Day: August 27, 2014

Review: Losing Control by Jen Frederick

Posted August 27, 2014 by Holly in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Losing Control by Jen FrederickReviewer: Holly
Losing Control by Jen Frederick

Publication Date: June 2nd 2014
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 300
Add It: Goodreads
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three-half-stars

I’d do anything to keep my mother alive. Anything, including ask Ian Kerr for help. I don’t know much about him, except that he has more money than some small countries. And he’s willing to spend it on me. Just one catch: there’s a string attached, and not just the one I feel pulling me into his arms and his bed. There’s also the plan for revenge he wants my help with. 
Every time he says my name, it makes my body shiver and my heart stutter. I know he’s going to wreck me, know there won’t be anything left of me but lust and sensation by the time he’s done with me, but even though I can see the heartbreak coming towards me like a train, ready to crash into me, I can’t get out of the way. I want what he makes me feel. Want what he’s offering. 
This may have started out as something to save my mother, but now…now it’s about what he makes me feel. I’m in danger of losing everything that’s important. Worse? Ian's whispered words and hot caresses are making me believe that's okay.

This started out slow for me but really picked up about 1/3 of the way in. I think the blurb is a bit misleading. It makes it sound like the book is about a billionaire trying to buy a weak, virginal heroine. That isn’t the case. It isn’t even about exchanging help in a revenge plot for sex, or anything else.

Victoria (aka Tiny) is a bike courier whose sole purpose in life is to see her mother through a second bought of chemo. She’d beaten cancer several years ago, but it’s back. They’re still drowning in a mountain of debt from the first go-round, and Victoria will do anything she can to help her mother. Even ask her drug dealing step-brother for a job. It’s a last resort for her, but she doesn’t have a lot of options if she wants her mother to get the treatment she needs.

Her brother tells her he wants her for a “special” job, but won’t give her any additional details. He sends her to a warehouse to meet Ian Kerr, the man who has hired her brother for help with a special problem. Victoria is surprised to discover Ian Kerr is the man she met on the street a few days before – one she was inexplicably drawn to. He’s also a mutli-billionaire and, possibly, the answer to all her problems.

Only Ian doesn’t want her for his secret project – he wants her for himself. When she makes it clear she isn’t comfortable taking anything from him with nothing to give in exchange, he makes a deal with her; He’ll help her with her mother if she helps him with his project. She can’t say no because she and her mother need the help, but she wouldn’t say no even if she could. She’s drawn to Ian in a way she’s never been to anyone else.

There’s a great balance between strong and vulnerable in Tiny, which makes her easy to relate to. She has an amazing well of inner-strength, but the pressures of her mother’s illness are really weighing on her. She’s moving forward, doing what needs to be done, but she’s living in fear. Her pain and determination were equally strong inside her, which made her reaction to Ian so visceral. She wants someone to lean on, but she’s afraid if she lets go she’s going to break apart.

Ian recognizes right away that Tiny is hanging on by a thread. He wants to soothe every hurt, fix every problem, take away all her fear. He steps in right away to make things better for her; moving her and her mother to a new apartment, taking care of her debts, trying to get her out and about, to keep her mind off her mother’s illness. His frustration when Tiny refused to just take from him was both sweet and funny. Ian Kerr is not a man who is used to hearing no. I love that she challenged him on so many levels.

The revenge plot was kind of cheesy, as was Tiny’s step-brother, Malcolm. I understand why Ian wanted revenge, but the whole thing was kind of weak. This is a personal thing, but I also really struggled with Tiny’s name.  Tiny just isn’t a sexy name for me. And really, she isn’t that tiny. She was described as being around 5’3″, which is about my size. I may not be tall, but I’m not tiny, either.

The next book is a continuation of the story, told from Ian’s point of view, but it this book doesn’t end of a cliffhanger. The suspense aspect of the story isn’t resolved, but it does have an HEA.

Despite the slow beginning, I really fell into the story. The development of Tiny and Ian’s relationship was so well done. I really loved the romance. There was quite a bit of depth to the story. Though there was some cheesy and predictable parts, overall I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait for the next installment.

