Review: The Way We Fall by Cassia Leo

 Five years is a long time to get over a love lost. Even though Houston and Rory have moved on with their careers and relationships, the chemistry that first ignited between them back in college is still there. To complicate matters, Houston has a secret that would explain so much of what happened between them all those years ago. Revealing the secret though may cause more damage than he can risk.

Rory is a mess. She's been passing time since graduation, pretending not to still have feelings for Houston and pretending that she's over the grief of her past. Even though she's dated, there are no prospective men in her future until she's reunited with Houston... and Liam. Now faced with the attentions of two men, she has to decide if she's mature enough, and strong enough to face these new feelings that she's experiencing and move into the future.

Houston and Rory find themselves in a difficult situation. I'm always torn when confronted with these types of dilemmas. There's the love of your past that you have an opportunity to revisit and the reality of your present, which you have an obligation to honor. It's difficult to say which way these two will go or which is the best path to take. Unfortunately we'll have to wait until the next installment in order to find out.                   

Review: The Truth About Him by M. O'Keefe

 This isn't some tender love story with rainbows and cotton candy endings. It's hard and ugly; the type of love worth fighting for; the kind of love that endures.

When we left Annie and Dylan in Everything Left Unsaid, the situation was bleak. Both had revealed secrets and exposed their wounds. With pride in the balance, Annie had walked away from Dylan with the promise of returning and Dylan was fighting with all his might to let her go.

Fast forward to the opening chapters in this newest installment. Annie is still not out of the woods and Dylan's involvement with her leads him to confront some very serious family issues that he had long vowed to resolve by walking away. Together, the two come to learn far more about one another than has been revealed in their late night, lust filled conversations. They discover one another's strength, the promise and redemption to be found in family, and a future that is forged of blood, sweat and tears.

M. O'Keefe delivers again with characters that demand your respect, romance that is steamy, and a story that is compelling. I'm crossing my fingers that there is another story line brewing in this series.

Review: Once Kissed by Cecy Robson

 It's often hard to imagine the lengths that people go to to abuse and control others. Everyday we encounter new people and we probably never think about the tortured existences that they lead behind closed doors. In this book, Contessa Newart is one of those people. To the unassuming eye, Contessa is just the frumpy, bookish intern who has been selected to work on the biggest case of the year. While this hasn't earned her points with her classmates, it does speak to her intelligence and capability. Staying below the radar has become an art that she's mastered so it's a surprise to her that she catches the eye of the one person that she thought would never notice or remember her.

Curran O'Brien is the one person who knows Contessa for who she really is. He's witnessed a side of her that contradicts the mousy persona that others are subjected to. When he's forced to spend time with her, he discovers that not even he knows the true depths of the woman. What he discovers enrages him and gives him the conviction to help her stand up to what she must overcome to survive.

In this sometimes comical but often sad tale, Cecy Robson's characters are faced with the worst possible situations. Secrets built on shame, remorse and pain almost prove to be too much for Curran and Contessa to overcome. While they both have experienced completely different traumas, when all the chips are down it is one another that they are able to rely on. Happily ever after is a fairy tale that one wouldn't expect in a story like this but through it all, these two show us that you can forge your own version of forever from even the darkest of circumstances.

Review: Head Over Heels for the Boss by Susan Meier

 I can't imagine having to grow up in a small town where everyone knows you and has known you from your first awkward moments until maturity. I do, however, know what it's like to have matured and not be seen for the person that I've become as opposed to who I was. This understanding makes Isabelle's character that much more relatable in this small town romance.

Devon Donovan is the responsible older brother. He took on the role out of necessity and out of love for his mother and younger brothers. Somewhere along the way he lost track of his needs and never figured out what he needed for himself to be happy. When he is reacquainted with Isabelle, the tomboyish girl from his past, it is difficult for him to see her as a woman with desires. Stuck with the image of her as a young girl with a crush, Devon dismisses her interest as nothing more than awkwardness when they begin working together.

Isabelle has been comfortable as the girl next door. She's been content to work with her parents over the years following grad school and has not put much effort into her love life considering the options available to her in her small town. When her world is shaken by an announcement by her parents, she is given the opportunity to explore her desires and go after what she really wants.

Meier lays the basis for a good story here. While there is romance, there isn't the overwhelming sex and kink that we find any many of today's romances. It actually reminds you of previous generations of romance where sex has hinted at and not described in explicit detail. At the end of the chapter you knew that something meaningful happened between the characters but you didn't have a bedside seat to all of the action.

Overall this was a good summer read. There were areas that could have been filled in a bit more so that we could get a good understanding of what the character was going through but that would have just been making a good story great. Without that additional information you still have a good read, worthy of the download.