Monthly Archives: April 2020

ARC Review: Stroke of Luck by Opal Carew

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Title: Stroke of Luck
Author:  Opal Carew
Publisher/Year:  St Martin’s Publishing Group 10/27/20
Length:  304 Pages

Overview

Getting cheated on and left with a hotel bill that costs more than she makes in a year was not a part of the plan when Riana came to Las Vegas to marry her wealthy fiancé. Her plans also didn’t include getting bailed out of this horrible situation by Quinn, the ex-boyfriend she hadn’t planned to see ever again. For Quinn, Riana was the one that got away and he’s never gotten over her, no matter how successful he became.

Riana insists on paying Quinn back, so he makes her an offer—spend the next month with him and his business partner Austin while they’re on vacation. It’s clear to him that Austin is attracted to her, too, and Quinn’s always liked the idea of sharing a woman with him. It’s something that Riana wants to do, and after a few glasses of champagne—only enough to stop denying herself what she wants—she voices her desire to be with both men.

But as the month comes to an end, Riana has to face the reality she’s falling for Quinn and Austin…and the possibility that one crazy night in Vegas could cost her one—or both—men.

My Thoughts

Before i get into this review, I want to thank the folks at Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for getting me this ARC. I’ve read several Opal Carew stories in the past and it was nice to get into a new one, even if it was a stand alone.

So, first i have to point out that in the version that i got, her name was April, not Riana, and there was a whole story about how she came to her name. Not a huge deal, but something that i noticed. The other thing is that the summary over simplifies what happens here and the timing of it all, but again, not a huge deal.

We start off our journey at a moment in time when April wakes up to realize that she’s not alone in bed, and not just that she’s not alone, it’s not with her fiance Maurice, but instead with two men that she’s yet to identify. The other thing is the quick realization that she was supposed to have gotten married the day before and she’s now also got a hangover which makes the slow realization of reality a bit more harsh.

We then flash back to the previous 24 hours when her life came crashing down on her. They were in Vegas to get married, enjoying the weekend with their friends, when post the rehearsal dinner, April walks in on her fiance ‘getting it on’ with some random blonde woman. That turns her world upside down and now not only has she lost her fiance, but he makes it so that her entire world comes crashing down. Because he has so much power and influence, he makes sure that everyone things that she’s the one who cheated, cancels her credit cards, leaves the bill with her, takes her townhouse from her (calls in her loan) fires her from work and ensures that no one else will hire her. To add to that, he knows that April has no family and really no friends, so she’s left on an island.

It’s through a weird twist of fate that as April’s being kicked out, that a man from her past is in the hallway and comes to her rescue. We don’t know what the true background of the story is between Quinn and April, but we know that it can’t be all good (or bad) based on his reactions to her. He immediately wants to help but he has such anger for her that it’s mixed.

The journey from here is an interesting one. There’s clearly chemistry between these two and even with Quinn’s business partner Austin, so if nothing else, we’ll get a really hot and steamy story, but what we get in addition to that is a really sweet story about lost opportunities because of the lack of true communication when they were younger and a misunderstanding of motivations etc. As a result, things get sexy, complicated and so engaging.

When the guys realize that April is left with nothing, and they watch Maurice send people to come and take all her belongings, they jump in to make her feel a little better. They take her in for the night, go to the casino and drinking, try to get her mind off of things, and end up married. All three of them. Yup – you read that right. First Quinn and April get married and then immediately after, she and Austin do. and while it’s with the intention to get annulled in a few weeks, (after their month deal is over), you know that there are feelings involved and things are going to get dicey.

The bulk of this story is spend enjoying each other – we get the full expected flavor here from Ms Carew in the steamy scenes between this threesome. It’s hot and engaging and really helps take your mind off how bad April’s life can be. At the same time, we also watch April and Quinn better understand each other and Quinn’s hatred for what went down between them in the past seep away. Now that he understands her fears because of how she grew up, and understands why she walked away from him in college, his eyes are opened up to so many new things that he actually wants the arrangement that they have to be real.

Seems like everything will be perfect until Maurice comes back and begs April to take him back. Giving her back everything that he took away from her, compensating her for the past 24-48 hours of pain and fear. April doesn’t realize the motives behind it all but the guys realized quickly why he’s crawling back and it’s because she’s got something that he wants and is afraid that now she’ll have too much control over him. The problem though is that the guys see her with Maurice and make the wrong assumption, driving her to leave them earlier than their arrangement deemed fit and worlds come crashing down once again.

