Category: B reviews (Page 72 of 74)

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

July 5, 2012 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: Jane from Dear Author has been tweeting about how good this book is and she talked about it on the latest DBSA podcast. I’m not usually a YA reader, but I was intrigued enough about the story to request this from NetGalley.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) “I won’t tell anyone, Echo. I promise.” Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. “You didn’t do that-did you? It was done to you?” No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other…and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible. Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): This story sucked me right in from the beginning and even a Thailand holiday couldn’t tempt me away. I read it almost non stop on the plane and then stayed up late that first night to finish it. Yes, it is set in a high school, with characters who are just about to turn 18, but it felt very adult to me. Both Echo and Noah were dealing with grown up problems and, for the most part, in a grown up manner (yet it still felt authentic to their actual ages). Told in the alternating first person POV from both Echo and Noah, the story starts when Noah and Echo are both assigned to have mandatory counselling with Mrs. Collins, a new school counsellor who is part of a special funding programme. Mrs. Collins is a little too good to be true but she does have some fun quirks which make her very likeable and not just a prop.

Noah’s parents were killed in a house fire and he and his young brothers were placed in foster care. When Noah punches the biological father (his first foster father) who was beating his own son, he is labeled a risk and separated from his brothers. By the time the book starts, he has managed to regain supervised visits of them at a visitation centre for 2 hours per month. He is not allowed to know where they live or what the last name of their foster parents are, and his own experience in foster care is such that he is very mistrustful that they are being treated well. His driving ambition is to graduate high school, get a job and gain custody of his brothers so they can be a family again.

Echo is a little harder to understand at first – she has repressed memories of the events which led to her scars. Because she doesn’t know what happened, we don’t either, and the reader takes the journey with her to find out. Echo’s previous efforts to remember have led to severe mental consequences and so, while being desperate to know, she is also terrified of what it may do to her. She is also somewhat of an unreliable narrator and as the book progresses, the reader sees how her views of the people around her change as she gains insight. I actually like this quite a bit. It made sense and felt true to the journey I was taking with Echo.

For me (and no-one who reads my reviews regularly will be all that surprised by this), Noah was the highlight of the story. (There is a reason all of my highlights were from Noah’s POV.) I loved his sense of humour, like here

“You know a lot about math,” I said. You know a lot about math? What type of statement was that? Right along of the lines of “Hey, you have hair and it’s red and curly.” Real smooth.

and here

Because of the warm April night, she’d pulled her shirt up a few inches to expose her skin. At least that was the reason she gave when her fingers inched the material of her blue tank away from the small of her back. Personally, I think she did it to drive me insane

I love how he thinks.

It had been so long since I’d let myself fall for anybody. I gazed into her beautiful green eyes and her fear melted. A shy smile tugged at her lips and at my heart. Fuck me and the rest of the world, I was in love.

Noah made me smile. And Noah made me cry. His love for his brothers, his feelings for Echo and how he tried to reconcile the two, how he grew and sacrificed and forgave and accepted was just wonderful. I was glad Echo had such a wonderful hero because after all she’d been through, she certainly deserved a champion. And, that’s what Noah is for her.

I completely believed in the HEA. I’m hoping to see glimpses of them in the next book which features Beth, Noah’s foster sister, but this is one romance where even though the main characters are only both 18, I believed they could be together for the long haul.

I liked how they didn’t rush into any long term commitment or even into an intimate physical relationship until they were ready (Noah is a real gentleman). That said, the scenes where they were making out were very sensual. For a book which pretty much keeps it clean, it was very sexy and, much to my surprise, it was very satisfying for me.

Noah (and the author) understand grief. And I liked this description – which I think is 100% accurate.

“It doesn’t get better,” I said. “The pain. The wounds scab over and you don’t always feel like a knife is slashing through you. But when you least expect it, the pain flashes to remind you you’ll never be the same.”

One of the reasons I don’t read a lot of YA is that I prefer adult themes but this book, even though it features young adults, is very much about adult themes and the heat level is both appropriate and steamy at the same time.

I did think the end resolution for Noah was neat, but I was just so pleased that I didn’t care. Noah and Echo had been through so much that I wanted them to have their chance.

