4.5 stars

Book Review — Love Online by Penelope Ward

August 27, 2018 by Aestas · 1 Comment

“I couldn’t really have her. I had accepted things would have to stay the way they were—until the day I found a clue that led me straight to her. So I took a chance. And that was when our love story really began…”

OMIGOSH!! I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

Okay so this was a totally unconventional romance. Like, it was absolutely not a normal way for the hero and heroine to meet (the blurb doesn’t reeeeeally tell you what the situation is and for good reason — I think it’s best to just dive into this book blind and let the story happen), it’s not a traditional manner for them to get to know each other either, and it’s certainly not the classic way that two people fall in love. But let’s be honest, that might have been why I loved this book so much. I loved that it was different and that it took a direction few other books do. It was so refreshing!

Another thing that really made this story work for me was how open, communicative, and mature both the hero and heroine were. They actually talked and, almost more importantly, they listened to each other! Both such welcome characteristics in stories. It’s just always so wonderful to read a book where the angst and drama is derived from the situation and *not* from character’s being stupid. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that there is no stupid in this whole book. There is angst for sure, and there are certainly some difficult situations but I loved that all of them were created by the situations themselves and not by the hero/heroine’s actions. This too was really refreshing!

I actually went into this book totally blind. At this point, I’ve read enough books by this author that I know I love her writing style and Itons of her books are on my favorites list so I have trust in her storytelling and it actually wasn’t until after I opened the first chapter of this book that I realized I hadn’t even read the blurb! But I’ll share it here so you can:

“We met in the least likely of places. It started out innocently enough. I was “ScreenGod” and she was “Montana,” but of course, those weren’t our actual names, just the virtual cloaks we hid behind.

Logging in at night and talking to her was my escape—my sanctuary.

Her real name was Eden, I’d soon come to find out.

From the first time we connected online, I found myself transfixed.

She was an addiction.

At first, we knew nothing about each other’s real identities…and she was adamant that we keep things that way. Anonymity had no effect on our unstoppable chemistry, though. If anything, it allowed us to open up even more in ways we may not have otherwise.

Eden was funny, intelligent, gorgeous—everything I’d ever wanted in a woman.

But I couldn’t really have her.

I had accepted things would have to stay the way they were—until the day I found a clue that led me straight to her.

So I took a chance.

And that was when our love story really began.”

You’ve probably noticed that I’ve been very vague about the storyline here and barely spoken about it and I’ve done that on purpose. I think this is a story that almost any fan of the Romance genre will fall in love with BUT it’s a story that could definitely be ruined if you know too much of the details in advance so me — the reader who always wants to know everything in advance — is actually recommending that you go into this blind. I honestly don’t think this book has anything that warrants a warning so I’d strongly suggest to just dive right in and enjoy the ride!!

This book is sexy and romantic, but it’s also sweet and swoony. It has many heart-felt moments that’ll make you smile, but also has emotional depth that give the story weight. It’s well written and addictive, and is definitely going on my list of favorites for this year!

If you’re looking for an awesome new book to read and you’re also interested in reading a romance that’s different from the norm but still a beautiful love story that’ll give you all the feels, then definitely try this book!

Rating: 4.5 STARS! Contemporary Adult Romance Standalone.

Book Review — A Wish For Us by Tillie Cole

June 10, 2018 by Aestas · 12 Comments

A Wish For Us.

A story of music.
A story of healing.
A story of love conquering all.

Oh my gosh, this was the most BEAUTIFUL book!! I read it straight through in one sitting and it was AMAZING!! A truly unique and EMOTIONAL LOVE STORY that brought music and colors to life in a way that blew me away. I COULD NOT STOP READING! It was a BEAUTIFUL and HEALING romance. I highly, highly recommend it!

Nineteen-year- old Cromwell Dean is the rising star of electronic dance music. Thousands of people adore him. But no one knows him. No one sees the color of his heart. Until the girl in the purple dress. She sees through the walls he has built to the empty darkness within.

When Cromwell leaves behind the gray skies of England to study music in the South Carolina heat, the last thing he expects is to see her again. And he certainly doesn’t expect that she’ll stay in his head like a song on repeat.

Bonnie Farraday lives for music. She lets every note into her heart, and she doesn’t understand how someone as talented as Cromwell can avoid doing the same. He’s hiding from his past, and she knows it. She tries to stay away from him, but something keeps calling her back.