What we have form this story is the notion that there’s really no such thing as happily ever after and that sometimes the idea of ‘what happens in vegas stays in vegas’. You want more for everyone and yet you don’t know what’s possible and the only way to truly find out if anything was real or fantasy is to read this story and engage with them all. I think that you’ll enjoy this one for sure and i can’t wait to see what’s next from our author. Enjoy!

Review: Savage Love (Savage Trilogy #3) by Lisa Renee Jones

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Title: Savage Love
Author:  Lisa Renee Jones
Publisher/Year:  CreateSpace Publishing 4/21/20
Length:  240 Pages
Series:  Savage Trilogy #3

Overview

They say all is fair in love and war, but I really don’t give a damn about fair. In fact, when protecting those I love, fair is the last thing on my mind. Now that I’m back in Candace’s life, those who have used her to try to control me, may well put up a final fight, but they will not win. They will lose and badly.

My Thoughts

I really do love savage and i’m really enjoying his time with Candace, however when we left off at the end of book 2, we saw that there was a chance that they weren’t going to come out of this unscathed. I ‘mean, honestly, it’s really silly (slash stupid) to think that they won’t get their happily ever after, but to my wording choice at least, unscathed is the better description.

While going to the cemetery to search for the flash drive that Savage hid at his mother’s grave, of course drama has to follow – in the form of Wes, a man that has a vendetta against Savage for killing his wife (which was deserved based on the story we were told) and he has Candace by the throat with a knife there as well. There’s just a moment to react to save her life and that’s what Rick does – freeing Candace from his grasp and giving them a moment to flee safely (ish).

If only the drama stopped there, right? We know that there are so many uncertain pieces to this story – understanding who is going end up alive, who’s going to find out the motives behind everything and how to finish it all off. I know that the Walkers have some intense skill, so it’s only everyone’s guess that they they will prevail right?

We spend much of this final installment on the run. Every time we think there’s a moment to breathe, another adversary comes out. Tag is s till a wild card since Savage knows that he’s dirty yet doesn’t know how to bring him down without triggering all sorts of things. Gabriel is twisted and dirty on so many levels that it’s a mess in the making too. Candace is pulled into this every time she tries to get out because they what to make sure that she’s. safe meaning that she has to play the doting fiance (even knowing everything that she does about him)

Add to that, her father is still being held and they need to extract him, and then an assassin is put on Candace’s tail, one that doesn’t always follow the rules, so we see the call for help from a cartel lord – one that we haven’t met in this series, but one that’s from another LRJ series (which i’m going to pick up soon i think). Kane Mendez is a man that many fear, no one knows how to read, but that Savage trusts. It’s his assistance that helps in more ways than you can imagine.

So a roller coaster for sure, a story that gives you hope, takes it away and then gives you a new path to go down. We get to see the introduction of so many guys in the Walker family that i feel it’s our amazing authors way of keeping this series alive (for which i’m very thankful) and i can’t wait to get more. We also get the sexy intense passion and heat that we always come to expect from Ms Jones when we read her stories, and what Savage and Candace share is something that’s for the record books. It shows you that there’s so much that can come between a couple, but if you stay true to the heart of what you believe and know, that there’s a chance to make it. So, on that note, you have to read this story to see how it really evolves since it’s insane, but i think you’ll enjoy it!

Review: Sunday (Timeless #7) by E.L. Todd

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Title: Sunday
Author:  E.L. Todd
Publisher/Year:  CreateSpace Publishing 8/27/16
Length:  184 Pages
Series:  Timeless #7

Overview

I ruined everything.

Instead of telling Rose the truth, I kept everything to myself. Even though my intentions were good and I was just trying to help, I was in the wrong. Seeing the look on her face in that courtroom was unbearable.

Will she ever forgive me?

Could I blame her if she didn’t?

All I know is I love her. I can’t live without her. There’s an unbreakable connection between us that I can’t shake off.

I have to get her back.