What else? I am finding that I’m far more interested in reading “new adult” stories than I was before this book. If there are more books out there like this one, I’d had to miss out. If you don’t usually read YA, I’d urge you to give this one a go anyway – it’s just that good. You might find, like I did, that the chance is totally worth your while. Thanks to Jane for the recommendation.

Grade: B+/A-

A Novel Seduction by Gwyn Cready

June 23, 2012 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: Mandi from Smexy Books recommended this one to me a while back and I picked it up on special from Dymocks a while ago. Of course, on special still meant $9.99 but I was having a “support your local bookstore” moment.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) When snobbish book critic Ellery Sharpe screws up at Vanity Place magazine, her boss assigns her the ultimate punishment: write an ode to romance novels, a genre she considers the literary equivalent of word search puzzles. To make matters worse, he hires her sexy former party boy ex, Axel Mackenzie, to shoot the photos.

Axel really wants the project to succeed. For one, the magazine will double his fee if he convinces strong-willed Ellery to write a story no woman can resist. Besides, getting Ellery to fall for romance novels might be just the push she needs to believe people can change…even him. At his sister’s advice, Axel gives Ellery a copy of Kiltlander, a much-adored romance whose warrior hero is utterly irresistible.

To her dismay, Ellery finds herself secretly falling in love with the story — and with Axel, who’s drawing his own lessons from the book’s compelling hero. With her carefully crafted image of herself crumbling and her dream job on the line, will Ellery risk it all to make the leap from tight-lipped literati to happily-ever-after heroine?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): No prizes for guessing what “Kiltlander” represents 🙂 Referenced too, is an historical (I’m not sure what that was based on, if anything) and a paranormal romance/urban fantasy too which is kind of a cross between the Black Dagger Brotherhood series (except with a Sisterhood, which was refreshing) and Twilight. The book stands as a defense of romance novels, while at the same time taking a gentle poke at some of the more outrageous aspects. The scene where Ellery and Axel are testing the contortions required for some of the sex scenes are pretty funny. I mean, who hasn’t wondered “can they really do that?” at some stage during a love scene? 😀

There are quite a few scenes which had me smirking actually. Ms. Cready has a witty way with words:

“Mm-mmm,” the sociologist said, making that uniquely Scottish sound that seemed to mean anything from Interesting to I don’t believe you to I think I may have left my iron on. The woman at the newsstand in the train station had made the same sound when Ellery had told her they appeared to be sold out of the New York Times.

The present-day story takes about a week, but is interspersed with sparing but revealing flashbacks from Ellery and Axel’s previous relationship. The flashback scenes showed the sparks the couple had, their initial attraction and passion for one another and then its implosion. What was nice was that I saw it from both sides and could see Axel’s regret and his baffled dismay at their final confrontation. Parsed out that way in the story, it was a very effective way of showing me their connection and helping me believe that with the experiences of 5 years in between, that they could get to a HEA in only a week.

I’m not super fond of the euphemism “bud” for clitoris – it’s a little twee for me. But I did like a lot of the descriptors used in the novel – like this, when Ellery is describing Axel’s boyfriend qualities:

He was a dating iceberg – the sort of boyfriend who looks great on the surface but has the power to sink any relationship with the dangerously bad behaviors hidden underneath.

Axel is charming and gorgeous and talented and, he’s had a revelation that he needs to grow up and be present for Ellery and not just flit about. Ellery is uptight and snobby about books but during the course of their week researching the story from hell, she has her own revelation and realises that the literati can learn from genre fiction (who’d have thunk?) and loosening up a bit and letting people in is a good thing.

I like second chance at love stories and what I particularly liked about this one is that both Ellery and Axel made mistakes and owned them and changed so that I could believe in their ultimate HEA. I did wonder a little by the end whether Ellery was shouldering a little too much of the blame. Maybe this was something about the order things were presented in the book, but it seemed she did a bit more apologising than he.

What else? For a funny novel, this has some surprisingly serious themes – a defence of the romance genre runs strongly through it and acknowledgement that romance readers aren’t ugly, fat, lonely women with no fashion sense who couldn’t get a man any other way. I liked this in particular:

Despite the heroine’s betrayal, Ellery knew things would work out between the two: That was, after all, the essential nature of romances. Yet, she couldn’t imagine how they could overcome such an obstacle and in fact found herself unable to believe it was even possible. And so, with the tension between the lovers at least as strong as that between Ellery’s critical eye and her reader’s eye, she found herself once again drawn into the story.”

