4 stars

Book Review — Madeleine, Abducted by M.S. Willis

October 15, 2013 by Aestas · 4 Comments

If I have to make her hate me in order to save her, I will, even if it destroys me in the process.

Buy MADELEINE, ABDUCTED (Kindle)

Ummm, woah!

Madeleine, Abducted was a dark and gritty captivity-themed romance. It read as a standalone and had no cliffhanger but the series is planned to be continued featuring a different couple. While, a few scenes throughout the book definitely pushed the limits of my comfort zones, others were quite romantic (in a dark and twisty way), but overall this book is not for the faint of heart! However, if you’re a fan of darker romances like Captive In The Dark or Escape From Paradise, then definitely check this out!

I’d started reading this book the other night intending to only ‘test out’ one chapter and before I knew it I was 40% in and still hooked so this became my impromptu next read. I mean, here’s a part of the prologue below. It practically begs you to turn the page!

Within these page, you will find a tale typically left unsaid in polite society… It is a story about abduction, enslavement, and the moment when a life is delivered into darkness.

There is no neat and tidy ending, no white knight that rides in and delivers freedom, nor salvation — there is no escape. Like life, stories don’t always end with elegant edges.

A weak woman at one times, she fell victim to evil, disappeared on a fated night never to return to the world again… but not for the reasons you might think.

Her name is Madeleine Clark, and when she was abducted, she was not only dragged into hell…

She took over.

Yup. I had to read this!

So, the story begins when quiet, gentle concert cellist, Madeleine, is abducted following a performance effectively changing her entire life in a matter of minutes. Thrust into a dark, twisted world of sophisticated criminals, her rights, freedom and dignity was stripped away forcing her to assume her new role as slave at The Estate.

“This is your fate, Cricket. Asking why isn’t going to do anything for you except make that fate a much more painful journey. You need to learn the rules of your position and learn them quickly if you want to make a smoother transition into your new role.”

Isolated from help and now under the control of a sadistic man who lived beyond the reach of the law, Maddy was “gifted” as a birthday present from father to son and suddenly found herself caught in a viscous power play between two powerful opponents: The father, and ruler of Estate, Joseph Carmichael, whose depraved, twisted descent into madness served only to strengthen his ruthless and insatiable taste for cruelty, and his son, Aaron, his executioner, second-in-command, and maybe…. some thing more.

Having seen the brutality of his father, Madeleine was terrified to meet his son but she slowly discovered that there was something a little different about Aaron. There was a spark of…. humanity… buried behind his cold exterior. But he wasn’t a good man. While Aaron may not have been as cruel as his father but there was a ruthless side of him as well — one that took pleasure in the suffering of his enemies. However, he had no desire to follow in his father’s footsteps and wanted nothing more than to bring an end to his reign but it soon became apparent that even though he may have been in a position of power in the Estate, while his father ruled, ‘freedom’ was still all relative.

“He seeks to control you, Aaron; to tame you by forcing you into corruption. It is the same fame you’ve played with I’m since the beginning.”

The term ‘hero’ though is used rather loosely in regards to Aaron. I think it would be better to call him the ‘love interest’ instead. He was not a ‘good guy” and yet he had a soft spot for this woman who’d been thrust into his life against both their wills. Being around Maddy seemed to bring out a more gentle, compassionate side of him that wasn’t in his nature.

Maddy had a quiet strength about her and the instincts of a survivor. She seemed weak on the outside but as the story went on, we began to see just how strong she really was and how big her heart was.

The romance however was very slow-building. It was there and was hinted at from the start but there was no insta-Stockholm-Syndrome or anything like that. It took a while before Aaron’s tender side could even be shown to her and for the first while, he actually seemed quite cruel. But because we saw both sides of the story we understood that he too was trapped by his father.

“Dream of me, Maddy. See me as I want to be; not the nightmare who torments you, but the devoted and mystified man who worships at your feet.

Behind closed doors, Aaron began to show Maddy a different side of him but he couldn’t fully give into his feelings. It was a combination of ruthlessness and kindness as he fought his feelings for her while being overpowered by his duty.