My Thoughts

After watching everything that Kyle has gone through in this series, through his relationship with Frankie and with his past dealing with his sister, we all really want him to find his happy ending. It seemed like it was possible with how things were evolving with Rose but then the truth about the case that he was working on came out in the worst way and she ran.

We start this final installment with Rose furious at Kyle for keeping his case a secret, but Kyle even admits that he was in a lose lose situation. that there was no way that he was ever going to come out in an ok place with this because Rose had so many walls up and even with the best intentions, those walls would always be up.

So what we get to watch in this seventh book is how Kyle tries everything to find his happiness. He goes to Frankie for advice – trying to figure out how to survive in a world where Rose doesn’t exist and the unexpected support and help from Hawke even makes things interesting. In this installment, we see how people have grown and matured and how that knowledge and life experience some how made it possible to go on in life.

Kyle tries everything and we see progress start to get made just to have it knocked down again. We see every angle attempted. His quest to make her feel secure, his attempt to make her jealous, the scheme to get Hawke to build a professional relationship that Kyle can take over. Most doesn’t work and it’s only an unexpected intervention that makes anything change. but as expected – that change doesn’t pan out as we hoped.

Rose spends much of this story with her walls up, with her fear taking hold all the time and a belief that she’s damaged and not good enough for anyone. She can’t believe that Kyle wants anything about her, and even when he professes it, she’s challenged to believe it. The emotions that she feels for him scare her and she’s even more afraid of intimacy with him.

So you can only guess how this whole roller coaster will play out. Who will get involved to make things happen and who will come out of the wood work to pick up the pieces when life doesn’t work out the way that we want. We at least get a lovely wedding in this story (yup – someone gets married) and we see additions to the next generation (yup lots of babies too). I hope you guys have picked up this series and enjoyed it since i did – and i’m sad to see it go. oh well…on to the next. Enjoy!

Review: Saturday (Timeless #6) by E.L. Todd

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Title: Saturday
Author:  E.L. Todd
Publisher/Year:  CreateSpace Publishing 8/27/16
Length:  184 Pages
Series:  Timeless #6

Overview

When Francesca left me I didn’t think I could ever recover.

But with every passing month it got easier. And when six months had come and gone, I was finally over it. And when a year had passed, I didn’t think about her at all anymore.

But I was still missing something.

I want what she has with Hawke, that kind of love that still burns even when the novelty wears off. I want a woman who loves me with everything she has. And I want to love her in the same way.

When I get set up on a blind date I expect to have a mediocre evening. Blind dates were all the same. We’d have some wine and dinner, and maybe some good sex afterward.

But when she walks in I know this one will be different.

My Thoughts

I think that Kyle was one of our favorites from the bigger series (i.e. the first few books) and the fact that he still remained a nice guy even through all that Frankie put him through – well that makes him amazing in my books. He’s sexy, successful and sweet – the Three ‘S’s’ that any girl would want. So when he’s set up on a blind date and sets his eyes on the most beautiful woman in the world, he knows that maybe it was all for the right reasons. Until he learns that she’s not his date.

Rose – she’s been through a lot and it takes us a bit of the story to get to the crux of what she’s gone through. We know that she doesn’t date, is really against being around guys that she doesn’t know and that makes her perfect for Kyle. We know his back story a bit and what he went through with the murder of his sister, so hes’ really the perfect guy to respect a woman and take things slowly.

The story that unfolds here is one of that’s slow to build but one that we also know is going to fail, it’s destined to fail since there are so many secrets between them. Kyle realizes that Rose needs to take things slow so he pursues her with patience, trying to be gentle and keep his distance since she’s giving off that vibe, but making sure she knows that he’s really interested. At the same time, Rose is confused about how he makes her feel and we get to see her come alive again.

Where things get dicey are that Kyle takes on a case that one of his lawyers couldn’t win the first time around where a woman was raped (gang raped apparently) and the guy got off on circumstantial evidence. When Kyle hears that the guy has struck again, he offers to help and when he learns that the original victim was Rose, he takes it personally. The issue here though is that he can’t let Rose know that he understands her past, and at the same time, Rose thinks that maybe she can open up and share what she went through to make him feel closer.

Emotions are tied up together and they are intense. These two are perfectly matched for each other and it’s a huge question if they will ever get to where they need to be in order to be together and happy.

