Tag: Between Breaths Series

Guest Review: There You Stand by Christina Lee

Posted April 27, 2015 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: There You Stand by Christina LeeReviewer: Tracy
There You Stand by Christina Lee
Series: Between Breaths #5
Also in this series: All of You, Before You Break, Whisper to Me, Whisper to Me, Promise Me This, Promise Me This, Two of Hearts
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: April 21st 2015
Genres: New Adult, M/M
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

From the author of All of You and Before You Break comes a new Between Breaths romance about the silent, inked up skateboarder and the tattoo artist who unravels him piece by piece…

Tattoo artist Cory Easton has worked long enough at Raw Ink to know, just by looking at a dude, what his body art reveals, what makes him tick, what even makes him scared. Until he meets the quiet and remote Jude York—so unreadable, so unreachable, and so unlike anyone else, he can’t help but arouse Cory’s curiosity.

As captivating and complex as his ink, Jude is a mystery—and Cory’s falling fast and hard under his spell. Against his better judgment to steer clear.

The rumors of Jude’s past overshadow him—whispers of prison and an unmentionable secret that’s kept him in the protective shadows of a local motorcycle club. As Cory probes deeper, he wonders how much he really wants to know. Especially since Jude has awakened something inside him that has been buried too long—and has him feeling completely alive for the first time in forever…

Tracy’s review of There You Stand (Between Breaths #5) by Christina Lee

Cory Easton is more than a bit infatuated with Jude York. Cory tends to walk his dog in the park so that he can watch Jude riding his skateboard. Unfortunately every time he talks to Jude, Cory finds himself tripping over his words – and Jude says little to nothing, giving Cory the impression that he doesn’t like Cory at all. Cory isn’t sure if Jude is gay so he’s also unsure as to whether he should try to make a move or not.

Jude ends up making an appointment with Cory to get a tattoo done on his back. When he disrobes Cory sees the horrible scars that are on his back that the tattoo will cover. This brings up even more questions but again, Jude is being the strong, silent type. Cory manages to break the tension with some yes/no questions and this gets Jude’s mouth moving.

Eventually Jude and Cory start to converse on more than a one syllable level and Cory discovers that Jude likes Cory as well. The problem is that there are still so many secrets surrounding Jude that Cory’s not sure he should get involved. Jude has some sort or relationship with the local MC and Cory doesn’t want to get involved in that. Jude, however, proves to be worth whatever trouble comes Cory’s way.

This was a pretty intense romance between Jude and Cory. We didn’t know much about Jude at first and as more information filtered in I wasn’t exactly sure that Cory should get involved with him. Jude proved that he was worth the trouble and Cory stuck by him even when Jude’s life went a bit haywire.

The relationship between the two men was pretty stilted at first and even throughout most of the first part of the book. I would have liked that part to have gone a little quicker but the continued sexual tension between the two men truly made it all worth it when they finally got together. They were a very hot, sweet couple and I really enjoyed reading about them.

If you’ve been reading the Between Breaths series then I don’t think you should miss this one. If you haven’t (then why not!?) then this will read as a great m/m standalone as well.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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

four-stars

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Guest Review (+ Giveaway): Promise Me This by Christina Lee

Posted October 6, 2014 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review (+ Giveaway): Promise Me This by Christina LeeReviewer: Tracy
Promise Me This by Christina Lee
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: October 7th 2014
Genres: New Adult
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-half-stars

Nate has developed quite a playboy reputation around campus. It's not that he doesn't respect or trust women; he doesn't trust himself. The men in Nate’s family are prone to abusive behavior—a dirty secret that Nate’s been running from his entire life—so Nate doesn't do relationships. But he can’t help himself around one girl…

Jessie is strong, independent, and works at a tattoo parlor. Nate can’t resist getting close to her, even if it’s strictly a friendship. But it doesn't take long for Nate to admit that what he wants with Jessie is more than just friendly.

With Jessie, he can be himself and explore what he’s always felt was a terrifying darkness inside him. Even when Nate begins to crave her in a way that both shocks and horrifies him, Jessie still wants to know every part of him. Testing their boundaries together will take a trust that could render them inseparable… or tear them apart.

 

Tracy’s review of Promise Me This (Between Breaths #4) by Christina Lee

Nate is kind of a manwhore – at least he’s got that reputation. He gets it because though he does have sex with women he’s never with the same woman twice. He just doesn’t do relationships. The reason for that is that he’s scared that he’s going to be like his father – abusive. Nate has this desire that wants to control a woman in bed but he fears that if he lets that out that he’ll be like his father and it will seep into the crevices of the rest of his life and next thing you know he’ll be beating on a woman. He’s so afraid of this that he can’t really take too much enjoyment from his hookups. He’s incredibly attracted to his friend Jessie but he knows he’s not good enough for her and that he can’t let anything happen between them.

Jessie is a girl who goes to college and works at a tattoo parlor to make ends meet. She only takes a couple of classes at a time due to money issues but she loves what she’s doing. She’s currently taking a photography class and she loves it. Her father was a photographer and she would love to make him proud of her work. Nate gives her a project idea for her photography class and agrees to go with her on the photo shoot. They spend the day in the town Nate grew up in. It’s emotionally charged for Nate and Jessie picks up on that – trying to be supportive as possible without really knowing the back story. They have a great time getting pictures of covered bridges but then Jessie’s tire needs fixing and they end up having to spend the night in a hotel.

Nate is nothing like the men that Jessie normally dates – physically but the attraction that the two feel for each other is explosive and finally they can’t hold themselves back any longer. They have sex and it’s incredible for both of them. Unfortunately Nate is dealing with his inner demons and knows he can’t get involved with Jessie. The fact that he even wants to blows his mind.

