Book 2 of the Legend Trilogy dethroned my favorite Meghan March alpha Cannon Freeman (although, I was jumping up and down at his cameo) and solidified Gabriel Legend as my new #1 M² male lead. Period. And that's saying something because the Dirty Mafia Duet was EVERYTHING to me!House of Scarlett continues where we left off at the end of Fall: a cliffhanger that made me want to punch Legend right in his perfectly imperfect face. The beginning of this book, though? If you can read this without a tissue, I don't know if you have a soul. Gaaaaaaaaah! It's so insightful as to why Legend is the man he is today—muddied reputation, psychological damage, and all. Chapter 1 is why I adore broken heroes: they're little more than beautiful, imperfectly woven tapestries of heartache, mistakes, and regrets. Legend is no exception...After royally f'ing up a good thing with a good woman, HoS explores a side of him I've been waiting to devour since Fall. Legend is a man who couldn't possibly understand what a normal, functioning relationship is supposed to look like, feel like, sound like—but he knows he's going to be hopelessly incomplete without at least trying. It's a lovely example of humanity at large and how when we can feel so undeserving of what we're given, we self-sabotage rather than risk losing it after pouring everything you've got into something that matters. Why do we do that? Because giving something up freely is a LOT less painful than having it taken away from you, especially when you want to hold onto it forever.So, how does Book 2 of the Legend trilogy stack up in the ratings? The legendary KBR 6/5 improper fraction star rating stakes another win for the House of March! Book 2 amps up the sexy times and throws kerosene on the inferno between Scarlett and Legend ;) Letty and the Tramp (yeah, it's a thing now—naming it and claiming it) are en fuego and the long-awaited caveman moments Gabriel graces us with? ....................................................................... Sorry. Blacked out for a second from the heat 😈 It's what we alpha lovers adore in our adorable knuckle-draggers: a consuming need to have his woman at all costs. I lovelovelove when the hero goes into protective, king-of-the-jungle mode Sweet cornbread and biscuits, it's a thing of beauty in this book *RAWR*High marks for the babes who brunch and are game-day ready to break Gabriel's body for hurting their girl. Scarlett's squad is #goals and if you threw in a cheesecake or two, you'd find a younger, more well-to-do version of The Golden Girls.Legend's redemption from his fail at the end of Fall is glorious. I'm talking choirs singing, halos being adjusted, shouting from the rooftops, y'all! You will get all the feels from him in this book 😁 Scarlett's strength is amplified a million times as she is forced to accept the reality of her past and present and embraces the exciting and scary prospect of a future with a man who has already let her down.