It’s the final scene that really seals their fate – knowing that secrets can’t be kept and when they come out they will combust. That’s what happens and now we have to wait until the next book to see exactly what that means for everyone. I can’t wait to dive in and see what it’s all about. Enjoy!

Review: Friday (Timeless #5) by E.L. Todd

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Title: Friday
Author:  E.L. Todd
Publisher/Year:  CreateSpace Publishing 5/3/16
Length:  204 Pages
Series:  Timeless #5

Overview

She loves me.

That’s what she told me.

I’ve already lost enough people in my life and I can’t bare the idea of losing her too. I couldn’t handle it.

So I have to break it off.

I have to walk away before it’s too late.

I have to keep telling myself I don’t love her.

And maybe one day I’ll actually believe it.

My Thoughts

Who knew that the story of Axel and Marie would be so complicated however that’s what we get here moving into the second installment of their story. We left off with Marie telling Axel how she felt since she was sure that he reciprocated yet it’s too afraid to either acknowledge it or act on it, so he runs. That destroys her and destroys chance for happiness. and for him as well.

We watch the girls finish college and graduate, and we see Hawke continue to pop into the picture both to keep tabs on Frankie and her well being but to also try to help get Axel and Marie back together. His intentions are in the right place but it’s rarely helpful or successful since no one knows truly why he and Frankie broke up and no one wants to listen to advice when they’re miserable either. It’s sweet and makes you really want to root for him, but so sad because you know that there’s only more pain and sadness for everyone involved.

This story takes us to New York – after Axel managed to help Marie get a job at Prada. I’m a bit confused frankly as i’m a new yorker and i’ve spent years of my life working in fashion to really understand 1) what her job is there at prada (they don’t have a magazine and never did) and 2) get how it was that she was able to get such a high paying job out of college as entry level jobs (which is what she should have with no high end fashion experience). she could never afford an apartment on her own, never afford designer clothes, especially since rent it high and entry level pays like nothing. but that’s just one of many inconsistencies i’ve found in this NY element.

Regardless, she’s got a job that she likes, Frankie seems to be on the right path to find a location for her bakery and open that up (inconsistency #2 as her location is on Lexington and fifth, and um…..those street run parallel to one another, they don’t intercept)/ Axel some how manages to find a job in NYC so they’re all there living their dreams.

The challenge now of course is that the girls want to move on with their lives and the boys are harping on their ladies. We know that this is going to end in heartbreak if things aren’t done in the right way, and with these guys, the right way is going to be the long game.

What’s nice about this story is that we get an element of Frankie’s bakery inception that we didn’t see in any of the previous books. We know that there were people helping her to get it set up etc, but we didn’t know what Hawke did for her that she still doesn’t know about from the beginning. We also get to see what prompted the engagement that led off one of the prior installments of Hawke and Frankies stories and that’s a really sweet bit to this.

I enjoyed this series for a few different reasons but what i love most is that there’s a way to contnue it through the eyes of Kyle – the guy that had Frankie’s attention for a while, and yet Hawke got in the way of that. So….i’m off to read Saturday, (on a sunday – whoops) and i’ll be back to tell you how that one goes. Enjoy!

Review: Thursday (Timeless #4) by E.L. Todd

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Title: Thursday
Author:  E.L. Todd
Publisher/Year:  CreateSpace Publishing 8/27/16
Length:  252 Pages
Series:  Timeless #4

Overview

I’ve known Marie my whole life. She’s been my sister’s geeky friend since I could remember.

But now she’s a woman-a fine one.

Every time she walks by, my eyes soak her in. My hands want to grab her by the hips and never let go. Those gorgeous legs put dirty thoughts into my mind.

Now I want her.

After the greatest one-night stand of my life, she’s all I can think about. I’ve hooked up with a ton of women but the sex was never like that. Whatever Marie and I have together is something worth keeping.

Now I need her.

I don’t do relationships or commitments. After everything I’ve been through I can’t handle them.

But I find myself wanting to make an exception-for her.

My Thoughts

We saw how this couple ends up in the first bit of the series – their story was the precipice for bringing Hawke and Frankie back together at one point in the first three books – so it’s nice to see them get their own air time.

Just like the summary says, Axel has known Marie his whole life, but not this current present day version. She’s grown up, grown into her own body, gotten a ton of confidence and has become the kind of woman that any man would want to be with. The challenge of course is that there’s the family code and best friend code and things can get dicey.

