Tag: Contemporary Romance (Page 53 of 97)

BOOK REVIEW – Undecided by Julianna Keyes

April 24, 2016 / Anna

Undecided by Julianna Keyes
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Nora Kincaid has one goal for her second year of college: be invisible. Last year’s all-party-no-study strategy resulted in three failed classes and two criminal charges, and if she messes up again she’ll lose her scholarship. But there’s one problem with her plan for invisibility, and his name is Crosbie Lucas: infamous party king, general hellraiser…and her new roommate’s best friend.

Crosbie’s reckless reputation and well-known sexcapades aren’t part of Nora’s studious new strategy, but as she’s quickly learning, her new plan is also really boring. When Crosbie’s unexpected gestures of friendship pull her head out of her books long enough to see past his cocky veneer, she’s surprised to find a flawed and funny guy beneath it all. The muscles don’t hurt, either.

But as Nora starts to fall for Crosbie, the weight of one of last year’s bad decisions grows even heavier. Because three failing grades and two misdemeanors are nothing compared to the one big secret she’s hiding…

2.5 stars? 3 stars? I think I’ll remain forever Undecided (and sorry for this terrible pun, you know I had to do it). Don’t get me wrong, I was actually pleasantly surprised by Crosbie’s magic tricks. And no, I’m not being naughty.

Much.

If I had to compare it to most of the NA I read, Undecided would have really interesting things to offer :

✔ The drama is never over the top, as in : no important issue used as a background to try (and fail) making the main character interesting. Thank you.

✔ For once the fact that the male-lead played around before doesn’t mean that he has to be obnoxious because really, why assholes are the only ones to get laid in NA is beyond me. Hello, some guys have 20+ hook-ups in a year and are actually nice and decent persons. They don’t need to slut-shame or be such cocky bastards. See, I don’t hate 99% of the “player” kind of male-leads because they have sex with multiple women. No. I hate them because more often then not, they’re unredeemable sexist jerks. Crosbie isn’t. Crosbie is actually very sweet. Kellan *cough* …. isn’t the love interest. Yet I can’t deny that if he cares about his friends, love-wise he’s oblivious at best, irresponsible, and infuriating at times. He’s not my favorite person, let’s say, but I do not hate him.

✔ There’s no love-triangle, no matter what the cover and the blurb are trying to tell us. WTF, really. Do they really think that it’s a selling point? Because it’s not. There are two guys, but in no way can their relationships with the MC be called a love triangle. It seems like it at first but… no.

✔ It’s surprisingly well-written. Surprisingly, because I’m sorry, but if I – as a non English speaker – can notice weird phrasing or grammar mistakes, I tend to think that it’s really, really bad, and it happens a lot in NA. Bonus points because it made me laugh.

See? It’s not near as bad as I expected it to be. However, if the beginning put a smile on my face and let me hope for a shocking winner, I have complaints I can’t overlook :

✘ Alright, so I already said that Crosbie was cute – I didn’t? He is super cute, trust me – and I really liked the build-up of his relationship with Nora. Unfortunately, if they do share chemistry, I never really saw their feelings growing after they started dating. Oh, yeah, they had sex. Loads and loads of sex. I mean, GREAT. Sex is important in a relationship. But somehow I felt that their story was lacking and that they didn’t really get to know each other. No matter all of Crosbie’s gestures – adorable, this one, did I say that? – they don’t really spend time together except for having sex, and it got boring pretty fast. That’s why the Iloveyous in the end made me roll my eyes a little, because where did that come from? Infatuation, yes. Crush, yes. Lust? Oh god yes. Love? Hmmpf. Nah.

