Kate Stewart (1)Rezensionen

:(

idk how I feel about our heroine having such an intense physical and emotional connection with 2 men. I know RL is messy but gosh I don't like my escapist fiction being so messy too :(

Very well written book but I am super conflicted and therefore can't rate fairly. This reminds me of getting super SLS from a great kdrama

I'm always looking for something different and this one about a woman who falls in love with a man with adult ADHD was certainly different. It wasn't a traditional romance so much as a relationship story. I certainly learned that I knew basically nothing about ADHD. Well worth the read.

Kate Stewart took the standard romance plot of ‘1 girl, 2 guys, who will she end up with?’ and turned it into a masterpiece.

Playlists are always a huge positive for me. The links within the ebook to the playlist and certain songs was a huge bonus for me. The power of a well chosen song should never be underestimated.

I ended up in tears numerous times while reading this. At times the agony was more than I could take. I wanted to put the book down to escape the pain. Instead I reminded myself that I am an adult. I am not, nor have I ever been a journalism student. I don’t live in Texas. This is fiction.

If it were possible to drown in a novel, ‘Drive’ would be the whirlpool waiting to suck you under.

Thank goodness there was no cliffhanger ending.

What a ride!

Great book but she so ended up with the wrong guy. I saw it coming and was still mad.

This book is amazing.
It is my first book by this author.
Some reviews have mentioned a shock twist, I have to be honest early on in the book as soon as certain things were stated I guessed what the issue was going to be.(I don't want to mention who/what so I don't spoil it for others).
That said the depth of the issues took me by surprise. Even though this book is very funny in parts and has excellent secondary characters it also deals with some very serious problems.
Cameron King and Abbie Gorman.
The romance and sizzle between these two was amazing.
They meet but decide to communicate through messages on their laptops even though they can see each other as they are both sitting in the same cafe.
This means they get to know each other and it builds their friendship and the fact they have no physical contact builds a tension between them.
It was unique and I really liked it.
There was an future story hinted at about a secondary character Max and a woman named Rachel which I am hoping we will get to read.
This book is well written, sensitive and has made me want to check the authors back catalogue.

💞💕💓

The characters and romance piece were patently Stewart. More avaiable emotional woman, reluctant guy determined to never be burned again. I like Rowdy, I did. I like Stewart's writing. I enjoyed the book. What I didn't enjoy is the social commentary that was reductionist and somewhat stereotypical. I think she tried, but it got a little "Empathy for the police, Blue Lives Matter" for me. The complex racial run-ins were far too black and white in the book, and it made us feel like the police were being scapegoated and victimized.

"Sam you must read Drive," says my friend. I side-eye her, because I know her in real life. Are you sure? I say. We don't really match up, see. She loves manufactured angst and I...don't. She likes my books too, but I have less patience with the trauma pile-ons she tends to gravitate to.

I don't blame anyone for loving this story and feeling it was different. And I don't necessarily want to spoil up the plot so those who feel so compelled will be surprised.

So one criticism is going above the spoiler tag and the rest below. I've had issues with a Kate Stewart book before, I believe I called [b:The Brave Line|33023650|The Brave Line|Kate Stewart|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1484746067s/33023650.jpg|53678035] a little "too Blue Lives Matter," (it's fine, unfriend me). This book is a Latina heroine. I'm afraid I have to say it's mentioned just about every page and in every fiery/fiesty/assertive/bold/saucy interaction of the said heroine. Very little else is mentioned about it. I don't know Kate Stewart's background by any stretch, nor do I feel she needs to be Latina to pull this off, but in this book it's not only stereotypically annoying, it's lacking authenticity. Thus, this is to say, making a point of her ethnicity but failure to back it up with anything but stereotypes felt like a big ol' fail.

So, read on for spoilers because I'm not going to be delicate about the plot in the rest-after this, it was absolutely readable. There.:

The book opens with Stella getting a call in present day that he was getting married. Stella's thrown for a loop and very good day quickly turns into day of feeling off center. Another him calls and is clearly the man in her life....Now what's happening here? He's getting married while he is proud of her and worried and waiting for her to come home.
Commence with the flashbacks. To 12 years ago.
The heroine felt young and dumb. She was 20. So maybe she was young and dumb. She was badly burned by a prior rock romance and had sworn off men. Enter: the antagonistic relationship with the resident bad boy of rock. He looks like Dave Grohl, plays the drums (apparently like Dave Grohl), and has a whole lotta baggage. But he chose a bright green cast. Which actually is a nice touch of detail. Stella has moved in with her sister to become a rock journalist in Austin. Her best friend is aforementioned Dave Grohl lookalike and all around high schooler's wet dream, Reid. He's hot, he's broody, he's tattooed. I'm swooning.

