Possessive Controlling Dominant

Book Review — CRASHED (The Driven Trilogy #3) by K. Bromberg

March 6, 2014 by Aestas · 10 Comments

“Baby, Heaven doesn’t want me yet, and fuck if Hell can handle me, so you’re kinda stuck with me.”

A perfect ending to a fantastic series!!

Crashed was an intense, emotional, riveting ride from A to motherf*cking Z. It’s a story that makes you believe in the resilience and healing power of love. Colton and Rylee’s journey is sexy, romantic, heart breaking and uplifting. This is the kind of book you don’t want to put down and you can’t wait to read more of, and without a doubt, the Driven Trilogy will forever be one of my top favorites!!

This book started off right where the last one ended — the moment after that heart stopping cliffhanger — with an absolutely amazing prologue that brought tears to my eyes and sent chills through my body. It was easily one of the best prologues I’ve read and from the first line, I was transported right back into the story.

The emotions hit strong right from the start — the desperation of the situation, the vivid imagery, the writing… it was so well put together. I have quotes highlighted everywhere throughout my book.

Devastation surrenders, desperation consumes, life splutters, and yet my soul clings.

Superman.

Gosh, even thinking of Colton’s beloved superheroes makes me choked up!! “A childhood obsession now turned into an adult’s grasp on hope.” — They were such a fantastic addition to the whole series. The way these 4 names — Spiderman. Batman. Superman. Ironman. — were woven into the story was so subtle but yet so powerful that each time I read one of their names, my heart squeezed.

I don’t want to say much about the plot at all because this is the final book in the series and, as a direct continuation of the story, it should not be read on it’s own… and if you have read the other books, then I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll just tell you how this book made me feel instead.

One of the many things I loved about this book for me was that it took the time to highlight these incredibly emotionally meaningful ‘bonding’ scenes between the main characters — Colton’s Dad and Rylee (“The first time I saw him, he broke my heart and stole it all with one, single look.”), Colton and his Dad, Colton and the kids at The House (“The damaged man helping the broken child“), Colton and Rylee’s Dad (“The unspoken bond from father to the man his daughter loves passes between them. Man to man. Protector to protector.”). And of course, the central relationship in this story: Colton and Rylee…

“I swear to God she’s the only air my body can breathe. Fuck if she’s not everything I need and nothing I deserve.”

I loved the way Colton and Ryle were together. Yin and yang in so many ways despite their differences. Rylee was just so perceptive, and so understanding, and holy shit did she ever have a badass side too. Ok — I love it when the guys get all growly and protective of their women but there was this scene where Rylee stood up for Colton that was just pure fucking awesome!! And then seeing Colton stand up for her in return…. ohhhh my heart was singing!! It was just one of the many epic moments in this series.

I absolutely adore tortured Alpha male heroes — without a doubt, they are my favorite — and Colton Donavan was the embodiment of the kind of hero I most easily fall for. I felt so heart broken for the things that happened to him in his past, and for the emotionally crippling scars they’d left on him. His struggle to face the nightmares his past felt so real because with the way it was written, and the glimpses at his POV too, you really felt how hard it was for him. I just loved watching the progression of his healing throughout the series. Knowing how strong and deeply rooted his pain was gave so much more meaning to each little victory step forward and to each little bit of healing.

“I want to be your motherfucking checkered flag, Rylee. Your pace car to lead you through tough times, your pit stop when you need a break, your start line, your finish line, your goddamn victory lane.”

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, Rylee was just a fantastic heroine. I absolutely loved how she could always see right through Colton and always knew where he was at, even when he couldn’t find it in him to admit or say it, even when he was being a total ass, she just saw right through it. It might sound weird to say this but it was just genuinely refreshing to have a heroine who didn’t make stupid decisions. One who was smart, capable, and independent while also being totally in love with her guy.

“I hold tight letting him know that no matter how far he falls, I’ll catch him. I’ll always catch him.”

Now, part way through there was a development in the story that put my heart in my throat because I was so worried at the direction it would take the story in. It opened the doors for all kinds of frustrating drama but I just want to say how thrilled I was to see that once again, even though it was an intense, angst-ridden issue, and while Colton and Ryle may have stumbled a bit while dealing with it, instead of being broken down, they allowed it make them stronger than ever before. I was honestly just proud of them.

