Review: Never Too Far by Abbi Glines

 

Publish Date: February 25, 2013 
Kindle {p.193}
Genre: New Adult
Series: Rosemary Beach #2
Source: Personal Library
Blaire Wynn, Rush Finley

Just when Blaire allowed herself to fall for her stepbrother, Rush, he revealed a life-altering secret so devastating that she couldn't forgive him. Unable to face him again, Blaire leaves the promise of true love behind in Rosemary Beach and returns to the comforts of her small town in Alabama, wanting nothing more than to put the summer behind her.

But unexpected news complicates Blaire’s plans, and she’s forced to trust the one man she shouldn’t. Trapped between Rush’s fierce desire to win her back and her own sense of self-preservation, Blaire doesn’t know if she’s doing the right thing . . . or if she’s making the biggest mistake of her life.

This was just a continuation of the previous book, with all the characters pretty much the same with no growth. The only character I felt that changed was Grant, and not for the better. Grant, Rush's brother, seemed to all of a sudden be Team Nan. Nan of course, was still her mean, hateful self when it came to Blaire. To me, all that should have been directed toward her so-called father.

I wanted to give Blaire's ex-boyfriend Cain a chance and like him, but he never made it possible. I just wanted to punch him in his face throughout his stint in this book.

Woods stepped up and took on the role of caregiver and protector of Blaire when it seemed that Rush couldn't or wouldn't. Rush insisted on proving to Blaire that he was going to put her before his sister and mother, but at times he did not. Some of it was understandable, but at other times, it was not. So he lost some points with me for that, and I wasn't his biggest fan to begin with.

Overall I still enjoyed this installment very much.

Review: Fallen Too Far by Abbli Glines

Publish Date: December 14, 2012
Kindle {p.300}
Genre: New Adult
Series: Rosemary Beach #1
Source: Personal Library
Blaire Wynn, Rush Finley

To want what you’re not supposed to have…

She is only nineteen.

She is his new stepfather’s daughter.

She is still naïve and innocent due to spending the last three years taking care of her sick mother.

But for twenty-four year old Rush Finlay, she is the only thing that has ever been off limits. His famous father’s guilt money, his mother’s desperation to win his love, and his charm are the three reasons he has never been told no.

Blaire Wynn left her small farmhouse in Alabama, after her mother passed away, to move in with her father and his new wife in their sprawling beach house along the Florida gulf coast. She isn’t prepared for the lifestyle change and she knows she’ll never fit into this world. Then there is her sexy stepbrother who her father leaves her with for the summer while he runs off to Paris with his wife. Rush is as spoiled as he is gorgeous. He is also getting under her skin. She knows he is anything but good for her and that he’ll never be faithful to anyone. He is jaded and has secrets Blaire knows she may never uncover but even knowing all of that…

Blaire just may have fallen too far.

Rush, Rush, Rush. I was stumped as to how the author was going to turn this character around. He started out as this womanizer with no morals, so I didn't know how he could be leading man material. I found that I was more into the characters Grant, Rush's brother, and Woods, the country club playboy. You could see Rush's struggle with his attraction to Blaire.

I don't know how she did it, but I fell in love with this book and its screwed up characters. I'm still screaming, "Why Rush, why!?! Why didn't you say something before?"

All that classist behavior that was oh so prevalent at the country club, felt reminiscent of Kellermans, the country club from Dirty Dancing. These little country club snobs really grated on my nerves.

Blaire father was an complete deadbeat. Hated him before he showed up, and still hated him after. I don't know how you spend you life with someone you claim to love and have children with and can't even be bothered to attend their funeral, or extend condolences to your child for their loss. I don't care if they were divorced at the time of his ex-wife's death, they still had a daughter who was terribly in need of a parent having just lost her mother. There was no redeeming him to me. The thing I couldn't understand, is why ANYONE would want him after that.

The only person I may hate more than Abe, Blaire's father, is Nan, Rush's sister. Although Rush's mother Georgiana is giving Nan a run for her money in that race. Blaire is a bigger person than I there at the end with Nan, 'cause I would have did it.

Best believe, I will be continuing on with this series. I have to see who the lucky lady is that will capture my love interest, Woods.

Review: Perfectly Broken by Prescott Lane

Publish Date: March 25, 2014
Kindle {p.293}
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Author
Peyton Mayfield, Reed Langston

Even after years of trauma therapy, Peyton still believes she’s broken. She has little desire to date or show off her natural beauty, content simply to hang out with her best friends and run her pie shop in New Orleans. But her world turns upside-down when a handsome architect and self-confessed player shows up in her shop and thinks she’s perfect, much more than the usual hook-up.

While Peyton does her best to resist his charms, believing she could never be enough for him, she can’t deny the obvious heat between them. With Reed determined to have her, Peyton must decide whether to continue to hide behind her apron and baggy clothes or take a chance and share her scars with Reed, a man with a playboy reputation and scars of his own -- a dark past he can’t possibly share with Peyton, not after learning the horrors she’s endured. But if they can find a way to trust each other, and themselves, they just might be able to heal, to save each other, to live perfectly broken together.

The story seemed to start a bit slow for me, and took some time to get into. It took some time for me to warm up to both Peyton and Reed. But the secondary characters, Dr. Lorraine, Quinn and her boyfriend Bret, were hits with me from the start. It's not that I disliked Reed and Peyton, I just felt that the time it took for her to finally agree to go out with him dragged on too long. But once they did get together, that's when the story came alive.

