Stealing Our Hearts

“Some lies we told others to protect them or ourselves; others we told ourselves for the same reason.”

CORA REILLY FOR THE WIN!!! I’ve never loved a mafia romance more than the story I just read. Our author’s expertise is unmatched. She writes with such raw talent. Her characters are both dark and light, they are complex and unique and non-traditional. It’s remarkable. 

We meet Cassio, an Underboss in Philadelphia, who is renowned as ruthless, evil, and abusive. We know next to nothing about him, except that his late wife died under mysterious circumstances and he is now, at thirty one years old, promised to Giulia, a freshly eighteen year girl with a affection for sunflowers. These two could not be more different. Where Cassio demands respect and cooperation, Giulia is defiant and individualistic. She does not want to “obey” Cassio, as much as he demands it. But then, we begin to catch glimpses of a different side of him. He is gentle, sweet even. He cares for Giulia, even when he doesn’t recognize it himself. As our story unfolds, Giulia is tasked with taking care of Cassio’s two children, Daniele and Simona. Daniele is only two years old and Simona is four months when they are first married. As still mostly a child herself, Giulia has no experience with children and struggles daily with trying to navigate the household. As time passes, Giulia’s bond with the children grows, as does her affection towards Cassio. She gets under his skin and demands certain things of him that no one has before. She asks him to step up as a husband and a father, something he never considered. Watching these two interact and dance around their feelings for so long was positively fascinating. The way that Reilly writes these two characters is magnificent. They are so convoluted. Cassio, more so than Giulia. Cassio has to carry the weight of being a merciless leader in his world so that his power is not undermined while also navigating his love life. He is so confused in the beginning by Giulia. She frustrates him yet he’s undeniably attracted to her. He can’t resist her, though she doesn’t use it to her advantage. Giulia takes her time with him, she feels him out and allows him ample space to get comfortable with her. As naive as she is, she still demands respect from him and doesn’t take no for an answer.

As you read this book and learn more about the relationship between Cassio and his children, I think you’re heart will begin to turn in the direction that mine took. Daniele became my favorite character. He became the person I most looked forward to hearing about while reading. He had such an intricate personality and such a sweet, tortured soul. A little boy who lost his mother, and, in turn, lost his ability to speak. His relationship with Giulia was something so special, it’s difficult to put into words. Taking on the role of a mother at eighteen has to be challenging, but the extra baggage that came with it? I can’t imagine. Our author put so much into this story, it’s extraordinary. As I said previously, I’ve never loved a mafia romance more. This was my first time reading Cora Reilly. I took a chance because LJ Shen commented on how incredible she is and I couldn’t resist that recommendation. I am so glad I gave this story a whirl. 5 stars.

“There’s nothing I hate about you,” he murmured. 

We’re written in the stars.

This gorgeous story is a Romeo and Juliet(ish) tale with it’s own modern day spin. Two households, the fathers hate each other, the mothers don’t exist (really) and the boy and girl fall in love at first sight.  It’s one of my favorite stories. I’m a huge instalove person. I think it’s so romantic. So anyway our leading man, Graham, goes under cover and pretends to be Eva’s body guard after his father has her kidnapped. Graham and Eva instantly connect and pretty soon they can’t keep their hands off of each other.

Well, eventually it all comes to an end, as good things always do, and Graham has to reveal himself to Eva. She of course loses all trust in him, but also finds out some very interesting facts about her family. She is heartbroken, but then…she starts to heal. Slowly but surely. She figures out what she wants to do with her life and she starts over. Watching her overcome her previous fears and learn how to navigate life on her own is something truly special. She also reconnects with her mother and that’s also sweet to watch. 