“You are not allowed thought anymore, your choices are mine, your actions are mine, everything you think or do will only be because I have allowed it… Your life depends on your submission. Do not fight against me now only to be handed over to men far more cruel that I can ever be.”

Romance aside, the story itself was quite erotic in a dark, gritty way. But it is not for the faint of heart. Many of the scenes were intense, as it would be expected in a dark romance such as this. But I will admit that here was one scene that just went too far for me. Like really too far. It was gruesome, shocking (and I’m not easily shocked) and honestly just sicking. Overkill. I just wanted to puke. I didn’t like what it said about a certain character but in the end, but I guess just served as a chilling reminder that he was in fact a monster… just not in every way. I guess to a certain extent that’s what we look for in darker reads, right? Things that push the boundaries of our comfort zones? Let’s just say though that this one crossed my personal line a little bit.

Also, something random that stood out to me was that, while I understood that this book took place in modern day, it almost felt a little ‘removed’ from our world — possibly because of how isolated the Estate was — but even things like the way they talked was just… different, in places it almost felt borderline historical (even though it wasn’t at all). This is not a complaint though, just an observation.

And, while this was not a love triangle book, there were in fact two ‘main’ men in it — the first being the ‘hero’, Aaron, and the second being his bodyguard and close friend, Xander, who ended up taking almost a more friendship-based role with regards to Madeleine. The next book will be his story and I really liked his character in this one and am looking forward to reading his book!

Ohhhh and I thought it was so cool that the image from the cover of the book is actually an exact scene from the book!! Like, everything matches perfectly and it very much captured the ‘feeling’ of the book. Just a really awesome touch!

Overall, if you’re looking for a book that will just deliver the dark and gritty right to you without holding back, then this is one to check out.

4 stars (but I’m still totally grossed out by the scene at 89%)

Buy MADELEINE, ABDUCTED (Kindle)

Book Review — The Rules of Regret by Megan Squires

October 8, 2013 by Aestas · Leave a Comment

“Life doesn’t come with a blueprint, which makes it hard to have any plans.”

Buy THE RULES OF REGRET (Kindle)

The Rules of Regret was a sweet, beautifully innocent story with a wonderful message about learning to follow your heart, to live in the moment and to be true to yourself. This book was a pleasant change of pace from my usual read. I hadn’t read a more YA-style book in quite a while and when I saw this book mentioned on Colleen Hoover’s wall where she said that the hero reminded her a little of Will, I immediately one-clicked. Sometimes it’s just nice to read about a ‘good boy’ hero 🙂

The story follows 19-year-old Darby who is left behind after her long-time boyfriend, Lance, goes off on 6-week internship in a different city. So much of her world is centered around him that when he leaves, she feels a little lost and decides to spend the time working at a summer camp – despite the fact that the job puts her totally out of her element. There she meets Torin Westbrook, a charming, quirky, totally endearing councillor who immediately sees right through her. From the very beginning he challenges and pushes her, showing her a new side of life – one that centers around taking risks, building trust and living life for her. And slowly but surely, she finds herself falling in love…

I have to admit that from the first time Torin made an appearance, he had me smiling and his heart-melting charm won me over. In a romance world largely dominated by bad boys and Alpha males, it was refreshing to read about a ‘good boy’. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my bad boys, but there was something about Torin that just made my heart happy.

“Butterflies?” he smiled.
“What?” ….
“Do I give you butterflies?”
“No, Torin,” I lied through my teeth. “You don’t give me butterflies.”
“You sure?”

Well, he gave me butterflies, that’s for sure!! See, one of the things that I just love about YA books is that it’s all the little things that make your heart race — the fleeting glances, the gentle touches, the little smirks and innuendos… and just how much can go into something as sweet and innocent as a first kiss.

The book was full of little beautiful moments that kept me smiling as Darby and Torin genuinely connected more on a deeper level first before they actually let anything get serious relationship-wise between them. It was like they fell in love before they actually allowed themselves to be in love.