“We can do this… It’s just this selfless girl and this healing boy and we can really make this work.”

The way each issue in this book was dealt with, worked through and overcome was just so emotionally captivating and heart felt. And I especially loved how, throughout the course of the series, there was a whole list of words and phases that grew to have so much meaning and memories behind them — the superheroes, ‘racing’, 747, cotton candy, pit stops, text songs, the motherfucking checkered flag, the alphabet A–Z, sheets, the lifeline… and so many more little things like that.

“God, I fucking race you.”

And lets not forget the scorching hot steam factor here. Seriously — these books are HOT HOT HOTTTT!!! Colton and Rylee had an intense chemistry that left me fanning myself over and over again. Sex was an important part of their connection and healing, but I loved the way the love scenes never overshadowed the general plotline but rather complimented it. This is Adult romance done right with a wonderful balance between sex and emotional character growth.

“I want every inch of you trembling, fucking shaking, begging me to take you, Ry, because fuck if I won’t be doing the same. I want to be your sigh, your moan, your cry out in pleasure and every fucking sound in between.”

Ohhhh, and the ending was just perfect!! I’m not going to spoil it for you but I’ll just say that I loved the way everything came together and definitely shed a few happy tears. Colton and Rylee had just come so far over the course of this series. They deserved every bit of happiness that they got.

And — two words: Double. Epilogue. 😀

Rating: 4.5+ stars

*** SERIES READING ORDER ***

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

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

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

Book Review — FUELED (The Driven Trilogy #2) by K. Bromberg

February 25, 2014 by Aestas · 2 Comments

“We’re not broken baby… we’re just bent. And bent’s okay. Bent means that we’re just figuring things out.”

I absolutely LOVED this book!!!! I was invested in the story from start to finish. My heart was racing, breaking, melting… I was feeling everything!!! I love Colton. I love Rylee. I love this series. I’m hooked and I can’t wait for more!!!

This book captured my heart from the very first page and I was so impressed with the direction that the storyline went in. Honestly, after the huge cliffhanger that the last book left off, I was a little wary because it opened up the potential for the characters to go down a very frustrating path but they basically just turned it right around in a way that made me have so much respect for them both.

Mistakes were made and there was a lot of heartache but throughout it all, you could always feel how strongly they felt for each other and how badly they were trying to make things work.

Even though though I really liked Driven, it was a bit of a bumpy road for me at first, but I was really blown away by Fueled. It was a very strong book. The story line was captivating and I did not want to put it down!

Please note that this is the second book in this trilogy and it directly continues the story from the first book. I’m not going to talk about the plot here but I’ll just say that this book starts off right where the last one ended but this time, we got to see that devastating scene from Colton’s perspective. We got a glimpse into the memories that were haunting him — “Memories so horrid he vomits with the reappearance of them.” — and my God where they ever heart breaking.

Spiderman. Batman. Superman. Ironman.

I love love love Colton, but before I talk about him, I want to take a minute to focus on Rylee because she’s honestly now one of my favorite book heroines. She was both kind hearted, deeply understanding and incredibly selfless while still remaining a strong woman who wasn’t going to be pushed around by anyone. She set her boundaries and held to them. I totally would want to be friends with her. I loved the way she thought and just generally really respected the decisions she made.

“You know you can talk to me… I won’t judge or try to fix you, but sometimes just getting it out, getting rid of the hate or shame or whatever is eating you makes it a tad bit more bearable.”

Now… about Colton… this guy was a book hero after my own heart. A gorgeous, tortured Alpha bad boy race car driver with a dark past, a reckless side to him, and also a huge heart who was falling in love for the first time in his life. GAHHH!! I LOVED HIM!!! His back story just tore me up and I could see how strong the demons he was fighting were. My heart really went out to him.

“If you look past the gorgeously rough exterior… there’s a scared little boy inside that’s afraid of love… he’s afraid to love someone because he knows that they’ll leave…”

The chemistry between Colton and Rylee was just off-the-charts HOT and their connection was so intense. I swear I spent a good portion of this book just sitting there fanning myself…

“Anticipation… Tonight, Rylee, I want you thinking about me all night long. More specifically everything I plan on doing to you later when I have you alone… Where my tongue is going to lick. Where my fingers are going to grip. Where my mouth is going to taste. Where my cock is going to stroke. How my body is going to worship every incredible inch of yours.”