✘ Although I’m pretty sure that Julianna Keyes had good intentions, the treatment of double standards when it comes to sex – and especially one-night stands – felt short in my opinion. See, I’m really glad that it was actually acknowledged, because slut-shaming is so ingrained in NA that the mere mention of the existence of double standards is pretty good. Pretty good, but not nearly enough. It remains that Nora, the MC, who’d lived in the “wild” side the year before (her words – not mines), only had sex with 5 guys. Sure enough, the sex-part of her year isn’t the only thing that made her want to go all serious. BUT the fact that she slept with 5 guys – and one in particular – plays such a major part in the plot that I’m feeling a little dizzy at the unfairness of it all. I mean, Kellan “dated” more than 50 girls. Crosbie, more than 20. If it’s okay for them, it should be okay for her, too. Don’t get me wrong, neither Kellan nor Crosbie act like jerks about it, but I still felt like the issue was only brushed off – so much potential wasted on that account.

✘ “Sexy” is ALWAYS a better choice than “slutty” in my book. Please use it.

► In the end, Undecided isn’t a bad book by any means, but it isn’t amazing either. I wasn’t enthralled, and I can’t help but feel that the love story was lacking. Forgettable, you know? Oh well. I’ve read far, far worst.

Also, ~~magic tricks~~ sorry, illusions.

BOOK REVIEW – I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

April 18, 2016 / Jen / 6 Comments

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she's ever worked for is on the line.

Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be. What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California's dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper.

Review:

I’ll Meet You There was emotionally intense and impossible to put down. The plight of the characters was gut wrenching and all-consuming. It was so easy to be pulled into their dire lives and I fell deeply for this book. Yet I personally struggled, since it made me dive straight into my past. And that hurt. Oh my gosh, it hurt too damn much being back there. But I’ll Meet You There was such an important story and accurate portrayal of PTSD. I can’t even express how thankful I am that this book was written.

“This buddy of mine always tells me—” He stopped for a second and tapped his key against the steering wheel. I waited for him to finish his thought, but it was like he’d already gotten out of the truck. Like Mom, he wasn’t there.
“Josh?” I reached out to touch his arm, but he jerked away.
“I’m fine,” he snapped.
“Okay,” I said, my voice soft.

I loved Skyler our heroine! She was witty, sentimental, had a great sense for people, and she knew how to handle life to the best of her abilities….for the most part. With graduation under her belt and plans to leave her little town, everything was looking up. I have to say that I loved knowing the area she was from. My bestie is originally from that area, and if you aren’t familiar with the armpit of California off Hwy 99 well…..it’s insanely hot, rural, and in certain parts there truly isn’t a lot to do. Especially job wise. But Skyler is going to attend college in San Francisco, on a scholarship, and she has one last summer to spend with her friends while working at the local motel.

“You hick bastard.”
“I love it when you talk dirty.”

You will want to meet her friends! They were quirky and hilarious without even trying. They stood out strongly, and the three of them together were just like peas and carrots and corn. I swear that’s a thing. I would love to read another story about each of them – Dylan was her female best friend and Chris was her male best friend. Or I could just go dancing with Chris or cruising to a party with Dylan. Oh, I want to meet these people!

I lay down next to him. “I’m glad you’re home,” I whispered.
His hand found mine and held it.

Skyler has another friend, Josh, who is a few years older than her. They had worked at the local motel together, before he was deployed overseas for a tour with the Marine Core. Upon returning home, Josh has one less leg and a horrific case of PTSD. My fingers literally ached to reach out and comfort him. Especially when we would get these few pages from Josh’s point of view where he was open, honest and layed out all of his pain and suffering for us to see. The mental and physical anguish he was in broke my heart. Literally. It felt as though it was shattering into a billion teeny tiny pieces.

Why did I make it when so many other guys got wasted? And now it’s like I lost a leg and gained another fuckin’ eye that’s letting me see everything in this totally new, crappy light and all this shit that used to make me me I either can’t do or is so fucking stupid—God, what’s the point of me? – Josh

But Josh has this other side to him. The one that I rooted and cheered to stay at the forefront. He could be so sweet and caring to Skyler. Even when he was teaching her something like chess, my heart would race and I had a permanent smile on my face. Josh was infectious in the best possible way with his charm. And I hoped they could support and fight their demons together.