The thing about this story though was that Darby technically had a boyfriend for the first half but (and this is a big “but”), it did not really feel too much like a real love triangle to me because, from very early on in the story, it was made quite clear who was right for her and I could just tell that it was only a matter of time before she realized it too.

I liked that all the drama in this made sense to me — the hesitations, the decisions, everything. I felt like I could understand the mistakes that were made and I also commended the way they dealt with them.

“I think the noble thing for me to do would be to step back and let you have your space, but I don’t want to give you space… I want to be in that space with you.”

I know I’m repeating myself a little here but I just really loved Torin! There was just this open honesty to him that melted me. He was perceptive, caring, quirky and totally loveable. Such a sweet hero!

Torin embodied the sensitive, emotional side that all women inherently desires, yet at the same time he was wholly masculine, to the point of cliff jumping and killing and cooking his own food. He was a complete conundrum.

“This is what you do to me, Darby.” Scooping up my free hand, he placed the flat palm of it onto his chest. “That kiss may have been my “I love you,” but this is my, ‘Holy crap, if that was just a kiss, sex might kill me.'”

If you’re looking for a non-explicit romance that kind of rides the line between YA and NA, this is one to try. It wasn’t really what I’d call a page-turner though and there were a few parts I found to be a bit slow and almost a little preachy at times and in an ideal world, I would have preferred a little more steam throughout the book but I loved Torin from start to finish, I enjoyed watching Darby find herself and I was left with a smile on my face.

4 stars

Buy THE RULES OF REGRET (Kindle)

Book Review — A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers

September 18, 2013 by Aestas · 5 Comments

Have you ever gone just a little too far? Lexie Banks has… She’s torn between falling in love with the man she shouldn’t want and the man she can’t have. And she isn’t sure how she can live with herself either way.

Okay, I have to admit, the moment I read the blurb for this book, I knew I wanted to read it. I mean, a double taboo?! I’m not usually a love triangle fan but this one had my attention just because it seemed so… different! We’re talking a stepbrother and a priest here! This was not your average love triangle!

The story followed Lexie who, after her boyfriend of over three years cheats on her felt that she needs a fresh start and accepted a one year scholarship to study abroad in Italy. But first, she spent the summer back home and two days before she left something happened…. she had mind blowing sex with her stepbrother!

She and Trent had been very close ever since their parents married each other. While they may not have grown up together, there had always been the ‘undercurrent’ of something more between them. Over the last several years, they had bonded over a shared understanding of what it was like to survive a broken family and had always supported each other. And then…

“All of a sudden, he isn’t my stepbrother. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Eeeep!!

Ok, honestly though, it really didn’t feel that awkward between them… I mean, okay, sure, a leeeeetle bit at first just ‘cuz, you know… but honestly it didn’t feel quite as dangerously ‘taboo’ as I expected and they really kind of just felt right together. Or at least, I was definitely rooting for them. But still… I mean, given the situation, it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing.

“So what happens now?”
And that’s when I come crashing back to Earth – and reality.
I just had totally mind-blowing sex with my stepbrother.
And I’m leaving for Rome in two days.
Which is a good thing because I just had totally mind blowing sex with my stepbrother.

Once she got to Italy, Lexie headed to confession feeling guilty over her night with Trent and the fact that she couldn’t stop thinking about him. After a somewhere lengthy (and pretty hilarious) confession, she turned to leave and ran smack into Reverend Moretti… soon to be known to us as Alessandro. Now see, Trent was just such an all-round nice guy — protective by nature but also a total sweetheart. I knew as soon as I met him who my choice would be. And I absolutely decided that I was NOT going to fall for the priest. Nu huh. Nope. Nope. Nope.

Well, that didn’t last too long and I have to admit, I did swoon when I met Alessandro. Personally though, I never was ‘torn’ between them as to which one Lexie should end up with still… there was swooning. Turns out, he was eight months away from being ordained but for all intents and purposes, he counted as a priest — we’re talking robes, vow of celibacy and the whole nine yards…. and when the Father at the confessional sent Lexie to work with Alessandro on a project at the museum (idle hands and all), they began to build… a friendship.

