Two of Hearts by Christina Lee ~ Review & Giveaway

Source:  Received a paperback ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A gripping standalone adult contemporary romance about finding yourself while taking a second chance at your first love…

Dakota Nakos was always the resilient, strong-willed achiever. But when her father dies and she’s entrusted with the family’s casino, she feels vulnerable, scared, and more than a little emotional —not exactly the best time to see an old lover she’s never really gotten over.

Dakota once meant the world to Shane Garrity. Then suddenly he left town to train as a U.S. Marshal, and their love for each other crashed into a memory. Now he’s come home for her father’s funeral, and one look at the girl he left behind stirs up both memories and regrets, and reignites a fire he feared he’d lost forever.

Dakota may be the same driven girl she always was, but she’s also changed in ways neither could have anticipated. She’s not just a young woman searching for own identity in the Native American community in which she was raised, but one questioning her new life outside her father’s shadow. Above all she wonders if Shane can push past her weakened defenses to rekindle what they once had, or whether the intense blaze between them will ultimately reduce her heart to ashes.

 Happy Release Day!

Review...

I really enjoy those stories that blend something more with the romance because they feel more real.  This is one of those books.  

Dakota and Shane left things unsettled 5 years ago and now a death has brought them to the same place.  It's a possibility for a second chance at their first love.  But that's not all.  As they struggle to deal with seeing each other again, they also have to deal with controversy and the question of who's behind it.  

Things are never neat is life and when a book muddies the waters with problems for the couple to figure out together, then there can be more couple time.   And I love my couple time.  These two have some hot sexy tension between them.  And when they give in...against the wall, on the couch, in her bed...they're not picky.  

I loved how Shane could read Dakota.  He saw her withdrawing into herself and I love that he called her on it.  She's a strong women but she likes to hide her emotions.  Shane's grown into the man that won't let her walk away from him again.  Loved that about him.

The Native American culture was a welcome difference for this one too.  It's nice to learn about and feel the culture of characters that don't always get the lime light.

The story is interesting.  I figured out the bad guy early but it was interesting to watch Shane and Dakota figure it out.  And I enjoyed the suspense aspects of this one.  It wasn't a heavy element but added enough to make it feel different.

This one is a stand alone and will be enjoyed by those that love a good second chance story with lots of couple time and some different cultural elements.

               

Giving away my review ARC.  This one has a pink cover but a great story inside!

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Promise Me This (Between Breaths, #4) by Christina Lee ~ Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway

Now available from Intermix

Source: Received eBook from publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 
A new love will test the boundaries of passion between a privileged boy next door and the tattooed, blue-haired girl who helps him embrace his wild side...

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.

Review...

I have loved this series so much.  Interesting situations that lead to different combinations than you might expect makes this one, oh so good.  It's New Adult at it's best.

Characters.  I love Nate.  From the outside, he looks like the privileged rich kid cruising through college.  Clean cut with an athletic build, he doesn't do relationships.  Why?  He grew up in an abusive home and he's greatest fear is to become his father.  He's so far from this father, it's not even funny but he's not so sure.  So he sticks with hook-ups.  Hook-ups where he holds himself in check with a set of rules that keep it impersonal and safe.  No getting close to girls.  The problem is Jessie.  She's a part of the group of friends he hangs with.  They are so not each others types so being around her should never be a problem, right.  You keep telling yourself that Nate.

Jessie is wonderful.  She's a tatted strong girl that likes the skinny tatted and pierced boy.  Nate's muscled arms and athletic build are not her type at all.  But when she catches Nate in a compromising position, she starts seeing him differently.  Her upbringing couldn't be more different than Nate's.  Her dad's wisdom has strengthened and molded her into a hard working and confident person.

The banter between these two is so fun.  She's Blue and he's Square.  They don't seem to go together at all.  His lack of tats and abundance of muscles to her pixie build and tats are light and dark.  His dark secrets to her healing stories from her father are dark and light.  And mixing them together was that unexpected combination that made a perfect fit.

Story.  What I adored about this story was the lack of misunderstanding/lying between the characters.  When other stories do this,  I often find them too contrived.  If someone would just speak up the issue would be fixed.  But with this story, these two don't misunderstand each other.  They aren't lying to each other.  In fact, once they spend time together, no one has gotten Nate better than Jessie.  They never saw each other as their type.  When they discover their chemistry, what keeps them apart is the personal battle that is waring inside Nate.  It feels more real. 

Writing. This author is so good at dealing with the New Adult years.  I connected with the characters and enjoyed the story unfold.  I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down.

If you've loved the rest of this series, you should pick this one up too.  If you haven't tried this series, then give it a try.  New Adult at it's best.

About the Author...

Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys. She's addicted to lip gloss, salted caramel everything, and believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.

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Giveaway...

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Now Available in PAPERBACK ~ Before You Break by Christina Lee

I adore this book and this series!

Happy Release Day!!!

All of You (Between Breaths, #1) by Christina Lee ~ Review & Giveaway

Now for the first time in print!

Book Description:

Avery has just met her hot upstairs neighbor. He's irresistible. Tattooed. And a virgin.

Nursing student Avery Michaels wants nothing to do with dating—she's perfectly happy single. Privy to too many of her mother's bad decisions and even worse taste in boyfriends, all Avery can handle is a string of uncomplicated hookups whenever the mood strikes.

When she meets smoking hot tattoo artist Bennett, she wants him—for just one night. But he won't accept a no-strings-attached arrangement. He lives by a straight-laced code of values based on his own troubled upbringing.

Bennett sees something special in Avery and he wants more from her. Way more. As Avery wrestles with her emotions for Bennett, danger and tragedy force them to open up to each other. And Avery must face the terrifying realization that she wants more from him, too.

So she needs to make a choice—let Bennett go or finally let him in.

