Review ~ Without You by Reylynn Purdue

ebook received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review for the tour.

Release Date: January 29th 2015

Description:
Roxanne Daniels was supposed to be spending her summer getting ready to head off to Julliard. That was the plan. 

But that was before-- Before she found her mother’s lifeless body-- Before she walked in on her boyfriend in bed with someone else. Before she knew what heart shattering pain felt like.

Now all she wants is for the pain to go away. But it never does.

Until him. A complete stranger who could end up being much more.

But letting go and moving on is easier said than done.

My Opinion

I'm on the fence about this read. Whilst I enjoyed Without You, I did have issues with it.

Firstly, it is a long read especially for a romance, but I made it to the end so something kept me reading. It was a weird type of enjoyment, it both frustrated me and I wanted to know what was happening in the end. There was something weirdly intriguing about Roxy and Jordan's relationship. I wanted them to get their HEA, and I wanted them to grow and develop, especially Roxy seeing as she was so broken. Despite my issues, they were a couple I rooted for and wanted to see do well.

However, unfortunately their relationship was hindered by the length of this book. Whilst it held my interest, sections were repetitive and it could have done with some things taking out to speed up the pacing. They always felt like they were arguing, crying, breaking up, whining, or then having sex on a constant cycle--and the sex was always closed doors. I have nothing against that, but the author described so much of the build up, she could have put it in.

Moreover, why were all of the guys controlling assholes? I hated the way Roxy's family (brother, dad, and Brent) had a say over every aspect of her life and the fact she let them. Her character felt inconsistent in this sense because at times she was incredibly feisty while at others she fell apart. The motives and reasons needed more work for me and they felt a little underdeveloped. It wasn't clear to me why everyone was so controlling, or why Ryan (the brother) had his rules.

As well as this, the ending infuriated me and the story took a weird turn that wasn't really related to what the book was about. I wanted a HEA, not a cliff hanger. Because it was such a long read, I kind of felt cheated when the whole cycle began to repeat again. I didn't feel Roxy had grown or learnt anything. She was still just as whiny as ever and then there's this twist that comes completely out of the blue to confuse matters even more. It just didn't link to me, and felt like a leap of genres. If it had been entwined with the plot more, it would have made sense, but apart from one scene that isn't really major, it's random.


Overall, even though I did have issues with this, I  enjoyed it. I would definitely be interested in reviewing the second book if I was offered a copy just to see where the story takes the characters because I want a HEA!! 

3

Book Tour Review + Giveaway ~ Trusting The Boss (Billionaires in the City #4) by Mallory Crowe

eARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: June 19th 2015

Description:
Billionaire heiress Emma Devaroux has been living a safe-yet-mundane existence in Georgia for too long, but when she learns her sister, Joslyn, has been arrested, she heads to New York City to find out what really happened. Unfortunately, as an unemployed debutante, she’s not exactly qualified to be leading an investigation. But help is at hand in the form of the handsome, former military man Jace Lance who happens to be the one who got her sister arrested in the first place. 

Jace thinks Emma is crazy for even considering working with him since he’s the one who stopped Joslyn from killing his former client. However, he can’t deny that the sexy southerner is in over her head when her tycoon cousins try to hire him to make sure Emma doesn’t find out the truth about what really caused her sister’s murderous actions. 

As they begin to uncover the truth together –and get to know each other intimately – it becomes clear that the more answers they get, the more danger Emma is in. Jace is determined to protect her, but how can he keep her safe when her whole family is in on the conspiracy?

My Opinion

Once again this broke away from the pattern of the previous books. Whilst it followed the same line as book 3, whereby the woman was the one who had the money, there was no corporate/business side to things. Emma is wealthy from inheritance and it made for a nice change of pace I think.

Trusting the Boss is my favourite of the whole series. I know I've said this with every book since Teasing the Boss, but in my opinion the writing and plots became better as the series went on.

I always like hot bodyguards in books, and that's exactly what Jace was. I liked how his protective desire increased as his feelings became real and I believed he really did care about Emma. Similarly, I'm glad that Emma put more importance on her life. In book 3 Victoria didn't so it was an improvement.

As for the story there are some plot holes. With the whole series you have to suspend reality and not question the stories too deeply. There are decisions that are made that seem stupid or out of character to purely get the book to the action and tie the story up. It's not always that believable, and not everything is worked out in detail, but it's still enjoyable.

Similarly, this author doesn't exactly tie everything up. The H/H get their ending but she always forgets the secondary characters. What did Luke and Michael do? How did they? Why did Joslyn do what she did? There are always questions I'm left with.


Anyway, overall these are easy reads. You shouldn't think too hard over them and they're good to kill a few hours.

3.5

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25500846-trusting-the-boss?ac=1

Buy links:
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/1IwD94M

Book Tour Review ~ Tempting The Boss (Billionaires in the City, #3) by Mallory Crowe

eARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: March 26th 2015

Description:
As the CEO of a multi-billion dollar retail chain, Victoria Green isn’t used to asking for help, especially not from too attractive for their own good repairmen like Dean Carey. After Victoria is attacked at her own party and Dean fights off the culprit, she’s forced to tell him her secret: Victoria’s father is on his deathbed, and her brother, who nearly ran the company into the ground, might be willing to do anything to make sure controlling interest goes to him. 

Dean wants nothing to do with the ice princess CEO, even if he can’t keep his eyes off certain… assets of hers. He’s got enough on his plate between trying to get enough work to pay the bills and raising his little sister who’s growing up much too fast for his liking. Despite his misgivings, when Victoria offers him a blank check if he will keep his mouth shut about what he saw and shadow her until she can hire a more qualified bodyguard, he can’t bring himself to turn down that kind of cash. 

Over the next few days, Dean learns Victoria isn’t as cold as he first thought and Victoria realizes that Dean is so much more than a handyman. But someone wants her dead and if they don’t figure out who and stop them, they might never get their happily ever after.

My Opinion

In the third instalment of this standalone series the author has changed it up so the billionaire/CEO is a female. When I first saw this it did make me slightly hesitant as it normally means the woman is an ice-cold, heartless, and ruthless dictator. However, from getting an insight into Victoria's life in Teasing the Boss, I was intrigued to find out her story. I also think it's my favourite in the series so far. 

Tempting the Boss, like the previous two books, was a quick, easy read. I liked the relationship in this book most and thought there was a good amount of chemistry and tension between Victoria and Dean. Whilst Dean isn't the domineering CEO, he the sweet, loyal guy-next-door type who you can't help fall in love with. His situation with Katy and how he took on his parents' responsibility was admirable and it only made you love him even more. He was a good guy through and through, but he wasn't meek or timid to say what he really thought around Victoria. I thought they were a good pair. 

Similarly, I though the author did a good job of making Victoria likeable. She had feelings unlike so many female characters I've read about in similar positions. I will admit that she made some stupid choices that at times didn't seem all that believable. I would have thought with someone trying to kill her she'd take less risks. For me a few here and there is fine, but she did have a disregard for her safety and I did roll my eyes a few times as it seemed all to easy to get her in trouble. 

Saying that, I did like all the drama. The killer was slightly obvious, but it was still an enjoyable story. Also, there were a few loose ends where not all relationships were tied up.


Overall this has been my favourite in the series so far. Now on to book four.

3.5