I wasn’t going to cry, I wasn’t. That wouldn’t solve anything. I closed my eyes until the tears retreated down my throat and back into my chest, where they seemed to live these days.

Demons. *hiccup sobs* This book was a very hard subject for me. For quite a few reasons, but the hardest reason of all was being thrown back to when I was 14-20 years old. Someone I loved, and who was my best friend in the world, had a father that suffered PTSD from his time in Vietnam. I don’t want to say more, since it’s not my story to tell, but this book placed me back into that situation. Of despair. Of pain. Of lost hope for someone so full of happiness and life. It gutted me and I sobbed hysterically for the past. Not only for the person that suffered, but for their family and loved ones too. Those few pages in Josh’s point of view put me back in my best friend’s dad’s home where I held my breath that it would be a good night, even though it usually wasn’t. To those memories where I tried my hardest to help or distract him while his father was suffering. My heart still hurts to this day that my presence could only do so much to ease his pain. Oh, this book, it reminded me of so many moments that I had forgotten.

“It’s okay,” he whispered. His lips brushed my hair.
“I’ve got you.”
I’ve got you. My blood racing, his heart pounding against my chest, I lifted my head and pressed my lips against his cheek. It was warm and scruffy, and I wanted to do it again and again, but I didn’t. I felt him smile.
“Thanks for having my back,” I said.
“Any time.”

While I am so grateful this story will impact people so deeply, I closed that last page feeling broken even though I loved so much of I’ll Meet You There. I was not prepared to step back into my past. But clearly if you don’t have my type of history, then I truly believe you’d love every part of this book. The characters were so vivid, the conversations made me feel as though I was there and the emotions the characters felt resonated deep inside of me. I will definitely be reading her other books in the future!

PS A special thank you to Chelsea for gifting me this beautiful book. You know what and who I will love oh so well. *hugs* Thank you!!

BOOK REVIEW – Act Like It by Lucy Parker

April 17, 2016 / Anna

Act Like It by Lucy Parker
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
This just in: romance takes center stage as West End theatre's Richard Troy steps out with none other than castmate Elaine Graham

Richard Troy used to be the hottest actor in London, but the only thing firing up lately is his temper. We all love to love a bad boy, but Richard's antics have made him Enemy Number One, breaking the hearts of fans across the city.

Have the tides turned? Has English rose Lainie Graham made him into a new man?

Sources say the mismatched pair has been spotted at multiple events, arm in arm and hip to hip. From fits of jealousy to longing looks and heated whispers, onlookers are stunned by this blooming romance.

Could the rumors be right? Could this unlikely romance be the real thing? Or are these gifted stage actors playing us all?

► 3.5 stars happily rounded-up because Act Like It was loads of fun! Truth is, I was really wary when I first started it, but let’s face it, I’m always wary when I read a romance novel, because they often contain several of my biggest peeves : cheating, slut-shaming, instalove… just pick one. Albeit not perfect, Act Like It was a great surprise in these aspects and a promising debut.

✔ Two main characters thoroughly enjoyable : meat Lainie, a nice but feisty actress and Richard, a misanthropic – but hilarious – jerk. Both actors in the same play, they’re asked to fake a relationship in order to improve Richard’s reputation, and oh my, given the outbursts he often throws in public (and his usual prick self), Lainie knows instantly that it’s not going to be easy to achieve.

“You want us to do a TV interview? About… this?” Lainie asked, horrified.
“Could you not gesture directly at me when you say that?” Richard asked.”

SPOILER ALERT : She wasn’t mistaken.

Ah, Richard…

“He brought up the page and was greeted with the image of his own scowling face. Jesus. he looked like his great-aunt Harriet. It was something about the combination of the frown and the emerging beard.”