But while sex scenes were scorching but my favorite part was honestly seeing them open up to each other. Their relationship wasn’t always on a smooth path but they both were trying. They went through lot of ups and downs but everything that happened really made sense for the story — I even found the times when there were miscommunication bearable because I felt like I could understand where they were both coming from at all times. I can’t tell you how important this element is to me as a reader. It’s the number one thing I look for in a story and even though it sometimes broke my heart, I really enjoyed the journey.

“I know we’ve made a mess of this, Ry, but we can figure this out… We can get us right.”

Ohhh and one more gorgeous side to the story was Colton and the kids that Rylee worked with. There’s something unbelievably endearing about a bad boy who is amazing with children but when you add in the fact that that bad boy could also identify with the traumatic pasts that these kids had, it just was emotional overload for me. These scenes brought tears to my eyes more than once.

“Any guy that makes you cry isn’t worth it.”
“Maybe if he makes me cry it’s because he IS worth it.”

All in all, I really felt this whole story — I felt the pain, the love, the heart break, and the healing. The last quarter of the book was intense. Suuuuuper intense. There was a lot of drama and yes, the ending was a big cliffhanger. But interestingly, this one didn’t bother me too much because it wasn’t a relationship cliffhanger. So, even though I’m dying to read the next book and find out what happens next, I’m also ok and really loved the way the whole ending of this book came together.

“Time stands still and it feels like we’re the only two people in the world. Just a damaged boy and a selfless girl.”

Overall, I was so impressed with this book. It kept me connected to the characters the whole way through and I was glued to the page from start to finish. I highly recommend checking this series out! It’s fun, addictive, heart felt, emotional… it’s got it all!! And best of all — it has Colton Donavan 😉

I want her to own me.
Every fucking piece of me.
Game over baby.
She’s my motherfucking checkered flag.

Rating: 4.5+ stars

*** SERIES READING ORDER ***

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

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

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

Book Review — DRIVEN (The Driven Trilogy #1) by K. Bromberg

February 20, 2014 by Aestas · 9 Comments

“I bet he fucks like he drives — a little reckless, pushing all the limits, and in it until the very last lap.”

Well, I’m officially in love with Colton Donavan and hooked on this series!

I’d been looking forward to starting this series for quite a while now. Honestly, I’d loved the sound it from the day I first heard about it but, because of the cliffhangers, I was waiting to be able to read them all at once. Now that I’ve started it though, I totally get why so many readers are obsessed with these books!

The story followed Colton and Rylee. Rylee was a strong woman who had control over life and who dedicated her time towards working for a wonderful cause helping children in need. Colton was a reckless bad boy — a famous race car driver known for his skills both on the track and in the bedroom. They were polar opposites in so many ways and what she needed was something he couldn’t give.

“Let’s face it, you’re not a spend the night kind of guy, and I’m not a one-night stand kind of girl.”

And yet, they kept being drawn back to each other… 🙂

I loved Rylee right from the start. She was a feisty, unintimidated and kind hearted. My first impression of Colton though was more of an arrogant, cocky manwhore… in Rylee’s words, an “egotistical asshole”. But I liked him! There was just something about him that hinted that there was much more to him than met the eye. Plus, he was just hot as hell!!

“I may be a man, but I’m nowhere near gentle. In fact, I think you’re a little curious just how I like it. Step over the edge with me, Ryles…I’ll be anything and everything but gentle.”

As Rylee soon found out, there was a lot more to him. Behind the bad boy that the world saw was deep rooted pain from a very dark past that he didn’t want to talk about. I really felt drawn to his character. What can I say, I’m a total sucker for the tortured bad boys. They get to me every time.

“The man is captivating in every way and the epitome of sexy. From that boyish grin that disarms me in seconds to his sexy swagger… He exudes virility, evokes desire, and commends attention… He’s edgy and reckless and you want to go along for the ride hoping to get a glimpse of his tender side that breaks through every now and again. The bad boy with a touch of vulnerability who leaves you breathless and steals your heart.”

