Series: Lost Boys

Guest Review: Shut Up and Kiss Me by Jessica Lemmon

Posted December 26, 2016 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Guest Review: Shut Up and Kiss Me by Jessica LemmonReviewer: Tracy
Shut Up and Kiss Me by Jessica Lemmon
Series: Lost Boys #2
Also in this series: Waiting for Devlin, Shut Up and Kiss Me
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: December 6th 2016
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Add It: Goodreads
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Cade: I tried. I really tried. I should be out of this small town by now, finishing my law degree and partnering up with my buddies, but I couldn’t resist one last street race. Now I’m sidelined in the hospital, and while my injuries will heal, I’m not so sure my voice will return. What kind of attorney can’t talk? Yeah, exactly. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to come back from this... until Tasha Montgomery reawakens every competitive bone in my body.

Tasha: I nearly watched Cade Wilson die on that lonely stretch of road. He’s damn lucky just to be alive, even if he doesn’t realize it. I know he’s destined for bigger and better things, but I don’t mind helping him get there as he relearns everything he took for granted. Cade’s a good student, a real perfectionist; I can tell how much his stutter bothers him. But when he lets his kisses do the talking, everything else disappears. And one day, maybe he’ll be able to tell me that he wants me—as much as I want him.

Tasha is a physical therapist in training who has volunteered to help Cade with his speech.  After a terrifying illegal street racing accident almost took his life he’s having trouble speaking.  He can sometimes speak with no problem – other times he stutters which drives him nuts.  He’s been resistant to help so far so most of the time Tasha sits in his room and does homework while he does something else.

Cade has liked Tasha for years.  While he was in college he hit on her once and she blew him off.  Yes, he was acting like an ass at the time but he did really like her.  He still likes her and loves surreptitiously watching her while she does her homework. He knows he frustrates her by not cooperating with the speech therapy but the things she wants him to do are just so weird.  When Tasha suggests some kissing therapy that interests him a great deal and lo and behold – it works.

Cade loves the kissing and it works to loosen him up and he seems to talk fine afterward.  On top of the talking he still has some issues, however. He’s depressed because his friends are going ahead with plans they made with him to open their own law firm.  He’s just not included any longer as he’s no longer in school and it eats at him.  He’s also sad about the loss of his smooth-talking ways.  He was always considered a silver-tongued devil and that has him a bit lost as he no longer is.  He also believes that Tasha is too good for him.  He had a girlfriend at one point who dumped him once she realized he wasn’t going to be a rich lawyer any longer.  Tasha grew up with lots of money and he’s not sure he trusts her not to do the same thing as his ex.  Will his decision about his future be good enough for her?

This was a cute book that had a good premise.  I liked both Tasha and Cade and thought they were good together.  Unfortunately, I had a few issues with the book.

Cade and Tasha’s chemistry was nil in my opinion.  I kept waiting for it to spark on the page and it just didn’t.  I think Tasha was holding back so much throughout the book that I never felt she actually gave her all.  Cade certainly did but it wasn’t enough to cover for Tasha’s lack. She was definitely all-in with their friendship but the romance?  I wasn’t feeling it. I’m sure this had to do with trust and her cheating ex-boyfriend but I’ve read that storyline before and had it work so…IDK.

The story was slower than I expected.  It had some more exciting parts to it but overall it was definitely a slower read.  The other issue was that of the relationship to her father and the ramifications it had on her relationship to Cade.  She was at odds with herself and it didn’t make for good reading.  She wanted to be independent but then accepted money for housing and a car.  Granted the car was supposed to be a birthday gift but still – her father had no problem holding it over her head.  IDK, that part of the book was kind of disconnected to me and I didn’t care for it.

Overall the book was a decent read.  I know it doesn’t sound like I enjoyed the book but I did.  I liked Lemmon’s Second Chance series so I know she’s a good author – this one just wasn’t my favorite of her books that I’ve read.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

three-half-stars


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Review: Shut Up and Kiss Me by Jessica Lemmon

Posted December 7, 2016 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: Shut Up and Kiss Me by Jessica LemmonReviewer: Rowena
Shut Up and Kiss Me by Jessica Lemmon
Series: Lost Boys #2
Also in this series: Waiting for Devlin, Shut Up and Kiss Me
Publisher: Random House, Loveswept
Publication Date: December 6th 2016
Genres: New Adult
Pages: 176
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Cade: I tried. I really tried. I should be out of this small town by now, finishing my law degree and partnering up with my buddies, but I couldn’t resist one last street race. Now I’m sidelined in the hospital, and while my injuries will heal, I’m not so sure my voice will return. What kind of attorney can’t talk? Yeah, exactly. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to come back from this... until Tasha Montgomery reawakens every competitive bone in my body.

Tasha: I nearly watched Cade Wilson die on that lonely stretch of road. He’s damn lucky just to be alive, even if he doesn’t realize it. I know he’s destined for bigger and better things, but I don’t mind helping him get there as he relearns everything he took for granted. Cade’s a good student, a real perfectionist; I can tell how much his stutter bothers him. But when he lets his kisses do the talking, everything else disappears. And one day, maybe he’ll be able to tell me that he wants me—as much as I want him.

Shut Up and Kiss Me is the second book in the Lost Boys series by Jessica Lemmon. This book follows Tasha Montgomery as she makes that journey on the Cade train. Cade Wilson is the half-brother of the hero from the first book, Devlin. At the end of Fighting for Devlin, Cade is in a street racing accident that lands him in the hospital with some pretty big injuries. Doctors don’t know if he’ll ever talk normally again but they’re hopeful. Tasha is Devlin’s girlfriend’s best friend and is going to school to become a physical therapist. She’s months away from graduating with her degree and she’s already got a job lined up. All she has to do is stay out of trouble and graduate and the life she’s worked for will be hers.

