Kaleidoscope by Kristen Ashley
Colorado Mountain Series #6
Release Date: February 4, 2014
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased paperback
Rating: 5 Bookworms
Challenges: #ShelfLove
Goodreads ~ Amazon
Synopsis
When old friend become new lovers...anything can happen.
Sexy, gifted, and loyal, PI Jacob Decker is a tall, cool drink of perfection who had Emmanuelle Holmes at "hello." His relationship with Emme's best friend kept them apart for years, but things have changed. Now that a case has brought him to Gnaw Bone, Colorado, the road is wide open for Emme and Deck to explore something hotter and deeper than Emme dreamed possible. So why is she sabotaging the best thing that's ever happened to her?
It isn't easy to catch Deck off guard, but Emme does just that when she walks back into this life after nine long years. The curvy brunette had her charms back in the day, but now she's a bona fide knockout...and she wants to rekindle their friendship. Deck, however, wants more. Emme's always been the one; she excited Decks' body and mind like no other woman can. But a dark chapter from Emme's past overshadows their future together. Now only Deck can help her turn the page-if she'll let him...
KA knows how to spin a yarn...a beautiful yarn. She hasn't let me down yet and she certainly didn't with Emme and Jacob's (Deck's) story.
It's been nine years since Emme and Jacob have seen one another so it's shocking to them both when they run into each other on the street in Gnaw Bone. Emme and Jacob were the best of friends back when Jacob was dating Emme's best friend. When they broke up, Emme broke up with them both, saying goodbye to Jacob. Now that they know they're essentially neighbors, neither waste any time in reconnecting. And in doing so, they realize how much they meant to one another. Plus, they have sparking chemistry. They just need to get past some from Emme's past - and present.
Kaleidoscope returned the series back to a romantic suspense - even if it is romantic suspense-lite. And although I didn't miss it in Jagged, I delighted in having the suspense element back. Jacob's profession involves seeking out the bad guys and seeing as Emme is somewhat connected to his current case, he's determined to solve the case and protect Emme. But the story primarily revolves around Emme and Jacob rekindling what was once between them. There are some pretty big obstacles in their way, but it's worth the fight.
Both these characters will have you rooting for them. Emme is sweet, loyal, smart - but a bit damaged because of something in her childhood. Jacob is an alpha male but one who's bossy without overkill. He's loyal, brilliant (literally, he's a genius) and he knows now what he couldn't see back them - Emme's the one.
Kaleidoscope gave me everything I expect from KA. Complex characters - even getting time with favorite characters from previous books - a stunning setting, a romance to melt my heart and others things *wink*, and in this case, a touch of suspense. It all combines for a book hangover - one I'll always sign on for!
The Pact by Karina Halle
Narrated by: Lydia Dornet and Shaun Grindell
Release Date: June 23, 2015
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Audible
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: #ShelfLove
Goodreads
Synopsis
Linden McGregor is tall, rugged, and gunslinger handsome-a helicopter pilot with a Scottish brogue and charm to spare. He's also on of Stephanie Robson's best friends and has fit into that box for as long as she's known him. Beautiful, funny, and an ambitious businesswoman, Stephanie Robson is one of Linden McGregor's best friends and has fit into that box for as long as he's known her. But some relationships can't be boxed, can't be classified, can't be tamed. Back in their mid-twenties and tired of the competitive hit-or-miss dating scene of San Francisco, Steph and Linden made a pact to marry each other if neither one of them are in a serious relationship by the time they hit thirty. It sounded like fun and games at the time but as the years to thirty tick past and lovers come and go out of their lives, the pact becomes larger than life. Sex is inevitable. Friendships are tested. Hearts are on the line. The pact is about to change everything.
Both Lexxie and I had The Pact in audio and so we decided to do an audiobook buddy 'listen'. ;) Here's our book chat:
Lexxie: Both Kayla and James really, really piss me off!!! I'm almost at the end of The Pact.
Brandee: Me too! I almost couldn't stand James.
L: How can Steph be happy for James? I would kick him in the nuts if I were her. (They're about to go to NY after Linden's helicopter accident)
B: I completely agree. He was a total schmuck. So self-centered. I'd kick him in the nuts twice! :)
L: hehe
I've finished listening now :) And I did enjoy the story, even if I found it a bit frustrating that Linden and Steph has to meet so many roadblocks.