Colton was dominant and possessive. He knew what he wanted and was determined to get it no matter what. But he kept his heart locked away. He was used to purely physical relationships with women, and was simply not ready to commit to anything more.

“I assure you, romance is not something I actively subscribe to. There’s no such thing as happily ever after.”

What I loved was that Rylee brought out a new side of him he’d never allowed to show through before — she meant more to him than anyone had before and that scared him. I loved the two sides of him — on one hand he was cocky and arrogant, but he also had a deeply caring side. It was the side of him he hid from the world that drew me to him. I could feel how much he wanted “more” and it broke my heart that he didn’t think he could ever have it.

“I know all about baggage, sweetheart. I have enough of it to fill up a 747 and then some… My shit can’t be fixed. I’ve been broken for way too long for that miracle to happen.”

And I just want to share this line here because this was the moment that fully sold me on the series…

“I’m seeing the true Colton Donavan – the unmasked version with a vulnerability that makes me want to reach over and take the hurt that often flickers through those green eyes and make it better. To show him that love and commitment are possible without complications. That it is real and pure and much more powerful than ever imagined when it is built and shared between two people.”

Another part of the story I loved was that, as I mentioned, Rylee worked for an organization whose goal was to help orphaned children and she did these shifts at The House which was where many of them lived. On it’s own, this part of the story was deeply emotional but guys, seeing Colton with these kids was just… WOW. My heart melted — it was just so beautiful and moving!!!

I’m not going to lie though — this book was a bit of a rough start for me for several reasons. But everyone kept telling me to hang in there because it got better and they were right!! It did get better and I’m so glad I stuck with it because now I’m hooked on this series!!

Ok – now there’s something which I kind of have to mention here… *twists lips* … ok — I’m just going to say it: this book has several strong similarities to both Fifty Shades and Crossfire. I’m not going to list them because I’m not one to nit pick but you’ll notice when you read it if, like me, you’re a fan of those two series. But, here’s the thing… take as a whole, the story is not the same and so, even though those elements made me a little uncomfortable while I was reading, my advice is to just overlook them. That’s what I did.

I’d say that overall, my enjoyment of this book was a steady upward climb. There were a few stumbles along the way, a few cases of deja vu, but all in all, it got better and better as it went and now…

I’m hooked, intrigued, and I want more!! Colton is very much the type of hero I most easily fall for — tortured, mysterious, and a little bit dangerous, but protective, dominant and kind hearted. Rylee is the kind of strong heroine who I can respect. Overall, I liked the pacing of the story, I enjoyed watching Rylee and Colton try to figure out their relationship and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

I would absolutely recommend this book, but my advice is to be patient with it in the beginning. I’m glad I started it, really glad I stuck with it, and am now ready to dive straight into the next book.

This is a hard book for me to rate because there were 3.5 star sections and 4.5 star sections for me so I’m going to round it off to 4 stars.

PS – there is a giant cliffhanger at the end and I am so freaking glad I waited to read these books back to back because if I had read this without having the next one, I would have been quite upset. But now that I have the next book ready to go, I’m just giddy with excitement to dive right into it 😀

*** SERIES READING ORDER ***

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

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

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

Book Review — A Reason To Breathe by C.P. Smith

January 20, 2014 by Aestas · Leave a Comment

“A killer, men with guns, and a gorgeous Sherriff with a magic mouth… Welcome to Colorado.”

Buy A REASON TO BREATHE (Kindle)

As a huge fan of Alpha male romance, I’m always on the lookout for books in this category and this one hit the spot! It was bossy man meets smartass woman and it was FUN!!

The story followed Jennifer who was widowed at the age of 39 and left by herself when her daughter went off to college. Stuck with a house she couldn’t afford filled with memories of her past, she decided to take matters into her own hands and move forward with her life. As a journalist, she could work anywhere and she’d had a life long dream of living in the mountains of Colorado so she sold her house, and headed off to make her dream come true.

But just a few months after she got settled, a serial killer began a chilling spree of murders in her small town… and when she went to investigate, she found that the town Sheriff (and badass Alpha male extraordinaire), Jack, was none too pleased to have a reporter poking around in his case….