It’s sweet to watch how this relationship really starts….how it’s born from the misery that Frankie goes through after her first breakup with Hawke. We learned all about what those months and years were like, but we get to see it first hand through someone else’s eyes- through the eyes of a brother and a best friend who want her to just get better and who find comfort and chemistry with each other.

The journey that this book goes on is one that’s expected since we’ve seen the ending of this movie, but it’s also nice to get the real story – to see that it wasn’t an easy venture for either and that it’s still not smooth sailing even after this first installment since we see they get more than one.

Marie is more than any man should ever want and Axel worships the ground that she walks on. Of course, he doesn’t see it for what their relationship truly is until words are spoken that can’t be taken back and he runs. On the other hand, we know that Marie has this interest in him that spans all the way back to high school so she’s a bit wary at the onset anyway since it seems like he’s a bit shallow for noticing her only now that she’s grown up.

They’re entertaining for sure, but the bulk of this is sad and emotional. They’re better friends to Frnakie than she perhaps deserves, and as a result, they don’t get to really enjoy the beginning of what could be the best thing ever for themselves, and when they do, it’s almost too short lived. Expectations are placed on each other, words are spoken that maybe weren’t right for the time and Axel is gone.

Their ending of this story still precedes the move to NYC although we know that it’s just over the horizon – school is almost over, the internship that Axel has is almost complete and they are just about to make the hours long drive to New York to see what the big apple has for them. I think they want their dreams to come true, and being a New Yorker, i can only wish them the best! Can’t wait to dive into ‘Friday’ – the next book in this series. Enjoy!

Review: Wednesday (Timeless #3) by E. L. Todd

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Title: Wednesday
Author:  E.L. Todd
Publisher/Year:  CreateSpace Publishing 8/27/16
Length:  200 Pages
Series:  Timeless #3

Overview

It took me a long time to forgive Hawke-a very long time.

But now that I have, I feel nothing but unbridled joy. Everything is exactly as it should have been two years ago. He’s just what I need, and not just now, but forever.

Until disaster strikes.

We promised each other forever, but will Hawke honor that promise when his world comes crumbling down? When the ground cracks below his feet, will we still stand?

Or will we fall?

My Thoughts

We knew that bliss could not be eternal or forever as this couple seems to think they will get, and the path that this third installment takes is a wild ride again. The happiness that they have together is huge and the connection that they share is intense and i think that if we’ve learned anything in this series and in the genre as a whole, when you have that much heat, and the word soul-mate is batted around as often as it is here, there’s going to be so much more pain than happiness in the long run.

We spend a bit of time enjoying some of the bliss- watching their relationship grow into the new version of what they had in the beginning and it’s a relationship to be jealous of. Marie and Axel are back from their honeymoon which prompts all sorts of thoughts as to what the future could bring for our mains.

While there’s trust in one another, there’s concern around the people who are around them. which personally is always entertaining to watch. Hawke doesn’t trust Kyle or any other guy around Frankie, and Frankie doesn’t enjoy seeing Hawke’s past paraded in front of her all the time. We see Hawke’s temper flair, we also see Frankie’s ability to bring him back down to the earth and tamp things down.

That is until he gets a call from the hospital and his world is turned upside down again. Even with all the effort that Frankie puts out there, she’s not able to bring Hawke out of his dark place – he’s so down an angry and enraged that he does what he did last time, he pushes her away and this time, there are more repercussions than anyone realized. Mind you he had just bought a ring for Frankie, with the intention to propose, but with his depression and downward spiral meant that was no real possibility.

Frankie told him that if he pushed her away – all chances for a future were gone. dead. he didn’t care and pushed her away anyway. So that’s where our story takes a turn. Frankie moves on, she gets a new apartment and upgrades her life. She expands her business to a 2nd location, she starts her relationship back up with Kyle, and everyone seems happy. Well….on the surface at least. She pretends to be happy. Everyone pretends like being without Hawke is the right thing, and Hawke is beyond miserable.

He tries and tries to get back into Frankies good graces and he fails. He starts seeing a therapist in the hopes that if he improves himself he’ll make progress, and yet, there’s no success. Kyle decides that he’s going to propose to Frankie and that’s game changing in the trajectory that this story goes – so i think you’ll need to read this one and the epilogue to see how this seismic shift really changes our story. Enjoy!

