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ratetheromance's Reviews (659)
THIS is what my heart needed this week! This book was so sweet and steamy. And what more do you need?
Rachel has previously been in an abusive relationship and I just love how that was handled in this book. The author blends Rachel's fear and vulnerability along with strength and bravery! I love that she is no longer a victim, but that she still struggles with the after effects of that relationship while still finding the strength to move forward and heal.
And this leading man...OH HEAVENS. Remy is so sweet and sensitive while still being a strong alpha male. He is fiercely protective of Rachel while still allowing her to call the shots and make her own decisions regarding her ex and how she chooses to move forward. This is the ultimate in real masculinity. *sigh* I'm still swooning.
This was such a good read!
Rachel has previously been in an abusive relationship and I just love how that was handled in this book. The author blends Rachel's fear and vulnerability along with strength and bravery! I love that she is no longer a victim, but that she still struggles with the after effects of that relationship while still finding the strength to move forward and heal.
And this leading man...OH HEAVENS. Remy is so sweet and sensitive while still being a strong alpha male. He is fiercely protective of Rachel while still allowing her to call the shots and make her own decisions regarding her ex and how she chooses to move forward. This is the ultimate in real masculinity. *sigh* I'm still swooning.
This was such a good read!
I just finished re-reading this title since I remember liking it a lot the first time and now there are a lot more books in the SWOON series to binge read. I even paid for this book a second time since it somehow got erased from my Amazon library and at this point I am more than happy to throw money at an author I know I love!
It's as good as I remembered! J. H. Croix always does a great job of writing love after trauma. This story did a good job of portraying navigating the unknowns of moving forward from trauma and the flashes of pain that follow at unexpected times. I especially appreciated that the hero often felt that he didn't magically know what to do at times when heroine was experiencing the PTSD of her trauma. And I am ALWAYS HERE FOR lead characters who seek professional therapy as part of their healing. YES and YES!
Besides the well-written trauma this story has HEAT like crazy! Super hot scenes and chemistry between the leads, but also sweet moments to melt your heart.
I can't wait to binge this series!
It's as good as I remembered! J. H. Croix always does a great job of writing love after trauma. This story did a good job of portraying navigating the unknowns of moving forward from trauma and the flashes of pain that follow at unexpected times. I especially appreciated that the hero often felt that he didn't magically know what to do at times when heroine was experiencing the PTSD of her trauma. And I am ALWAYS HERE FOR lead characters who seek professional therapy as part of their healing. YES and YES!
Besides the well-written trauma this story has HEAT like crazy! Super hot scenes and chemistry between the leads, but also sweet moments to melt your heart.
I can't wait to binge this series!
I am in the midst of reading this entire series and WAIT FOR ME was good, but felt a little light on the actual meaningful relationship outside of sex.
The plot centers around a religiously raised heroin, who reaches 26 years old and is still a virgin, and a single dad without room in his life for a relationship. Yes, the scenes were steamy and both of these characters are likable, but there wasn't a lot of dating or building of a relationship outside of the sexual relationship that they begin as a means of ridding her of her inexperience (although it is clear there is a lot of attraction on both sides before this arrangement is in place).
Having been raised in a very conservative religion myself (and ALSO remaining a virgin into my mid-20's) I felt that the writing was way off as far as the heroine's first sexual experiences. She has zero shame, zero self-consciousness, and often instigates the sexual encounters. One very difficult part of being raised in a faith in which pre-marital sex is a NO-NO is that even after someone is married and "allowed" to have sex, those feelings of sex being "off limits" don't magically disappear. It takes a while and some time to feel confident being sexual...sometimes YEARS. It's a struggle that MANY raised in this way encounter. I wonder if, while writing this, the author might have explored this a bit more and spoken with women who had lived this story in real life before diving in.
There was nothing too complex here or outside of exactly what you would expect from this trope. I love J.H. Croix, but this novel was not my favorite.