This is a thoughtful, beautiful story on the impacts of suicide and mental illness in our society today. Eva’s brother committed suicide a year before our story begins and she struggles with the loss of him every single day. It tore her family a part and it left her a shell of a person. Eva is able to start living again when she meets Graham. He helps her dive down deep and discover what it is that she really wants out of life. His is a very special love, not easily found. Their bond is unbreakable, throughout time and space. It’s apparent when they first meet that it’s all or nothing with these two lovebirds. I’m so glad they decided to give it their all. This story was fun and full of life and love. It was though-provoking and charming. To me, it’s really important to keep opening up about topics like suicide, because these aren’t issues we should sweep under the rug, these are real people who struggle every single day. I always appreciate when an author is brave enough to jump in head first with those kinds of topics, it shows great strength and true talent, when done well. Our author, Kristen Granata, wooed me with the beginning of this novel, hooked me in the middle, and stole my heart at the end. I’m a true fan now, and I’m so thankful she asked me to be a part of her ARC team. I can’t believe what I would have been missing out on, had I said no! This story deserves to be heard. 5 stars!

“You feel like home to me.”

“I’ll love you until the day I stop breathing.”

This book was ROUGH. It gutted me. This story has cheating in it. Like straight up, sleeping with someone else, cheating. You guys might find this impossible to believe, but up until this point, none of the romance books I’ve read/reviewed have had cheating in them. So I just discovered, tonight, that this is a trigger for me. That was awesome (not). Definitely not really something I wanted to figure out on a casual Friday night. I was not prepared for the emotional outcry that my body experienced. That was very painful. 

So this story was definitely an interesting one. The beginning of it was incredible and captivating and left me all warm and fuzzy. But when it’s too good to be true early on, you know something bad is going to happen. The impending doom kept weighing down on my ability to fully enjoy the story. So, of course, against my therapist recommendations, I read the ending of the novel. It made me feel a bit better, but it still didn’t really help the horrible feelings I was having. Well, I got to the bad part…and then it got worse. And even after that it got MORE worse. It kept getting worse and worse until I wasn’t sure I would be able to finish the book because I was crying so hard, I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I made it though, I survived. But at what cost? I’m currently in book depression. I know a book hangover is a common phrase when you’re talking about finishing a really good book and being super sad that it’s over. But that’s not what I’m feeling. I’m straight up depressed right now. Like I need some chocolate and a hot bath because I don’t know how to solve this. SIX MONTHS. Why would Jack wait six months. I mean, I understand there were actual reasons behind everything that he did, but I could barely breathe by the end of this book. Everything that he said and did at the end didn’t make up for the stuff in the middle, in my opinion. I’m being VERY vague right now, in the event that any of you want to read this book. I don’t want to spoil anything. 

Jack is probably one of my favorite male leads. Except for the whole cheating issue, he really opens up and allows himself to grow after he meets Cassie. It’s brave. He’s spectacular. Now Cassie on the other hand, she is just annoying. She’s petty and immature. When she first meets Jack, she’s just rude to him. Thwarting is advances is one thing, but she purposefully attacks him and it’s not cool. Even when he does make the mistake of cheating, she doesn’t listen to what he has to say, she just erases him from her life. It’s only later when she realizes that he’s not going to chase her anymore does she jump back on that train. It’s irritating.

This book was a 3 star read for me. I finished the book and it made me cry A LOT but not in a good way, as I explained earlier. My heart is hurting right now and I’m not okay. Obviously, my review is simply that: mine. If you’ve read and enjoyed this book, I’d love to chat about it and hear your views. If not, read it for yourself and let me know how it makes you feel. I’m going to read something light to hopefully soothe this ache. 

“I don’t know how to recover from this…from you.”

“Forgetting is pretending it never happened,” Max said. “You need to remember and remember and remember, until it has no power over you anymore.”