That was how they met and this is their story 🙂

Ok ladies, if you like your men ALPHA, then you are going to fall in love with Jack. He was bossy, possessive, protective… all man! All the fucking way.

“I’m not 9-5 suit material; I wear jeans; I hunt bad guys, and I rescue damsels in distress.”

He was also a lawman through and through. His job meant a lot to him and he worked hard at it. He’d never found love and had pretty much settled on the fact that he wasn’t going to. But when Jenn came into his life, everything changed.

“Word of advice, Jack isn’t the type of guy to settle down. He’s been on his own for twenty years, and he’s had women, but they never last. Every time he spends time with one; they think they’ll be the one to tame him, but it never happens.”

She was fiesty, stubborn and a total smartass and he loved it. The last thing Jenn needed in her life was a bossy, possessive man in her life telling her what to do. She was very much in charge of her own life, very driven to do things her way and determined not to let any man walk all over her.

“Insufferable man thinks he can order me around? Who does he think he is? Ok, maybe he’s the Sheriff, but still, I don’t need him barking orders at me. No wonder he’s still single, who’d put up with that?”

But pretty soon, Jack’s charm began to win her over…

“I am so out of my league with this guy. He should have a warning label on his back, “Proceed with caution; smile will dazzle you.”

You know that moment when a book steals your heart? I can tell you when that happened for me here — it was at 7%. I broke into a grin and that was the moment where I. was. hooked. !!

I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face to her ear and whispered. “I got you, baby.”

I loved their connection. By 10% into the book, I was getting full body chills and shivers. I totally felt their chemistry. My heart fluttered, pounded, melted. It was just SO much awesome. Almost too much swoon to handle at times!!! Jack knew what he wanted and he was not going to take no for an answer.

“I’m not sure I”m ready for any type of relationship, Jack.” “Babe, you may not be ready, but that’s not going to stop me from changing your mind.”

Their dynamic was just awesome. Hilarious. Touching. I loved it!! They were both stubborn and both strong-willed so it was a lot of fun seeing them almost butt heads at times.

On one hand you had Jack in all of his Alpha protectiveness…

“Babe, I’ve known you about thirty-six hours, and in that time I’ve learned pretty damn quick that you’re going to do whatever the hell you feel like doing. That being said; I’m gonna do my damnedest to try and keep up with you so I can catch you when you fall. But honest to god, right about now, locking you in a cell sounds pretty damned good to me, at least there I know you’re safe.”

And on the other, you had Jenn who was not about to be bossed around by anybody…

“Let’s just say I’ve got too many men in my life and not enough bullets.”

It made for some pretty freaking awesome scenes!!

Now, given the creepy serial killer on the loose, this book was part romance, but it was also part mystery/suspense and let me tell you — the suspense parts scared the shit out of me. No joke!! My heart spent several scenes lodged firmly in my throat!! And I loved the mystery side of it too — my mind was racing to try and figure out who the killer was. Was it a character I’d met? Was I about to meet them?

The thrill of the romance mixed with the excitement of solving the mystery of the murders made for an absolutely delicious blend of awesome that kept me glued to the page. If I had to describe it, I’d almost say it felt a little bit like a Kristen Ashley-style romance crossed with an episode of Castle.

In the interest of full honestly though, I’ll admit that the second half of the book that didn’t quite capture my heart as much as in the first half and there were definitely parts which were just “too much” and I felt could have been edited out completely but, still there were a whole ton scenes that totally satisfied my Alpha male craving.

The ending was beautiful with a happy, swoon-filled epilogue and the last words made me teary. This was definitely a great debut and I’ll be looking forward to more from CP Smith!

Rating: 4.5 stars for the first half, 4 for the second.

This is a standalone Adult romance. Did I mention Alpha yet??? 😉

Buy A REASON TO BREATHE (Kindle)

Book Review — Forever With You (Fixed #3) by Laurelin Paige

January 13, 2014 by Aestas · 7 Comments

“I don’t have all the answers yet. But we can work on it together. We fix each other, remember?”

Hudson Pierce is back!!!!!

Please note that this book is the third and final instalment in The Fixed Trilogy and is not intended to be read as a standalone as it is a direct continuation of the story from the previous books.