This is one of the joys of romance novels for me. I know there will be a HEA (there had better be!) but those special books – the tension of how well, a good author can keep me on the edge of my seat with that.

I would have liked more in the end of just how Ellery was going to manage her career and I’m not entirely convinced that her “compromise” wasn’t (at least somewhat) caving (getting back to my earlier comments regarding her level of “blame” for the problems in their earlier relationship) but overall, I enjoyed this one and I certainly believed in the chemistry between the couple.

Grade: B-

The Virgin’s Revenge by Dee Tenorio

June 22, 2012 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I was offered a review copy and the blurb looked fun.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) If you can’t beat ’em…seduce ’em

Amanda Jackman’s love life is the stuff dreams are made of…which is fitting, because it’s all in her head. Thanks to six oversized, overbearing brothers who treat her like the family jewel, she’s lived in a padded little box.

Determined to get a life before she needs a padded little cell, she sets out to throw off the yoke and live on her own terms. Except she seriously underestimates the lengths to which her brothers will go to keep her safe and sound.

Cole Engstrom’s life might just be at an end. Cornered by all six of the massive Jackmans—men he normally considers his friends—he learns he’s their choice to marry their sister…or else. Make that first choice, but not the last.

Rather than watch Amanda’s brothers club their way through potential mates, Cole figures it’s best to just play along for a while and buy her some time to find a man of her own. It’s a good plan. Until Amanda figures it out—and decides he’s the one to relieve her of her “sheltered little virgin” status. One seduction at a time…

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Amanda has crushed on Cole for years but thought he only viewed her as a “little sister”. Cole has had the hots for Amanda for almost as long but thought she was off limits because of her big tough brothers. It is only when they are forced together by the machinations of the eldest brother Locke, that the chemistry which has been kept under wraps for so long ignites. This book takes the “big mis” and kind of turns it on its head. Part of the fun of the story is that every time either Cole or Amanda have a plan, almost immediately, the other finds out about it and re-plans accordingly. The device made those aspects of the story fun rather than annoying. Also, there was no malice to the deceptions.

I did think this was going to be a funnier book than I ended up finding it to be. Amanda has been so well looked after by her brothers that she feels incapable of doing anything for herself and in the end, the book is very much about Amanda coming into her own. So, not as funny, but satisfying on a more serious note. Cole, seeing (and overhearing – the sneak!) that Amanda lacks self confidence, sets out to help her “fly” on her own. He believes (mistakenly) that she will not want to be with him forever and she believes (mistakenly) that he is not a long term man. I’m not sure I entirely bought that Amanda didn’t believe Cole’s declaration of love when he finally fessed up – they really have been best friends for a very long time and he had never treated her like anything less than precious to him.

The chemistry between Cole and Amanda was smoking and the author did a great job of the build up of sexual tension – I found myself a little frustrated on their behalf until they finally get it on! 😀

It did have some funny bits – Amanda’s brothers “the elder twins” are dense as two short planks and their apology card was something special. Plus, I’m always one to laugh about snorting french fries up the nose.

This is a fun easy read with some sizzling chemistry, with a hot nerd hero who wants his lady to be everything she can be. Really, you gotta love a hot nerd. 🙂

What else? I haven’t read the other books in the series and I’m not sure what effect (if any) that had on my reading experience. I bet that the next book will be about Locke and Susie and I think they have a secret….!

Grade: B-

This book is out on 3 July from Samhain.