Review: Tuesday (Timeless #2) by E.L. Todd

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Title: Tuesday
Author:  E.L. Todd
Publisher/Year:  CreateSpace Publishing 5/3/16
Length:  204 Pages
Series:  Timeless #2

Overview

Getting over Hawke is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.

I couldn’t breathe, sleep, or eat. Every day was more agonizing than the one that followed. But somehow, after two years of suffering, I finally got back on my feet.

And I moved on.

Now I’m living in the city and running my own bakery. Life is good again. I’m surrounded by good friends that I love, and every day is even better than the last.

Until everything changes.

Now I have to face him after two years of silence. I have to look him in the eye and act like he has no effect on me. I have to hold my head high and pretend he didn’t shatter me into a million pieces.

I have to act like he doesn’t mean a damn thing to me.

Can I fool him? Can I fool myself?

My Thoughts

I was curious how this story was going to continue and the way that we did it was through a leap 2 years into the future. Everyone’s now living in NYC and the girls have graduated from college, living their dreams. Marie is working at a magazine (in what capacity, we never find out but that’s what we hear), and Frankie has managed to open Muffin Girl (mind you that’s really not realistic but this is a book so i’ll just let it go) .

She’s found a way to be happy even though it took time. her bakery is thriving beyond what anyone could have imagined and she’s figured out how to keep her walls up but still get what she needs. She’s flipped the script and has become what all other men in EL Todd books are, flings and nothing more – manwhores.

This story starts off when Marie announces that she’s engaged and it’s to Axel, Frnakie’s brother. This means that Marie will now be her sister and that’s perhaps the best news ever. The challenge of course is that it means that Frankie will be the maid of honor, but that Axel’s best friend will be the best man, and that friend is Hawke.

It’s taken 2 years to get over him, we learn throughout the story what that really meant – how horrible the break up was on Frankie and it makes you really want to hate Hawke for what he did. On the other hand though, he knows what he’s capable of and he’s afraid to hurt her, so there was no choice that he really felt that he had to keep her safe.

The bulk of this story is spent watching them stalk around each other. they say they can be around each other and friends but that’s not possible given their chemistry and the notion that they are soul mates. They want to be together but don’t want to admit to each other that they need to be together. Frankie goes so far as to have a long term fling with a guy who seems perfect and likely would have been the right guy for her if Hawke was never in the picture. Kyle is good looking, successful, kind, and really the perfect guy. but he’s not Hawke and that’s always going to be what holds her back.

Hawke on the other hand tries to go back to his ways with meaningless relationships but he finds that all he does is think of Frankie and that’s something that he just can’t stop doing.

As the wedding draws closer, we see bumps in the road of their friendship, we see other relationships take priority, we see the potential for romance elsewhere and we see concern on the face of other friends. At the center of all this though is the sweet relationship between Marie and Axel, until he leaves her at the altar.

All in all, we have a roller coaster that gives us SOME of the expected and quite a bit of surprise and i can’t wait to seer what’s up next in Wednesday since i’m not sure where this story can really go. Enjoy!

Review: Monday (Timeless #1) by E.L. Todd

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Title: Monday
Author:  E.L. Todd
Publisher/Year:  CreateSpace Publishing 2/19/16
Length:  200 Pages
Series:  Timeless #1

Overview

I don’t believe in destiny.

In fate.

Or in soul mates.

But I believe in Hawke.

My life has never been whole since my parents left forever. I have my brother, someone I can barely tolerate most of the time, and I have my best friend, Marie.

And I have myself.

But when Hawke walks into my life, there’s an immediate connection. Our eyes lock and an unspoken conversation is exchanged. For the first time in my life, I actually feel something.

But he doesn’t.

He keeps me at arm’s length and pretends there’s nothing between us when there clearly is. I’m not the kind of girl to wait around for any guy, so I don’t.

But that doesn’t mean he isn’t in the back of my mind.

Our paths cross again in a way neither one of us expect and it changes everything. Was it destiny that made it happen? Was it fate?

Or was it something else?