This one picks up right where the last book ended with that one burning question that we were left with and my heart was in knots wondering how that secret could potentially come between them.

Despite their respective issues though, Hudson and Alayna loved each other very deeply. Even though mistakes had been made and trust had been broken in the past, the one thing that held strong how much they both so clearly wanted to make this relationship work.

“I knew our love outweighed the heaviness of those mistakes.”

What I loved about them was that they both were quite …. well, “damaged” isn’t really the right word per se, but they were both struggling with certain compulsions that their pasts had almost turned into habit. But they both understood where their issues lay and they were both willing to work at changing themselves and helping each other take steps towards being more healthy both individually and as a couple.

“We both have to change. We have to put everything out on the line, Hudson, as much as possible. We know now that we’re together, thick and thin, right? We have to trust that more than anything. We can’t be afraid of our secrets and our pasts. Both of us. Honesty, open doors, transparency.”

What I loved was that we got to see several scenarios created by the direction of the plot which could have led to more mistakes being made on both their parts but I was so thrilled to see them taking the right path and making the right choices instead of repeating the mistakes of their past. It clearly showed that they had both grown a lot over the course of their relationship.

“We have the future to make up for the hurts we’ve cause each other.”

As with the first two books, the character dynamic here were great! I loved the writing too — it continued in the same, strong, compelling style that I’d come to love in this series. I also loved the interjections of humor now and again too that helped lighten the mood even if it was sometimes at Hudson’s expense 😉

“Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, son.”
I disagreed. Jealousy did look good on Hudson. Quite good indeed.
A low grumble came from the back of his throat.
Jack cocked his head. “Did he just growl?”

It brought a smile to my face watching Hudson and Alayna work through their issues and make concessions for each other along the way. They both had a strong understanding of each other’s fears and genuinely tried to help make things better. With the way it was portrayed, it almost made it relatable because it was written in such a way that really made you genuinely understand their mind set.

Now, the entire story is told from Alayna’s POV which was wonderful in some respects because it really made her a very relatable heroine as it was so easy to understand what drove her insecurities and what she was feeling. But seeing only one side of the story also made everything regarding Hudson a huge mystery.

He loved her. There was no doubt about that. I mean, his words speak for themselves…

“You’re the center of my world precious. Every minute of every day. Even when I’m not with you.”

…but he was hiding something big — a devastating secret that genuinely had the power to tear them apart.

I’m not going to deny that at this point, I got very frustrated with Hudson. It was actually an interesting situation because in most books I find myself frustrated with the heroine for one reason or another and in this book, it was the hero who I wanted to shake. I was fully Team Alayna at this point because he shut down and refused to talk about anything despite their promises of openness. And this closed-off attitude put an understandably huge wall between them.

“I have no answers to give you. This subject is closed.”
“Are you kidding me? You’re not going to talk about this?”
“No, I’m not.”

OMG I was going nuts trying to figure out what his angle was. What was he up to?? I was right there in the same boat as Laynie — I wanted to trust him, but his actions and secrets made it so fucking hard. I guess I really have to tip my hat to the author here for putting my right in the heroine’s mind and having me experience the exact same things as her because dammit, I was reaching the limits of my patience and understanding with him. He literally pushed me to the very brink and almost over. I was angry with him. Furious. There didn’t seem to be any justifications for his actions and he was literally forcing Laynie to deal with her worst nightmare. How could he not see that???

But here’s the interesting thing — I was more frustrated with this part of the story while I was reading than I was afterward. Because looking back on it now and knowing what his secret was, I kinda get it. I still think he was wrong to keep it from her and there was no doubt that that was a huge mistake on his part but… I genuinely believed that he had changed as a person. We all knew the demons he was fighting and honestly — his secret was bad enough that once I found out what it was, I did at least understand why he would have wanted to hide it.

While the back and forth in this part of the story did frustrate me a little, I also recognize that working through issues is a part of what makes a relationship stronger. I felt like especially given their particular set of problems and weaknesses, this was the kind of hurdle that would make or break their relationship and there was no doubt in my mind that if they could face this and come out on top, that they could face anything.

“I don’t have all the answers yet. But we can work on it together. We fix each other, remember?”

