Love Me Not by Reese Ryan - Review and Giveaway

Title: Love Me Not
Author: Reese Ryan
Release date: December 30th, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tour: Irresistible Reads Book Tours

SYNOPSIS:

 Abandoned by a mother who chose drugs over her, Jamie Charles barely got out of her own addiction alive. Now, she pours her pain into her art while pouring drinks at a local bar. To Jamie, love is a four-letter word—until she meets Miles, a charming ad exec with piercing blue eyes who makes no secret about his desire for her.

Miles Copeland has family demons of his own, but his unhappy upbringing drove him toward hard work and success. He's determined to win Jamie over, and when he finally does, it's worth every moment he spent waiting. But when he confesses that he's falling for her, she panics. Sex is one thing, but love requires more than she can give.

Jamie can't deny her feelings, but she's haunted by her past. Miles knows his heart, but Jamie's lingering doubts have him questioning their future. It might take the threat of losing him forever for her to realize that refusing to let love in is the worst mistake of all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Reese Ryan writes sexy, contemporary romance featuring a multicultural cast of flawed, but lovable
characters. She secretly enjoys torturing her heroines with family and career drama, reformed bad boys, revealed secrets, and the occasional identity crisis, but always rewards them with supportive girlfriends and a happily ever after.

An avid reader, Reese's to-be-read stack resembles a small skyscraper. She adores brilliant singer/songwriters, and has an incurable addiction to musicals and movie soundtracks. She is a lifelong Midwesterner currently residing in Central North Carolina with her husband and young adult son who tolerate her propensity to sing and dance badly.

Official Website: www.ReeseRyan.com             Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReeseRyanWrites

MY THOUGHTS:

4 out of 5 stars.

Love Me Not is the second book in the Bad Boys Gone Good series.  You can find my review of the first book, Making the First Move, here.

Jamie Charles is one tough cookie.  Abandoned by both of her parents, a drug and alcohol-riddled past and a slew of purely physical relationships have allowed her to "survive".  And that is all she does.  She survives.  Living without emotion is safe and easy - nobody gets hurt.

Until somebody DOES get hurt when Jamie crashes her car into a minivan after a night of drinking.  

Realizing that she is cruising down a path of self-destruction, Jamie gives up the drugs and tries to tone down her lifestyle a bit and grow-up.  Still, nobody gets past the solid brick fortress she has built around herself over time.  Not her adoptive family, not her oldest friend, not her co-worker.

Certainly not a customer that happens to walk into the bar while she works.

Nope, definitely not the extremely good looking single man, with the black BMW and affluent upbringing.  Nope.  Not him.  Not Miles.

Miles Copeland is in Cleveland on business.  Desperate to prove to his estranged father that he can make it without him, he is career driven to the point of obsession.  Until the night he walks into a bar and meets his match.

Two people...two walls...that both slowly start tumbling down.

I absolutely loved the chemistry between Jamie and Miles.  I make no secret that I am not a fan of the sappy syrupy love story and this book gives you so much more.  These two though, gah...the layers!  They had the perfect balance of wit, humor, and tenderness that made me believe in them.  

I could totally understand Jamie's need to separate herself from anything that might hurt...the girl has had a tough life and who wouldn't want to keep the pain from happening again, no matter what it cost.  And Miles...as a self-acknowledged fixer in my own right, there was much nodding and silent agreeing at his need to show Jamie that love, that feeling, that trusting another person is worth the risk.  

What they don't realize is that his determination and her brutal honestly are exactly what the other one needs and what begins as a spark begins to burn brightly.

Just a few things I feel like I need to note...while this book is the second in the series, it actually takes place a bit before the first book.  There is a bit of overlap in the end, but not much.  Not realizing this when I started reading, I was a bit confused as to why a character in the first book was not where we left her when her story ended :) but after figuring out the timing of Love Me Not, it was smooth sailing.

Also, there are mentions of drug abuse and sexual abuse that may cause triggers in some readers, however these situations are part of the characters' past and are important in understanding why they act as they do.  Ms Ryan writes theses moments with respect and with care.