Wow. This story. There’s a reason it’s rated a full five stars on Amazon. Emma Scott is so gifted in the art of storytelling. I wasn’t prepared for this book, that’s for sure. If you know anything about my experience and growth when it comes to children in books, you might have guessed who my favorite character was in this one: Olivia. Holy hell, she is the cutest, smartest, most precious child and I’m obsessed with her. But seriously, she’s wicked smart, just like her daddy. Speaking of her father, Sawyer is everyone woman’s dream man. He’s incredibly smart (eidetic memory), driven, and compassionate. He raises Olivia on his own after she is abandoned on his doorstep by her mother, an ex-lover of Sawyer’s. He does everything he possibly can to make sure she is happy and healthy, all while he is in law school, studying to be a lawyer. He makes time for his daughter on the weekends and evenings and gives her extra loving when he can. He’s perfect, but he’s angry. He is becoming a lawyer as justice for his mother who was killed by a drunk driver. He has a very narrow-minded view of the law and the people who break it. 

That brings us to Darlene. Our sweet, spunky leading lady, who is a recovering addict. She moves clear across to country in order to give herself a fresh start. She moves into a three story house, where she meets Sawyer and Olivia, her neighbors. She’s attracted to Sawyer from the moment she lays eyes on him, but she’s promised herself that she would focus on her and not get into a relationship with a man for a year. She’s doing well, except that she keeps crossing paths with Olivia and Sawyer and soon enough, Olivia has taken a liking to her. The relationship between our two lovers grows as they become more and more like a family. Of course, something (or rather someone) comes and throws a wrench into the plans, ruining any chances of a happily ever after for this sweet group. Through perseverance and strength, our couple is able to overcome all odds and obtain their HEA. 

I really loved every moment I spent with this story. Emma Scott truly has a way with words. She’s powerful and masterful and her stories are always so enjoyable. They have just the right amount of drama infused in them to bring tears to your eyes, but not leaving you a wailing mess. 5 stars for this beauty! 

“She’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Maybe in the end, we both needed to be rescued without realizing it.

This novel is advertised as a second chance romance, and I guess in a way it is, for Decker. Delaney though? This is a first chance romance for her since she completely lost her memory and is meeting Decker for the first time, all over again. This was a very interesting story. I sort of thought that maybe Dell would eventually get her memory back or something, but nope! She has actual brain damage and her memories are lost forever. She has to relearn how to use a cellphone and she gets to go shopping at the mall for the first time in her life (again). It’s so much fun to witness her get excited about the smallest of things.

Delaney was attacked. We don’t get much details on what happened, but we know she was bludgeoned and it caused her significant brain damage. She was in a coma for nine days, and when she woke up, she didn’t even know her own name. No one came to claim her in the hospital, she was all alone. One day, Decker shows up to the hospital to visit his mother, after a routine surgery and hears Dell crying in her room, but he doesn’t know it’s her. When he steps into the room, everything stops. He recognizes her like the back of his hand, even though she moved away after high school. He was in love with her then and he’s pretty much in love with her now. So, obviously, when she asks him for help, after he introduces himself, he agrees. They fall into each other’s lives so easily. Decker helps Delaney get a job and get situated in her apartment. He becomes her best friend and eventually her boyfriend. They are living happily until Delaney’s past comes back to haunt her. The climax of the story is pretty terrifying, it’s true that you never really know someone. Sometimes you don’t find out someone’s true colors until it’s too late. Thankfully, Decker never falters in his love for Delaney and they finally get their own happily ever after.

I really enjoyed this novel. Solid characters and well-written. Harloe Rae has won me over yet again. Breaker is still my favorite of her books, but this one is definitely in second place! 4 stars!

“That’s how you feel to me. Oxygen. I need you, baby.”

“What if this moment, right here, is the moment that changes your life?”

This novel is Kate Stewart at her finest. This is the Kate Stewart I know and love. This is raw, real, painful storytelling. This novel rivals Heartbreak Warfare, which, in my opinion, is one of her greatest works. This is a story about real, true love. Love that defies all odds, that knows no bounds. Love that withstands the passage of time and distance. That’s what true love is though, isn’t love? Love without reservation. Unconditional love. You can’t help who you fall in love with. Lance and Harper are a perfect example of that. Harper isn’t a conventional beauty, but that doesn’t matter to Lance because he sees her for who she really is, not what she looks like. He can’t help his immediate attraction to her from the very beginning. And Harper, as naive and innocent as she is, can’t help her curiosity about Lance. They begin as friends, sharing a workout space. Her, dancing, and him, boxing. As time continues, they become increasingly intimate. Their connection is unreal. It’s electric and it’s forever. 

“She’s a six at most, why are you wasting time with a six?” “Add five to that.” “What?” “She’s my eleven.”

Okay, so this novel is the third and final installment of The Underdogs books. The first two books happen simultaneously, so when you’re reading the second book, it’s easy to remember everything that happened in the first because it’s happening at that very moment. It was so insanely enjoyable to read Theo and Troy’s different stories. But then we get to this one, Lance’s story. While the beginning of this story happens simultaneously with the others, that’s only the first thirty percent of the book. I was completely unprepared for how this book would effect me. Our lovers go TWO YEARS without speaking. Two freaking years and their love is still as strong as ever. Even though they’ve grown up and changed in certain ways, they are still bound together. I’m not going to spoil anything for you, dear reader, but I will say this. This is not an easy book to read. It’s rough. What I will say is, it gets better. When you’re in the thick of it and aren’t sure how you are going to fair, remember this: Stewart wants you to feel as desolate as Lance feels. You’re right there with him, along for the ride. He hits rock bottom, and so do you. I was open-mouth wailing in my bed during parts of this book because it is that excruciating, but that’s what makes the ending so much sweeter. The HEA that our lovers get it is worth it all.

Lastly, that epilogue. I mean DEAR GOD ALMIGHTY, THANK YOU! I’ve never been so pleased by an epilogue in my entire life. Stewart packaged up the entire trilogy perfectly for us and left us in a sweet, nostalgic coma. We get to check back in on Theo and Laney AND Troy and Clarissa. It is pure magic. Kate Stewart works on us with this one, my friends, but, as her books always are, it was perfection. She is a genius who knows her audience perfectly and plays to our every desire. She knows what makes us laugh, what makes us cry, what makes us feel. It takes someone really talented to evoke the kind of emotions that Stewart is able to draw from her readers. I could go on and on because I truly feel that talent like hers is a rarity. Currently, I’m laying in bed, trying to decide what to do with myself because I feel so useless after finishing this novel. I feel completely drained and exhausted. But there’s that flicker of hope still alive in me. That’s something Stewart always leaves her readers with, hope. Hope is everything. This novel deserves more than a 5 star review, but alas, that’s the best I can do. All my love and adoration, Kate. Thank you so much for this.

“She’s light, and you can’t hide light, you can’t hold it and keep it. It’s unattainable. And maybe that’s what Harper is for me – a light I can’t keep.”

“I want to come home to you every night. I want to sleep next to you, always. I want to talk about our days. I want to teach Honor what love, real love, looks like. What it means to be a family.”He cups my face in his hand and tilts it upward. I open my eyes, breath catching with each inhalation. “So what are you saying?” “I’m asking you to do life with me, Astaire.”

Bennett and Astaire. Astaire and Bennett. Could there be a more perfect couple? Like fire and ice, like good and evil, like Hades and Persephone. These two are polar opposites, but fit together so perfectly. 

This novel is centered around family. At the beginning, we find out that Bennett has lost his adopted sister, and he is planning her funeral. Simultaneously, we learn that Astaire lost her fiancé a few years prior and has been grieving ever since. Although Bennett isn’t grieving, because of his cold, dead heart, he still lost someone that was considered family. When Astaire and Bennett first meet he is downright cruel to her. She approaches him at a bar, believing him to be her blind date, and is shot down, rather brutally, by Bennett. She follows him when he leaves the bar and thus our story begins. As much as Bennett would disagree, I think he was drawn to Astaire from the very first moment he saw her. Had it been any other woman, he may have just brushed her off without a second thought, but he is continuously heartless towards Astaire. He even goes so far as to drive away a blind date while she is in the restroom. She comes back to the table to find it empty. The secondhand embarrassment that I got from a few of the scenes in this book were unreal. Like I said, Bennett is so hateful at this beginning, it’s awful. But then…there’s a huge shift. It’s indescribable. Bennett’s character arc is magnificent. You won’t believe the gorgeous transformation that he undergoes, and it’s all thanks to Astaire. She is a constant in his life, even when he doesn’t want her to be. Even when he believes that he hates her, he loves her. It’s just misplaced passion. 

Let’s not forget one of the biggest reasons for Bennett’s shift. Astaire can’t take all the credit 😉 Honor. Sweet, innocent, adorable, Honor. This kid is everything. She’s polite and attentive and respectful. Even though she grew up in foster care, and has never known a real home, she welcomes Bennett with open arms and a warm heart. Bennett and Astaire become her “parents” during this novel and it is the SWEETEST thing to watch. The discovery of love and the meaning of family are prevalent throughout the novel, specifically when Honor’s character is introduced. She is the best. Read this book and you’ll understand what I mean.

This book is phenomenal. I loved every second of it. Renshaw always brings it when she writes and this novel didn’t disappoint in the least. 5 stars!!! I can’t wait to dive into another one of Winter’s books 🙂 Wish me luck! 

There’s an ache in my chest, a deep void that wasn’t there an hour ago. And then it hits me – he didn’t have a heart, so he stole mine.

“I love you. It’s got about a million strings attached to it that could go wrong, but there it is.”

Hot mama! Another delicious, oh-so sexy tale by Fiona Cole. I absolutely adore the Voyeur series. This is the fifth book in the series, but I’ve read them all out of order. I read the fourth book first, and then the first book, and now the fifth book. So, as you can see, they are most definitely stand-alones! No need to worry there.  Another amazing thing about these books is that they’re all each a very different type of taboo romance. This one is an age-gap romance. Our leading man, Kent, is thirty eight while our leading lady, Olivia, is freshly twenty one. They meet two years prior to this novel, at the club ,Voyeur, that Kent and Olivia’s uncle, Daniel, co-own. Olivia and Kent share an incredible night together and now, two years later, they finally see each other again. The chemistry is undeniable and insatiable. The way these two move together and explore each other is in another league of its own. Daniel has very specific tastes when it comes to sex. He’s definitely much more into BDSM than any of the other books in this series. We get to experience some ass-play and breath-play which is pretty interesting! This novel definitely rivals 50 Shades. 

It’s important to note that, although the age-gap romance is really hot, it also comes with its own set of issues. Olivia is only twenty-one. Because of that, she has some maturity issues, specifically when it comes to opening herself up for criticism. Her uncle, Daniel, is the one person, she believes, has any faith in her and her abilities outside of being attractive. When she and Kent finally admit their love for one another, Kent wants to tell Daniel, his best friend, about their relationship. This is ultimately their downfall. Olivia is too afraid to admit her feelings about Kent to her uncle because of her fear of rejection and disappointment. Kent, at the same time, has experienced so much in his life, that he has a difficult time understanding where Olivia is coming from regarding her fears. He is impatient at times, and can get irritated and possessive very easily. Personally, I’m all for that, I think it’s super sexy when a man gets jealous, but for Olivia, sometimes it can be a difficult thing to overcome. 

All in all, I absolutely loved this book. I think Fiona Cole is a brilliant author and she deserves all the compliments in the world. I can’t wait to go back and read Savior and Lovers. And then…I’m dying from anticipation about the newest novel being released this year, Teacher, about Daniel finding love!! YES PLEASE!! 5 stars from me! Bravo!

“It’s easier to show the world what they want to see, but it doesn’t change who we really are.”

“And maybe that’s what love was, giving someone the power to shatter you and trusting that they wouldn’t.”