At it’s core, this was a story of two deeply damaged people who loved each other deeply fighting a lifetime of compulsions and making up for potentially unforgivable mistakes. But the fact that, even in their worst moment, they still loved each other was was what got me through the harder parts of this book.

And when it was good between them…. just WOW. My heart soared. It was beautiful. I don’t want to spoil anything but there some scenes that had me gasping out loud in happiness!! Not to mention that I do love me a good grovel and there was a healthy dose of grovelling here 😉

“Even though I don’t deserve it, I’m determined to fight to earn back your trust. Even if it takes the rest of my life.”

I won’t spoil the ending but I will say that I loved it and that we’re treated to a beautiful epilogue from Hudson’s POV that just made all the hardship they went through worth it and brought their story full circle. It was heartwarming and just a perfect, very fitting end to the series.

“We know that we’re worth the fight. SHE’S worth the fight…. She’s mine. And I’m hers. Completely and absolutely.”

The Fixed series delivers scorching hot romance, heart stopping emotion, and a plot that will keep you glued to the page. Once I started reading, I could not put it down. This really was a wonderful trilogy!! I loved it and would highly recommend it especially for fans of Crossfire who are looking for something new to try that is unique in it’s story but similar in it’s vibe. If you loved Gideon Cross, then you have to meet Hudson Pierce!

Rating: 4.5 stars

** SERIES READING ORDER **
This is now a completed trilogy.

BOOK #1 — FIXED ON YOU
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review

BOOK #2 — FOUND IN YOU
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BOOK #3 — FOREVER WITH YOU
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COMPANION NOVEL — HUDSON (his POV)
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Book Review – Fixed On You (Fixed #1) by Laurelin Paige

July 30, 2013 by Aestas · 4 Comments

“I’m drawn to you, Alayna… because you’re beautiful and sexy and smart and yes, a little crazy, maybe, but you’re not broken. And that makes me hopeful. For me.”

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Yep! This one did it for me! I totally loved this book!!! It gave me that amazing belly fluttering, thrilling feeling of excitement that only my favorite books give me 🙂

If dominant and controlling yet tortured heroes make your heart race, then Fixed On You will rock your world!

Pretty much my most favorite story line type is flawed or damaged characters working together to try and build a functional relationship while fighting understandable issues but with no stupidity or frustrating behaviour and this book basically delivered that to me on a silver platter. I couldn’t have been happier – absolute book heaven!

Fans of the Crossfire series should definitely check this one out! Ever since I’d finished those books, I’d been in withdrawal wishing for another book of that type yet I couldn’t find one that quite hit the spot… but this one gave me that same ‘intense’ feeling and I just reveled in it!

That being said, it totally stood on it’s own as far as the story went. Yes, many of the base points were the same as a lot of the other billionaire stories out there but the details were unique and so it definitely felt like a fresh story.

The story follows Alayna who, as a result of the circumstances of her past, had developed an obsessive relationship disorder – meaning that she would very easily latch on to relationships and fall in love so much so that she’d strayed into stalker territory at times in her past. It was an issue she was battling and gone to therapy for but she still fought it every day. But she was building her life, had gotten an MBA and was working a great gig at a club bar when the club was suddenly purchased by billionaire Hudson Pierce.

Hudson was exactly the kind of guy she should stay away from – the kind that would trigger her. Gorgeous, alluring, confident, controlled, dominant. Problem was, he had his sights fixed on her and came to her with an intriguing proposition…

He wanted to hire her to act as his public girlfriend. He was in a situation that he wanted to get out of and having a girlfriend would sort out all of his problems so he needed to sell the fact that they were in love.

“This pretend relationship – to what extent would I be expected to perform?”

“Don’t pussy foot about it. You’re asking about sex.” His eyes darkened again. “I never pay for sex, Alayna. When I fuck you, it will be for free.”

Granted, Alayna was understandably wary of the proposition at first knowing full well that it would just feed into her compulsion making it even harder for her to not latch on emotionally and it didn’t help that Hudson’s interest with her was not solely professional…

“I apologize for overwhelming you. That wasn’t my intent. But I want you to know that whether or not you decide to help with my situation, I will continue to seduce you. I’m a man who gets what he wants. And I want you.”