Peyton truly seemed to blossom into this great person when she got with Reed. I'm sure she had always been that person, just suppressed it until Reed came along and revived it. Together they seemed to bring out the best in one another. He helped her to trust, and to live again, where as before she was just merely existing.

On another note however, it sadden me to see what became of Peyton's twenty year friendship with Quinn's brother became by the end. I'm still on the fence about how feel about that whole ordeal.

The only time I ever had an issue with Reed was when he made his final break from his friend-with-benefits, Heather. Yes, she was a horrible person, but I just couldn't get behind the way he spoke to her. His vulgarity and blackmailing of her was too much like something his father would do. And Peyton's reaction to Reed not telling her about his father's past seemed to be more of an over reaction. It wasn't something Reed had done, but something his father had done. Plus, Peyton already knew that there was something off with Reed's relationship with his father, she just didn't have the full story.

The ending felt somewhat rushed, but overall, I enjoyed the story. Everything was neatly tied up some years down the road in the epilogue, but one thing I would have liked to seen in said epilogue was more about Quinn's brother. Other than that, it was definitely worth the read.

Review: Faithful by Kelly Elliott

Publish Date: August 13, 2013
Audio Book {12 hrs 44 mins}
Genre: New Adult
Series: Wanted #3
Source: Public Library
Heather Lambert, Joshua Hayes

No matter how faithful love can be…it takes only one moment to change it all.

After Heather Lambert’s parents died in a tragic car accident her senior year of high school, she refuses to let anyone into her heart for fear of being hurt again. Focusing only on school to follow her dreams of becoming an elementary school teacher, the last thing Heather intends to do is fall in love with Josh Hayes.

Josh knows the moment he lays eyes on Heather that she is the one he’s been waiting for. During months of obstacles and denied feelings, he is rejected by her time and time again. When he finally wins her love, Josh and Heather start planning their future together…until Heather receives one bit of news she never wanted to hear again.

There has been a car accident.

Josh wakes up with no memory of Heather, and his ex-girlfriend, Victoria, is his nurse. Heather must decide if she’ll risk being hurt again and fight for the one man she loves with all her heart.

Will Josh remember Heather when she needs him the most? Or will Victoria take advantage of this opportunity, pushing Heather away from Josh for good?

AMAZING!! I just wish I had know this was book #3 in a series before I read it! :(

These Texas boys sure love to say "Motherf***er." Being from Texas, I have to admit, I know quite a few guys (and some girls too) who love to throw that word around. I loved everyone in this story; I even loved to hate Victoria. I even loved all the music. If you are a music lover, then this book is a wet dream for you. The playlist is to die for!

Josh at times I wanted to hit upside his head. How could he be that dense when it came to girls hitting on him? The thing that stuck out, or shocked me most about this book was that the female characters aren't even 21 yet. WTF? Married with multiple kids and not even of legal drinking age?!? This can't be Austin, TX but Boondocks, TX.

The dynamic between all the couples was great. It felt more like that of family than that of friends. I was totally drawn into the story of Jessica and Scott. To me, their story along with that of Brad and Amanda, stole the show. The whole gang seemed to a loyal, loving group and I can hardly wait to see where they all go from here. But first, I need to go back and read the first two installments.

Read by Arika Rapson and Nelson Hobbs

Duration: 12 hours 44 minutes

Tantor Media

Narration: B

The accents took a bit getting used to. Upon first starting this audio book I didn't think I was going to make it through it because of the narrators Texas twang. I found that I kept questioning if I sound like that when I speak. But once I got used to it, it sounded like any other narrator.

Review: Theirs to Keep by Maya Banks

Publish Date: October 22, 2012
Trade Paperback {p.229}
Genre: Erotica, Ménage
Series: Tangled Hearts #1
Source: Personal Library
Elle, Merrick Sullivan, Cade Walker

When Cade Walker and Merrick Sullivan find Elle hiding in the cabinet of a gun store, they know they can’t just walk away from the fragile woman with no memory of who she is or who tried to kill her. Merrick is training for the title shot in the heavyweight division as a mixed martial artist and can’t afford distractions, but neither can he turn his back on the woman who tugs at his heartstrings.

Elle feels safe with her two protectors, and the longer she spends with them, the more she realizes that she has no desire to remember her past. Not when it could compromise her future with Cade and Merrick.

Cade has his own set of concerns when it comes to Elle, and it quickly becomes clear to the two men that for the first time in their friendship, a woman is coming between them. But what if they just kept her there? Between them. Where she belongs.

Absolute disappointment.

I've never really been a fan of the whole insta-love, but this one was a bit much. When they first lay eyes on her, their in love. Another major disappointment was the ménage. There was truly no point in it, because the story focused on Merrick and Elle. Cade was just a hanger on with no real purpose to the overall story. That was sad; I felt so bad for him because I didn't feel the love for him from Elle.

There was no true chemistry between any of them, but the author majorly favored Merrick of the two men. The fact that not one of them was even a little bit curious as to who this woman was before trying to rush her down the aisle was totally ludicrous. It never occurred to them that this woman could already be married or could be someone's mother!?! Craziness! It was like they found a lost puppy and claimed it for their own.

I'm a huge Maya Banks fan, as I pre-ordered this book just because it was her, but after reading it, I'm regretting that decision. It was a poor rehash of Colters'. I loved Colters' Woman, but this wasn't the best. With that being said, the characters weren't horrible people, they just had no chemistry between them. And poor Cade, he had no point whatsoever.