“I needed the perfect missionary for this job, and the Lord sent you.”

“Actually, it was Father Reynolds who sent me, on account of the fact that there weren’t enough Hail Marys I could possibly say to cover my ass.”

This worked out well because she wasn’t looking for a new relationship and he was sooooooo totally forbidden — like all the way straight-to-hell style forbidden. But the more they got to know each other, the more their feelings grew.

For the record, for those of you on the fence at the whole ‘priest’ thing. He wasn’t a saint. In fact, he was actually a reformed bad boy with some pretty shady spots in his past and while he was certainly devoted to his higher purpose now, it wasn’t always so.

Lexie was a fun heroine. She messed up, took leaps and I really enjoyed reading the story from her perspective. There were a few times when I wanted to shake her but generally, I really liked her.

While I did enjoy the book, I found the first half to be a little bit slow. But by the half way mark, it had really started to build and I pretty much just sat there madly flipping pages until the end. Things were all going down the wrong path! There were big “oh-noooo” moment, so many “almost” moments — the phone calls and texts between Trent and Lexie killed me! If only…. *sigh* I missed Trent and there was all that going on back home. But Alessandro was there but still so forbidden and just… yeah…

If it makes a difference, I loved the ending!! It was the one I wanted and I really appreciated that all the characters were very sensible about the way they handled the whole situation. The uncertainty was drawn out a little but it wasn’t taken too far keeping everything in the deliciously angsty territory. I also appreciated that things were resolved early enough in the book to give me a little time to bask in the happy glow before the end.

“Our hearts know. They always have.”

Overall, A Little Too Far was a really cute double taboo New Adult romance with just the right amount of angst, two swoony guys, and exactly the ending I’d hoped for.

The writing style was witty, easy flowing and drew me right into the story. I read it in one sitting — took me about 3 hours and I really just enjoyed it. And, obviously since this is a love triangle, only one guy “gets the girl” so the next book in the series, A Little Too Much, will tell the other guy’s story and be out in November 2013. I’m looking forward to it 🙂

4 – 4.5 stars

Book Review — COVET by Tracey Garvis Graves

September 9, 2013 by Aestas · 118 Comments

What if the life you wanted, and the woman you fell in love with, belonged to someone else?

Please note that novel this is “women’s fiction” and not romance.

When I first heard that the author of one of my favorite books, On The Island, had written a new book, I didn’t even need to know what it was about, I knew I was reading it no matter what. With Covet, Tracey Garvis Graves has once again tackled a potentially controversial topic in a very realistic and relatable fashion. Her writing is vivid and evocative and perfectly portrays each character’s side of the story. With Covet actually being classified as ‘women’s fiction’ as opposed to ‘romance’ though, this was not the kind of book I’d usually read but it was certainly was fun to step outside of my usual genre for a change.

The story is about Claire and Chris, a couple who had been married for several years, loved each other dearly and were building a happy life with their two kids in suburbia. But when Chris was laid off from work, he began to distance himself as it became harder and harder to find new employment. He was a hard worker by nature and not being able to provide for his family was a heavy blow. Despite neither of them saying anything out loud, his distance was pulling them apart and widening the deafeningly silent gap between them.

“I once read an article in a women’s magazine that said it’s a really bad sign when you and your spouse stop arguing. It means that you’ve given up and no longer care about saving your marriage. I hope that’s not true.”

From the outside though, they lead a life of near Stepford-like perfection. But on the inside, they were broken; barely a shadow of the joyous, happy couple who had started a family together.

“We’re the Cantons. Sun-kissed, all-American, picture-perfect. By all appearances, we’re the ideal suburban family. As long as you don’t look too closely.”

Then one afternoon, Claire is pulled over by a gorgeous cop, Daniel, and something about him brings her a few moments of… happiness. They begin a casual friendship and with the stress of Chris’ constant travel for his new job and his continued disconnect at home, she finds herself relishing the small exchanges she has with Daniel – enjoying the freedom that came with being able to have something as simple as a conversation without the worry of saying the wrong thing.

