3 stars

• Buy KNIGHT on KINDLE (Amazon)
• Buy KNGIHT on ePUB (Smashwords) 

4 stars. 5 stars. 2 stars. 1 star…. I guess that makes 3? It doesn’t feel right to give it 3, but that kind of is the middle ground of my feelings.

If you like controlling  men, this is the book for you!! If not, you may wish to stay away…

This is the darker side of KA! In case you have not read any of her books before, you should know that most of them are NOT like this. Pleeease dont judge her books based on this one!!

I’d been putting this book off for a while because I knew there were a lot of controversial things in it that I was really worried I wouldn’t be okay with them. And in the end, as much as it hurts my heart to say it, I wasn’t okay with them…. but, and here’s the weird thing… I actually still really liked the story. Despite hating certain parts of it. I know that’s weird, but there’s nothing I can do about it.

Beware. This book makes me a little ranty… consider yourselves warned 😛

“Um, I don’t know your name but -”
“Knight,”…
“Right, Mr. Knight – ”
“No, Knight,” …
“Thats what I said, Knight,” I told him. “Now, Mr. Knight -”
He…turned his eyes to me…
“No, not Mr. Knight. Knight. My name is Knight.” …
“With a K?”…
“Yeah, babe, with a ‘K’.”…
That’s an unusual name.”…
“Yeah,” he agreed…
“I kinda like it,” …
“I can die happy”

When Anya stumbles into Knight’s bedroom one night at a party she doesn’t want to be at and that he doesn’t even want in his house, he informs her that he’s going to take her home. No questions. He’s unlike anyone she’s ever met – pissed, scary, bossy, controlling, insanely sexy, yet utterly protective and caring. Days later she can’t get him out of her head. He’s in her dreams, her thoughts, her mind… In many ways, they are polar opposites, in many ways they are perfect for each other, but either way, they are both unquestionably drawn to each other and so begins their unconventional romance.

As terrifyingly scary controlling as Knight came off as first, I actually, oddly enough, kinda fell instantly love with him. He radiated protectiveness. I loved that about him. And when he told her she should feel safe with him, I totally believed him. I felt safe with him, which is weird, I know considering I’m the reader, but you get what I mean…

“What…the fuck… is the matter with you?” …
What? …
“I didn’t do anything!” …
“You put on that dress, didn’t you?”…
“What?”…
“You… do not… leave your house… dressed like that… without being on the arm of a man like me,” he ground out…
“A man like you?” I whispered back.
“A man who’d shoot another man in the face he even looked at you. Yeah, Anya, a man… like… me”

**SHIVERS**

Everything about Knight screamed opulence, power, control. He was such an oxymoron of a character. Both a gentleman and a jerk. Rough and yet never cruel. He was no knight in shining armor. More like a dark, scary knight. But one that you knew without a doubt would go to the ends of the world and back to keep harm from those he loved. He was a bossy, seriously controlling, sophisticated Alpha caveman. He knew who he was and what he wanted and wasn’t going to play games to get them.

Throughout the whole book, even throughout all my issues (about which I will go into detail in a moment), I never, ever, not even once, doubted that his heart was in the right place. He was an anti-hero. Gorgeous. Protective. Flawed. Fuckhot. Dominant.  Truly an “unfinished hero”.

“It’s all I know Anya. Protection. I was born then I was raised to be a shield.”

Just like with his dialogue (which I loved, by the way), everything about him was clipped, efficient, and yet strangely heart warming.

“Wars fought over a face like this,” he murmured… “A man would work himself into the ground for it, go down to his knees to beg to keep it, endure torture to protect it, take a bullet for it…”
Oh.
My.
God. 
“Knight,” I breathed.
“You are not walkin’ away from me.”

Anya, I loved. She was independent, took care of herself, was very down-to-earth and appreciated the little things in life. I loved that despite her tragic back-story, she didn’t let that consume her life and had found a way to move on positively…. I think that, in the end, Knight could have learned a bit from her.