So our bold heroine goes out in search of a gig with a local music rag. There she meets the most handsome editor-in-chief aged 24 who loves her cons and her pulp fiction shirt. He finds her later (sometimes, I admit I was confused by how often people wound up where they were) to hit her up, after they've struck her "test" deal for her articles and because Stella is damned irresistible, he would like to take her out. She refused; says give me 6 months-aka after the articles are finished (cause that's definitely better). Ugh, editor-in-chief (Nate) and 20 year old definitely skeeved me out.

No matter, Reid and Stella are clearly a powder keg waiting for a match. And boy, did it get lit. (I'm feeling loopy). I won't bore you with the plot details, but long story short, Reid is tortured, he's in a bad way, and he can't give Stella what she needs. Her sister disowns both of them, they live together, and then despite her unfailing belief in them, he leaves-and that's when thought, hey there's a hero.

Her heart is broken, in the meantime his awesome band, because of her awesome article, get a record deal with Sony (!). They are both hitting it big time. Nate is waiting on the sidelines, Stella has the job, then they boom get together....And their relationship is very sweet
** And we interrupt to go back to present tense...hints are dropped (I caught a detail here or there very early during these present tense sections --whether intentional or not ---that made it pretty clear who she's suddenly in present tense driving home to see and who is getting married ***
Anyway it's clear Stella isn't quite Stella-living-out-loud we expected when she's with Nate. It's 3 or 4 years later, Nate is working on the magazine, and guess whose old band that has hit the big time wants to give Stella the exclusive? Well, of course! Nate pushes her to it, not realizing that ruh-roh, Stella and the badass drummer have a history (in fact randomly Reid showed up years ago to make clear she's the only thing that he's ever believed in)

Do you all feel like you are lost in a high school fantasy? Yes me too. Because after 4 years, rock star Reid confesses his love (first time saying so!) and tells him he deserves her too. (Which I actually sort of adored. He put the work in to feel that way, worked on himself and meanwhile she just comes off as a serial monogamist.) She says no. "I love Nate!" He says he's fighting for her.

Ultimately, a few months later Reid plays a super sentimental set that is basically all about Stella (covers!) at their local club (and he sings like an angel (Dave Grohl!) and drums like the devil!), and she becomes entranced and there's a big moment in front of Nate and everyone---then Reid spots her ring. Oh, no she is engaged.
...Obviously she loses them both for a time there.

And then she drives up the driveway, and because they have a supernatural bond, he's there. Waiting.

So this is HEAVILY love-triangled. Obviously, I lost patience with my review because it's so long. And all it was about was that damn love triangle. I thought Stella was a little pathetic, because she doesn't really take a break from all this LURVE stuff till she's what? 27? And is forced to?


What a mess of a review. Well in summary, it was readable, but not edible. I didn't particularly like the characters, but I think this was more meant as a 17 year old's daydream anyway. There's some really nice writing and sentiments. That's why it's getting a 2.5. I'm rounding down though, because it's got plenty of reviews that are more than 3!

dnf

4.5 stars

This book was so good. Once when I was a little girl, my brother that was a sheriff was picking me up from school. He had a scanner in his car and heard the words, "shots fired. Officer down". My brother slammed on the gas and got there as soon as he could. He made me stay in the car but I'll never forget that moment ever. The officer made it luckily. It put things in perspective when I saw him at home later with his wife and kids at how fragile life is. Ironically, he later went on to become a dispatcher and often said it was a hard job either way. This book reminded me of all that. Life is precious and you never know what may happen.

I loved that Rowdy was able to show his fears of not wanting a wife to feel that hence why he didn't want Michelle. Michelle. Sweet holy hell that woman is a fighter. She took her past and owned it.

Together they were so hot. The chemistry was off the charts. And his mouth. Mmmm sweet holy titfire.

Definitely recommend this book. I appreciate immensely the dedication to writing a book with real details. It enriched the story.

5 unexpected stars

I am not sure what I was expecting when I started this book but it sure as hell wasn't to be punched in the gut. It shows the beauty of love as an emotion that can be tied to music.

"Because music is the heart’s greatest librarian. A few notes had the ability to transport me back in time, and to the most painful of places. Take any song from the Rolodex of your life, and you can pin it to a memory. It translates, resonates, and there it will remain. And no matter how many of those Rolodex cards you want to rip out and burn like an old phone number to make room for new ones, those songs remain and threaten to repeat."

This story was beautifully told. I was floored at Kate's ability to make you fall in love with two characters the way she did.
"Love doesn’t die, even when you stop feeding it. There is no expiration date on the ache of missing someone you shared your heart, life, and body with."

Nate or Reid. I am not sure I could even decide between the two. They both are top BBF's now. My heart hurt for Stella.

"In love with two worthy kings, and I was queen of the damned."