“I realize that these are not the thoughts of a happily married woman, but at the moment I am not very happily married.”

Everything in this story happens very quietly. It moves along at a steady but slow pace. It’s not angsty, but rather shows you everyone’s struggles in a very honest way truly reflecting the real progression of life. There was no grandiose life changing event, no huge trauma, or anything life that. It was all about the subtle changes; little adjustments beyond their control that began to pile up – little mistakes, a lack of communication, and an ever-growing distance.

“I can almost handle that Chris is gone all the time. It’s his job and I understand that. But what I struggle with is that even when he’s home, his time is not his own. The kids take whatever he can give them – as they should – and then there’s me, hoping to lay claim to whatever’s left. But there is never anything left.”

The story is told primarily through Claire’s POV although we also get pieces of both Chris and Daniel’s too. While there aren’t direct flashbacks, we do see the past through Claire’s memories showing us the path to how they got to where they were. We see how passionate Claire and Chris’ love once was and so despite where they had fallen to, it gave us something to hold on to and a place we could hope they’d make their way back to.

But please don’t think that Chris was the ‘bad guy’ here because he really wasn’t. He was stressed out and worried sick leading him to make mistakes – he didn’t communicate, didn’t keep her included in his struggle and didn’t allow them to face it together and as such he pushed her away when his only true intention was to just try and fix things for her and his family. He was a wonderful father and truly loved Claire – that much was never in doubt. He wanted to be the one to give her a better life, and when events outside of his control made that nearly impossible, he just didn’t know how to handle it.

“In all the years we’d been together, I’d never experienced anything quite as heartbreaking as watching the lights of my golden boy fade.”

The whole book had a very quiet vibe to it. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, action-packed read, this is not it. You could really feel Chris’ quiet desperation and Claire’s growing loneliness despite the fact that she kept largely quiet about it. There were no extreme acts of any kind but sometimes the silent suffering can feel the loudest.

“I wonder how many marriages are fractured and damaged beyond repair by complacency rather than any single traumatic event.”

I want to address the cheating aspect of this book because it might not be quite what you’re expecting. There was nothing huge that kick-started it — no intense connection, or butterflies, or anything like that. Claire’s friendship with Daniel developed very naturally. She was offered a graphic design job for the Police Department and met Daniel for lunch one day. There was no flirting, nothing ‘wrong’ in their interaction but even just talking to him made her happy for the first time in a long whole. And you know what? For the first time in the whole book (about 40% in), he even had me laughing. He was quietly charming and it felt good to laugh. It was easy to feel why Claire felt more free around him. His presence brought a welcome measure of relief into her life. But ‘one day’ turned into ‘one’ motorcycle ride which turned into days of just spending time together, running errands together, watching movies, talking for hours and becoming more than just friends… and although there was never any physical cheating, sometimes you don’t need to be intimate for it to count as such.

“Maybe that’s how it starts. You stumble upon something that helps you cope, full a void. Makes you feel something different than what you currently feel. You know in the long run it probably won’t be good for you, but you do it anyway. Tell yourself you can handle it. And before you know it you’re in so deep that you can’t find your way back out.”

With Chris traveling for work for half (if not more) of each week on top of the distance he put between them at home as he struggled to keep up with the mountains of work, the gap between the just kept getting wider and Daniel was there. He was sweet, attentive, and genuinely cared for Claire. He never once pushed her into anything she felt uncomfortable with and never asked for more than she was willing to give. He knew she was in love with her husband and he was fighting his own painful past as well but what they had between them was an undeniable connection and while undefined, they both needed and wanted it.

“I would never cheat on Chris… I still love him. I just don’t feel very connected to him right now.”

Like everything else about this book, the emotional depth deepened quietly. Daniel began filling in the role that should have been Chris’ — conversations before bed, movie nights, fun evenings out, moral support, everything that should have come from a husband and before I knew it, I was torn. I knew what was ‘right’ but I also knew what felt ‘good’. And that was what Claire and Daniel’s ‘friendship’ was – good, but not right.