Love Me Not is a solid second book in a series that I look forward to following.  If you are looking for a Contemporary Romance that will keep you warm during these cold winter days, you can't go wrong with Jamie, Miles, and their story.  

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast: Holiday Heat by Noelle Adams

Holiday Heat by Noelle Adams
(Love for the Holidays)
Publication date: November 6th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

 

 

SYNOPSIS:

Available exclusively in Love for the Holidays (five book Christmas bundle)
After being hit with heartbreaking tragedy, Carrie has thrown herself into a hot, secret relationship with Matt. With Christmas approaching, she realizes she might want even more from her sexy, damaged artist, but the boundaries around their relationship make anything deeper than sex impossible.

Matt was the rising star of the art world, but he hasn’t painted since a tragic accident two years ago. His passion for Carrie finally inspires him, but first he must convince her that the heat between them is far more than just sex.

 

Holiday Heat is available exclusively in Love for the Holidays, a five book Christmas bundle that will be on sale for just $.99 from December 11 through December 24!

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

Noelle hand wrote her first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she teaches English, reads any book she can get her hands on, and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel.

She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances.

Links: 

http://noelle-adams.com/

https://twitter.com/NoelleAdams3

https://www.facebook.com/NoelleAdamsAuthor

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6572847.Noelle_Adams

 EXCERPT:

 “What’s so funny?” he demanded.

“Nothing. It’s just that you’re not exactly the kind of guy a girl would just dig up for an

acceptable date to a family party.” Matt was more like dream-date material. She never would

have had the courage to ask him out had she run into him in any normal way.

“What does that mean?” To her surprise, he actually sounded offended. “I can be an acceptable

date.”

“What are you getting all grouchy about? I just meant you’re too good to be dug up from the

bottom of the heap.”

“Oh.” His expression relaxed. “That’s all right then.”

She couldn’t help but giggle again at his quickly changing emotions. He was definitely an artist.

“Now you’re all pleased with yourself again. I’ve never met a man with such pomposity.”

He slid his hand down her spine and kept it at the small of her back as he walked with her to the

front door. “What did you say I have?”

“Pomposity.”

“I’m not sure that’s really a word.”

“Of course it is. It’s the state of being pompous. Look it up. The dictionary will cross-list the

word with ‘Matthew Lynch’.”

Review: Season of Second Chances by Brighton Walsh

From Goodreads:

When a storm strands Claire Hanlin in Chicago on Christmas Eve, the last person she expects to come to her rescue is Logan Dawes, the man she almost married two years ago. The chemistry between them is dangerously potent, but with nowhere else to go, Claire accepts Logan's offer to stay with him for the night.

Back in the home they shared, surrounded by reminders of Logan and his young daughter, Claire begins to realize how much she misses the family she almost had. After a few cups of Christmas cheer, she falls right back into her ex's arms-even though she knows it means setting herself up for heartbreak all over again.

The magic of the season has thrown him together with the woman he's never stopped loving, and Logan's not about to pass up this gift. He's not the workaholic he was two years ago-his family comes first. Now all he has to do is prove it to Claire, before the snow stops and she flies out of his life for good.

My rating:  5 stars

I don't know what it is about this blog that makes me spill my guts, but I have another confession to make -- instead of being in the holiday spirit, I have been a bit more of a Grinch.  A Scrooge.  The grumpy foreman elf on the Rudolph Christmas Special.  Bah.  Humbug.   

But acknowledging a problem is the first step, so when I heard about this Contemporary Romance novella from Brighton Walsh, I jumped on the chance to read it.  I reviewed her Plus One a few months ago, and I absolutely love the way she tells a story.

That, and I'm really really excited for her.

So combine all of that with the fact that Season of Second Chances a holiday-centric story and reading this novella was an obvious choice.

And I loved it.

