero is sorry he caused her pain. He asks her to marry him with the ring wrapped in many boxes. Heroine isn't sure but he shows her the receipt, he bought the ring before he knew she was innocent. HEA with the dog living with them and in the epilogue, acquiring another. Also in the epilogue, H/h have a daughter, heroine went to medical school and they are expecting another child.The heroine, Ava, was constantly grieved over the loss of her best friend, Olly, whom she met at boarding school. It was difficult for her to reconcile that she was the cause of his death since she had no memory. She would sometimes travel home with him for holiday visits and she was just WOW over his older brother, Vito who was ten years their senior. Vito was oftentimes cruel to her. He had the hots for her (but certainly didn't want to.) He'd maybe steal a kiss, then treat her like she was a leper or whore blaming her when he kissed her. She was a sexy young woman and he always assumed she was trying to tempt him with her great body. She was not...yes, she tempted him, but she was not really a seductress. She was too young and innocent to know how but that didn't stop him from treating her poorly, breaking her young heart. She fell for him when she was only sixteen but the man wouldn't have anything to do with her. Sadly, he didn't take the time to get to know her and was way too far into his man-whore lifestyle. He had no clue whatsoever that she was virginal. She knew for sure that she would never have a chance with Vito since she was the one who caused his brother's death. She was going into a work program who hired ex-cons for three months to help prep them for entering the workforce. She had no clue she was going to work for him and his new company.

Now released from jail, she finds work in one of the prisoner rehabilitation centers, only to soon meet Vito again, as her new boss. Never expecting any sort of exoneration for her crimes, she does not expect to keep her job. But despite his feelings, Vito not only gives her a second chance, but also makes her forgive herself. I liked how self-sufficient Ava was. Her trauma could have created a much more crippled individual (not just that of the past three years, but her whole life in that awful family). I also liked Vito, he wasn't an asshat. It took him some time to realize some things but he was always worthy in my opinion. And I loved her tattoo of his name on her hip that she tries to hide. Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.For this initiative, The Bicester Collection has partnered with Ashoka Arab World. Founded in 2003, the platform has pioneered social entrepreneurship, contributing to the flourishing sector across the Arab region, and is also the Academic Partner of the world-renowned New York University Abu Dhabi. Heroine thinks this is a bad idea because it will put her in the vicinity of her family who has disowned her and will cause people to talk. Her alcoholic mother died while she was in prison and she is also estranged from her sisters and father. Hero doesn't care about the gossip and thinks she should reconcile with her family.