And he was also harboring dark secrets from his past that made him almost incapable of love…

“First, let me clear up one thing… I will be saying and doing things – romantic things, perhaps – that are not genuine. I need you to remember that. Out of the public eye, I will seduce you. That will be genuine, but it can never be misconstrued as love.”
“Because you’re incapable of love.” …
“Yes.”

… but despite all of this, their attraction and feelings were real and even her issues and his secrets couldn’t keep them apart 🙂

I absolutely adored Hudson. He was the kind of guy that makes my heart race. He was alluring and yet contradictory. He remained distant and aloof while at the same time he seemed totally infatuated with her. But I’m just such a sucker for the controlled yet tortured heroes…. they make my heart melt every time and Hudson was no exception.

I honestly wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Alayna at first given what I knew about her obsession but I ended up liking that it made her flawed because while she was very aware of her limitations and while it made her wary of their relationship, I liked that she had something real she was struggling with.

I also have to say that I absolutely loved that while Alayna did have issues, she wasn’t broken and she certainly wasn’t a pushover by any means. The scenes with her facing off with Hudson’s mother were just awesome! Here’s just a little taste…

“Tell me, Alayna – were you first attracted to my son because of his money or his name?”
Pissed didn’t even begin to describe how I felt. I was seething, but in control. Without skipping a beat, I wrapped my arm around Hudson’s arm and answered. “Neither. I was attracted to him because he’s hot. Though, I stayed with him because he’s fucking awesome in bed.”

So she had issues, he had secrets, and their relationship was a sham but somehow it all just worked.

There were so many times when you’d wonder… how much of what was going on between them was for show and how much of it was real feelings developing? Where was the line? When did it begin to blur?

“If I wondered that the whole act was a display… his whisper in my ear said otherwise, “This, precious. This is for real.”

There’s just something about characters with deep problems actually trying to work through them in a functional way that just makes my heart happy. I loved that I never once rolled my eyes or wanted to throttle either Alayna or Hudson. Yes, they both messed up on occasion. No, neither of them were perfect. But… I loved that I could sense that they both did want to make things work and because of that, I loved reading about their ups and downs.

And as the story progressed, their connection deepened and it wasn’t just a physical connection, they were a match in intelligence too and because of their dark pasts, they both found things in each other that they could sympathize with.

“I turned to him and found his gaze absent of pity. Instead it held understanding. More and more I realized that I was special to him because of this unique recognition he saw in me.”

This book also kept me smiling and fanning myself. It wasn’t light-hearted but it was a lot of fun! There were some total shocking moments, some laugh-out-loud moments and boat loads of hotness but the heart of it was what drew me in. For a good chunk of the time I was reading, I had that delicious butterflies-in-my-belly feeling. It was hot, thrilling, and engaging. I really loved it 🙂

This is the kind of book that gets better as it goes along though. In the beginning, for the first 40% or so, I was sitting at a comfortable 4-star rating. I liked it but was waiting for that extra ‘spark’ and then just the pieces really started to come together until by the end, I was pretty much at 5-star love. So I’m going to round it off to a very happy 4.5 star rating.

Oh, and I seriously just want to hug the author for not leaving this book on a cliffhanger. I really mean it. Despite this being the first book in a trilogy, there is no cliffhanger!! Nothing. Not even a dark something from the past that creeps in or anything. I mean sure there is more of their story to tell but it was like the author totally trusted that you’d want to read the next book of your own accord and you know what?? I TOTALLY DO!!!!!

All in all, this book pushed all the right buttons for me. I loved the characters, cared for them, and wanted to see them work their issues out. Not to mention that this book has some serious hotness in it – I mean… that’s what you get with a dominant, controlling hero *grins* … so overall, it took a little while in the beginning for this book to fully capture my heart but once it did, it didn’t let go and kept it through ’til the very end.

This is definitely the start of a new favorite series for me. Fixed On You is the first book in a trilogy but again, no cliffhanger! You’re totally safe to go ahead and read this now!

*squee*

4.5 stars

** SERIES READING ORDER **
This is now a completed trilogy.

BOOK #1 — FIXED ON YOU
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review

BOOK #2 — FOUND IN YOU
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review

BOOK #3 — FOREVER WITH YOU
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review

COMPANION NOVEL — HUDSON (his POV)
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback