4.5 Stars"Love is a stubborn thing, it seems, both in life and in death."It’s not a secret that I am a huge fan of L.B Simmons. I love her books and I adore her storytelling and characters. I am so happy that I had the chance to read Under The Influence. The storyline is a bit of a departure from her previous stories but this story was just as beautiful, heartfelt, and emotional as her previous novels."You see, the day he showed up on our porch, something happened while we watched that first sunset together. I don’t know how or why or if I can even put it into words, but we were forever connected that day."The story centers on Dalton Greer and Spencer Locke. It's been nearly 5 years since Dalton and Spencer first met; they met when she's 12 and he's 13. Dalton is a foster kid and he bounced from foster home to foster home, until he was placed with Spencer and her mom. Even though he lived with her and her mom temporarily, they quickly formed an unbreakable friendship.From the very beginning you can tell that Spencer and Dalton are truly best friends. Their connection was deeply felt. They both shared an incredible amount of love, adoration, and respect for one another. They each had their own painful past and secrets, but they found comfort in one another. Neither wanted to ruin their friendship, but secretly they both wanted more."Because when I’m with her, when she smiles at me that way, it’s easy to pretend my reality doesn’t exist. That instead, I’m the person she believes me to be–believes I can be–rather than the monster I’ve become."Dalton felt that Spencer deserved someone better than him. There are certain parts of his life that he wants to keep from her because he wanted to protect her. He tries to hide behind a facade and he keeps his feelings in. The only other person he shares things with is his friend, Anthony aka Rat. Dalton has a dark past filled with abuse and out of desperation, he got himself involved with a local criminal Silas Kincade. He's not proud of the things he's done but it’s how he's survived. “I want you Spence, but I can’t have you. I won’t allow it. You’re too good, too pure, too innocent, and just as your presence soothes me, mine will eventually flaw you. It’s inevitable, and I care too much for you to let that happen.”I don’t want to reveal too much of the story but I really wanted to see these two together.  The anticipation and build up was so worth it.  There were many beautiful moments and some that broke my heart. What I absolutely adore about L.b’s characters are that her men are protectors, through and through. I loved Dalton’s character. Even though he struggled with his past, Spencer was such a source of happiness for him, and it showed. He was sweet, caring, and would have done anything for her. Spencer was sweet, loyal, and she had so much determination and strength. I love second chances and I enjoyed the message this story presented. It presented L.b wrote this book flawlessly and it’s wonderful to see her writing grow.