What a piece of work. There’s no denying that he acts like a complete jerk at the beginning, but in a way that I can handle. See, I don’t like violent assholes. Darcy-ish pricks, though? They make me laugh and I love to sneer at them, both in books and in real life, because I’m a sucker for sarcasm. As long as people call them on their shit, in any case, and Lainie sure knows how to react to Richard’s offensive remarks. I loved her, and Richard’s devil-may-care attitude won me along the way. Hey, now, my favorite Molière’s play is The Misanthrope. That says it all.

✔ A believable and gradual romance : nothing could be further from instalove than the beginning of Lainie and Richard’s relationship. Basically, Lainie thinks he’s a complete jerk, and Richard barely knows who she is (even though they work together). Are they happy when their boss ask them to fake a relationship? Ugh, no. Definitely not. They’re annoyed, pissed, and not a little reluctant. Following them, we witness their relationship changing little by little, from indifference to friendship to more.

“It was more than that. He was… God, he was bonding with her.
Feelings – warm, strong, nauseating feelings – were springing up all over the place, unfurling in his chest, his gut, his groin. Sinking in deep with their little hooks.”

But what I loved the most is the fact that despite his first objections, Richard doesn’t dismiss his feelings from the moment they appear. No exhausting back and forth, and that’s freaking rare.

Not to mention that Lucy Parker makes fun of several stereotypical sayings that we often find in romance novels :

“Tell me you want this. Me.”
It was enlightening that she could be this far gone with desire yet still capable of irritation. “Richard.” She braced herself against his stomach. “I’m prepared to stroke many things right now, but your ego is not one of them.”

HAHAHAHAHA. I freaking love this girl.

“As kisses went, it wouldn’t make her personal top ten. For one thing, there was still an edge of temper under the surface, and angry snogging didn’t really rev her engine the way it seemed to for vintage romance heroines.”

THANK YOU.

✔ Banter : BAHAHAHAHA. Really, these two are perfect together and make for the funniest interactions.

“Cat Richard?” he asked, when they came to a halt behind a double-decker bus.
“My landlady’s ginger tom.” Lainie sounded too calm. He glanced at her. Yes, her eyes were full of laughter. “He’s called Richard. I’m feeding him while she’s away for a few days, and he has to have meals twice a day. Bowel issues.”
This was actually his life.”

✔ The way sexism is handled : See, every time I point that a story contains sexism, people are quick to tell me that unfortunately that’s how many real people act and that it shows how realistic the story is. Well. I can’t argue with the “realistic” angle, but you know where is the difference in Act Like It? Both MC notice sexism remarks and behavior, and don’t ignore them or accept them because “that’s how life is”. THANK YOU. As for slut-shaming, Richard and Lainie point several times how inacceptable it is, and it was fucking refreshing. Beware, I’m not saying that Richard never says anything sexist, because he does (and in one occasion it’s not dealt with), but 99% of the time Lainie calls him on his shit, as well as other characters.

✘ Grammatical errors and editing mistakes : I won’t lie, but I almost stopped reading in the beginning because of several grammatical mistakes and plain weird phrasing. Indeed some sentences just don’t make any sense, and it spoiled my read a little. Honestly, I don’t know if it gets better after the first 20% or if I was too engrossed to notice anymore, but Act Like It would have required further editing.

✘ The sex scenes didn’t do a lot for me : Don’t get me wrong, I was happy for them, but it still lacked a little chemistry in my opinion. This said, they were realistic and not over the top, and I REALLY liked that.

✘ Stupid drama…. But it stays really short so I’m not sure if it’s really a cons. I suppose that I became more and more intolerant of it through the years, but I have to admit that as far as romance novels go, it stays pretty sufferable.

► Really enjoyable. Recommended for romance fans who are fed up of instalove.