Its weird but I was kind of bracing myself going into this book… I knew about the “Daddy” thing (I’ll go into more detail in a second) and I was honestly almost preparing myself not to like Knight and had all my defensive shields up ready to kind of hate him, but I honestly couldn’t stop myself from totally falling head over heels in love with him. Especially in the first half of the book, he made me tingle…

The hotness between them was explosive!! Their chemistry was strong, but very subtle. No in-your-face instant declarations of love, but it didn’t mean you couldn’t absolutely FEEL their connection and what they felt for each other.

I was in 5 star LOVE with the story until the 40% mark… then things started to get difficult for me and really pushed the limits of my comfort zone. I loved Knight’s character and I kept trying to breathe deeply and not be judgmental but by 42%, I was NOT okay with the things he was saying.

I’ll admit, up till that point, I was wondering what all the fuss about this book was about but at that point I was STRONGLY feeling the need to dash my Kindle against the wall and put the book down. He was just WAY too over-the-top controlling. I kept fighting to stay in love with him and just had to remove myself from the story a little.

I took a breather for a few hours and then dove back it. I had fallen in love with his character enough that I wanted to know why he was the way he was. And he promised that he’d tell so I stuck with the story… I was having this extreme love/hate relationship with him and was totally sympathizing how Anya was feeling:

“You scare me, confuse me, freak me out and you’re also sweet so I don’t know what to do with you.” ….
“You get in my bed, I’ll sort you out.”

I’ll lay it out. He’s into punishments. Not random cruelty, but if she does something he doesn’t like, he spanks her with his hand or strap. Personally, I’m reallllly not into that. Big turn off for me despite the fact that I can admit that scenes where they are written can be really hot but its the concept of them that rubs me way the fucking wrong way. Like WAAAAY wrong. But I had to realize that it wasn’t about whether or not I liked it. Clearly Anya did, so again… I just tried to open my mind and accept it. She was happy. He was happy… ok.

With him, it wasn’t about kink. It was purely about control. His back story does come out later to explain it but I was still thanking God for small favors when I read this:  “I am not into kink, animals, candle wax… knives, blood, needles, clamps, strangulation, and definitely not any shit that goes beyond that.”  *WHEW* Good to know! … (I’m sorry, animals???? That was even an option?? ok, I’m getting side tracked… back to the review)

The depth of their feeling for each other was beautiful but during those punishment scenes, I felt like there was a wall between me and the story because even though I was trying hard not to judge, some of the stuff just was just so not appealing to me that it kept me a little removed even though I really cared for the story. Gah! That sounds weird even to me!

So I kinda fought my feeling about him… I’d get into a point where I thought I could be okay with everything, but then he’d do or say something that would literally make me cringe away from my kindle in disgust…. “Who owns you?”  really? REALLY??? OWNS?? ok… trying to remind myself that Anya likes it 😐 *deep breath*

And lets not forget the big elephant in the room regarding this book: The “Daddy” issue.
For those of you who don’t know, I’ll lay it out. In the bedroom, he calls her “my baby” (which on its own is sweet), but he also has her call him “Daddy”…. the combination of the two was NOT. OKAY. with me.
I never got over my issue with it. I cringed every time I read it. I’m sorry to say that it  really creeped me way-the-freaking-hell out. It just felt so WRONG. I’m sorry, I try my best not be judgmental in life, but it just made me want to gag, vomit and put the book down.

It was just too much for me. Example “My baby wants her Daddy.”  Ewwwww *shudders* WHY?? Ugh. “Ride your Daddy.” “Yes, Daddy.” Nononono!!! God. YUK!! …. Here’s another “hold onto Daddy’s cock“. I’m sorry, but that made me physically ill. I don’t even want to THINK about those two words in the same sentence. EVER. Fucking gross…. I just kept trying to remind myself of how sweet he was when he wasn’t calling himself her Daddy. I loved his character, I really did. He was so sweet and Alpha and adored her but still…just EWWWWW!!