The plot centers around a religiously raised heroin, who reaches 26 years old and is still a virgin, and a single dad without room in his life for a relationship. Yes, the scenes were steamy and both of these characters are likable, but there wasn't a lot of dating or building of a relationship outside of the sexual relationship that they begin as a means of ridding her of her inexperience (although it is clear there is a lot of attraction on both sides before this arrangement is in place).
Having been raised in a very conservative religion myself (and ALSO remaining a virgin into my mid-20's) I felt that the writing was way off as far as the heroine's first sexual experiences. She has zero shame, zero self-consciousness, and often instigates the sexual encounters. One very difficult part of being raised in a faith in which pre-marital sex is a NO-NO is that even after someone is married and "allowed" to have sex, those feelings of sex being "off limits" don't magically disappear. It takes a while and some time to feel confident being sexual...sometimes YEARS. It's a struggle that MANY raised in this way encounter. I wonder if, while writing this, the author might have explored this a bit more and spoken with women who had lived this story in real life before diving in.
There was nothing too complex here or outside of exactly what you would expect from this trope. I love J.H. Croix, but this novel was not my favorite.
This book is a great edition to the SWOON series! I loved the relationship between the hero and heroine, which started in high school and was stopped suddenly (we found out why during the course of the book).
The two characters start out constantly snapping at and teasing each other to mask their past relationship. I really loved how their romance resumed years later. The author tackles some tough subjects in this book and does a great job of showing different ways in which people react to trauma and healing. I love the understanding that was extended to one of the antagonists in the story. Sometimes when life throws us a curveball we react out of fear or helplessness in a way that is not the best, but it's the best we can do right then. This author did a great job of acknowledging those failures as a part of the human experience.
So many lessons of love and loss and healing wrapped up in a romance that is equal parts sweet and steamy!
The two characters start out constantly snapping at and teasing each other to mask their past relationship. I really loved how their romance resumed years later. The author tackles some tough subjects in this book and does a great job of showing different ways in which people react to trauma and healing. I love the understanding that was extended to one of the antagonists in the story. Sometimes when life throws us a curveball we react out of fear or helplessness in a way that is not the best, but it's the best we can do right then. This author did a great job of acknowledging those failures as a part of the human experience.
So many lessons of love and loss and healing wrapped up in a romance that is equal parts sweet and steamy!
The perfect blend!
This is the first book I've read by this author and I am now excited to read more! This story has it all: humor, heat, banter, sexiness, sweetness, and family!
I love a good slow burn where we really see the characters interact before anything too steamy happens, but often the slow burn is just too slow, there needs to be little bits of hear to build to the romance and this book perfectly paced that!
There was just the right amount of hot looks, stolen kisses, and conversations to make the slow burn pay off when the fire finally ignites!
The characters are well written and flawed, yet likable. Oh, I just loved Isobel with her endless talking, inappropriate thoughts, and clumsy feet! She made a perfect leading lady! And Alasdair was so funny and swoony! These two practically set my Kindle on fire with their sparks.
I can't wait to read more of this series and this author!
This is the first book I've read by this author and I am now excited to read more! This story has it all: humor, heat, banter, sexiness, sweetness, and family!
I love a good slow burn where we really see the characters interact before anything too steamy happens, but often the slow burn is just too slow, there needs to be little bits of hear to build to the romance and this book perfectly paced that!
There was just the right amount of hot looks, stolen kisses, and conversations to make the slow burn pay off when the fire finally ignites!
The characters are well written and flawed, yet likable. Oh, I just loved Isobel with her endless talking, inappropriate thoughts, and clumsy feet! She made a perfect leading lady! And Alasdair was so funny and swoony! These two practically set my Kindle on fire with their sparks.
I can't wait to read more of this series and this author!
People say "Timing is EVERYTHING". This book was an odd mix of going too slowly and then too quickly.
