Reviews

Any Time, Any Place by Jennifer Probst

katekate_reads_'s review against another edition

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2.0

Sigh. I loved the first book in this series and wanted to love this one too. I enjoyed a lot of the experience of this book. However - it ended up using something I really hate - twice.

I absolutely hate when romance books or movies use the idea that if a man waits around long enough and keeps showing up - the woman he is pursuing who isn’t interested will suddenly change her mind.

This book starts off with that happening between Dalton and Raven - but I decided to let it go and look past it. And then I enjoyed most of the middle of the book. But then it happens AGAIN at the end - Raven doesn’t want to be together so Dalton keeps showing up at her work (the bar) every night. No. That’s not nice. It’s creepy and not okay. She can’t leave. She owns the bar and works there. If she doesn’t want him in her life, he needs to respect that and leave. I absolutely hate when books and movies keep putting this out there like it’s sweet. It’s not.

I’m still looking forward to the third book in the series and reading more by Jennifer Probst.

cherryredsreads's review against another edition

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5.0

I really enjoyed Dalton & Rayven's story.

This book was heartfelt.

With both characters relating to each other with having such devastating pasts of ones they loved, this book really took to me.

It gave me the feels that had my heart breaking for both of them in a way that I can't explain. All I can say, it was amazing.

I loved how Author Jennifer Probst continues this series with couples we can relate to yet we also wish we could be in their world she has created.

Laughter, love and a well rounded group of characters that are memorable and will stay with us is what you get.

This book gave us another fabulous Pierce Brother to love and I can not wait for the next one.

Go One click this must read in this romantic Builders series!

**ARC kindly provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review***
5 Cherries Popped

syndi3's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 I am between 3 and 4 stars with this book. I round it up to 4 stars at the end. This is a new twist from Miss Probst. She usually writes more likeable, min angst and min drama romance. 

Any Time, Any Place is more about forgiving someone. Raven and Dalton has tangled past thanks to their parents. Fast forward, their fate crashing down again. And this time, their love is being tested with their parents past. I do like how Miss Probst adding star gazing into the story. There are a lot of moral messages in the story. Especially about kindness, love and forgiveness. 

I tip my hat to Raven. It takes a lot from her to finally finding her peace. 

tina_choy75's review against another edition

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4.0

Really enjoyed this second book in the series. Can't wait to read Tristan's story.

kara_hildebrand's review against another edition

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5.0

I'm a huge Jennifer Probst fan and I'm loving this new series, Billionaire Builders. I love the way she writes complex characters who are smart and witty. Jennifer always makes me laugh in the midst of heartache and tragedy. Her heros are full of depth and sexiness and her leading ladies are tough, intelligent and independent. I have to admit, when I start a new series, especially one about brothers, I always pick my favorite with in the first few chapters of the first book. Dalton is my favorite. I’m not sure if it's his arms, his hair, his sweetness or his vulnerability. Or his amazing talent. Or maybe it's his hands. Dalton is the youngest Pierce brother. He's the family player who doesn’t seem to take things too seriously. Whether it's life, love or business. But, being back home and working with his brothers has showed Dalton he's exactly where he wants to be. When he sets foot in My Place and comes face to face with the owner, sexy Raven, he can't seem to stop thinking about her. Something in his soul calls to her. It's almost like Fate is telling him something. He wants her and for once a woman wants nothing to do with him. It's like she actually can't stand him, but they hardly know each other. Raven lost her father and she wants vengeance. She knows exactly who to blame too. She doesn't want to like Dalton. She can't be attracted to him. She just can't. But she is. Something about his eyes, his body draws her in. She's caught in his spell and it's not a good thing. She doesn't return his advances, but when she needs to have the bar restored she knows Dalton is the best. After working together, their spark becomes a raging fire and Raven can't stay away anymore. But, she's keeping a secret from Dalton. A big one. Will Dalton be able to forgive Raven when he finds out? I loved this story and this couple. So much! They are sexy, funny and super talented. I loved hearing about the woodworking and mixology. I wanted to make myself a Sweet Hot Chris and buy an antique! I was thrilled to see someone make an appearance from another series. Eek! Overall, this love story is about letting go of the past so you can move on and love. Destiny has a funny way of proving itself to you. Sometimes your heart has to break to find the one to heal it. Your other half, who's written in the stars.

PS. LOVE the When Harry Met Sally reference. My favorite movie of all time.

"Take a lesson from the Stones. You can't always get what you want."
He never flinched. "Maybe. But I'm sure I'll eventually get what I need."

"I don't seem to have the vision like so many other women have."
"I doubt many women can make a Bloody Mary like you can."
"You're right. That's a better talent."

"I don’t want to think about the future, or why we're wrong for each other. I just want to claim the moment and kiss you in the moonlight, because you're so fucking beautiful my heart hurts."

aboutthatstory's review against another edition

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4.0

I love a good enemies to lovers story. The animosity between the characters, the playful sparing and the sparks that fly as the chemistry builds. I love the chase of it all as the story develops. It hooks me every time. Any Time, Any Place totally hooked me. Great read!