Bonnie is the burst of color in Cromwell’s darkness.
He’s the beat that makes her heart skip.

But when a shadow falls over Bonnie, it’s up to Cromwell to be her light, in the only way he knows how. He must help her find the lost song in her fragile heart. He must keep her strong with a symphony only he can compose.

A symphony of hope.
A symphony of love.
A symphony of them.

Okay now I know that the first question that most of you are going to ask me is whether this book has a happy ending — it was definitely the first question I asked too, so I get it. I’ll post the answer in a spoiler link below:

Spoiler Inside	Select Show
YES!!! Full HEA, and a beautiful happy epilogue!

Cromwell Dean is the epitome of a tormented bad boy hero. Tattoed. Pierced. Famous. Private. Sullen. Sexy. Angry. Talented beyond all reason. He had it all and yet his life felt empty. Something had happened that had taken all the joy out of his life and his music. And it wasn’t until a chance encounter brought Bonnie into his life that any of that began to change.

She went quiet.

I caught her looking at me. Her brown eyes were narrowed, like she was scrutinizing me. Reading something in me that I didn’t want anyone to see.

No one ever looked at me closely. I never gave them the chance. I thrived on the podium at clubs because it kept everyone far away, down on the dance floor where no one ever saw the real me.

They were complete opposites in so many ways, but when a college project paired them together and forced them to co-write music for the semester, their world’s became unchangeably entwined.

It’s not an easy task to describe music with words alone, but Tillie Cole did it wish such beautiful writing that it felt like you could hear and FEEL everything even though there was no real sound at all.

The club pulsed as the beat I was pouring into the crowd took over their bodies. Arms in the air, hips swaying, eyes wide and glazed as my music slammed into their ears, the rhythmic beats controlled their every move. The air was thick and sticky, clothes slick to people’s skins as they crammed into the full club to hear me.

I watched them light up with color. Watched them get lost in the sound. Watched them shed whoever they’d been that day — an office worker, a student, a copper, a call-center worker — what the fell ever. Right now, in this club, they were slaves to my tunes. Right here, in this moment, my music was their life.

Cromwell saw music as colors and saw beauty few other people ever could, and yet his talent was also hiding a pain so raw that it had taken all the heart and soul from his music. Bonnie made it her mission to help him find it again.

He looked like the epitome of arrogate, rolling his tongue ring against his teeth. He was dressed in black jeans that had a chain hanging from the waist, and a simple white shirt with a low neck and tick short sleeves that gripped his muscled biceps. His tattoos climbed like vines up his arms and neck.

Some people would think them art.
I thought they looked like they were strangling him.

It broke my heart to see how desperately he craved that healing but how his demons pushing everyone away from him. He needed her, but couldn’t stand that he needed her.

The thought of working with Bonnie made an uneasy feeling sprout inside me. I didn’t like to feel anything. I was happy numb. But for some reason Bonnie Farraday sparked life back into my dead soul.

They couldn’t have been more opposite. She was sunshine and he was a storm cloud. But they shared a deep love for music and for a while, that was their only connection. Until that connection slowly deepened. The more time they spent together, the more he slowly began to trust her with his deepest secrets and show her his world. But no matter how broken his secrets made him, nothing prepared him for the devastation of hers.

When you’re writing a hero who acts like a bit of a jerk, there’s a delicate balance between forgivable actions and going too far. I also feel it’s really important to give some kind of believable and justifiable reason for their actions. And I really felt like this book did a fantastic job of that. Learning of what Cromwell had been through and what kinds of demons he was fighting, it really made his behavior at the very least understandable. His secrets were deep and crushing and even the best of people can be brought low by that kind of pain.

I had seen to many performances in my lifetime, yet none had compared to the rawness of what I had heard tonight. I followed the fingers dancing like birds on a lake. My eyes tracked up a pair of tattooed arms, over a white sleeveless shirt, over stubble-dark cheeks and silver piercings.

Then they locked on a single teardrop. A falling drop that rolled down the tanned cheek to splash on the ivory keys that were pouring with the sounds of pain and hurt and regret.

My chest was stricken, reacting to the wordless story the music was telling. As I started at Cromwell’s face, it was like seeing it for the first time. Gone was the arrogance and the anger he wore like a shield. The shield was lowered, and a boy I didn’t recognize was laid bare.