The story starts off well, with a funny and fun first chapter. There is the Meet Cute and some banter between the lead characters. But immediately after that it begins to move at a snail's pace. We get chapters and chapters of back story and internal character monologue that does nothing to move the story forward. The lead characters have almost no interaction again until the halfway point of the book. I almost gave up.
Then, suddenly, the leads come together and it feels like we may actually get some forward momentum in their romance. They spend all of 2 or 3 half-days together and suddenly...BAM!...they are in love. It is very sudden and is seemingly built on almost nothing. Sure, they have 1-2 meaningful conversations in the course if a week, but it's still not enough to make LOVE plausible.
There were also a number of plot holes and inconsistencies in the book pertaining to the female lead. For exsmple, we kearn earky in that she is raised in a highly conservative religious sect where women cannot wear pants, are discouraged from getting an education, and are groomed for marriage. Yet, our heroin has no clue how to cook, relying instead on frozen pizza and boxed soup. This makes no sense. The ONLY thing women are trained to do in those sorts of sects is household/wifely duties like cooking, cleaning, and child rearing. That's just one example and there were MANY in this book.
Overall there is nothing terrible about this book, it just had some plot issues, didn't engage me, and the timing seemed very much off. Other readers might really like the social awkwardness the hero and heroine displayed and might like the slow burn, but this one fell very flat for me personally.
The story starts off well, with a funny and fun first chapter. There is the Meet Cute and some banter between the lead characters. But immediately after that it begins to move at a snail's pace. We get chapters and chapters of back story and internal character monologue that does nothing to move the story forward. The lead characters have almost no interaction again until the halfway point of the book. I almost gave up.
Then, suddenly, the leads come together and it feels like we may actually get some forward momentum in their romance. They spend all of 2 or 3 half-days together and suddenly...BAM!...they are in love. It is very sudden and is seemingly built on almost nothing. Sure, they have 1-2 meaningful conversations in the course if a week, but it's still not enough to make LOVE plausible.
There were also a number of plot holes and inconsistencies in the book pertaining to the female lead. For exsmple, we kearn earky in that she is raised in a highly conservative religious sect where women cannot wear pants, are discouraged from getting an education, and are groomed for marriage. Yet, our heroin has no clue how to cook, relying instead on frozen pizza and boxed soup. This makes no sense. The ONLY thing women are trained to do in those sorts of sects is household/wifely duties like cooking, cleaning, and child rearing. That's just one example and there were MANY in this book.
Overall there is nothing terrible about this book, it just had some plot issues, didn't engage me, and the timing seemed very much off. Other readers might really like the social awkwardness the hero and heroine displayed and might like the slow burn, but this one fell very flat for me personally.
This book is such a sweet tale of a second chance at first love romance. Grace and Boone fell in love in High School and when college and an ill parent separated them they took a break with disastrous consequences.
Now, years later, they are both living in their home town of Stolen Hearts Valley again and can't ignore the chance to clear the air and reconnect. I loved the back story of these two characters and how they acknowledged grieving and navigating life in your late teens as a source of making mistakes. Sometimes there is no other reason for your heartache besides being so young that you made the wrong decision.
Reading about the past and the present was a sweet ride with these two and their group of friends (featured in the other books in this series). This is a tale of second chances, not just for the lead characters, but also for changing your view of deceased parents, relationships, and reconciling who we USED to be with the person life has shaped us into currently.
Now, years later, they are both living in their home town of Stolen Hearts Valley again and can't ignore the chance to clear the air and reconnect. I loved the back story of these two characters and how they acknowledged grieving and navigating life in your late teens as a source of making mistakes. Sometimes there is no other reason for your heartache besides being so young that you made the wrong decision.
Reading about the past and the present was a sweet ride with these two and their group of friends (featured in the other books in this series). This is a tale of second chances, not just for the lead characters, but also for changing your view of deceased parents, relationships, and reconciling who we USED to be with the person life has shaped us into currently.