“There’s a man downstairs who has every right to be in this bed with me, but he isn’t interested. And there’s a man who doesn’t have any right at all, yet he sounds as thought he’d give just about anything for the opportunity. I have never felt more alone.”

Despite what was going on between Daniel and Claire, this isn’t an angsty book, it wasn’t loud or dramatic and isn’t meant to put fear into the readers. Rather, it just portrayed a very believable, realistic situation… something that I could easily see unfolding in real life.

I want to stress though that this book isn’t “about” cheating and again, there is no actual physical cheating in it either. I understand that being physical with someone isn’t the only way you can cheat but the cheating itself wasn’t the sole focus of the story but rather a by-product of the situation that developed.

As I mentioned before, Covet isn’t actually a “romance” per say despite love and marriage being a very central theme. I was told it was classified as “women’s fiction” and honestly that suits it perfectly. Don’t go into this expecting something similar to On The Island because that’s just not the kind of story this is. Truthfully, I wouldn’t normally read this genre but I absolutely love Tracey’s writing and dived into this book blind without needing to know anything more than the fact that she wrote that. For me, she is one of those “if she wrote it, I’ll read it” authors so I’m looking forward to whatever she has coming next!

The ending of this book is very sweet and we’re left with the message that love is powerful, strong and resilient but it needs care, attention and work from all sides to keep it alive. Love also comes in many different forms and sometimes the least expected kinds can end up saving you.

Tracey Garvis Graves has a true gift for taking a potentially controversial topic and making it quite relatable. This is a beautifully written and very realistic story that makes you step back and reconsider every angle. Love, hope, mistakes, forgiveness, all of these are a part of everyone’s lives and I think this is the kind of story that many women will be able to either sympathize with or relate to in one way or another. Claire’s journey over the course of the book could happen to anyone and I think that’s a part of what makes it so powerful.

This is a standalone.

4 stars

Review copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review. Please note that all quotes are from an advance copy and are still subject to change in the final edition.

Covet is a standalone novel (this is a different cover, but its the same book)
Cherish is a spin-off novella sequel (Daniel’s story)

❤ SIGNED GIVEAWAY ❤

Giveaway is Open Internationally. 2 winners will each get a signed copy of Covet.
Void where prohibited by law. Must be over 18 to enter.

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Book Review — Price of a Kiss by Linda Kage

August 27, 2013 by Aestas · 6 Comments

“He could be my soul mate…except for one teeny tiny glitch. He’s a gigolo. Boy, do I know how to pick them.”

Price of a Kiss was a cute, swoony, heartwarming standalone New Adult romance. It was lighthearted and romantic but still had emotional depth. The banter was awesome, the writing was great and the story was sweet. I really enjoyed it!

The prologue instantly hooked me. It it we see the hero, Mason, at eighteen years old, put in an impossible situation by his mother’s landlady. With his sister sick and their single mother struggling to make ends meet, the rent was months overdue. Threatening them all with eviction, the landlady backs Mason into a corner and propositions him. If he agrees to sleep with her, the balance would be voided. So, despite her being over twice his age, the fact that this might be the only way to save his family from immediate eviction had Mason going along with her wishes.

Two years later, Reece is starting her life over in a new college after her last relationship ended in a horrible mess when her ex-boyfriend crossed the obsessed stalker line and tried to kill her. She changed her name, changed towns and started over. A new relationship was the last thing she was looking for but the minute she locked eyes on Mason, she fell head over heels in swoon with him.

From fifty yards, he’d taken my breath away. From ten feet, I’d been ready too have his babies.

Of course there was the one teensy tiny glitch… he was a gigolo. Totally and completely off-limits. But that did not stop her from swooning hard or wanting a friendship with him. She wasn’t looking for anything more at that point and honestly, he couldn’t give her any more even if she’d wanted it so between them they struck up an unlikely friendship brimming with fun, flirty sexual tension.

Every female instinct in me wanted to reach out and trace the wrinkles in his brow he was making as he frowned.
Must. Soothe. The hottie.

Oh and…

Brace yourself for this one, ladies: He had a tattoo. I know. I almost spontaneously combusted right then and there.