BOOK REVIEW: Eversea (Eversea #1) by Natasha Boyd

April 13, 2016 / Chelsea / 4 Comments

Eversea (Eversea #1)
by Natasha Boyd
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
An orphaned, small-town, southern girl, held hostage by responsibility and self-doubt.

A Hollywood A-list mega-star, on the run from his latest scandal and with everything to lose.

A chance encounter that leads to an unlikely arrangement and epic love affair that will change them both forever.

When his co-star and real-life girlfriend is caught cheating on him with her new director, A-list hottie, Jack Eversea, finds himself in sleepy Butler Cove, South Carolina. Jack hopes the sultry southern heat in this tiny coastal Lowcountry town will hide him not only from the tabloids and his cheating girlfriend, but his increasingly vapid life and the people who run it. He doesn’t count on meeting Keri Ann Butler.

Keri Ann has relied on herself so long, dealing with her family’s death and the responsibilities of keeping up her family's historic mansion, that boys and certainly the meager offering of eligible boys in Butler Cove, have never figured into her equation. But fate has other plans. Suddenly face to face with the man who played the movie role of her favorite fictional character, Jack has Keri Ann yearning for everything she has previously avoided ... and Jack must decide whether this funny, sassy girl is worth changing his life for, before his mistakes catch up to him.

Okay-I lied. I have a major issue in the way of migraines right now and I think I am going to skip writing a full-fledged review on this one. I regret that I can’t give this the review that it deserves, but in a way I’m relieved. Relieved I don’t have to badmouth a book *MOST* of my friends loved and relieved I decided not to give up any of my minuscule reading time because of constant headaches. But, I have added the quotes I would have otherwise used with a full review and have also added bullets of what did and didn’t work for me (so, ya know, I saved you twenty minutes of reading my review while I blabber about said things that did or didn’t work). Two birds, one stone and all that.

“It’s amazing,” said Jack, shaking his head and looking at me.
“What’s amazing?”
“It’s amazing,” he repeated, “that you seem to have no idea how fucking beautiful you are.”

Well…this was both good and bad in equal measure. I’d love to say the good outweighed the bad but, sadly, my curse still stands. As it turns out, I really am not a ‘Hollywood Romance’ book genre lover. I just…I love angst, right? So why can’t I get behind ANY of these ‘I’m famous but don’t wana be’ books? The truth is simple, when I get right down to it: This type of angst makes me feel, well, angsty-but not in the good way. These always make me depressed and sullen and moody and they always have that same cop out-I love you soooo much but I have to participate in this fake relationship for Hollywood.

His hand left mine, and he pressed it palm down in the center of my chest. “If I’d known you were in my future, I would have chosen differently.”

What the fuck ? I HATE this, and it just…it’s never handled well. I will admit, however, that this is the least disgusting scenario I’ve read about yet. And Jack is pretty unforgettable, as far as male leads go. What with his swoony declarations of adoration and wanting to be with our main character despite the horrid situation surrounding them. And I’ll get to all this when I write a real review, but I just couldn’t wait to say these things. I guess that also leaves one thing: The writing. I just did not like the writing and, frankly, I didn’t get how they were into each other so quickly…or rather, how he fell so hard for her.

Me: Sorry, should have warned you she’d probably come by. She and Nana were close. Who did you say you were?
Late Night Visitor: That I was a friend doing you
My eyes widened.
Late Night Visitor: A favor! A friend doing you a favor! Sorry. Damn phone. Banging head on wall…

I can see how it happened, I just don’t believe it. The beginnings, that is. Anyway. Okay. I’m done, but I’ll be back. I really really really did love Jack…he was just absolutely breathtaking. I just wish some of the horribly handled convos didn’t happen…those can’t be erased from my mind. Ugh.