I loved the way this author portrayed his character and how she really brought the reader into his world. While this is a duel POV book, in many ways this felt to me like it was Cromwell’s story and when Bonnie came into his life, it was like this saving grace that allowed him to oh so slowly feel again, love again, and connect with his music.

“I saw him kiss you… and I see the way you look at him… And the way he looks at you.”
“How?”
“Like you’re his air. Like you’re the water to whatever hellfire lives inside him.”

Bonnie’s strength and perseverance and the way she saw right through Cromwell’s pain and knew that there was something he was hiding inside that she needed to get to and that she needed to help heal was really beautiful. I loved the way she didn’t give up on him – except that one time briefly, but I think we can all understand why.

“Cromwell doesn’t speak much with his voice, but he screams what he feels with melodies and notes and the change of keys.”

I’m not a big fan of comparing book, in fact I avoid it at all costs as a general rule but I will quietly mention that I do believe that if you were a fan of Beautiful Disaster, then you’ll definitely love this book. It’s not the same story at all, but just something about the feeling of the dynamic between Cromwell and Bonnie reminded me a little of the feeling I had when reading BD all those years ago.

I swear to you I read the second half of this book without stopping to breathe or blink. I was just glued to the page and couldn’t read fast enough. I just devoured the story needing them to be okay.

And omg, THE FEELS!!!!! The letter! The music! Their love! So many feels!

This was a truly beautiful book! I loved it and highly recommend it as a top favorite of the year!

Rating: 4.5+ STARS!! Contemporary NA Romance, can standalone.

Book Review — The One You Can’t Forget by Roni Loren

June 4, 2018 by Aestas · 8 Comments

She laughed and kissed him. This morning she’d melted down. But somehow this man had her laughing and turned on only a few hours later. Everything inside her felt buoyed.

She felt…light.

She’d forgotten what that felt like.

SQUEEEEEEE!!!! YES YES YES!! This book was AMAZING! It’s actually the second one I’ve read by this author and I have to say I LOVE HER WRITING STYLE!!! The characters were STRONG, the romance was HOT, the story was so well balanced between HEART-WARMING, EMOTIONAL, and INTENSE feels, and I think the most important thing was that it truly made me CARE!!!

As a hardened divorce lawyer, Rebecca spent her life coaching people through the (often devastating) end of their love stories. To say she had little faith left in romance or true love would be an understatement.

Wes’ life had completely fallen apart. After an ugly divorce, he’d lost his dream job and restaurant, his wife, his money, and everything else that he held dear and he was spending his time teaching at risk kids how to cook.

Their lives were unexpectedly thrown together one night when he came to her rescue as two men mugged her. He didn’t recognize her at first, but she knew him as soon as she heard his name. Because not long ago, she was the lawyer who helped his ex-wife ruin him.

Shaken by the mugging and grateful for the kindness he was showing her, she didn’t want to sully the night by reminding him of who she was, besides, she had him painted as the villain — after all, she’d heard what his ex had said about him. But the man he was showing her he was wasn’t anything like what she expected. He took care of her the entire night, kept her safe, protected her, and stayed by her side.

And when the truth of who she was came out, he had to decide if he could fall in love with the woman who’d once destroyed his life. And had to open her mind to the possibility than maybe he wasn’t the man she thought he was and to allow him to show her who he really was.

OH MY GOSH, you guys!!!! THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!

This is one of those books that is just so purely well written that you can tell it’s a winner from the start. There’s no fluff or fuss. It has exactly all the right measures of everything it needs to make it a wonderful story. It was engaging and the truly stellar writing drew me completely into the story.

It’s funny but I was actually really torn on what book to read tonight. I had two top choices and couldn’t decide between them so I told myself that I’d read the first chapter of both and see what suited my mood more. Well… I got just a few pages into this book and immediately knew I’d be finishing it.

On every page, I felt totally engaged with and immersed in the story. I genuinely cared for these characters, I was intrigued by their history, I swooned over their romance, my heart-broke from their pain, and I was rooting for them to find a way to make a relationship work.

I really felt like this was a very well-rounded book. The steamy and swoony romance was balanced out by intense, heart-wrenching emotions from both Rebecca and Wes’ pasts and some current situations they were dealing with both separately and together. And finally my favorite part was that there was a deeply healing story arc that really gave this book that extra wow-factor that would make it a Top Favorite of the year for me.