I thought Raven and Dalton were fantastic characters, they had serious chemistry and I loved their banter and flirting. They were both fighting with past demons and I loved how those pasts intersected. I liked all the details, the tension and heat, and I loved their building passion. I thought Dalton was so sweet, having these little moments with Raven, confused by his feelings. I felt like he went through a really big transformation of forgiveness. I liked Raven a lot. She was a strong, independent woman who can definitely hold her own. I loved how she came to terms with her past and connected with Dalton. There were a lot of great moments of emotion and vulnerability between the two. There were some heart wrenching moments towards the end that had me focusing on holding it together, I was definitely teary eyed. It had a bit of everything: fun, heat, and drama.

There are a couple of things going on with this story I really liked. Dalton and Raven of course, but I really liked the growth of Dalton's relationship with his brothers. It could be fun but it also had a lot of underlying emotion and tension. I loved the growth that happens throughout as both Cal and Tristan really start to see Dalton for who he is. It gave me such a warm feeling. I love how far they've come as brothers, as a family, and the closure that came. It was really heartfelt.

The writing was really good, I liked all the details. I did think the front half was a bit slow and but the second half had a great pace and build. I loved the foreshadowing with Tristan and Sydney. Sign me up for their story now. I've been curious about those two since book one, Everywhere and Every Way.

I loved Raven and Dalton’s very sexy and animosity filled relationship. The end was great and had me filled with hope. Love the message of forgiveness and moving on. Awesome addition to the series.

Complimentary copy received for honest review.

amcdonald831's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

tita_noir's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

This book had a great conflict set up. But man, it was just so meh.

The possibility of a good enemies to lovers and a great angst factor was high. But my overwhelming reaction was impatience. I kept waiting to feel something for these people and got nothing.

10% of the book was the hero, Dalton, telling us over and over how awesome and badass Raven (the heroine) was.

50% was any forward plot momentum being arrested by inner thoughts of how sexy one found the other. This is fine. It is a romance after all and the characters need to be attracted to each other, but there were so many cases I thought these inner thoughts could have been better placed in the scene. The writing was already not very engaging and I spent so much time waiting for something to happen, that it just felt like this was dragging it even further.

I will give the author credit that when it came to the big reveal of the big secret she at least let the heroine tell the hero, rather than him finding out on his own. That would have been the predictable route. But even so, this long awaited reveal still didn't hit me in the feels the way I wanted it to. The emotion just wasn't there for me.

Another piece of author credit and one point of the book that I will say I absolutely liked, was the last part after the black moment, the hero's quest for forgiveness. He didn't do a grand gesture or abject grovelling, but he did apologize and I liked his method of proving his sincerity and contrition.

I have never read a book by this writer. I didn't find the writing or storytelling especially engaging, but as is my policy I will try the author a second time to see if a different book works better for me.

Listened to this on audio. It was a dual narration. The male narrator was very good. The female narrator was good with the heroine/women voice but she made the hero sound slow and not too bright.

ezichinny's review against another edition

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4.0

Dalton Pierce is the youngest and still trying to prove himself in the family business Pierce Brother’s Construction. He doesn’t believe in permanence when it comes to his love-life, preferring casual hookups with no attachments. As fate would have it, the owner of a popular bar, Raven Hawthorne appears immune to his charms and isn’t interested in a casual hookup. The more she rebuffs his advances, the more intrigued he is. When Raven hires Pierce Brother’s Construction to renovate her bar, Dalton sees it as his opportunity to show her that he isn’t the shallow ladies’ man she believes him to be.

When they finally give into the sexual tension, Dalton and Raven realize they may have something special. But Raven knows things about Dalton and his family. In fact, Raven targeted the Pierce family for revenge. Will the past hurts keep Dalton and Raven from embracing a future together or have they built enough to overcome the secrets?
I enjoyed this story and the characters. I felt drawn to the story and the people in it. The author Jennifer Probst did a great job of creating characters that the readers could empathize with and root for. Both Dalton and Raven were good people being held back from love because of the way they lost their parents. Their inability to find out the circumstances of car accident left them unable to trust people as well as the institution of love. Their slow crawl to a relationship allowed them to chip away at their respective walls. They laughed together, they had fun together and they eventually found out they were compatible together. I struggled with the fact that the man who didn’t believe in marriage or forever said such romantic and poetic words. In fact, Dalton did and said a lot of forever-ish things. I also don’t believe for a second that Dalton and his siblings wouldn’t have wanted to know everything there was to know the man who was in the accident with their mother including his child. That part seemed unrealistic to me. The chemistry though was tangible and the connection intense. With all that happened, the author kept the character’s authentic to themselves and I enjoyed the continual restoration of Dalton’s relationship with his brothers. What I do love about Jennifer Probst is she writes serious matter but without angst and you always leave her books feeling good about the conclusion. Her writing makes you smile, sigh, feel sad and later hopeful and happy. I definitely recommend this contemporary romance to those who love a good story about family, love and forgiveness. I look forward to book 3.

Special thanks to InkSlinger for the e-arc given in exchange for an honest review.

cmd2010's review

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0