Review...

 
4 stars - Two souls that crave and need each other - such a great ride!

When trust is taken at a young age, it's hard to trust again.  Both of these two characters have trust issues.  Both have come from similar childhoods where moms made decisions that affected them profoundly.  But each has reacted to things differently.  Avery plays the field, never letting a guy in her bed for long and never in her heart.  Bennett holds his heart differently, not giving a girl all of him.  They need each other to learn that trust again.

When I was asked to read this one, I read the premise and thought - oh yeah...WANTS.  Tattoo artist and player girl?  Hearts hidden but events changing that?  Yes, please.  I love it when two people can heal each other.  Some may feel it's an over used New Adult theme but I think it's the most hopeful thing about New Adult.  So many grow up in less than perfect circumstances and those years right after reaching adulthood is the time to either fix it or to become more jaded.  I love the hopeful stories of healing hearts and minds.  And the healing in the story doesn't magically happen just because they are attracted to each other - no time and experiences combined with that attraction build the love they need to heal.  Loved that.

I so loved Bennett.  He's a hot artist.  Yeah he does tats too but I love that he's an artist first.  He draws and there's an art show in the story.  We see a couple of his consult sessions for tattoos and I love how he asks questions and then he draws from their answers, creating something unique for each person.  My daughter is an artist and I recognize the process.  She starts with someone's idea but then she wants details to make it real.  I love how the art comes alive then.  So Bennett rang true to me.  

While this boy is a virgin, he is no saint - his words.  He has some sexy experience and it flows through the story A LOT.  Oh yeah, this is steamy and sexy.  Everything and anything is fair game except that one last thing.  And skills?  This boy has some skills.

I loved Avery too.  She's protecting herself after some pretty tough pain in her teens.  I so got her and I was proud of her.  She pulled herself out of the mess that was her upbringing.  College and a job are her focus.  Kick-boxing and self-defense are important parts of her life along with a couple of great girlfriends.  She's strong and determined - perhaps a little too determined to protect her heart.  In this one thing, her and Bennett are polar opposites.  She's bound up her battered heart to protect it while he's waiting to find the only one that's going to ever own his.  Loved them together from the first time they meet.

The story is strong and I didn't want to put it down.  I really liked the combination of detail and summary.  The balance was perfect.  I never felt like I missed anything but got the whole story.  Started it one night and woke up early the next day to finish it.  The clues gave me what was up with Avery's past and I did figure out most things a little before they happened but I loved it! 

If the New Adult bug has bitten you like it has me, then you should totally pick this one up!  If that NA bug hasn't bitten, you need to let it and this one is a great one to start.

The Series...

Click covers for Goodreads links

This series has just gotten better and better with each book.  I've read the first three and can't wait for October and Promise Me This to come out! Need more from this author for sure!  Don't miss this series.

About the author:

Once upon a time, I lived in New York City and was a fashion stylist. I spent my days shopping for photo shoots, getting into cabs, eating amazing food, and drinking coffee at my favorite hangouts.

Now I live in my hometown of Cleveland, with my husband and son—my two favorite guys. I’ve always been an avid reader—reading was actually my favorite time of day when I taught second and third grade.  

But it wasn’t until I became a local newspaper columnist that something clicked. I finally realized I could turn my love of words into my dream of writing fiction.

Giveaway...

US only

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Cover Reveal ~ Promise Me This by Christina Lee

Book blurb:

A new love will test the boundaries of passion between a privileged boy next door and the tattooed, blue-haired girl who helps him embrace his wild side...

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.

Pre-order Links:

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Author Bio:

Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys. She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job. 

Author of the Between Breaths series from Penguin. ALL OF YOU, BEFORE YOU BREAK and WHISPER TO ME available now, PROMISE ME THIS on October 7th, 2014.

Also the creator of Tags-n-Stones (dot com) jewelry.

Connect with Christina:

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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. 

My Thoughts:



5 stars - The guys Christina Lee comes up with just leave me a puddle of goo - sigh


I read Before You Break and Whisper To Me back-to-back and I learned something about Christian Lee.  Her guys are incredibly sensual.  They love to touch, to lick and to kiss.  They love to bring pleasure to those they care about.  They are so sexy and I was a puddle of goo reading about them.

Kai.  Gorgeous and sexy Kai.  He fell for Rachel when he spend so much time with her during her recovery.  He whispered to her but she doesn't remember that.  She thinks he's still a player and that he could never feel that way about her.  But he does.  He's just too afraid of losing her to tell her.  So the games begin.  The sexy, yummy games.  It's all cool and their just friends, sure...right.  They are so much more.  If only they could figure out how to tell each other.  And let me just say that that was the stress of this book.

Yes, I was stressed.  Stressed that they wouldn't risk telling the other.  Stressed that they would try to just be friends.  Stressed that what everyone else could see clearly, they wouldn't figure out.  And you know what, it takes a talented storyteller to do that to me.

I was very impressed with Christina Lee's ability to have me glued to the page.  I read it almost straight through, never wanting to put it down.  All I could think about was how they would steal time together again or who might slip and reveal their true feeling to the other.  Then I was guessing if one of them would decide to risk it.  I thought so much about these characters.  I loved every minute of this book.

It was nice seeing the other couples from the first two books.  I enjoyed the update on them.  I'm hoping to get some of that in book four with Kai and Rach because I wanted more at the end.  I wanted to just watch them hold each other, kissing and touching.

That's something that Christina Lee is so good at - the kissing, touching and licking.  So hot and so much fun to read.

Love the sexy reads with a yummy, dirty talking guy?  Then this one is for you.  No need to read the first two, though I loved them so much too.

The Series...

All the books can be read stand alone. Click on covers for Goodreads links.

About the author:

Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys.

She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job. 

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