You can read this book as a complete standalone if you want. It is however the second standalone in a series of interconnected standalones. I read the first one (see below) earlier this year and absolutely loved it as well so I’d definitely recommend both or either one of the books.

The One You Can’t Forget

was sweet, swoony, romantic, and full of feels. It was both heart-warming and heart-wrenching in just the right balance. In every way, this story checked all the right boxes for me. This is my second Roni Loren favorite in 2018 and it has definitely cemented her as one of my favorite authors whose next book I’m eagerly looking forward to!

(Sorry I don’t have quotes in this review because I wrote this review super fast after I finished reading. I’ll go back and add them in eventually.)

Rating: 4.5 STARS!! Contemporary Adult Romance, can standalone

________________________

Series of standalones.

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Book Review — Worth The Risk by K. Bromberg

May 17, 2018 by Aestas · 6 Comments

“But I don’t want a relationship. And I definitely don’t fall for single dads with baggage. Even ones with chiseled abs and killer smiles. But he got to me. They got to me. Him and his son and their messy, crazy life.”

SQUEEEEEEE!! OMG! I read this awesome new book in one sitting and LOVE LOVE LOVED it!! It had ALL THE SWOON. ALL THE SEXY. ALL THE SWEETNESS!!!! And just the most amazingly heart-felt romance!!! It wasn’t really a “second chance” romance but it kinda felt like one and it had FEEEEEELS!!! The hero is a single dad and an real-life professional HERO with a little kid who will MELT YOUR HEART!!! It’s a bit of a second chance story… not specifically the romance, but the hero and heroine do share a history from their high school days, so they had a lot of things to unpack and explore between them. I absolutely adored this book and HIGHLY RECOMMEND it!!

“Pretty please let this colander-wearing stranger be Grayson Malone because, hello? He just stopped me in my tracks. This is what I’ve been looking for. This is _who_ I’ve been looking for.
A jaw-dropping guy you want to tear your eyes away from because you know you’re staring but can’t help yourself.
Let the thigh-clenching commence.
And I haven’t even seen his face yet.
Is it asking too much of the universe for him to be some kind of tortured hero to boot?”

So the story starts with Sidney being given one last chance to prove to her father that she deserved to be the editor-in-chief of his fashion magazine, and she was determined not to let him down and earn her spot… but was thrown out of her element when he challenged her to first revive a dying family magazine and bring it back to popularity.

Hot dads were the answer to all her problems.

A contest to find the hottest dads for the country to swoon over lead her right to Grayson Malone’s doorstep. He was the perfect candidate. Hunky, handsome, an amazing dad, and a real bonefide real life hero. But it was just her luck that they shared a history together… and he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her, her magazine, or her contest.

“He isn’t exactly enthusiastic about being a finalist.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s either a really good actor or someone entered him without him knowing it.”
“Oh, even better.” She rubs her hands together. “A reluctant hero. Those are always the sexiest ones.”

After his son’s mother abandoned him with their new baby, he didn’t have any room left in his life or heart for anyone like the girl Sidney used to be in high school when he’d known her — absorbed and acting like she was too good for him. To make matters worse, she’d once been friends with his son’s mother and if there was anything he’d learned it was not to make the same mistake twice.

But the more time he spent around her, the more he realized that not only had she changed a lot, but she’d changed into someone he was slowly falling in love with…

“[The town loves] the idea of you two together. Hometown hero who was wronged by his ex and the popular prom queen who returns to reunite with her long-lost crush.”

This was one of those books that just felt like a winner from the first few pages. The pacing was on point, the writing was strong, I cared about the story and characters, and the story had all the elements I love to read about. — It was hot, sweet, sexy, with just the right additions of angst, emotion, and humor to round out the story.

“Strangely enough, each life we saved, saved me a bit too.
I could still rescue people.
I could still be the best damn father I could be.”

Grayson was all Alpha and pure swoon material, with a touch of grouchiness, a natural protective side, and of course he was an amazing father who was completely devoted to his son. And let’s be honest, few things are swoonier!

Sidney was strong and smart, but I especially like that she’d really turned her life around. It takes a lot for someone to recognize their flaws and take measures to improve on them so I have to give her credit for that.