This is a gorgeous story of finding happiness again. After losing herself in her seven years of marriage, Wren finally divorces her husband and leaves for a small country town outside of Seattle. She stays there for the summer and falls in love, finds inspiration and happiness, and learns to forgive herself. This is a story worth telling. It’s not only a romance, it’s real life. It’s what people struggle with every single day. The loss of loved ones, grief, betrayal…but also hope and love and forgiveness. This story left me a sobbing mess more than once. The characters, the plot, the message of this book, everything is meant to make you feel. To elicit raw emotions from you, as the reader. It’s supposed to make you think, make you wonder about your own life. Are you happy where you are right now? Is there something else out there that you’re meant to do or find? Listen to your heart. It will show you the way.

One of my very best friends recommended this book to me, many moons ago, but it took me way too long to get around to reading it. I regret the time spent in between, I wish I would have read this book much earlier in my life. I may have done some things differently. But, like Wren, our leading lady, experiences in this story, it’s never too late to find yourself. Wren is everything I want to be. She’s strong, she fights for what she wants, she’s determined, she’s sexy and beautiful, and she desperately wants to forgive herself for her past, she just doesn’t know how. That’s why she ends up in Gold Bar, renting a cabin, all alone. She runs away from her problems, but not because she doesn’t want to face them head on, but because she needs time to herself before she can move forward with her life. It’s there, in Gold Bar, that she meets Anderson, our leading man. Anderson sees her first and when he does, all the air is sucked out of the room. He’s completely taken with her…love at first sight? Possibly, but Anderson is grieving the loss of his niece, who died seven years prior. Yes, he’s still grieving her because he feels responsible for her death. So you see, our two lovers grieve, for two different reasons, but nevertheless, they grieve. They begin to find comfort in one another as they start to open up and discuss their troubles. They cry, they laugh, they make love and slowly but surely, they fall in love. It creeps up on them, and before they know it, they can’t live without each other. It’s beautiful.

This story is about what it means to find yourself after you’ve been lost for a long time. It’s about being okay with starting again if you don’t get it right the first time. People make mistakes, we’re only human. It’s okay to realize, later in life, what you weren’t sure of before. Wren and Anderson show us what it means to fall in love again, to find self worth with the help of someone else, to heal without needing a crutch. Kandi Steiner always blows me away with her stories but I think this one might be my favorite, thus far. It’s so true and real. It speaks volumes to whoever reads it. 5 stars and the loudest applause possible for you, Kandi. I adore you. 

“Anderson is a good man, he just has scars like all beautiful and tragic things in life.”

I finally buckled down and bought this book in paperback even though it’s free to download onto my kindle on Amazon. That’s how I first found out about this book, this author, this series, that so blatantly and irrevocably changed my entire life. You see, I hadn’t been much of a reader since middle school. I worshipped Twilight, took my copy of it everywhere I went, like it was my bible. I purchased New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn as quickly as my parents would allow and stayed up all hours of the night reading and soaking in the world of Forks, Washington. What I didn’t realize was that, after reading those books and living in that world for so long, nothing would ever compare. I wouldn’t find another book for YEARS that made me feel as unconditionally devoted to characters and their world. But…about ten years later, I got a Facebook ad recommending a book about a cowboy, his family, and his life on a ranch. Was it fate or was it coincidence that this novel, too, was set in the beautiful state of Washington? The first book of the series, River’s End, was free on Amazon to download and I happened to have won a kindle in a contest at work a few months prior. The kindle sat in my closet, unused, until that day. I turned it on, downloaded the book, and began reading. About five hours later I finished with toddler-size tears running down my face. I was in shock. I couldn’t believe I had finally found a book that held my heart so completely. It was only then that I subscribed to Kindle Unlimited, so I could finish the rest of the series. LOL. And that series still isn’t over!! Leanne Davis is STILL writing books about the Rydell’s and I’ve never been more complete or felt so at home in a world as I do with this family. As I previously said, this novel changed my life completely. It’s difficult to find the words to express my gratitude and dedication to Leanne’s work, but I’ll try my best.