Teehee!

Ok honestly, this book just made me happy. Flat-out happy. So much of my book is highlighted. I laughed and snorted my way though a good chunk of the book in a way that made me glad I wasn’t sitting in public at the time I was reading 😉

But I felt so bad for Mason! The poor guy was literally sacrificing everything for his family. He couldn’t have real relationships, everyone either wanted to take something from him or shunned him, and you could just see the pain it was causing him. He gave it all up – friends, relationships, a social life, everything – just to keep a roof over his family’s head.

But that was what made their friendship mean so much more. She was literally the first person to see him as HIM. Just Mason Lowe. She fell hard for him but knew and understood where he was coming from. She didn’t ever judge him and I have to say, I loved her as a heroine for that.

“Every woman treats me that way, Reece. I’m not a person to them. I’m just… a good time or something vile to be avoided at all costs. And then you can along and you… you hugged me. You are the first person who sees me, Mason, not sex for sale.”

In a certain way, they were kind of perfect for each other because she wasn’t looking for a new relationship and he quite literally could not commit so their mutual understanding led them into a really wonderful friendship. But their attraction was palatable, their chemistry was combustible and their flirty banter was just pure gold.

I loved Reece. She was a strong heroine and totally in control of her life. Yes, she’s been through a huge trauma but she was not about to let it dictate her life. It was really refreshing to just never be annoyed with the heroine.

And Mason… ohhhh Mason. Seriously, just the sweetest guy! With a hilariously insatiable appetite (and I’m talking real food here, get your mind out of the gutter!) and a gorgeously protective nature, he was easy to love.

The more time they spent together, the more apparent it was that their feelings for each other ran deeper than they each expected but it was heartbreaking to see how tainted Mason felt. They were crazy for each other but he just couldn’t bring himself to be with her. Not while… well, you know.

I’m going to try and anticipate some questions you might have about this book given the hero’s um… *cough* profession.

First, they do not sleep together while he’s “taking clients”. Second, they don’t become a couple immediately but their friendship did begin to build early on and got developed quite a bit so that by the time they actually were ready to make it official, they fell into it very easily into their relationship given their already established connection.

This book had a little bit of everything – laughs, heart break, and a really sweet, impossible romance that I rooted for from the first few pages. It was my first book from this author and it certainly will not be my last. The writing was funny, witty and easy to read. I’ll definitely be looking forward to more from Linda Kage.

At 370 pages, it’s definitely a full-length novel but it flew by fast. I read it in a couple hours and was left with a warm, fuzzy, happy feeling. It’s a standalone with a HEA and epilogue so you really get a complete story here.

If you’re looking for something fun and swoony or something to read after a heavily emotional book, this would be a great choice!

4 – 4.5 stars.

________________________

Series of standalones. Click covers to purchase.

Book Review – More Than This by Jay McLean

August 9, 2013 by Aestas · 1 Comment

“It’s the fucking hardest thing to do, to be around the person you love, with everything you have, and not be able to love them.”

Buy MORE THAN THIS (Kindle)

More Than This was a very sweet and sometimes heartbreaking book about love, loss, healing and friendship. It was laced with some sadness following a horrific tragedy but the feeling of the book was more focused on healing, rebuilding and finding happiness again.

I loved the hero and the core group of characters and will be looking forward to the next in the series. This one however reads a complete standalone with a happy ending 🙂

So, about the book…

Mikayla’s life fell apart the night her boyfriend of four years cheated on her. On the same night, she met Jake. Having witnessed the whole debacle and seen how deeply she was hurting, Jake felt innately protective of her and invited her to come join him and his friends. Something about him just felt ‘right’ and she trusted him enough to accept. His friends welcomed and acceptd her and for a few hours, she was able to feel happy again.

Everything was beginning to pick up until they returned home and her entire world was shattered by a senseless tragedy that wiped away everything she loved in life in one horrific moment.

But she wasn’t alone. Jake took her in and this boy who she’d known for less than a day became her pillar of support and source of comfort.