Many things happen with Jessie and Nate as well as with Nate and his family. Nate has to come to terms with himself and who he is before he can be with Jessie but he knows that he can’t lead her on.

This story was so much more than I ever expected. Two friends coming from two completely different worlds is intriguing but can it work? Nate and Jessie proved to me that it absolutely can.

First there’s the lust and desire. Christina Lee brings a whole new meaning to the word intense. I was hot under the collar when the couple wasn’t even touching! I really loved how they could say so much to each other with just a look. Loved. It.

Nate, that poor guy, was so conflicted. His father had been beating his mother for years. It broke my heart to read about his turmoil as his father was such an ass and treated his mother so badly. Nate was so afraid to be like his father that he wouldn’t let his true self come out. He wasn’t sure who his true self really was. With Jessie’s help he finally gets the courage to talk to someone about his issues and it makes him to be a better, stronger man. He could then help not only himself but his mother as well, eventually.

Jessie was amazing. She was a strong, intelligent, independent woman who could still be submissive to a man in bed. Out of bed she wouldn’t take shit from anyone and I adored that about her. Her understanding of Nate went so very deep that it was like they were two halves of a whole and it made for some incredible scenes in the book.

This is a sometimes sad yet touching and wonderful story that’s hot and sexy as well. It made me smile and cry all within the span of a couple hundred pages. If you’re looking for an intense yet incredible book – this is it.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Giveaway Alert: 10 lucky winners will receive books 1 and 2, All of You and Before You Break. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win! 

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

four-half-stars

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Review: Whisper to Me by Christina Lee

Posted July 10, 2014 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Rowena’s review of Whisper to Me (Between Breaths #3) by Christina Lee.

A hot and consuming New Adult romance about a wayward musician and the one girl who keeps him grounded…

At college, Rachel has a reputation for being a sarcastic flirt with a thing for star athletes. No one at school knows that she’d had her heart ripped to shreds by her high school sweetheart, who’d driven them both off the side of the road on a borrowed motorcycle, and then abandoned her. No one knows the real Rachel Mattson—except one person…

Ever since he helped nurse his sister’s feisty best friend back to health, pierced bass player Kai Nakos has been head over heels in love. But the supposed bad boy can’t risk letting Rachel know the truth—especially now that the two of them are back in their hometown for the summer, together for the first time since the months following that fateful night. Never mind that Rachel’s ex is back, groveling for her forgiveness.

Shaken by her ex’s return, Rachel finds herself turning to the one guy she knows she can trust. Kai is willing to hide his feelings for her, just to have Rachel touch him again. After all, this is only a temporary fling. Until it becomes something more. But maybe it had been more all along.

Whisper to Me is Book #3 in the Between Breaths series by Christina Lee, a series that I’ve come to love the hell out of.

We met the heroine from this book in the first book in this series, All of You. She’s one of Avery and Ella’s friends and is a total flirt with a thing for athletes. She makes no apologies for who she is but I’ve wondered, reading the other books if there was anything more behind the obvious facade. You could tell that though she liked being a party girl, there was much more to Rachel than even Avery and Ella knew.

When we first see Rachel in this book, already you can see the differences in what she presents to the world and what’s really going on. She’s getting ready to head home to help her Mom with her Mom’s shop and she’s kind of wary of going back home because of …something.  When she gets home, she moves in with her childhood best friends, Dakota and Kai and things to start to slowly shift for her like they always do when she’s home. When shes home, she’s not just Rachel but she’s Accident Rachel and escaping to college was her chance to change that. To get away from the looks of pity. So being home for the summer and trying to get back into the swing of things is a lot harder than Rachel thought.

Especially because Kai is back and in her space both head space and physical space and seeing him again brings everything back to her.

I don’t even know where to begin with this review because there was a whole lot about this book that I liked. I liked that instead of the girl pining away for the boy, things were switched up and it was Kai that has had a thing for Rachel for years. I liked that though Kai had some pretty strong feelings for Rachel, he didn’t let her get away with shit. If she was being dumb, he told her. If she needed a friend, than he was there for her as a friend.  I loved that he made himself available to her in whatever way she needed because he was in love with her. I loved the friendship between Rachel, Piper and Ella. I loved that there was never any judgment for the way that Rachel chose to live her life. They were there for her with whatever she needed and they didn’t turn away when they felt betrayed. They understood and that’s a lot harder than you’d think. I liked that Rachel made the decision to make changes in her life to move on from just everything and that she wasn’t forced into it because of circumstances.

There were times when I wanted to smack both Rachel and Kai for waiting so long to tell each other things but for the most part, I really liked the two of them together. I liked that Kai knew Rachel before she went to college and became the party girl. I liked that Rachel trusted Kai with everything in her heart, even when she was pushing him away at the same time. But the person that got on my nerves was Dakota. Her hurt feelings and her whole secret relationship with Shane, the fact that she needed time to get over the “betrayal” of Rachel having the audacity to keep things from her made me roll my eyes down the street but other than that, this was a pretty fab read and I’m oh so thirsty for more.

Christina Lee is fast becoming my go-to author for New Adult romances. I fall into each of her stories so easily and she does a great job of hooking me from the beginning. There’s none of that beginning hump of info dump to slop through, it’s just awesomeness from the beginning and I appreciate that. This is another fantastic addition to an already pretty fabulous series and if you haven’t read this series, why the heck not? You should definitely fix that. This one is great!

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

This book is available from Intermix. 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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