This story could have gone either way. The brilliance of that is in either scenario my heart would have hurt for the one not chosen. That takes skill.

Bravo.

4.75 stars

Sweet holy hell. This author can make me laugh. I live for snark and that little internal monologue and she does it in spades. Ii simply adored The characters in this book. They made me feel everything. EVERYTHING.

Definitely would recommend this book and series.

Holy hell

Sweet Joseph, Mary, Jesus and Gabriel... I am not sure how I discovered this book but I'm glad I did. If I had a Festivus pole I would be doing a dance around it because this book not only met but exceeded my expectations.

The story was suspenseful, had interesting flashbacks, great characters, and some of the best steamy moments EVER. Taylor was a bad a$@ and sweet lord Daniello needs to be cloned. He is a sexy yet complex man juxtaposed with alphahole.

Cannot wait to dig into the next book.

5 stars

I have to mentally prepare myself for this author's works. I stare at her books on my kindle for days...sometimes weeks. I don't do this out of dread. It's quite the opposite of that. I know that when I read it that she is going to leave me sucker punched while I am lying on the floor with nothing but emotions covering me. This happens every time. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. She's that good Y'all.

This might have been one of the cutest stories ever. I loved the premise of "wooing" through their computers while sitting across from each other. I loved the coffee cups. I want them all in my collection.

Abbie. Sweet lord. I loved her vulnerability. I loved her BFF, Bree. I loved that she had such an amazing heart that she, in turn, wanted to help everyone around her. Cameron. My heart. He was such a gentleman. He was smooth with his words. Whether he was being romantic or he was being naughty. Either way, he was going to melt panties. All I kept thinking about was if I was driving while listening to this in audible form, I would either wreck or need to pull over. A LOT. He is that delicious.

The author did a fantastic job bringing up a touchy subject. One I didn't see coming. It is also one that needs national attention. I'm thankful I found this author. I highly recommend this story.

4.5 stars

Sweet lord. This author can write a story that punches you in the gut. Koti and Ian were truly the perfect blends of each other. Their romance was not an easy ride. They both had demons to process. I'm my opinion, the author did an exceptional job talking about real life issues and handled it with clarity and grace. As a woman, that deals with both of the things that Koti did made me sympathize with her. I felt her pain. She didn't sugar coat it.it's ugly and real. Yet, the desire to be a free spirit with a gypsy soul always dictates that living is most important. Ian. Talk about a hot Dad. I loved that his daughter was his life. I think that the author did an amazing job showing how disabilities don't dictate what is normal.

If you want a book in which you can feel the emotions that an author pours in the paper then look no further. She will never disappoint you. Ever.

5 stars

I'm gobsmacked. I have cried twice. The first was only 31% in. The second, I'm sure you will figure it out. This story was more than a story. It was pure perfection written on these pages. Hands down one of the best of 2018.

I'm not going to give spoilers but will say that my heart ached for Gavin, Katy, and Chris. War changes people. What these three endured. Good lord. The authors went above and beyond showing how it alters the template of who they are. Hell, this book changed my template and I didn't even go to war.

Not an easy decision in this book as either man would have had me loving them. Hell, I did/do love them both.

Grab your favorite drink (I suggest wine), find a comfy spot, and grab your Kleenex, you are going to need them. Then, enjoy this masterful, poignant, and beautiful story.

Thanks to Quirky Omega for the recommendation!

Fluffy and goofy skimming romance that was a fun little escape. He plays baseball, we get some pitches thrown to the catcher and first baseman, she's a flight instructor, we get some sexist pilots not wanting to learn from her, and a whole lot of '80s movie quotes/references with some quick cute romance. Secondary characters bring a little tiny bit of angst but this is mostly cute non-taxing escapism.

4/5 stars.

I was a little worried going into this book, since I DNF-ed a previous book by this author. But I actually really liked it. It is angsty and it does involve a love triangle, though not in a way that it will upset everyone. But if you're highly sensitive to this, you might want to skip it.

It was an interesting book and I enjoyed reading it. I liked Nate and Reid grew on me as well, even though Reid remained a bit of a flat character. My only problem with this book, as is often the case with love triangles, in my opinion she chose the wrong guy. I can understand the connection and love that drove her to her decision, but I was so rooting for Nate. He deserved better than what he got.

Will there be a book about Lexi and Ben next? Or maybe Nate, who really does deserve his own happy ending.

I think I'm giving up at 15%
Maybe it's my mood right now or something. But I'm having so much trouble getting through this and I've already started skimming. I really dislike both main characters so far and I'm really really really not feeling it. It's a shame. Might get back to it someday, but I'm leaning towards a definite DNF.

Give it a try though, I'm sure it's just not a good match for me. It's gotten great reviews so far.