And little Luke was just the sweeeeetest kid ever. Every time he asked Grayson to find him a mom broke my heart a little. He didn’t understand why his mother didn’t want him — how could he — and Grayson did everything in his power to protect him from the truth.

I loved the way this story evolved and worked itself out. I also really appreciated that there were understandable mistakes, but not any stupid drama. And some of the scenes were seriously just so so heart-warming!

“I love you, damn it, and I don’t have a fucking clue what to do about it other than to ask you to choose me. To tell me I’m worth the risk.”

Over many years, I’ve really come to love K Bromberg’s books and each time she writes a new one, I’m excited to try it out. You can read this book as a complete standalone. The hero though is brothers with the heroes from previous standalones in this series so you can choose to read them all in release order (see bottom of review for details), or just pick and choose the ones you want to read. Either way you can’t go wrong and you won’t be confused at all. So whether you’re new to this author or a longtime fan, you’ll be just fine to dive right into this book.

This book is definitely one of my new top favorites and I highly recommend it to any romance reader looking for a wonderful new read!!

Rating: 4.5 STARS!! Contemporary Adult Romance, can standalone.

________________________

Series of standalones.

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Book Review — The Birthday List by Devney Perry

March 14, 2018 by Aestas · 8 Comments

“I was the first man she’d been attracted to since her husband, and if I wanted the chance to explore things with her, I couldn’t spook her by moving too fast.
I didn’t know where we’d end up… But I wanted the chance to find out.

HOLY SWOON!!! This was one of the best books I’ve read this year!! I absolutely loved it! As many of you know, Devney Perry has quickly skyrocketed right to the very top of my favorite authors list in the last year since she began writing. All five books in her amazing Jamison Valley series became instant top recommendations of mine and so when that series wrapped up and I heard that she was writing an unrelated standalone novel, I immediately knew I wanted to read it before even knowing what it was about. Then I read the blurb and was hooked!

Happily married to her college sweetheart, Poppy lived a blessed life with the husband of her dreams. Then everything changed. She is no longer a wife. She is no longer the envy of her single friends. Now, people look at her with pity as they whisper a single word behind her back.

Widow.

Years after her husband’s tragic death, years of pain and sorrow and wishing for the life she’ll never get back, Poppy decides to finish Jamie’s birthday list. She’ll do the things he wanted to most. Because maybe, just maybe, if she can complete his list, she can start to live again.

Poppy expects going through the birthday list will be hard. She expects it to hurt. But what she doesn’t expect is Cole. Could the man who delivered the news of her husband’s death and shattered her heart be the one to help her put it back together again?

Sounds amazing, right??

Well, I’m happy to say that it WAS amazing!!

This was SUCH a sweet, beautifully written and moving love story — a slow-burning romance full of heart, healing, and happiness. This story truly showed how, even after the most devastating of losses, it was still possible to find a second chance at love without forgetting past, but rather just focusing on living the future to its fullest potential.

[My brother] threw his arm around my shoulders and hugged me to his side. “It’s okay to always love Jamie.”
“I always will.” Always.
“But maybe you can love someone else too.”

Cole was such an incredibly patient, gentle, and understanding hero. He’d had first-hand understanding of the pain she was going through and he still felt a measure of guilt for his part in bringing her that pain so even though he was completely smitten with her, he took things as slow as possible, understanding that she wasn’t ready to move on but hoping that one day she would be and that he’s get his change to show her how much she truly meant to him.

Every day, I was getting stronger. I was getting back on my feet. I was starting to live again — for me.
And until the list was done, I’d still be living for Jamie.
“Look.” Cole leaned his elbows on the table. “I don’t want to step on your toes. This is an awesome list and he had some cool ideas. If you want to do them on your own, I understand I get that this is incredibly personal. But if you’d like, I’d be glad to help you with some of these.
“What?” I didn’t know what made me smile more. That he thought Jamie’s list was cool or that he wanted to help. Regardless, I was beaming. “You’d really help?”
Cole’s eyes were sparkling again. “In a heartbeat.”

I loved the way he respected and accepted Jamie’s part in her past and not only understood that he’d always have a place in her heart but he also never once tried to replace him. And most especially, I loved how attune he was to where she was at with her healing. He couldn’t have handled things better.