B: Yeah, I got to that point as well. I wasn't happy that Linden gave her up for James. I didn't feel like that was a best friend move - at least on James' part. In a way I thought the roadblocks were contrived to keep the story going. But I still loved it. :)
L: And I found the Scottish accent to sound a bit fake in this one...
B: I was wondering what you thought about the accent. There were times when I thought it was real because his American accent sounded funny but I liked the female narrator's Scottish accent better. So you don't think he's (the narrator) a Scot?
L: No definitely not a Scot! In the beginning, it really peeved me, and almost made me stop listening. Thank goodness Linden had much less chapters than Steph! And I thought the female narrator was better, too.
B: Okay, well I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't necessarily like the male narrator. I got used to it though.
L: Oh me too! By the end I was OK with him...but just wait until you listen to The Offer.
B: I'm looking forward to it.
L: James acted like a total douche! Especially if he had understood from the beginning that Linden and Steph were seeing each other! He should have realised how happy they both were.
B: Yeah, I don't know that I'd have remained friends with James but we weren't privy to his conversation with Linden when he apologized. So we don't know what went down there but Steph - I guess she was okay since things worked out in the end.
L: Yeah, but no matter that James said, he was really only thinking of himself - accusing Linden of not understanding him (James) and all the hardships of his life... Whereas he was not at all trying to see anything at all from Linden's POV.
B: I agree. A narcissist.
Totally.
L: Totally.
heh
We are SO good at this!
I found Kayla to be a hypocrite, too! Even if James later said that Kayla had told him about Linden and Steph when she was drunk...
B: Yeah, I'm interested to read Kayla's story to see if she's redeemed at all because yeah, she was a hypocrite. I almost felt like she was jealous.
L: Kayla's story will be the next one I listen to, and I can't wait either. And I liked Kayla better in The Offer, too.
She may have been jealous, especially because Linden and Steph were always close - friends, but always with the kind of possibility for something more - especially for those looking in from the outside of their relationship.
B: That's how I felt about Kayla. She didn't want to give Linden the benefit of the doubt with Steph since *she* didn't get him to stick around. I'm glad I'll like her better in The Offer.
L: So you do know you'll like her better, eh? ;)
B: Well, I'll like her better if you did ;)
Did you feel like all their baggage was appropriately resolved?
L: Linden and Steph? Or everybody?
B: Linden and Steph
L: I think Linden and Steph came to just accept that being best friends AND lovers was possibly the greatest thing ever for them.
And I'm not sure if anyone can really resolve all their baggage...but if most has been dealt with and they are trying to move forward in a positive way, things can definitely work out.
B: I agree and I was thrilled that they realized best friends make the best lovers. Because they do and their couplehood was a long time coming.
L: Yes! And I think that being both best friends and lovers make for the best relationships - especially long term :) <3
Knowing each other well, and appreciating each other, having things to talk about...that's just as important as the passion.
One of the things I really enjoyed about Linden and Steph was how they were always cheering each other on. Linden helped Steph have the courage to start her own clothing store, and she made him feel balanced and loved - even before he could admit that love was possibly the most important ingredient in their friendship.
B: Exactly. And by that time Steph and Linden had had plenty of time to marinate in all the goodness that taking their relationship to a higher level would be. Even if it was scary. Although Linden seemed quite certain of them having staying power. :)
L: Yeah, if it hadn't been for James screwing everything up for them with his jealousy and his pettiness...
Good thing Linden survived his accident!
B: LOL Yes, definitely a good thing!
Absolutely. Their friendship was much deeper than what they had with James in my opinion. And I adored that Steph gave Linden validation - well that have validation to each other. Something they both needed and didn't get elsewhere.
L: True! Their friendship was always stronger than what either of them had with James. They spent more time with each other than all three of them, and even felt somewhat bad about that at times.
B: I'm looking forward to continuing this series. And I get to see Karina this weekend. ;)
Final thoughts:
I had a hard time putting The Pact away, spending extra time cleaning and on the daily walks. ;) I enjoyed the format, dual POV between Steph and Linden - as well as how Halle worked the time line. And despite the angst, The Pact was a lot of fun!
Breathe by Kristen Ashley
Colorado Mountain #4
Release Date: December 11, 2012
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased on kindle
Rating: 5 Bookworms
Challenges: #COYER, #ShelfLove
Goodreads
Synopsis
There's nothing like the first time...