I only have this 3 because Anything But Minor was freaking hilarious. So that's what I wanted in this book as well. And nothing against Major Love it was well written and had well developed characters and a great plot... it just was very funny and that's what I was reading it for.

So great adult sports romance, just not really what I was looking for/expecting.

Great book another one of my favorites for 2015

�?› image:

ƒ?› image:

This is a scorching HOT start of a brand new series �?? WITH A Cliff-hanger alert!!

Let me start by saying ƒ?? I did not know how to do a review on this one, the authors writing style is excellent which was not the problem, read the review to understand my 4 star rating, and it took me a few days decide if I am doing a review!

This is my first read of this author, so when I read the other excellent reviews on GR again, I thought maybe I started with the wrong series and should have started with the The Excess Series where everyone met Taylor first and this one confused me so much more in the beginning that it took me sometimes two times to reread a paragraph or chapter for that matter, before it made any sense, but that was the first halve BUT the second halve I loved!

We meet Taylor a wealthy hardworking professional who at night visit a sex club to extinguish her sexual appetite! I did not like Taylor in the first few chapters of this book, but when I learned what made Taylor tick, I understood her better with all her flashbacks from her past




"I had a past that kept me in shackles until I freed myself with excellence. It was my camouflage, my way of escape. I became bulletproof."

She is a very strong character, that came off as a cold hearted bitch in some chapters, and then in some she was insecure, and in other unpredictable, her flashbacks from her childhood is sad, and her mother was bipolar or something, who ensured that Taylor was very insecure when she was young, her father was not any help as well and therefore her sister and her did not actually have parents to trust and believe in, and her past is not all too clear even with her flashbacks, which I think will become clearer in the next instalments.

"I lived in a constant state of fear the first ten years of my life."-Taylor

Because of her past she doesn't do relationships or love.

She meets Daniello, a sexy, complicated mysterious enigma, and they start a cat and mouse game as they call it! She first saw him at exclusive sex club, where Tailor went to fulfil her sexual appetite.



ƒ??I could compartmentalize lust, but this attraction was far too strong. He was like the opposite end of a magnet and I had no choice.ƒ?

ƒ??Tell me, Taylor Ellison, do you think I am the devil?ƒ?
ƒ??No.ƒ? Staring into his etched features, I had no choice but to draw my conclusion. ƒ??I think you are his greatest creation.ƒ?

Daniello is sort of a mystery in the greater part of this start up series, he disappears for weeks from the scene just to reappear and have a scorching sex with Taylor, who agreed upon a no string attached sexual relationship, until he decides he had enough, in the first part I also did not like Daniello that much either, he was an arrogant bastard with a great accent

I DID Mention HOT


ƒ??ƒ??all the ghosts of my past were making an appearance these days.ƒ?

Although I struggled with the first part of the book the second half left me wanting more and this book ends with an excellent cliff-hanger which we need to wait for to find out how the story unfolds

This book was epic. The epic love story. It has everything you can possibly want, laughter, feelings, a little suspense, and lots of sexy times. This book was so well written, the characters were so real they seemed to leap off the page at you, the slow burning satisfaction when these two characters collide is so satisfying. Well developed characters, and the well detailed of their history as to why they are like they are is important, and in this book you get it. Love the secondary characters as well, and they added some serious comic relief. The Halloween scene is fracking amazing. Be prepared to laugh, cry and want to throw your kindle. Told in Abbie's POCV.

Beautiful, poignant, funny, irreverent. Those are the only words I can think of to describe this book. Kate Stewart has taken two totally broken people, and placed them in each others path and made them become whole again. It's not all an angst fest though, there are some funny times with Koti's friend/boss Jasmine, it helps bring a levity to a story that otherwise would be too heavy and emotional.
This book is the perfect blend of angst, sexy times, love, lust, humor, and joy. the pacing is spot on as the author takes you from memories, to the present, and everything in between. Ian, and Koti have feelings for each other, but with both being broken, it's hard for them to see. This story represents what good can happen if you just trust your heart. Told mostly in Koti's POV, with some of Ian's in there too.

--Read my full review of the book at seriesousbookreviews.com! Spoiler Free!

Never have I contemplated DNFing a book more at the 50% mark than I have with this one. It's a shame because this started so strong. I was chuckling along for the first 25% or so, getting used to the town and characters and then I just didn't care anymore. Part of it was the insta-romance--I just wasn't feeling these two together--but the other factor was the characters themselves.

Alice is quirky and I enjoyed that about her at the start. But then some of her traits just irked me. Like her inability to hold her bladder at certain times. Now, I'm not judging anyone who has bladder incontinence, but it was a little much for this story. And the humour started to die for me after that.

This story isn't anything I haven't read before and that just made it a little dull...

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!

Full Review: http://wp.me/p7hLUw-1FR
Actual Rating: 2/5