Cade had a plan too. He was on his way to law school and opening up a firm with his buddies. They had their office space all picked out and everything. They just needed to finish school. Then his Dad gets into trouble and Cade wakes up. He spent the last couple of years, trying to get over his ex-girlfriend and while he doesn’t feel anything for her anymore, the impression she left on him is a lot harder to get rid of. He never wants to feel that way again so it’s been all one night stands for him. No more getting serious about anyone. He’s got other things on his mind but after the accident, the life he was planning with his buddies goes up in dust because who is going to hire a lawyer that stutters? He’s got a lot of work cut out for him but first order of business? Re-learn how to talk.

After the third therapist quits on Cade, Cade’s father Paul asks Tasha to try to help his son. Tasha and Cade have history, being schoolmates and all (they go to the same college) and they’re both not fans of the other but of course that changes because duh, this is a romance. Watching these two circle each other, while trying to keep each other at arms length was entertaining. And sweet.

I was expecting a lot of angst after the ending of the last book. I was expecting Cade to be a darker character and Tasha to be different than she was but I’ve got to say, the direction Lemmon went with Cade and Tasha’s story really worked. I was on board with pretty much everything going on. This wasn’t some long, drawn out drama but it had just the right amount of everything thrown in to make the story flow well and endear the characters to the reader. I was happy with this read and am really looking forward to digging into Lemmon’s back list further. She’s been a really good find for me this year and that makes me happy.


4 out of 5

four-stars


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Review: Fighting for Devlin by Jessica Lemmon

Posted December 6, 2016 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Fighting for Devlin by Jessica LemmonReviewer: Rowena
Waiting for Devlin by Jessica Lemmon
Series: Lost Boys #1
Also in this series: Shut Up and Kiss Me, Shut Up and Kiss Me
Publisher: Random House, Loveswept
Publication Date: November 24th 2015
Genres: New Adult
Pages: 224
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

“A must-read for everyone who loves to watch a bad boy hero fall to his knees in the name of love.”—Lauren Layne

In a standalone novel that kicks off the irresistible Lost Boys series, a good girl and her boss get wild . . . together.

Devlin Calvary makes his own luck. Abandoned as a child, he was raised with bookies and gamblers. Dev runs and lives above a trendy club the mob subsidizes for him, enjoying the good life and mindless sex with a string of women all too ready to please him. Until, one night, he finds out how much it hurts to trust the wrong people. . . .

Rena Lewis sticks to the straight and narrow, determined not to slip up again . . . like the terrible night of partying four years ago that ended in tragedy. A waitress at Oak & Sage, she knows that sleeping with her boss is not a smart move. But when Dev shows up on her doorstep, beat up and clearly shaken, Rena’s not about to turn him down . . . or kick him out of bed.

Dev reawakens something primal within her—and something protective within himself. And Rena soon finds out that the heart she’d sealed away years ago still has the power to fight for love.

I’ve been meaning to read more Jessica Lemmon books since I read The Billionaire Bachelor. She also comes highly recommended by Lauren Layne and y’all know I love that woman so I dove into Lemmon’s Lost Boys series with glee.

Devlin Calvary has been on his own ever since his father died. From his father, he inherited a restaurant and Devlin has really made the restaurant into a profitable business. Sure, he’s got a side business he can’t talk about but working for Sonny, a bookie, is easy money. Sonny is a father figure to Devlin, someone that has always had his back and there isn’t much Devlin wouldn’t do for Sonny. When Dev’s father died, he moved in with his father’s best friend, Paul Wilson and his wife Joyce. They raised Devlin as best as they could but Devlin never felt like he was part of that family so while he feels like he owes Paul for keeping a roof over his head, they’re not exactly close. The same can be said for Paul and Joyce’s son, Cade. Devlin has been alone and he’s grown up thinking that nobody sticks around so he keeps to himself and works at the restaurant and for Sonny.

Rena Lewis is a good girl who is carrying the weight of a dead boyfriend around. Everyone feels sorry for the girl that was left behind so she’s been keeping her head down and doing what she needs to do. She’s got one best friend that is good to her and she has a new job at the Oak & Sage restaurant that is owned by Devlin Calvary. Devlin is hot stuff and Rena has definitely taken notice. It’s been a long time she’s taken notice of anyone and for some reason, every time Devlin is around her, she perks right up.

Seeing these two circle each other was entertaining. I really enjoyed how normal their romance was. They met at work, they were immediately attracted to each other, couldn’t stay away from each other and then they fell in love. Trying to learn each other and figure out how to be together was the jist of their story but I really liked it. I thought Devlin was a great hero. He’s not perfect and I wanted to smack him upside the head a number of times but never once did I not like him. I especially liked him for Rena. Rena couldn’t stop herself from falling hard for Devlin and eventually, she stops trying to stop. I really liked how she owned her feelings and was always up front with Devlin about how she felt. He knew when she was mad. He knew why she was mad and that was great.

There was a lot going on in this book but everything was linked and I liked seeing how everything came together and then got worked out. Everything between Devlin, Sonny, Paul and then Cade along with Rena and Tasha and the Cops that came with Rena’s Mom. I liked the way that Lemmon brought everything out in the open, worked through everything and then fixed it all. There wasn’t a boring moment for me, I was completely invested in everything and everyone. I closed this book with a content smile and then dug right into Cade’s book. This was a good one and I definitely recommend.


4 out of 5

four-stars


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