And let it be clarified… it wasn’t the Daddy thing alone that bothered me. I could have probably gotten used to that. It was the fact that it was combined with “my baby”. Its kind of impossible for me to read that and not have my mind go to places it really did NOT want to go.

But the thing was that Knight was not an ass. God, his moments of sweet and loving warmed my heart every time right up to the point where I pretty much would forget all my issues with him. He cared for and loved Anya SO deeply. I just had to accept that his way of showing it and his world were different. Seriously, when he wasn’t grossing me out, I really, really loved him!!

“I love you, Anya, you’re the only woman who’s had that from me and you’re the only one who ever will.”

Interestingly, there is no 90% freakout moment in this, like with most KA books. Instead, there is a big revelation about Knight that comes out, and I know it was pretty controversial, but oddly enough I was totally fine with it. He explained the reason behind it and that was good enough of an explanation for me to totally accept it.

A lot of things about Knight made me want to gag, cringe, and shudder… but a lot of things about him made me melt, warmed my heart and had me fanning myself… And I really LOVED both Knight and Anya’s characters for a whole number of reasons and despite my occasional gagging, it was a really good book. I don’t know if that makes any sense, but its the truth. Knight and Anya were undeniably perfect for each other. They completed each other, found peace in each other, and loved each other with all their hearts. It was beautiful. And, at the end of the day, that’s what matters most, right?

I had a few issues with how the book ended and where Knight ended up as a character. I guess he really was an Unfinished Hero in the end. One who cared strongly, deeply and undeniably for what was his. But I wished he’s have changed just a bit more. You know, sometimes change is growth. And just because a person is the way they are, doesn’t mean a little improvement would be a bad thing and it doens’t mean they are giving up who they are. I think that’s a lesson he would have done well to take to heart.

**SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT IF YOU READ ON**

1. It was written in the epilogue that their daughter was curled up on her “Daddy’s” chest. WHAT. THE. FUCK ?!? I spent the book trying to square myself with the idea that, to them, Daddy didn’t mean father and was a term of endearment… So I figured that for sure if they had kids, he would always be Dad, not Daddy, so WHY WAS IT USED IN THAT CONTEXT????? Arrrgh, that, I cannot square myself with. Ewwww. Gag. Barf.
2. I didn’t like how he never accepted celebrating Christmas. I understand why he is the way he is as a person. It makes sense… But I wished he’d had changed more. He was just too rigidly set in his ways. No Christmas??? C’mon. WTF? I’m not Christian and even I celebrate Christmas – tree, presents, music, food and all. It’s a beautiful holiday, a time to be with family, share love, make memories. I think it would have made him grow a lot as a person if he could have learned to appreciate that. And what about his kids?? Was he planning on being the Grinch for eternity?? grrrrrrr
3. **EDIT: okay, so someone told me that apparently, on a thread somewhere, KA said that Knight would actually celebrate Christmas with his kids. Ok. That’s amazing, and I’m very happy he would have gotten to that point. BUT, I’d have wished he’d gotten to that point in the epilogue somewhere so we could have seen his character growth. Cuz without knowing that, it didn’t make me look too favorably on him in that respect and not everyone would know about that little comments made on a thread somewhere.

Oh, Knight… I want to love you. I DO love you. You just make it so hard at times…

CASTING:

• KNIGHT –> Click here and here
• ANYA –> Click here

 

** SERIES READING ORDER **

Note: Each book can be read as a standalone and is about a different couple

#1 — KNIGHT
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review

#2 — CREED
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review

#3 — RAID
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review

3 stars

I was really torn on the rating for this one, on one hand, I wanted to give it 4 stars for making me care about the characters, on the other hand I wanted to give it 2 stars for the sheer dumb f*cking stupidity of many of the main characters’ actions. Gah!

“I’ve wanted you … since I was old enough to know what want was. I’ll always want you. Always…. I love you so much, so very, very much.”