The GOOD:
–Great quotes, LOADS of feels-Jack’s freaking mouth…it only produces magic that turns me into a heaping pile of goo. Why couldn’t he have been the only character in this story, hmm???
–LOVED the club scene-always a favorite. Like…GAH!! Top three absolute favorites scenes ( Me lubbs the jelly green monsters)
–My favorite scene, for some inexplicable reason, is the scene where they accidentally meet up while running. Dunno why. Lots of cute feels from beginning to end of that part
–WIll read book two someday, but will do so when in mood to be masochistic, since this shit gives me the bad kind of book ulcers

The BAD:
–It goes back and forth CONSTANTLY. Will he or won’t he? Back. And forth. Back. Forth. Back…..and forth again.
–Cheesy conversations that had me rolling my eyes (not to be confused with the moments I liked with childhood memories and his ‘I am so in like with you’ moments-THOSE I LOVED) I mean when he can’t be with her. But maybe can. How it will be handled. How it won’t be handled. The conclusions. *Rolls eyes*
–SAME OLD ‘END ALL THE HAPPY’ PROBLEM: THE EX DUN DUN DUNNNNNN. Will will this stop being in the Hollywood trope. Create angst, fine, but leave the fucking ex out of it like GAG
–Not necessarily bad writing, but amateur…ish. Didn’t flow well and didn’t draw me in like I’ve become accustomed to.

So I really did love some parts, really, I can’t lie about such things. But Jack can’t be everything. There needs to be a reason for the angst and a reason for these bad things to happen, and this all was just so fabricated-and drawn out, for that matter, so she could get a second book in-to make things difficult for them. I don’t like that and I never will. Create real problems, BELIEVABLE problems. I know books are books but…I didn’t believe this fiction that is, indeed, meant to be fiction. Whoops. I lied again…I still blabbered lmao. hehe. I lie.

~~RTC~~

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BOOK REVIEW+GIVEAWAY+EXCERPT-Cuff me (New York’s Finest #3) by Lauren Layne

March 22, 2016 / Chelsea / 3 Comments

Lauren Layne is easily one of my favorite authors-EVER-and this series is no exception. If you want laughs, a warm smile, and some intense feels in your future, take a look at the newest book in her New York's Finest series. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Take a look below for my 4.5 star review, a giveaway, and an excerpt from Vincent and Jill's story-ENJOY!

BOOK REVIEW+GIVEAWAY+EXCERPT-Cuff me (New York’s Finest #3) by Lauren Layne

Cuff Me (New York's Finest #3)
by Lauren Layne
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Vincent knows he's not the most charming of the Moretti brothers. He prefers brooding to flirting, reading to talking, and he sure as hell isn't about to give into his mother's insistence that he 'settle down with a nice girl.' Luckily, Vincent's gig as one of the NYPD's top homicide detectives keeps him busy. As does his long-time partner, Jill Henley–a tough-as-nails cop with the face of an angel and smart mouth that makes Vincent crazy in all the worst ways.

After six years of working the homicide beat with the tight-lipped Vincent Moretti, Jill figure she knows him better than anyone. Which is not at all. But when their most recent case points to a potential serial-killer situation, the higher-ups send them on a rare undercover mission to a place no NYPD officer dares go: the Upper Eastside.

Now the bureau's most antagonistic set of partners is posing as Mr. and Mrs. Brooks of Park Avenue. Spending 24/7 in the suspect's territory brings them closer and closer to their killer . . . and closer to each other. Soon Vincent and Jill are playing good cop/bad cop in and out of bed, and Jill's falling hard. But can she convince Vincent to give her a shot as partner in life, as well as at the bureau?

REVIEW

“We’re gonna be okay, right?” she asked, her voice muffled against his shirt.

Vin closed his eyes as his hand closed over clasped arms, his head hilting back so that the back of his head rested lightly on the top of hers.
And because he cared about her-cared about her so damn much-he did the only thing that he could.
He lied. “Yeah. Yeah, we’re gonna be all right.”