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley, narrated by Carolyn Bonnyman

June 20, 2012 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I enjoyed The Rose Garden on audio recently and picked this one up on special from Audible.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) From the winner of the Catherine Cookson Fiction Prize, this mesmerizing, suspenseful, and richly atmospheric tale of time travel draws us into the heart of a heroine we won’t soon forget…The first time Julia Beckett saw Greywethers she was only five, but she knew at once that it was her house. Now, twenty-five years later, by some strange chance, she has just become the new owner of the sixteenth-century Wilshire farmhouse. But Julia soon begins to suspect that more than coincidence has brought her there. As if Greywethers were a portal between worlds, she finds herself abruptly transported back in time. Stepping into seventeenth-century England, Julia becomes Mariana, a beautiful young woman struggling against danger and treachery, and battling a forbidden love for Richard de Mornay, handsome forebear of the present squire of Crofton Hall. Each time Julia travels back, she becomes more enthralled with the past, falling ever deeper in love with Richard… until one day she realizes Mariana’s life threatens to eclipse her own–and that she must find a way to lay the past to rest, or risk losing a chance for love in her own time.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): The blurb above does a fairly good job of letting you know what the book is about without revealing any massive spoilers. And there are some massive spoilers I will be avoiding – to know them early would truly spoil the impact of the book’s surprising ending.

Rather than being strictly a time-travel story, this one employs the device of reincarnation to explain events – well, mostly. Julia Beckett, present day, is the reincarnation of Mariana Farr from 16th century Restoration England. Once she moves into Greywethers, she starts experiencing strange episodes where she “becomes” Mariana, former Greywethers resident. Mariana has no awareness of Julia however and, the physical actions (walking, moving from place to place) Mariana takes, Julia mimics in the present day – so if Mariana walks from Greywethers to the river, then Julia also takes that walk – which places her in some odd situations from time to time.

Mariana moves to the country after her mother dies of plague. She lives with her Uncle Jabez Howard, a strict puritanical man and a supporter of Cromwell, his wife Caroline (and their baby son John) and her sister Rachel. Mariana meets Richard De Mornay and is instantly fascinated by him. But, she is warned by her uncle that Richard is a libertine and forbids her to have anything to do with him. Because the story swings in and out of the 16th century, there book is episodic and there isn’t a lot of Richard. The book is told from Julia/Mariana’s first person POV and that also restricts the reader’s knowledge of Richard. The book is about 11 hours long and up until about the 8 or 9 hour mark, I couldn’t have told you whether Richard was toying with a girl from a lower social station or whether he he was deeply in love. Fortunately for my romantic soul, there is enough in the latter stages of the book to satisfy me that Richard was on the side of the angels.

In the present day, Julia begins a relationship with the current lord of the manor, Geoffrey De Mornay and for much of the book, I admit to a certain frustration in the development of this relationship. Julia believes that Geoff is the current incarnation of Richard but he has no memory of it (when she eventually tells him) and he poignantly asks her if when she looks at him, she sees Richard or Geoffrey. He backs off to give her some space to work it out and is out of the picture for much of the last portion of the book. While I understood that he needed to be away so that she could go off wandering in a present day trance in his house (while Julia was Mariana in the 16th century), it limited the development of their romance. I had a feeling that the historical love story might not end on a happy note and I wanted the payoff in the present day.

Ms. Kearsley writes very much closed bedroom door. There’s not a lot of kissing and certainly no actual sex scene. I found myself wondering how far Julia and Geoff had progressed physically – there was mention of a few kisses and some dates over a period of months and I wondered about this relationship which seemed, to me, to be on the tepid side for such a great love story.

Without giving anything (more?) away, I will say this. The end section of the book, which totally surprised me, moved me and had my heart pounding has it all making sense. And I was glad.

I could have wished for more interaction with Richard – it would have been nice to be certain of his genuine love for Mariana earlier in the piece and as I’m a hero-centric reader, I did feel the lack.

What else? Carolyn Bonnyman did a wonderful job of the narration. Ian, a close friend of Geoff’s and a major secondary character in Julia’s daily life is from Scotland and her Scottish accent was just perfect. As she is British and the story is set in England, her voice had that authenticity of accent which just adds to an audiobook experience. She was able to differentiate the various accents of class but there wasn’t a lot of difference between the male and female voices and there were times I relied on the dialogue tags or wished there were more of them to make it clear who was speaking. I could have wished for a deeper “hero” voice but otherwise, her narration was pitch perfect – in terms of the pace and tone and atmosphere of the story.

I do think 1st person books work especially well on audio – perhaps there will be a post in that one day – but I think it boils down to the illusion of the narrator in the story telling you the story (as opposed to a storyteller telling a story) and there is something intimate and special about that experience I think.

