“I’d never be a normal girl and Hudson would never be a normal guy, but perhaps we’d found the closest thing to normal that we’d ever be capable of achieving. And it was pretty damn good.”
If you are a fan of dominant billionaires and passionate romance, this is a must-read series!!
In this follow-up to book #1, Fixed On You, Hudson and Alayna are put to the test as secrets are revealed and their new relationship is taken to the next level. Found In You was an addictive, fast-paced, steamy ride that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could!! Readers who loved the first book will most certainly fall in love with this one too!
Be sure to read this series in order though as it is one continuous story following the same couple. The book do not end with cliffhangers soyou can start reading at anytime without fear of being left hanging.
I’m not going to talk much about the plot here because it’s nearly impossible to do so without giving spoilers. Suffice it to say that Hudson was fuckhot as ever and the things that man says and does are guaranteed to keep your heart racing!!
“If you want possessive alpha male, I can certainly comply.”
*fans self* Yes, please!
He’s exactly the kind of hero I love – the perfect blend of confident, alluring and dominant, while also quite damaged and messed up on the inside. It’s quite a delicious combination and seeing that kind of hero fall hard for his woman just gets me everytime.
But it wasn’t all hearts and rainbows. Both Hudson and Alayna had pasts they weren’t proud of and despite how open they were with each other, there were still dark secrets in Hudson’s past that he was afraid to reveal for fear that it would tear them apart for good.
“Has it ever crossed your mind that I might have done things you could never forgive?”
And to be truthful, when some of those secrets were revealed, even I was shocked! They were dark!! Like really dark… and I totally understood his reservations about telling her. That said, I absolutely loved the way Alayna handled it. I loved that she didn’t excuse it but was able to see the reasons behind his actions and was also able to see his desire to change and the efforts he’d put into doing so.
Everything about everyone raised question after question. While this wasn’t a mindfuck by any means, it was a constant guessing game at what everyone’s true motivations were. Given their pasts, could you believe everything you saw on the outside? How much was everyone hiding?
To me, this book was very much about trust. Earning trust, keeping trust, and learning to put trust in each other. The secrets that came out put everything to the test and it was harder in their case than it would normally be because given both of their troubled histories, they both were prone to deep-seeded insecurities, raging jealousies and irrational fears and had to work hard to both overcome their own personal demons and also put in the efforts towards building a healthy relationship together. Luckily though, they both were very aware of their issues and knew their weak points and because of this awareness and acceptance, they were able to help each other through some of the hardest situations.
“I need you to know that I’m trying and I’m not going to stop trying until I get there. Do you hear me? Don’t give up on me.”
It was interesting though because since the whole story is told from Alayna’s POV, we’re always connected to her and always know what’s going on in her head – we know when she has fears and insecurities, we know when she’s lying and telling the truth, we know everything. But with Hudson, we only saw him from the outside – specifically, through Alayna’s eyes – and there was so much in his past that made trusting him a bit of a gamble. I felt like I was putting my heart out on the line along with Alayna.
But I just loved them both so much. Y’know, they were messed as individuals but every single thing that happened still made sense. And by that I mean that I always understood the reasons behind what was going on even when it hurt and made me frustrated (except with one character who I won’t name but seriously I have NO idea what is going on with them!! And I really, really freaking want to know!!).
I really just wanted to hug them both. They were so “dysfunctional functional” if that makes any sense. They both wanted so badly to make things work and both honestly put in a ton of effort to work through things together even. You really got the feeling that it was them against the world.
“Our pasts will always threaten to come between us. But nothing can come between us unless we let it.”
They’re just one of those couples who I just believe in. I feel very strongly for them and respect them enough to trust that even though they’ll mess up, I think they’ll always find their way back to each other. It’s a really wonderful feeling to have as a reader and I’m really just loving the journey of watching them sort their issues out and build their relationship.
“I’d never be a normal girl and Hudson would never be a normal guy, but perhaps we’d found the closest thing to normal that we’d ever be capable of achieving. And it was pretty damn good.”
Overall the pacing was excellent – the story was constantly moving forward and developing, there were no slow points and nothing that I felt I needed more or less of. The writing was strong – I really felt quite connected to Alayna and Hudson and stayed fully immersed in their story. And the plot was intriguing – it had twists I didn’t see coming and some truly epic scenes that had me laughing and squeeing out loud.
The sex was just off-the-charts HOT!!! The chemistry, the intensity, the variety… everything about it just had me fanning myself from start to finish! I did also really like that despite the story being quite erotic, I felt that the balance between sex and character development was very well handled.
There is a huge HOLY SHIT moment in the last section of the book that had me gasping!! What an epic clusterfuck! It was a total one-two punch of reveals, one of which I’d suspected and the other that I just never saw coming!
The ending was not a cliffhanger. Relationship-wise, Hudson and Alayna are in a good place at the end but we do learn something which has my mind racing already and definitely looking very forward to the final book in this trilogy! But, I’d say it’s very safe to jump right in though if you want.
I really loved the overall message too — that even people with broken pasts, who’d messed up and done thing they’d forever regret could still work their way back to a good place and still be able to be a part of a healthy relationship. I found it extremely heartwarming.
If you’re a fan of the Crossfire series, then I’d call these books a must-read because they have very much of a similar feeling to them despite the plots being different so definitely check them out if dominant, fuckhot Alpha male billionaires make your heart race. Hudson Pierce now has a place on my favorites shelf along with Christian Grey, Gideon Cross and James Cavendish.
Highly recommended!
4.5+ stars
** SERIES READING ORDER **
This is now a completed trilogy.
BOOK #1 — FIXED ON YOU
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review
BOOK #2 — FOUND IN YOU
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review
BOOK #3 — FOREVER WITH YOU
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review
COMPANION NOVEL — HUDSON (his POV)
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback
Dawnette says
Amazing! Incredible and leaving me wanting for more Hudson and Alayna……wow such a deeply emotional book! I couldn’t put it down. It was page after page of undying love and trust. These two were made for each other! This definately sits on my most favourites with the Crossfire series, Up In Flight, and 50 Shades for alpha billionaires who are messed up in their heads!!! Such a fabulous read. Thank you Aesta for always steering me in the right book direction! Now what to read next……..any suggestions?
Aestas says
You’re so welcome! Have you read the Blackstone Affair series? http://aestasbookblog.com/blackstone-affair-series/