In Carnal, Colorado, Faye Goodknight is the town's quiet, shy librarian. She may also be Carnal's last remaining virgin. For years, Fay has had a crush on Chace Keaton, but the gorgeous cop has always been unattainable. She's resigned to live contentedly with only her books for company-until Faye suddenly meets Chace alone in the woods...
Chace doesn't think he's the good guy everyone believes him to be. He's made a lot of choices he regrets, including denying his feelings for Faye. Through his choices, he's come to believe the pretty librarian is too good for him, but after their time in the woods, Chace realizes that she may be his last chance for redemption. Soon, their long simmering desires grow to a burning passion. Yet always casting a shadow over their happiness is Chace's dark past...
Breathe - ah, Breathe. I have to admit that I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about Chace. There are some things he did in his recent past that made me leery of him. Then again, he'd done some things that made me warm to him - so I was confused...at first. But he won me over. In a big way. He really was a kind and compassionate man even if he was gruff at times. He got caught in a situation *not* of his own making and he did what he thought was right. The fallout over some of it haunted him. And it broke my heart that these events - this set of circumstances he was trapped in - made him lose hope he'd ever get what he really wanted...a happy life with Faye.
Now Faye - she was always certain of Chace. She understood, to the degree she could, the situation Chace was living. And when the fallout affected him so greatly, she set out to free him of that. Faye was awesome. I adored her - her fierce protectiveness of someone she didn't even know if he knew she existed. Her goodness. Her kindness and intelligence. Her humor. Her love of books and nerdy t.v. She's my kind of gal!
I reveled in watching Chace and Faye come together - find hope, trust, and love. I cried over Faye's ability to change Chace's perspective on so many things. These two were literally the yin and yang to the other - perfect complements.
I also reveled in the double dose of suspense. It's scary to think of all the bad that can go on in a small mountain town where it would seem everyone knows everyone's business and everyone's friendly. But nope. Bad can take root anywhere. Thankfully, good tends to weed out the bad.
Breathe served as the perfect read at the exact time I needed it. It was a comforting escape even if it was suspenseful. I got to meet a few more residents of Carnal as well as visiting old friends. And I got to fall in love with Faye and Chace right alongside them. As always - a captivating story with enchanting characters - Breathe is another treasure from KA!
Lady Luck by Kristen Ashley
Colorado Mountain #3
Release Date: October 22, 2011
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased on kindle
Rating: 5 Bookworms
Challenges: #COYER, #ShelfLove
Goodreads
Synopsis
Is love in the cards?
Since birth, Lexie Berry has had nothing but bad luck. Orphaned at an early age, she had a rough childhood and a boyfriend who was murdered. Now the beautiful, stylish Lexie is determined to change her luck and her life. But first she's got to make good on a promise: to pick up Ty Walker from prison. One look at the gorgeous ex-convict and Lexie knows she's in trouble - and already thinking about taking a walk on the wild side...
For five years, Ty was imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. Now he wants revenge on the people who framed him. Yet when the high-stakes poker player sees the leggy Lexie, he suddenly has other desires on his mind. Realizing Ty is innocent, Lexie tries to stop his plan for vengeance and help him become a better man. But as Ty battles his inner demons, dirty cops and criminals plot to take him out. Can he and Lexie find a way to escape the past?
There aren't words to adequately express my adoration for all things KA. I don't know how she continues to create characters I can't help but love in stories that wring every emotion from me. But I'm grateful. So freakin' grateful.
With Lady Luck, we return to Carnal, Colorado, via LA and Vegas, to take a journey with Lexie and Ty. These two are people very familiar with the bad side of Lady Luck - completely acquainted with her and all that her frowning implies. But, as y'all know, I'm a believer in things happening the way they're meant to and despite all the shit Lexie and Ty had to wade through in their lives - particularly recently - and I'm talking some deep shit - it brought them to each other. And that means the path they traveled got them to exactly where they were meant to be.
KA has never shied away from diversity in her stories but I was thrilled to have a bi-racial character in Ty. Woot! KA also didn't shy away from broaching difficult subjects and serving up massive amounts of tension and suspense alongside. Mixed in with not only two strong MC's but also a robust cast including a few familiar faces, Lady Luck is a brilliant read. Seems she (Lady Luck) smiled on me when she had me stumble upon KA. *wink*
Kaleidoscope by Kristen Ashley