Like many of Layne’s novels, Cuff Me took my bad, tired mood and lifted it instantly with one chapter of banter between the Moretti brothers. I always get so excited when I see the opportunity for the New York’s Finest ARCs and blog tours because I have fallen so madly in love with this wacky, flawed, no-nonsense family. This series isn’t without it’s flaws, but it never ceases to put the largest smile on my face despite my dwindling appearance of good moods lately.

Jill Henley was Vincent’s opposite in every way.

Jill was chipper, charming, and smiley.
Vincent was…none of those things.

I have waited a long time for Vincent’s story, seeing as the plot is one of my favorite types-friends to lovers. When I found out that Vincent was next and that it was going to center around he and his partner’s apparent tension and mutual (although unnoticed) interest. Their banter, loyalty, and obvious affection for one another are an apparent love match in everyone’s eyes but theirs…So what happens when they are both too blind to see it?

The phone would not stop ringing.

“What,” he snapped into the phone without glancing at the caller ID.

He’d already heard from:
His mother (how come you never come to dinner anymore?)
His father (did you catch the guy yet?)
His grandmother (will you pick me up from my colonoscopy on Tuesday?)
Luc (Jill’s not seriously marrying that guy, right?)
And Elena (do you want to buy my old smoothie machine? I’m getting an upgrade? No? What if I give it to you? Still no?).

Jill has been courted by another man, ripping Vincent’s heart out just as he realizes he wants to be more than her partner. Jill has everything she could ever want-So why does she feel so…wrong?

“Okay, it’s like this,” Jill said, twisting so she could better face Elena. “When you were little, did you ever make your brothers play wedding with you? You know, make one of them pretend to be the groom?”

“Um, of course.”
“Luc?” Jill asked curiously.
“Obviously. He’s the nicest of the bunch, and the youngest, which made him easiest to coerce.”

With a little (or a lot) of help from the Morettis, they begin to see all that they have missed before. But in true fashion of any romance, their story wouldn’t be complete without a good dose of passion, stubbornness, and misunderstandings.

Ya know, I always adore every single one of Layne’s characters-But Jill, at a certain point, made me want to punch her. I really, really liked her…but there’s a certain point (you’ll know) where I couldn’t believe her actions. And, on the last negative note I really have, I didn’t quite buy what the other guy was selling. Or rather, what their relationship was, nor how it was handled. I am normally okay with this, buuuut I just couldn’t wrap my head around how easy it was.

“What is it you’d have me do? Hire an opera singer to serenade her? Hold a boombox over my head outside her window? Set up a scavenger hunt that leads to all her favorite kinds of tacos just to show I care?”

“Wait. She has multiple favorite kinds of tacos?” Luc asked. “That’s either hot, or weird, I can’t decide.”

But oh my gosh, let me tell you-Luc, Anthony, and Nonna (odd comments and all) once again stole the show. Vincent is great, really, even a favorite! But when they are all together? My heart melts and I become goo in their hilarious Italian hands. When they hang out, I never cease to smile, laugh, and obsess over everything they do and say. And that is why this series is always such a joy to read-I can say it’s the men and their girls-and it is, for the most part-but this family is the essence of everything, and I have to say it’s why I continually come back for more. But that is what Layne does best, right?? Only this time, the series shines when the family is the one bickering.

“The indignity. I can’t even. I’ll take care of this. Straightaway.” Ava handed the orange Jell-O cup to Luc. “Luc, take care of this. Straightaway.”

He stared at the cup in his hand before shooting a puzzled look at the women. “And by take care of this, you mean…”
“Get her red Jell-O,” Maggie said from the chair in the corner. “Obviously.”
Luc glanced at Anthony with a what-the-fuck expression, but Anth held up his hands and shook his head.