This is a story about, well...fate and second chances.  This wasn't a boy calling a girl up and asking for forgiveness.  Or an unavoidable run-in because of mutual friends.  This was a snowstorm and two canceled flights - neither one of which could Claire or Logan had any control over.  Maybe it is a little bit of the romantic in me coming out, but I am a huge believer in signs.

You don't fight fate.  Because you will lose every time.

Especially when fate brings you Logan.  Gah. 

Brighton Walsh knows her way around good swoon and she does not disappoint with Logan.  Typically I am not one to get all doe-eyed about a doting single dad, but there was something about this one that made me rethink my choices.  Just looking at a bottle of nail polish makes me all fluttery because omg, the cuteness!

I think what I loved most about this novella...besides Logan...was the way the characters all seemed to make sense.  They worked with each other.  The relationships were believable and there was no crazy drama that distracted from the intended path of this story.  This story could happen.

And by the time I finished it, I felt like this:

If you're looking for a fun, sweet, swoony read that will make sure to leave you with a serious case of the warm and fuzzies, I can't recommend Season of Second Chances enough.  You can thank me later.  

Review: Louder Than Love by Jessica Topper

In this powerful debut novel, a young librarian grieves the loss of her husband...and discovers a love that defies classification.

It's been over three years since a train accident made a widow of Katrina Lewis, sending her and her young daughter Abbey back to the suburban town of her youth...the only place that still makes sense. Lauder Lake is the perfect place to hide and heal.

Recluse rocker Adrian "Digger" Graves survived the implosion of his music career, but his muse has long lain dormant. Until Kat hires him to play at her library—not on the basis of his hard rock credentials but rather, because of the obscure kids' TV jingle he wrote years ago. In a case of mistaken identity, Adrian stumbles into the lives of Kat and her comically lovable daughter.

Using tattoos as a timeline, Adrian unfurls his life for Kat. But as the courtship intensifies, it's unclear whose past looms larger: the widow's or the rocker's. Will their demons ever rest, or will they break these soul mates apart?

I'm going to go ahead and get this little tidbit out of the way.  I'm going to put it all out there.  I am embracing my past.

**deep breaths** 


Confession time...I may or may not have had a slight crush on the blue Wiggle back in the day.



Do.  Not.  Judge.

Ok, now that that's out of the way, I can get back to talking about this story and what I liked so much about it  :)

I've read a lot of romance and while I'm almost always entertained and enjoy the stories, I don't always connect with the characters.  I totally connected with Kat.  I get her.  Her reclusive tendencies make total sense to me.  She has been hurt by something completely out of control and she is determined to protect both herself and her daughter.  Makes complete sense.

BUT...I also have a thing for musicians.  They make me swoon and giggle and blush like I'm 13 so I get the draw she feels for Adrian.  And as a writer of children's music, he is obviously safe.

What she doesn't know about Adrian at first, however is that children haven't always been his audience of choice.  He also has ghosts in his past and events that have altered his path in life.

And I think that is what appeals to me so much about this book.  That even with everything that has happened to Kat and to Adrian, the pull between them is so intense that they are forced to take risks.  They can't ignore the chemistry and pretend that they are content with their lives.  They start to live again.

There was a maturity to this book that pulled me in and made me feel.  I didn't have the "awwwww" moments and the "gah, I remember those days".  It was more a book of **fist pumps** and "unfs" and "I want to trace your scars".  It was intensely mature...does that make any sense at all?

I often say that the reason I read so much YA is that as a wife and mother and someone closer to 40 than she cares to admit, I don't want to read about my problems.  But every once in a while, I find a book that reminds me that being a grown up isn't all that bad.

And if there happens to be a guitar thrown in the mix somewhere, all the better.

Guest Posting on Contemporary Romance Cafe

I was lucky enough to be a guest blogger on Contemporary Romance Cafe today -- you can read about the 3 books I rec'd by clicking on the link below:

http://contemporaryromancecafe.com/may-contemporary-romance-recommendations/

One thing I have learned over the past few weeks is that the book blogging community is very welcoming and friendly.  I am super excited to be a part of it.