I have listened to 2 Susanna Kearsley books now and I think she writes beautiful, evocative stories with a clever mix of past and present. While I don’t always understand the time travel/reincarnation thing, I’m fascinated by the idea of it and I think it makes for a great story. I’m also a fan of the idea of epic love which crosses and outlasts time. If I had my druthers, they’d have a little more of the hero and a little more heat (it doesn’t have to be erotic, but I would like some – or even a love scene) but so much else of her writing suits me so well, I feel sure that I’ll be reading and listening to many more of her books.

Grade: B+

Slow Summer Kisses by Shannon Stacey

June 19, 2012 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I’m a fan of Shannon Stacey’s Kowalski series. I think she writes really good, fun, sexy contemporaries. I picked this one up at NetGalley in the Editor’s Choice Vol 1 edition. I’m not sure if/when I’ll get to the other stories – the main reason for my interest was this novella.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Anna Frazier is used to living life at 100 mph, but being downsized out of a job in the financial industry has her permanently stalled. With nowhere to go, go, go, Anna hails a cab to her grandparents’ neglected New Hampshire camp to plan her next move. It seems like a good idea—until she realizes there’s no takeout to be had and the boy next door has grown into a sexy but surly recluse.

Cameron Mayfield knows he can kiss his peace and quiet goodbye when Hurricane Anna blows in. She was loud and bossy as a ten-year-old—and besides developing some attractive curves, she hasn’t changed. Cam’s not looking for a relationship, especially not with a woman like Anna. He nearly broke down on that road once before. So why can’t he stop thinking about her?

It’s not long before their sizzling attraction leads to smoking-hot kisses. But as the days get shorter, Anna must decide if she’s found a new road to happiness, or just taken a detour.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I’m a hero-centric reader and I think Shannon Stacey writes excellent contemporary heroes. They’re realistic. They talk and act like men – they hate shopping and dithering over which plants to buy (flowers are flowers after all) or which particular shade of white to paint a window trim. They’re also funny and sexy and good guys. Cam has withdrawn from the rat race after seeing it kill his father. It cost him his marriage but he’s found peace at Askaskwi Lake and he’s not going back to that “gotta-get-ahead-no-matter-what” world.

Anna is all fast paced, making lists and being busy and Cam has to teach her to relax and take a break. She’ll probably never be as good as it as he is but she does appreciate the absence of gastric discomfort that being away from her high stress job brings. However, she’s also worked very hard to get where she is and she doesn’t want to just walk away from a career she’s put so much effort into and in which, as it happens, she excels. For all that Anna is a high maintenance lady (just as well Cam is a handyman – ha, geddit! :D), she is not a bitch. She’s capable and smart and busy but she’s also kind and a bit lonely.

Cam and Anna’s initial reaction to each other is a bit oil/water and it is NOT helped by the fact that she is a Yankees fan and he’s Boston Red Sox all the way. (It’s a bit like the Crows and the Power here – random AFL reference – I gather). Regardless of Cam’s baseball allegiance, there’s plenty about him she can appreciate:

…while she was, in fact, watching a shirtless Cam Mayfield swing a hammer. And what a view it was, all tanned flesh and rippling muscles. She should probably feel guilty about using his body as her entertainment, but she didn’t have cable.

I enjoyed the banter between the two. It felt real and adult while at the same time being funny and sexy and showing the genuine open affection between them.

Cam stared blankly at the menu in his hand, his mind on everything but the food choices. He’d kissed her. In the paint section of a home-improvement warehouse, no less. Classy.

“I’m having a cheeseburger,” Anna said. “With fries smothered in vinegar and salt.”

“I told you I wouldn’t kiss you again. You don’t have to poison your mouth.”

“Very funny. What are you having?”

“Something with onions and garlic.”

And, there’s this:

He wasn’t a cuddler or a spooner, preferring to sleep on his opposite side…

At last! From a vox pop of my friends and family, this is actually pretty common outside romance novels (it certainly is in my house) so it was nice to see a romance hero who likes his own space in the bed.

The couple reach a reasonable compromise in the end, which I believe will satisfy both of their needs without either having to give up what is essential to them. I loved that.

I could happily have read a full length story featuring these two and I did feel that the end was somewhat rushed. I also thought Anna’s reaction to Cam’s confession of love was a bit odd – almost like she didn’t hear him when he said “I love you Anna”. But these are small niggles in an otherwise delightful fun and sexy book. I recommend. 🙂

What else? I learned that “camp” is a New England term for a holiday cabin used mainly either for snow or in the summer – what we Australians call a “shack”. See, you really do learn stuff from romance novels! 🙂 Now, if someone would tell me what “steak tips” are….

Grade: B+

Sharing Hailey by Samantha Ann King

June 14, 2012 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I picked this one up at NetGalley because I liked the blurb.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Hailey Anderson’s deep, dark secret? She’s been madly in lust with her overprotective brother’s two best friends for years. Gorgeous woodworking artist Mark Allen and sexy doctor Tony Adamo have no idea they star in her fantasies every night.

After a nasty breakup with her abusive boyfriend, Hailey’s looking for a little distance. Headed for a two-week Hawaiian vacation with her brother and his hot friends, Hailey can’t wait to feast her eyes on Mark’s and Tony’s rock-hard, ocean-slick bodies. Even if she can’t touch.

But instead of treating her like their little sister, Mark and Tony have a surprising proposition: a monogamous ménage à trois. The three of them—and no one else. Both men want Hailey and have agreed to share her. The red-hot reality is even better than the forbidden fantasy. Until Hailey’s ex threatens their newfound happiness…

What worked for me (and what didn’t): There was much about this book I loved. The connection between Tony, Mark and Hailey was clear from the start – they have been best friends for many years. Even though in the blurb they’re described as her brother’s best friends, really, they are hers also. Living in the same city, they hang out regularly – although less so since her relationship with Daniel began. The book begins shortly after her breakup with Daniel. It took her a long time to realise he was bad for her, but when he started getting violent – pushing her, shaking her and leaving bruises, she called it quits.

The book is told from Hailey’s third person POV so we don’t get to spend any time in Tony or Mark’s head, which was a little disappointing. It seems that Mark is the more kinky of the pair and it was initially his suggestion that they try “sharing” Hailey. The way they put it to her is not as squicky as it sounds though – both, either or neither is fine, but they wanted to give her all the options. As she loves both of them, once she gets over her initial concerns about a threeway relationship, she’s on board.

The sex is certainly hot and there are scenes with Hailey/Tony and Hailey/Mark and also with all three. There is even one scene where, caught up in the moment, Mark and Tony kiss. Mark is more willing to identify as bi but this freaks Tony out a bit. Unfortunately, that aspect of their relationship wasn’t very well explored – the story went off into the suspense plot and never really got back to whether or not the physical relationship would develop further between the men. Having made it an issue in the book, I felt let down that it wasn’t explored. I admit I do like m/m action in my m/f/m books, but if it hadn’t been raised, or had merely been mentioned as not ever happening, I would have been fine with that – because the relationship between each of the men with Hailey was so hot and the men were good friends, I could go with it. But, having teased me with glimpses of intimacy, I felt disappointed when it didn’t really go anywhere.

The middle portion of the book lagged a bit for me. I was much more interested in the relationship between Tony, Mark and Hailey – how they were going to work it out, whether there was any jealousy between the two men from time to time – again, some of this was hinted at, but not really explored. Parts of the middle felt a little like a social commentary on domestic violence – and quite pessimistic at that (although perhaps validly so) and when the focus wasn’t on the trio, I found myself skimming.

But the beginning and the end do feature the relationship mainly (even if the ending depicts their relationship in the shadow of violence, the focus is still on Hailey and the boys), and they were the parts of the book I enjoyed the most.

What else? I am hoping that this author has more to write about this world – Hailey’s sister-in-law’s brother, Landon or his other sister, Meredith, all look like good potential MC’s to me and maybe we’ll get a glimpse in the future of how Hailey, Mark and Tony are getting on.

While there were things which I didn’t love in this book and things which I wish had been more fully explored, I did enjoy this one. There was something good about the writing and the way the author put the words together in the sentence that raised it to another level and she can certainly write good sex. I was so invested in the relationship between the three that I wanted more of it and most of my frustration was ultimately because I cared about the characters. I’ll be watching for more from this author.

Grade: B-