Tag: Racy

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Damaged by R.R. Banks

  10 Years Worth Waiting For…

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Charlotte is a young woman that has been trapped in an abusive relationship for many years and has, at last, found the courage to leave her abuser. he family think she is being foolish and won’t accept that she was being attacked both verbally and physically by her high school ‘sweetheart’. She agrees to go with her parents and her 2 married siblings and their spouses to a cabin in the mountains for Thanksgiving. But it’s all a trap and her abuser has planned with her parents to ‘surprise’ her by being there with them. She gathers up her things and taking her sister’s car runs away. Unfortunately the weather is treacherous she gets lost and skids, causing a crash. The man that rescues her is the the high school jock who used to share stolen glances with when no one else was looking. Micah recognises her instantly as he’s never forgotten her. But Charlotte has amnesia and doesn’t even know her name nor whom she was running from! Micah has changes in many ways over the ten years since he last saw her and he has suffered but survived. As the pair are snowed in their feelings for one another that were not acted upon now have the chance to emerge and flourish! R. R. Banks has delivered an exceptional story for us this Christmas. This is about how a young woman who has been too afraid to leave her abuser finds the strength to realise that she is worth so much more and leaves. That is a strength of bravery that should be applauded yet her family support the abuser. Her mother was very difficult to like at all till the very end. Charlotte is such a rave person who has suffered and overcome so very much that, in many ways, she can empathise with the suffering that Micah has been through on his own since his mum died. The feelings that they had for each other so long ago blossom even more as they get to know one another better and this time, they are both ready to explore the passion between them. Micah is so easy to love. He has been through so much and overcome adversities but is lonely. When he recognises Charlotte and realises that she can’t remember him he knows that he wants to get to know her better and discover her secrets and see whether they have a chance of love. So very beautifully written with a fantastic storyline that is sometimes difficult to comprehend how parents can not be supportive but is all about strength, bravery and love and, when necessary, being prepared to die for the one you love.
This is a must read that I am so grateful that I got the chance to read. Charlotte’s character is an example that any woman in such a dark place needs to realise that they CAN be that strong and do DESERVE a good life free from harm and be safe.

OUTSTANDING and will be a book to re-read as it is so good.

DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED

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Christmas Present by Lauren Wood

    Christmas Surprise!

Lauren Wood has created a real hero and romantic in this story and his name is Carlos and I sincerely hope that we get to read about his HEA as he is a real charmer and a very good guy. However, the storyline, which is really great, centres on Leo and Celia. Leo’s boss was a player before he found his beloved and settled down and married her and they started a family. Leo is tired of not meeting a woman that he could really relate to, someone he could love and who would love him right back. he invited a girl to a gig where he is playing in a band as a drummer. He looks in the crowd dancing and spots Celia who seems to stare right back at him in awareness. But he’s brought a girl to the gig so he asks his boss if he can get rid og the girl for him. Celia overhears this and does a runner as she doesn’t want to have to deal with such a player, so she leaves her friends and a nice guy called Carlos that she had been dancing with. Leo is very despondent that he missed Celia but eventually he tracks her down to the place where she worked as a waitress and he charms her in agreeing to go on a date with him – where he will cook her dinner. Celia agrees and that night their awareness of each other sizzles until it spontaneously combusts and they share a night of passion that was the best of their lives. During the night he gets a call from his boss to sort a woman out for him and take her home and he leaves Celia. She awakens and finds that he’s gone so she calls him and hears a woman’s voice in the background and this seems to be the trigger for Celia to just ‘lose it’ and she leaves after all he is just a player! Right?? except he isn’t! I do think that the next part where Celia quits her job and just leaves because of hearing a woman’s voice was way over the top and immature. She should have asked if she cared that much about him in my opinion. Life goes on and Christmas is upon them. Carlos does a good deed acting unselfishly to try and bring about a happy ending for others than himself. And a secret is revealed. No spoilers here from me. This is beautifully composed by Lauren and her characters are excellent. I’m sorry that I don’t particularly like Celia but Leo is a good guy and he does deserve his HEA. My favourite person in the book? I think you might have guessed that Carlos is my favourite and I do hope that sometime we get to read his HEA please. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED
I read this book via KU so that I could read the bonus materials and they are excellent too and worth the book price on their own so remember to read them too!