Vincent was a wonderful, gruff, and backwards hero, all while being a wonderful partner and a badass cop-but underneath it all, he was as vulnerable as the rest of us, and it broke my heart when we began to see that. I am obsessed with each brother for different reasons and in their own way: Luc being sweet, funny, and always stirring the pot; Anthony for being the oldest, most abrupt, and straightforward brother; and now Vincent, the lonely, gruff, but left-out brother. They all are just so wonderful…I will always have a soft spot for Luc and Anthony, but Vincent definitely gave them a run for their money. I hope everyone takes the chance to enjoy this series as much as I do. 😛

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About Lauren Layne:

Lauren Layne is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. Prior to becoming an author, Lauren worked in e-commerce and web-marketing. In 2011, she and her husband moved from Seattle to New York City, where Lauren decided to pursue a full-time writing career. It took six months to get her first book deal (despite ardent assurances to her husband that it would only take three). Since then, Lauren’s gone on to publish ten books, including the bestselling Stiletto series, with several more on the way in 2015. Lauren currently lives in Chicago with her husband and spoiled Pomeranian. When not writing, you’ll find her at happy hour, running at a doggedly slow pace, or trying to straighten her naturally curly hair.
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Excerpt:

[scroll-box]There’s something wrong with a man that grins like that at a crime scene.”
Detective Vincent Moretti glanced up from where he’d been studying the gunshot wound of the vic and glared at the officer who’d been shadowing him for the past three months.
“I wasn’t grinning.”
Detective Tyler Dansen never paused in scribbling in the black notebook he carried everywhere. “You were definitely grinning.”
“Nope.”
Dansen glanced up. “Fine. Maybe not grinning. But I’m one hundred percent sure I saw you smile.”
“How about you be one hundred percent sure about who shot this guy instead?” Vincent said irritably.
Dansen returned his attention to his damn notebook, but he didn’t look particularly chagrined by Vin’s reprimand.
Oh, what Vin wouldn’t give to go back to those early days when all he’d had to do was look at Dansen, and the kid practically dropped into a deferential bow.
Three months of spending every workday in each other’s company had the newly minted detective acting nearly as impudent as Vincent’s actual partner.
Nearly being an important distinction, because Vincent didn’t think they made ’em sassier, more stubborn, or more annoying than Detective Jill Henley.
And he would know. They’d been partners for six long years, and their pairing up as partners was proof of God’s sense of humor.
Jill Henley was Vincent’s opposite in every way.
Jill was chipper, charming, and smiley.
Vincent was… none of those things.
Especially not the last one. Although, if he was being really honest with himself, Dansen may have been right about Vincent cracking a smile earlier.
It’s not that Vin was immune to death. There was absolutely nothing humorous about a man lying cold in his own blood and guts, dead from a gunshot wound to the stomach.
But after six years as a homicide DT for the NYPD, one learned to compartmentalize. To let the brain occasionally go somewhere else other than death even as you were staring straight at it.
It was the only way to survive. Otherwise it was nothing but puking and nightmares.
And speaking of puking…
Vincent stood and gave Detective Dansen a once-over.
“If you’re gonna barf, do it outside,” he said, just to needle the younger man.
Dansen threw his arms up in exasperation. “That was one time. One time! And I hear it happens to everyone on their first day.”
“Didn’t happen to me.”
“That’s because you’re a machine,” Dansen muttered under his breath.
Vincent didn’t respond to this. It was nothing he hadn’t heard before. Robot. Machine. Automaton.
He just didn’t know what people expected him to do about it.
In the movies, there was always some reason for the semi-mechanical, unfeeling action hero.
Either a dead wife, an abusive past, or some other sort of jacked-up emotional history. But Vincent had always sort of figured he’d been born this way. Quiet. Reserved. Broody.
It’s not that he didn’t feel. Of course he did. He just didn’t feel out loud. He wasn’t sure that he really knew how to, and wasn’t sure he wanted to learn.
[/scroll-box]

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #) *Each book can be read as a standalone, but best enjoyed in order.*
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Tag: Contemporary Romance (Page 53 of 97)

BOOK REVIEW – Undecided by Julianna Keyes

Synopsis: