Review: Harder by Robin York

Harder by Robin York
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Caro & West stars!

It's one of those 'difficult to read and even more difficult to rate' books. My usual M.O. for books that have this type plot device would be to DNF it so fast or get ragey about it. My friends know this about me and I have stepped on my soapbox on more than one occasion. But once in a while it works and it adds another layer to the story. It doesn't make for an easy read but once the rage is over, you get that nice little HEA at the end, it makes everything worth it.

"All the songs are love songs, and this one is ours."

Harder picks up 3 months after Deeper ended. West is in Silt and Caroline is in Putnam. For all intents and purposes, they were over. Caroline and West was no more. I think this is an important thing to remember, at least for me, in light of happens at 20% in the book.

When West's biological father died, Caroline decided to be there for West even though West doesn't want her anywhere near Silt. When they saw each other, everything was different. West wasn't the same guy Caro fell in love with. He was basically a stranger: bitter, angry and desperate.

Caroline did the best she could to be there for him but West was having none of it. And in what could be the cruelest and most boneheaded move ever, West set out to destroy Caroline's hope for him the only way he knows how: (view spoiler)[He went down on his former cougar client while Caro witnessed it all. Correction. He made sure Caro witnessed it all. (hide spoiler)]

I'm not going to lie. Many who loved Deeper will probably hate this book because of what West did. I hated what West did. Hated it. I cried when it happened. I raged at Robin York for taking this story in this direction. I couldn't fathom why Caroline didn't rage at him or kicked in the balls. It was tough. I didn't want to continue but I did. And if I may be honest, it was touch and go for me until at about 59% or so when West and Caroline started talking.

It was then that Robin York painstakingly laid bare every motivation, both right and wrong, of each character, West especially. While Deeper was focused on Caroline's fight against those who wronged her, Harder was very much about West's fight for survival. In this book, the reader gets to see his home life (shitty), his mother (deplorable human being) and Frankie (his only joy) in Silt.

"I knew as soon as you came through the door, I'd ruin it. There wasn't any way not to ruin it, and it made me so fucking angry, so that's what you ended up seeing when you did come outside. How angry I was at the world for making me and you impossible."

I still didn't like what he did but I understood his character more. I felt that Ms. York did a good job of showing me, the reader, how wrong West was in his thinking. She really did. At the same time, she used what happened there as a catalyst for Caro and West's relationship to finally move along.

And when they finally did get their act together, it was absolutely beautiful to read. Add to that Ms. York's majestic writing and it was just smooth-sailing from then on.

I love her. Caroline Piasecki.
I always will.

Another thing which I loved about this is how Caroline's story finally came full circle. Did she get her vengeance on Nate? No. But what she got out of it was even better. I just loved how that part of the story was resolved. I was a little afraid this would get swept under the rug. And frankly, after what happened in the first 20%, I thought this book was going to be about West "winning Caroline back" and the "revenge porn" element to the story would fall by the wayside. It didn't. In fact, it couldn't have gone better. I felt that Caroline's decision was fitting and it really worked for me.

I also loved that Frankie, West's sister, was a prominent figure in this story. It was heartbreaking to read about her childhood and how West essentially raised her. Her presence in the book also gave added insight into West's character. A big part of his motivation was Frankie and this book afforded the reader a glimpse into their heartbreaking relationship. His whole family really and the place he came from added layers to his character.

In the end, I really did end up loving this book despite its imperfect characters. Great writing has a lot to do with it, of course. But most of all, I loved these characters so much. I hated them and loved them at the same time. I don't exactly know why. Maybe because they were written as honestly flawed people, which made their struggles all the more relatable to me. I dunno. But I loved it.

Definitely one of the best I've read, so far, this year.

*An ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*Quotes used in this review are from the ARC and could differ from the published copy.

 

Review: The Professional by Kresley Cole

The Professional by Kresley Cole
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2 okay stars!

I had high hopes for this book and I was very excited that I finally got to read it.



Natalie was fun and her "manlyzer" was awesome. Plus, she had Jess, her BFF who knows her ABC (Always be Crazier) down to a tee.

Then there's Sevastyan.

The brooding, mysterious Russian who is sent by Natalie's biological father to protect her. He was an intriguing character plus the chemistry between Natalie and Sevastyan was smoking hot. I was ready for hot. Not to mention the fact that this book seems to promise spine-tingling suspense and non-stop action based on the blurb; she's a mafiya princess and he's the studly enforcer sent to protect her from the bad guys.

So I was kind of thinking like this: Damsel in distress + studly alpha male protector + bad guys = GREAT READ!!

This book failed to deliver on the heart-pumping excitement that it promised. What it did deliver, though, was sex.

Lots and lots of sex.

It got annoying after a while. I have nothing against BDSM but must erotica always equal BDSM? Natalie was a "virgin" and Sevatyan was broken, so yeah, it follows that they practice BDSM.

I still enjoyed Jess and Natalie's banter though. But other than that, this book was a big disappointment.

An ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Release Day Launch: There's Wild, Then there's You by M. Leighton

We are so thrilled to bring you the Release Day Launch for M. Leighton's THERE'S WILD, THEN THERE'S YOU!!! THERE’S WILD, THEN THERE’S YOU is a smoking hot contemporary romance in M. Leighton’s The Wild Ones Series, published by Berkley an imprint of Penguin Group.  

THERE’S WILD, THEN THERE’S YOU 

Synopsis: He’s someone she can’t trust… She’s someone he thinks he knows… Violet Wilson is a wallflower. Shy, serious, and accident-prone, she’s got a bad habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The night she’s forced to pose with her friend might just be the worst time of all—that’s when she meets Jet Blevins. She knows better than to get involved with someone like him, but he touches her in ways she never expected, neverwanted before. On the outside, Jet is a typical rocker, an arrogant lead guitarist who unapologetically lives a wild lifestyle. But on the inside, he’s battling demons and using the stage to escape the troubles of his past and the addictions of his present. Until the night he sees Violet standing at the back of the room. She brings his life into focus. She knows his secrets. She’s the girl he can’t forget, and the one thing he craves more than his addiction. But can they ever hope to have a future when their very foundation is nothing but lies?    

Excerpt

There’s a burn behind my eyes as I slide behind the wheel of my car. I knew there was a good chance she wouldn’t even talk to me, hear me out. And, although she did, I can see that she can’t forgive me. At least not now. Just the thought of her never forgiving me is what’s making my gut churn, my heart ache, and my eyes burn. It’s eating me up inside, not being with her, thinking that I’ll never be with her.

But what are my choices? I can’t really see that I have any. I’ve told her the facts, apologized to her, and asked for her forgiveness. Even told her that I loved her in a roundabout way. But none of it mattered. I didn’t know if it would. I had hoped, but I knew it was a long shot.

Now, I should just walk away. She’s made her choice, and I ought to respect it.

Only I can’t.

I can’t live with her choice. I can’t live with her unforgiveness. I can’t live without her.

So what the hell am I supposed to do?

That question rings through my head all the way back to my father’s place in Summerton where I have to go to pick up some stuff I’d left there.

It’s when I pull into the driveway, thinking of Violet when I see the place where she was dropping off her dad that day, that I realize there is something I can do. I can love her from a distance. I can do things for her, make her life better and happier, without her ever having to know. But I’ll know. I’ll know that, somewhere, she’s smiling and feeling a little happier, and that I might’ve had a small hand in it.

And as long as I can make her happy, make her life better (even without me in it), that’ll have to be enough.

 
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M. Leighton Bio: M. Leighton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Wild Ones and The Bad Boys romance trilogies. She is a native of Ohio, relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she lets her mind wander to romantic settings with sexy Southern guys much like the one she married and the ones you'll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren't roaming in that direction, she'll be riding horses, swimming in ponds and experiencing life on a ranch, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office. For more about M. Leighton, visit her website at www.MLeightonBooks.blogspot.com or follow her on Twitter@mleightonbooks.

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