3.75 out of 5

three-half-stars


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Guest Review: Hideaway Cove by Anna Sullivan

Posted August 27, 2014 by Jen in Reviews | 1 Comment

Hideaway CoveJen’s review of Hideaway Cove (Windfall Island #2) by Anna Sullivan

SOME PASSIONS CAN’T BE DENIED . . .

Jessi Randal walked away from her last relationship with a baby and a broken heart. Now, years later, the last thing this single mom wants is to give Windfall Island-and all its nosy residents-anything more to gossip about. But the moment she lays eyes on the tall, sexy stranger with the slow Southern drawl, she knows she’s in delicious trouble . . . 

Holden Abbot is on the island to find the missing heir to the Stanhope family fortune. It’s his job to charm as many secrets out of the town as possible. And if he can charm Jessi into his bed, even better. When all evidence points to her as the heir, a dangerous enemy sets his sights on Jessi and her son. Now Holden will have to risk everything to protect the family he’s come to love. 

I took a chance on a new series when I read Temptation Bay (reviewed here) last year. I enjoyed the story and the author’s voice, so when I saw the next book in the series had come out, I was excited to give it a try. While I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as the first book, I’m happy to say Hideaway Cove was still a good read.

Jessi Randal is the best friend and business partner of Maggie Solomon, the pilot heroine from book 1. Jessi has a young son, Benji, and she’s determined to make his life the best it can be. Benji’s dad skipped town and has never even met his son, so the last thing Jessi wants is to get involved with any more men who might abandon her. Southern boy Holden Abbott is a history researcher/genealogist brought in by the previous hero Dexter to help with the search for the missing heir that started in the first book. (A baby went missing many years ago, and Dexter was hired to see if that baby might have survived and ended up on Windfall Island.) Holden is attracted to Jessi and keeps pushing her to open up and let him in. They start exploring what’s between them, but then Jessi’s ex shows up and complicates the situation even more. Jessi and Holden have to negotiate their new feelings as well as keep working to solve the mystery of the missing heir.

This book is less focused on the larger story line of the missing heir than the first book. There are some more details given and some more potential suspects ruled out, but we don’t learn quite as much as we did before. However, Jessi and Holden’s story does end up intersecting with the mystery in unexpected ways.

Jessi was a fine character, though I didn’t love her as much as I love Maggie. Maggie is a real spitfire–prickly, blunt, and confident. Jessi can stand up for herself, but she just doesn’t have that same intensity that I liked about Maggie. Still, she’s a good mom and works to get over her fear of letting anyone else in when Holden starts pushing her a bit. Holden is kind of an interesting match for her, too. He’s laid back but still able to handle responsibility. He wants to get to know Jessi and realizes her son is part of that package. His Southern ways are also sexy and fun, and they certainly throw Yankee Jessi off balance!

As fun as Holden’s Southern charm is, I didn’t like everything about him. First, he does accept Benji and reach out to him, but he’s also not terribly sensitive to why Jessi is hesitant to start something with him in the first place. He admits he doesn’t want to stick around, just have a fling, and he doesn’t really acknowledge the impact such a fling might have on Benji. He also doesn’t tell Jessi that he’s from a very, very wealthy family. His previous finance had used him for his money, so he is understandably cautious about letting people know about his background. I had no problem with him not telling Jessi at first, but as he gets to know her it’s clear she would not be swayed by his wealth. He even acknowledges this, but still he doesn’t tell her. Of course, eventually the news comes out in an embarrassing way for Jessi. It was totally unnecessary, and Holden was kind of a dick for expecting her to open up while he kept his big secret.

I also felt like some parts of this book were just dragging the larger mystery out unnecessarily. For instance, they don’t do DNA testing on the potential families. I understand that they’re trying to keep the search a secret so they can’t test everyone, but they can at least test people who do know, namely Jessi. They don’t want to do it and put Jessi at risk in case she’s the heir, but wouldn’t it be better to just know ASAP so you could take steps to protect her? It just seemed like a ploy to drag out that story line.

Despite some of the imperfections, I did enjoy reading this book. I’ll definitely be reading the third book when it comes out next year.

Grade: 3.75 out of 5

The Series:
Book Cover Book Cover

This book is available from Forever. You can purchase it here or here in e-format.  This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


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