“I fell asleep in Jake’s arms, sheltered from all the bad and evil in the world.”

It was so heartwarming to see how supportive and kind Jake’s family was to her. Not to mention the fact that there was definitely more between Mikayla and Jake. You could feel it, and they knew it but given the tragedy, their feelings were put on on hold while she healed. There were no labels, nothing official, but their hearts bonded. Jake was there for her every step of the way and their romance developed very slowly and naturally.

“She’s just, more than anyone else. We haven’t slept together, we haven’t even kissed, and she’s just … more.”

Here they were, at 18 years old, facing a horrible tragedy and yet also falling in love. They really held back on acting on on their feelings for a while and I understood that. Jake was giving her time to grieve and Mikayla needed to to just heal and also felt like she had to stand on her own before she could fully allow herself to fall in love. I understood where she was coming from but this aspect did lead to some frustration later on in the story.

I really have to say that Jake was just amazing. I loved him! Between his slight accent and deep voice (which I so wish I could hear) mixed in with both his naturally protective vibe and his sweet gentlemanly side too, he was just some kind of perfect. He loved her, was patient, kind, thoughtful, understanding… everything about him made him very easy to swoon over 🙂

“I saw more than a few guys checking her out. I couldn’t help putting my arm around her, and bringing her into me. Because it’s the stone age and I’m a caveman.”

I liked Mikayla. She was a bookworm too and I mean, she knew who Josh Bennett was, okay? *grins* I did really like her but I had a little harder time fully connecting with her as the book progressed because of they way she kept Jake at bay for so long. I will say though, that her feelings and reasons were all fully explained in the end so I could definitely see her side of the story. And apart from that one thing, I really liked her as a character and loved her and Jake together.

“Do not settle for anything less than the Jake Andrews of the world. Because they exist, and not just in fairytales.”

The supporting characters in this book are wonderful! I loved them! Jake’s friends were just awesome! Their group dynamic was so much fun to read about and I felt instantly connected to them. I loved how easily they accepted Mikayla into their group as well with no questions. And some of the couples were just adorable. Check out this quote about one of the guys, it makes me want to read a whole book about him:

“He’s not the hearts and flowers kind of guy, but he’s the heart and soul kind, and fuck if every girl would rather that than the flowers.”

And this book officially has some of the coolest book parents of all time. I really loved seeing parents depicted this way in a book because, not to say that it’s the norm, but many books have rather troubled parental relations and seeing a family that was a genuine unit who loved each other, and were understanding and supportive was a welcome change.

We’re told the story in alternating POV’s and so we do get the complete picture here. It was a very easy book to read and the pages flew by quickly. I found the story jumped around a little bit more than I’d like but there were no slow points and that the story line was constantly moving forward.

For some reason, I really expected this book to be heavy and intense and, don’t get me wrong, there were certainly places of sadness but it also had a lot of lighter, funny moments that shone though.

While I loved that in the beginning nothing was rushed, I did feel like they (well, Mikayla) held back for a little longer than I’d have wanted. I just felt bad for Jake – he was just crazily, head over heels falling for this girl who kept holding a huge part of herself back.

“It’s the fucking hardest thing to do, to be around the person you love, with everything you have, and not be able to love them.”

That being said, there was never any doubt in my mind or their hearts that they were meant to be.

“It’s just you. It’s only ever been just you. It will always only ever be just you.”

One little tiny thing that bothered me was that I felt like despite the fact that they were in high school, some of the slang was a little over used – like ‘legit’. But it’s a small complaint.

The story was addictive in the sense of I really could have easily read it in one sitting had my time allowed for it. It kind of rode the line between YA and NA. There were some very steamy scenes but no actual descriptive sex.

I wanted a little ‘more’ some places and a little ‘less’ in others but I still really enjoyed the story, really loved Jake and Mikayla as a couple and am glad I read it.

The next book will be about Jake’s best friend and so while I’m sure we may see these characters in it, this book fully reads as a standalone with a happy ending (complete with an epilogue too!) so if you like the sound of this one, you’re safe to start it whenever you wish 🙂