“I like you,” she told her fingers. “I like you a lot.”
The tension rushed out of my shoulders and I let out a breath. She likes me. This was good. No, this was fucking great. If she was actually willing to acknowledge her feelings for me, my uphill battle might start to level out. “I like you a lot too.”
“But I —“
“Wait.” My finger flew to her lips. “Let me stay something before you take away the best feeling I’ve had in weeks.”
She smiled against my skin.
“I’m not trying to take Jamie’s place or erase his memory or make you forget that you loved him. I’m just trying to explore this thing between us.”

The fact that this story took place five years after Jamie’s death was really important to me because I feel like that time span and how long it took Poppy to even consider moving on gave strong validity to the love she had for him and I really respected that. She was a wonderful heroine and it was very heart-warming to see her heal over the course of this book. And by the time she was ready to take a chance with Cole, I really believed in her feelings for him and it felt incredibly genuine.

While the romance is understandably slow burning at first, it was also incredibly sweet, swoony and even sexy once they began to get serious. I found the pacing to be very believable and it worked really well for this story.

“Jamie would have wanted you to be happy and have love in your life. And I think it’s time for you to open your heart again to that possibility.”

The story is told in first person alternating POV’s between Cole and Poppy, and it has an epilogue. This book is a complete standalone – unrelated to any of the other books by this author.

The Birthday List is definitely going on my Top Favorite Books of 2018 list! It was deeply romantic and full of feels. A low angst, no drama read about two people falling in love and finding their way to the happily-ever-after they both deserved. There was a bit of mystery and buckets of swoon. A sweet, satisfying romance that’ll leave you smiling!

Also, I just have to say, that Devney Perry literally has the best book covers I’ve EVER seen (for all her books). They’re just absolutely gorgeous and elegant and reflect each book so perfectly! I seriously love them!

Rating: 4.5+ stars. Contemporary Adult Romance Standalone.

* MAYSEN JAR SERIES *

Series of interconnected standalones.

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Book Review — One Last Time by Corinne Michaels

February 26, 2018 by Aestas · 4 Comments

“I know that your laugh makes my heart race. The way you smile when you think no one is watching stirs something inside me that makes me desperate for more. The way your entire face lights up when you talk about [your children]. I know what it feels like to have you in my arms, touch your lips, and fuck, I’d be lying if I said I’m not wishing for it again. I think about you more than I should. I know that you think you’re weak, but I see a strong, beautiful, and smart woman who deserves a man to worship her.”

HOLY FREAKING SQUEEEEEEE!! This was just the sweetest romance you can imagine with the swooniest hero, a strong single mom heroine, an addictive story, and even some serious angst!! I read it in one non-stop sitting and absolutely loved it!! It was seriously SO heart-warming to watch this larger-than-life Alpha hero be so wonderful and caring with the heroine’s kids, and I loved that not only was there a sexy, hot romance at the heart of this story but it was grounded by so much healing and even a couple badass moments that made me cheer!! If you’re looking for a FANTASTIC new read, definitely try this book!!

The story begins when Kristin’s fourteen year marriage to the man she’d loved since she was twenty-two finally disintegrated beyond the point of repair and her world was turned upside down. Now a single mom of two kids, she had to shift her life around in ways she’d never anticipated.

The prologue was absolutely heart-breaking as it showed the true deterioration and quiet destruction of a marriage — without any huge betrayal or outrage. It was just quietly devastating and genuinely made me ache for this heroine.

I loved that this book took the time to set Kristin up as her own independent character before diving into the romance of this story. Allowing that time to establish her history and show her loss as well as how she was adjusting to being an almost-divorced-working-mother-of-two was a huge help in defining her backstory and because the reader was given that, it made a lot of what happened later in the book make a lot more sense.

One of the big changes in her life led her back to work and she began a job writing for a celebrity gossip blog and her newest assignment was Noah Frazier — movie star extraordinaire and one of the hottest stars in Hollywood. He also happened to be her best friend’s husband’s best friend so when they connected, she was determined to keep their relationship professional.

“Hey.” He waits for me to look up from my hands before he continues, “We’re all messes. If you think anyone in Hollywood has it together, you’re wrong. I haven’t had a girlfriend in almost fifteen years, and I’m not asking you to date me. Heather already threatened to castrate me if I tried.”
There’s my best friend I know and love.
“But I won’t lie, I’m attracted to you, and if all we’lll ever be is friends… I’m okay with that.”
… “We can’t really be friends, can we? It’s my job to write stories about your life.”
He shrugs. “It means you’ll be around a lot. Lots of time to win you over.”