My Thoughts

This story was a bit slow for e to start to be honest, but what we quickly learn is that this new series follows the same recipe that all of EL Todd’s other books. There’s a guy who’s sworn off relationships for any number of reasons, but of course some how after a lot of ‘best friend’ stuff happening, things turn a corner.

In this first installment to the series, we get to see Francesca, our leading lady find intrigue with Hawke – a guy who’s perhaps the hottest man she’s ever seen, and also the most unattainable or so she thinks. When she chooses to be forward one day and asks him out for a drink, he accepts and we see what could be….until it isn’t.

Hawke wants a one night stand or something that’s not long term and Frankie wants romance and flowers and forever. The journey that we go on is interesting since they end things oddly when Frankie pushes him away, then changes her mind and then he walks away.

The story changes trajectory when it’s Thanksgiving and Frankie learns that Hawke is going to spend the holiday with his friend’s family, only for her to learn that the friend is her brother. These two continue to get thrown together, their chemistry undeniable and well, we spend the bulk of this story wondering what’s going to happen and what’s not.

The nice thing about these two main characters is that they both have a troubled backstory. Frankie’s mom died when she was 12 from cancer, and her father killed himself just weeks after. Hawke on the other hand has an abusive father and a other who won’t walk away. IT makes them understand one another in a way that most people don’t, but it’s something that’s almost too much for Hawke to survive…..

When things seem like they are going down the right path for these two, they deal together with all the obstacles thrown their way, it’s one last one that becomes too much and we see them torn apart yet again. Just when everyone could be happy, they realize they never will be and that’s where our story ends. I know there’s a 2nd book and i hope that we get to see the badass that Frankie is come out on top. Enjoy!

Review: Combust (Electric #4) by E.L. Todd

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Title: Combust
Author:  E.L. Todd
Publisher/Year:  CreateSpace Publishing 10/11/16
Length:  280 Pages
Series:  Electric #4

Overview

Now that Volt and I are together, my life is complete. When I first met him, he wasn’t what I was looking for.

Harsh. Argumentative. And unavailable.

But now, he’s everything I ever could have dreamed of. 

My parents have met him, and of course they love him. But now my best friend since childhood needs to meet the man I’m going to marry.

I just hope she loves him as much as I do.

My Thoughts

This has been an interesting ride watching everyone self destruct but i’m glad that we’ve finally made it to the end of the journey. There are so many ways that this story could have gone, and every day we saw another angle of each and while i enjoyed it, i still have whiplash.

We are still trying to sort out how Volt and Taylor can make things work. They clearly have so much against them, allowing themselves to be their worst enemies, letting other things come in the way of what they want, but they some how manage to make it work, until they don’t. We’re spending a lot of time in this story watching them finally find their happy place. They have a routine and a rhythm that works and a path that looks at the future in a way that they could only hope. Work is better for Taylor and Volt is content in what he’s chosen as his path.

We see Taylor get closer with Volt’s parents, we see Volt really grow this impressive strong relationship with Clay – the teen that he’s tutoring, but we know that the other shoe is going to drop and when it does, it’ll be bad.

Right around Christmas, Clay comes to stay at Volt’s house since his place isn’t safe and that triggers so many things. it shows us that Clay isn’t. safe where he is and that we know that while a promise was made to keep Clay out of the orphanage, it’s likely not going to happen now. The bond that was developed throughout the last 2 books will be lost since we know that Clay will never forgive Volt.

While that’s happening, Taylor finally manages to arrange for Volt and Sara to meet and when they realize who the other is, well, that sends us into the most dramatic tailspin yet. Volt had just bought a ring for. Taylor and then gets the shock of his life when Sara tells Taylor that she has to choose between love and friendship and makes it impossible to choose Volt. She lies to Taylor to make sure she gets her way and that destroys everything good between Volt and Taylor.

Every time i think that there’s going to be a happy ending, i quickly realize that maybe not all stories are supposed to end up like that. Clay is miserable in an orphanage, with no hope of freedom or college. Volt and Taylor are torn apart again with Sara getting her way and lies are all that seem to matter now. The only good thing that’s happening these days is the relationship between Natalie and Jared. They seem pretty content with no drama (at least for now). So, that leave Derek, the friend who wants a girl but can’t seem to find the right one. I hope he gets his own spin off since he’s such a great guy. On that note – off to the next book to read. Enjoy!