Carly and Brian have liked each other since they were kids and dated straight through high school. They were planning on getting married straight out of school and spending the rest of their lives together. On the night they were planning on announcing their engagement, their 6 best friends (including Brian’s brother) are killed in a horrific car crash. Carly is traumatized by witnessing it and goes into shock, rendering her mute – from that moment on, she just can’t bring herself to speak to anyone for anything, she doesn’t ever want to leave her house and she refuses to go near a car. At first, Brian sticks around and tries to be supportive but when she shows no signs of improvement, he makes a hard choice and decides move ahead with his plans for college (*SNIFFF*). Despite trying to get Carly to join him, she ultimately chooses to stay – unable to move past the trauma.

“Every dream I’ve ever had begins and ends with you. No matter how much time passes, if you want to come home, I’ll be here. I love you always. Only you.”

There is also a bit of a murder mystery twist to the story regarding how the accident came about that takes up a good chunk of the book. There is a serial rapist and murderer on the loose targeting the popular kids in their small town who is also tied to the accident. I have to say that this part of the story was pretty intriguing and kept me very interested to see who the bad guy was.

Then, about half way through the book, after 15 years of complete disconnect (no talking, no writing, no seeing each other, period) and 2 loveless, hollow marriages later, Brian returns home. When he sees Carly, they immediately reconnect as though they were only separated yesterday and just pick up their romance right where it left off prior to the accident. It was like he never left, they literally just lapse right back into being together. Despite the lighting pace though, it is rather swoony 🙂

“With his hands on her face, he asked, “Has there been anyone else?”
She shook her head.
“Carly,” he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her…
“I can’t start this all up again and then watch you leave,”…
“If we start this up again, I’ll never let you go. I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.” He captured her mouth in a hot, passionate kiss that was full of longing… “And when the time comes for me to leave, either you’ll go with me, or I won’t go at all.”

And throughout all this, there is a murderer to catch!

I felt very conflicted about the book. I was just so torn back and forth between feeling all swoony over their romance and just frustrated to all hell over their decisions. It just seemed like every time there was a decision to make, they picked the wrong one. I mean, it still all worked out in the end, but it could have been SO much easier.

I kept trying to be sympathetic to Brian when he talked about his failed marriages and how they didn’t work because every time he said ‘I do’ his heart was crying out for her, but if that was the case, then WHY DIDN’T HE JUST GO BACK TO HER???

And how could they leave everything for 15 years being as in love with each other as they were?? I just couldn’t get over that. I guess , at first it made me question how much they could have really cared for each other, but by the end I realized that they both really just made a lot, and I mean a lot  of freaking dumb decisions. The love was there, but the brains… not so much.

It frustrated me to no end the way Carly and Brian reacted after the accident. Their separation made ZERO sense to me. About Carly, I understand that what she went through was traumatic, but it seems to me, if she actually cared about Brian, she’d make a bit more of an effort to get past her problems. And as for Brian, I would have thought that if he’d cared enough for Carly, he would have maybe pushed her a little more to try and get past her inhibitions that were preventing them from living their life together… but instead he just accepted her decision and left. Point blank, cold turkey, poof! Gone for 15 years! And I mean,  I know that Carly’s loss sucked from the accident, but Brian lost his brother and he was able to at least continue living. I totally understand her being a mute, but in my opinion, she should have been a mute if thats what she needed and still gone with him!!

While their reunion was very welcome, I felt it was a little rushed. But, if you could mentally get past the stupidity and speed of some of their actions, Brian and Carly were quite adorable and swoony together in the second half of the book – with plenty of steamy scenes (this is not a YA book). I liked them together but at the same time, I really just wanted to throttle them.

I also totally went through what I’m now gonna refer to as the “accident syndrome” in this book. Thats where a big huge (usually car) accident happens VERY early on in the books – within the first chapter or 2 and although you feel terrible for the characters, its hard to actually connect with their loss because you just don’t know the characters who died well enough.

Honestly though, I have to say that while Brian did do a few throttle-worthy things, it was Carly that really kept making the face-palm-enducing decisions. She’s like that character who, in a horror movie, you just know is gonna die first  or be the one to give away their position to the bad guys *shakes head* lol, sigh.

Overall, if you are a bit of a tolerant reader, you might really enjoy this book. I know it had a lot of high ratings, but in order for me to fully enjoy a book, I have to be able to respect their decisions more. So overall, it was okay. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it, I even liked many parts of it, but my frustration prevented me from rating it higher.

The story did have a HEA but the ending was rather abrupt and could definitely have benefited from an epilogue.

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3-3.5 stars

Le sigh…. I wanted to love this book. I really did. But the characters frustrated me to no end. I did however, love Lucas and Jacqueline – the parts of the book where they were actually interacting were by far the highlights of the story for me.

The story follows Jacqueline who goes off to university with her high school boyfriend of 3 years, sure that they will always be together. When he suddenly dumps her, she is devastated. Not only did she follow him to a university she didn’t have personal interest with but now she has to be there while watching him sow his wild oats. One night, leaving a party, she goes alone to her car and is cornered by one of her ex’s frat buddies who tried (almost successfully) to rape her. Out of no-where, this guy (Lucas) swoops in, beats her attacker up and takes her home all without even giving her his name. Soon after, she realizes they are in the same class together. They are attracted to each other but not overly forward about it. She also is given an email tutor, Landon, for the same class she attends and as they begin to email each other back and forth, she finds herself strangely attracted to him even though they have never met in person…. So she has to figure out how she feels about Lucas, and learn who Landon is, and deal with a creepy campus rapist all the while surviving her first year at college.

The hero and heroine just did not make what I’d call smart relationship decisions. I was really rooting for them and they WERE utterly adorable together, but they just didn’t seem to be very functional for a vast majority of the book.

I felt like they kept making the wrong calls –  not choosing the smart, functional path.  I really just wanted yell at them… No, don’t ignore her. No, don’t play games with him. No, don’t go to your ex’s house. No, don’t lie to her. No, the solution is not that ‘we can’t be together’. No, don’t be passive when you know he’s hiding something, call him on it. And just tell each other how you feel!!!!

They spent so much of the book ignoring each other! Gah! They’d interact, then go days without speaking, then interact again, go back to ignoring, or deciding things wouldn’t work out, then talk again, then ignore more… sigh. It got frustrating. There was a lot of stupidy. A lot of ‘hot-cold’. Kinda made me want to bang my head against a wall and then just lock them both in a room together until they communicated more.

I basically felt it would have been very easy to have avoided most of the problems and angst of this book by simple communication.

This being said, I didn’t dislike the book at all, there were definitely good parts to it and it did keep my attention. I just kind felt ‘meh’ towards it…

I really did love Lucas – what a gorgeous tortured character! I was totally swooning over him! As the best friend said, “Holy fuckburgers.  Who was that hot guy?”  lol. He was so respectful, so protective, and quite the gentleman while still being a total kick ass, tattooed and pierced bad boy college hottie.

Jacqueline though… I was kind of on the fence about her. I didn’t like how she played games with Lucas in the beginning, or would ignore him for days on end (SO frustrating!). But she wasn’t a bad heroine, I just didn’t really connect with her or agree with her decisions always.

And I absolutely loved Lucas and Jacqueline together – when they weren’t ignoring each other, they were a seriously CUTE couple!! They had great dialogue, swoony interactions and some very steamy moments!

And let me tell you, Ms Weber can write one helluva hot kiss! Seriously!

“I pressed against him and he groaned into my mouth and wrenched his mouth from mine, breathing raggedly. “I have to go now, or I’m not going.” 

Honestly though, if it wasn’t for how much I liked the parts where Lucas and Jacqueline were actually together, I might have put the book down. I felt I was reading only to get to those parts.

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