“I will never let anyone again hurt you over this. Do you understand me? No one will ever hurt you again.”

Jack Rydell is everything. 

He is a strong, capable, pensive, handsome, loving father, husband, and, in this book, partner. He is the world. He’s my world. He’s my Edward Cullen, if I can be so bold. There is no other comparison I could make that would do him justice, but to compare him to an immortal. At the beginning of our story, Jack is cautious and a bit hardheaded. He is wary of Miss Erin Poletti when she shows up, unannounced, to the Rydell River Ranch in desperate need of her brother, Chance. Jack hates Chance, but not without reason. Chance has shown nothing of himself but laziness and greed. He is a terrible worker and seems to be riding on the back of Jack’s brother, Joey. Erin is nothing like her brother, but Jack doesn’t know that. He sees her, and all he can picture is another no-good, rotten human, coming to cause him trouble. The reason behind Erin’s sudden appearance was the death of her mother. She had been living with her mother and her step-father for some time, and her mother committed suicide, leaving her alone with her horrid stepfather who tried to assault her. She ran to her brother, Chance, as a last resort, in hopes that she could stay with him for a while until she could get back on her feet. Little did she know that she’d find companionship and love in this big, welcoming ranch. But not without plenty of trials and tribulations.

The first person to show her kindness is Joey, Jack’s youngest brother. At only twenty, he’s still a bit of a boy in his own way. Soon enough, Erin and Joey become intimate and, through no fault of her own, Jack despises her for it. As our story carries on, Joey loses interest in Erin which doesn’t bother her one bit because she’s begins to view Jack in a new light. Jack was married once before and has two young boys. His wife died and he has been grieving her ever since. It isn’t until he realizes his feelings for Erin, that he begins to move on. It’s beautiful to watch the shift in Jack as our story progresses. 

“I can love you, Erin, and there doesn’t have to be an excuse for it. Or a reason. I can love you because you make me smile and laugh, when nothing else has for a long time. I can love you because I feel better just thinking of you, let alone, what you do to my heart when you’re near me. It’s not new. It’s not even that big of a surprise. It’s just us.”

Let’s talk the chemistry between Jack and Erin. It’s there even when you don’t realize it, at the beginning. Jack’s visceral reaction to Erin, when he first meets her, is simply because he’s already drawn to her. He doesn’t realize it and he hates himself for being attracted to someone that he deems untrustworthy. Erin is the opposite. She’s blind to her attraction to Jack because of Joey. Joey is the pretty boy of the family, he’s got a model face, gorgeous eyes, and a dazzling smile. She sees past him, to Jack, but only feels his disdain, so she never lets herself wonder. It’s only when Jack begins teaching Erin about horses and life on the ranch that she feels comfortable enough to open herself up to the idea of him. She begins to see him in a new light, especially when he’s around his boys. He’s patient and caring and it’s incredibly attractive. Erin and Jack grow to become friends before they become lovers, it’s a slow and gradual process that leaves the reader feeling desperate and passionate. Nothing feels right until Jack finally admits that he is in love with Erin. And that profession? It will blow you out of the water. In the context of this story, it’s huge. Gigantic. This love Jack feels, after years without a companion, it’s earth shattering. Erin is a little slower in her admittance. She has very poor self-esteem, so it takes her some months to believe Jack is truthful in his profession. But that makes it all the more sweeter in the end. 

Apologies about the length of this review, I know it’s much longer than most of mine, but it’s well-deserving. Leanne Davis one author that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Anytime someone asks me for a book recommendation, I always give them River’s End. To me, it’s the perfect catalyst into the romance community. It hijacked my heart and I’ve never been the same since. For this, I’m forever grateful to Leanne. This book deserve a million stars and all the accolades. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, Leanne.

He held her gaze and stood up straighter. He finally whispered, his tone nearly guttural. “Why Joey? Why did you choose Joey?”  She didn’t look away or pretend to be clueless about what he was asking. She licked her lips and whispered. “Because I didn’t know any better.”