This Love Hurts by Willow Winters

BLURB

Some love stories are a slow burn. Others are quick to ignite, scorching and branding your very soul before you’ve taken that first breath. You’re never given a chance to run from it.

That’s how I’d describe what happened to us.

Everything around me blurred and all that existed were his lips, his touch… The chase and the heat between us became addictive.

Our nights together were a distraction; one we craved to the point of letting the world crumble around us.

We should have paid attention; we should have known that it would come to this. We both knew it couldn’t last, but that didn’t change what we desired most.

All we wanted was each other…

MY REVIEW

Part I Do You Want Me the prequel to This Love Hurts, I have to say for me was tough to get through.  Told in first person from a triangle of perspectives this romantic suspense is a tedious slow burn, with hints at heated passion.  The foreshadowing start adds only confusion in the wait for the story to progress to something meaningful.  You learn about Delilah, whose job as an attorney putting monsters behind bars is her life.  Cody, an FBI agent who has a work history with Delilah, as well as a mutual attraction is guarded & has secrets in his past to damning to tell.  Their history of working tough murder cases that were never solved, a serial killer still on the loose haunts them.  Being completely dedicated to work, & connected by these cases, Delilah & Cody take solace in one another "It's easy to hide in work. Even easier to hide under the sheets and get lost, forgetting who we are and what we do." particularly as Delilah works through family drama & controversy, turned to threats at work that putting her in need of protection.  

In Part II This Love Hurts, the story really starts to pick up the pace.  Enter "...the man I've heard called a ghost, the grim reaper...the angel of death..." the third member of this triangle.  Secrets of the past and the events that connect the three characters finally start to unfold.  Leaving with one heck of a cliff hanger & a lot of frustration for the reader at finally getting to the depth of the story, only for it to be over. Full of intrigue, mystery & suspense - perhaps a little to much in fact to hold the attention of this reader.

The continuation of this story, But I Need You coming this Fall.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

AMAZON US/UK

The Rivals by Vi Keeland

Title: The Rivals

Author: Vi Keeland

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance 

Release Date: July 12, 2020

Blurb

The feud between Weston Lockwood and me started at the altar.

Only neither of us attended the wedding, and the nuptials happened decades before either of us was born.

Our grandfathers had been best friends and business partners, at least up until my grandfather’s wedding day—when his bride-to-be blurted out she couldn’t marry him because she was also in love with Weston‘s grandfather.

The two men spent years fighting over Grace Copeland, who also happened to be their third business partner.  But in the end, neither man could steal half of her heart away from the other.

Eventually, they all went their separate ways.  Our grandfathers married other women, and the two men became one of the biggest business rivals in history.

Our fathers continued the family tradition of feuding.  And then Weston and I did, too.

For the most part, we kept as much distance as possible.

Until the day the woman who started the feud died—and unexpectedly left one of the most valuable hotels in the world to our grandfathers to share.

Now I’m stuck in a hotel with the man I was born to hate, trying to unravel the mess our families inherited.

As usual, it didn’t take long for us to be at each other’s throats.

Weston Lockwood was everything I hated: tall, smart, cocky, and too gorgeous for his own good.  We were fire and ice. 

But that shouldn’t be an issue. Our families were used to being at war. There was just one minor problem, though.   Every time Weston and I fought, we somehow wound up in bed.

MY REVIEW

The Rivals by Vi Keeland, another in a long line of sexy & witty enemies-to-lovers contemporary romances from Vi.  This page turner & its impulsively hot headed characters does not disappoint.  Fasten your seat belt for push and pull, feuding, explosive chemistry, heart-string pulling story of life struggles that may or may not define Sophie & Weston.

Told in first person from dual perspectives, this story literally takes off with palpable attraction & wit, bringing the personal touch of the hospitality service industry to a whole new level.  Sophie intelligent, willful & a real beauty, with trust issues to spare, she is working to prove her worth in a world dominated by her father & grandfather, while tasked with taking on the family rival.  She's had a glimpse of what she's up against (literally) with Weston, now she's getting a brand new view of the makings of a good partner in more ways than one.  Closed off & protective, carrying baggage full of self-doubt, Weston is a man who pays attention to detail in the boardroom & the bedroom (AMEN).  He isn't afraid to do what it takes to get the job done in any room.  Loyal to a fault, Weston is "...positively sinful."

I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK.  Sophia & Weston are such a amazing fit.  Equal in intellect & tenacity.  "...like a tornado and a volcano. It's rare the two meet. But when they do, it's explosive."  Such a tangible spark between Sophie & Weston, this whirlwind romance has a level of intimacy & caring, I couldn't get enough of.  Their love-hate relationship, with a twist of betrayal & fear of taking a risk; add in the wonderful feel good friendships that bring wisdom of imperfect perfection this life has to offer.   

"It's magical."

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.