He dazzled her but she never counted on him being equally taken with her. He made her feel free again for the first time in what seemed like forever and more importantly, he was falling in love with who she was just as she was.

Her blue eyes meet mine. “I’m not usually like this,” she admits. “I’m the uptight one out of my friends.”
“Don’t be anyone else but who you are, Kristin. There’s nothing sexier than a woman who’d confident. Trust me.”

No matter how strong their connection though, she was naturally wary of jumping into any new relationship and, because of that time where we’d really seen how her marriage had impacted her life, I found her hesitation at starting anything with Noah much more sympathetic than the standard heroine “running” from a relationship. Instead, I found her reaction to be very understandable and could definitely see where she was coming from.

One of my favorite things about this book was watching her gain back her inner strength. Her broken marriage had sapped her happiness and this book was not only a Romance, but also the story of a woman building herself back up and it was so empowering. Not to mention that Noah was so supportive and understanding.

She told me a little about her marriage last night between rounds, and I want to beat the ever-loving hell out of him. Who the fuck treats a woman like that? …
A man doesn’t do that.
A man fights for his family.
A man treats a woman with respect.
Cowards tear people down to build themselves up. I’m not a fucking coward.
I turn to her, wanting her to hear my words very clearly. “You’re nothing that he says you are. You are the woman who tucks those kids in at night, encourages them, and has a mock concert in the living room to cheer them up.” I brush my thumb against her palm. “You’re so much more than he ever saw, sweetheart.”

But speaking of the romance as well… Noah was genuinely pure swooooooooon material. He was one of the good guys inside and out. Having lived so much of his life in the media spotlight though made it rare for him to trust anyone enough to open up and show them the real him and to share the truth about his past. But Kristin was it for him and he was determined to do whatever he could to win her heart and get her to take a chance on him.

“Tell me you don’t feel anything.” I give her a chance out of this. I’ll let her go if she says the words. “Tell me to stop coming around and that you’re not interested.”
“I can’t…”
My hand slides up her back, moulding her body to mine. “I want to kiss you.”
She shakes her head, but her fingers move against my chest and find their way to the back of my neck. “We shouldn’t.”
“No, we shouldn’t,” I agree. “But if you don’t stop me, I’m going to.”
Her fingers play with the hair at my nape.
My restraint is slipping.
“Three.” I start to count.
“Two.”
She moves a little closer to my mouth, and I’m done.
Our lips meet…

I will say though that hands down the most adorable thing about this book was seeing Noah with Kristin’s little daughter. ALL THE SWEETNESS you can imagine!!!!

Aubrey walks over and throws her arms around my neck. “Thank you for the cookies. I like you.” She kisses my cheek, and I’m toast.
This little girl just stole my heart.

Kristin and Noah had many hurdles to work through and let me tell you, things got I-N-T-E-N-S-E towards the end when the shit hit the and everything was just going haywire and my heart was racing a mile a minute as I read as fast as I could flipping pages like mad… but let me tell you, the ending was SO gratifying!!!! Seriously. It was strong and badass and honestly it just felt plain fucking GOOD to see the good guys win.

“You have no idea what I’m really like.”
His hand lifts and skims my cheek. “I know that your laugh makes my heart race. The way you smile when you think no one is watching stirs something inside me that makes me desperate for more. The way your entire face lights up when you talk about [your children]. I know what it feels like to have you in my arms, touch your lips, and fuck, I’d be lying if I said I’m not wishing for it again. I think about you more than I should. I know that you think you’re weak, but I see a strong, beautiful, and smart woman who deserves a man to worship her.”

This is a standalone novel and you can read it 100% alone, however it is slightly interconnected with We Own Tonight (my review) as both the hero & heroine of that book and this book are close friends. You absolutely do not need to read them in order, neither do you need to have read one in order to connect with the other so both books genuinely can be read alone. I did love both books however (though this one even slightly more so).

Bottom line, I absolutely LOVED this book!! It was HOT, SEXY, ADDICTIVE, and well-written with a heart-melting hero, an empowering heroine, a swoon-filled romance, and just enough feels to really connect you to the story. I highly recommend this to everyone who loves reading romance!

Rating: 4.5 STARS!!! Contemporary Adult Romance, can standalone.

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Series of standalones.