Review: Uninhibited (The VIP Desire Agency Book 5) by Mel Teshco

Can call girl Anna see past Benedict’s less-than-perfect physical façade to the man who loves her?

Anna was once a spoilt daddy’s little princess…until one fateful New Year’s Eve she is witness to her father shooting his best friend over a botched gun and drug deal. She soon uncovers her family’s nefarious past and despises what her surname, Leon-Zade, represents. It’s a name synonymous to the biggest organized crime family in Australia. She can’t be what her family wants her to be anymore. She runs away and becomes Candy, a beautiful and desired call girl.
Benedict Knight is the first to admit that he’s far from perfect, inside or out. His huge battered body, thanks to his ex-rugby days, isn’t the prettiest to behold, and he’s done things he knows are best left in the past. It doesn't stop him from wanting the most exquisite, perfect escort on the planet, and no price is too high to obtain her. He’ll stop at nothing to bring Candy to his huge cattle station for a weekend and enjoy her all to himself.

Except Benedict knows Candy is really Anna, daughter of a well-known and notorious family. She hasn't just locked her past away, she's locked her emotions away, too. Benedict's new goal is to release all of Anna’s emotional inhibitions and show her that bringing in the New Year doesn’t need to be a tribute for lies and deception. He intends to prove that it’s not just about resolutions…it’s about facing her fears and trusting her heart.


My Review:  

Everyone deserves a happy ending, regardless of their past.

“Candy” wasn’t just any call girl; she was Anna Leon-Zade, daughter or a notorious crime family.  Two years ago Anna was the dutiful daughter and engaged to be married when things took a turn for the worse during a New Year’s Eve party at her parent’s house.  Anna discovered the upsetting truth about her family.  She fled and didn’t look back.  She started working for Sydney’s elite VIP Desire Agency where she was a highly desired escort.  She was happy with her new life.  She had broken free of her parents and the bad people that they knew, including her fiancé.  But what Anna didn’t know was her past was about to rear its ugly head.    

Former Ruby player, Benedict Knight, had his own shady past which tied him to Anna’s family.  He fell in love with Anna the first time he saw her, though Anna didn’t know.  He was happy to finally find her again even if it meant he had to pay to spend time with her.   Everything is going great during Anna and Benedict’s week together on his station when they discover Jonathon, Anna’s ex, has somehow found out where she was.  He wanted Anna back and was willing to do anything to have her again. 

This was another fun book in the VIP Desire Agency series.  I have enjoyed all of the books and this new story is a great addition to the series.  There are explicit intimate scenes in this book, so, if you are shy about that sort of thing, you may not enjoy this book as much as I did.  The story line was interesting and exciting and flowed easily throughout the book.  The author made this another memorable story.  In the end of the book, there was an update on all of the girls from the previous books which was fun to read too. 

Review: The Wedding Obsession by Madeline Ash

Emmie Morgan woke up from heart transplant surgery, saw her best friend Brandon Tan sitting by her bedside, and promptly asked him to marry her. If there was a faster way to ruin a friendship, she didn’t know it.

One year on, Bran has returned home to open a restaurant and Emmie adds trying to make amends to her already chaotic life. She’s also running her own music venue, battling survivor’s guilt—oh, and secretly tending a wedding obsession sprung from her near-death experience.

Bran needs answers. But all Emmie has are problems. Hating that he couldn’t help her last time, he resolves to ease the trouble in her eyes. He sets aside their attraction and awkward past and tries to focus on being friends again.

If she would just stop trying on wedding dresses… 

 

My Review:

When a heart knows what it wants, it will do anything to get it. 

Emmie Morgan grew up with a heart condition and when she finally received a transplant and woke up, she asked her best friend, Bran Tan, to marry her.  Bran, being the good friend he was, couldn’t say no.  But things got weird after that and they didn’t talk for a year until Emmie’s mother invited Bran to Emmie’s rebirthday party, a celebration of the day she got her new heart.   

After the party, Emmie and Bran work on getting their friendship back on track and soon decide to give romance a try.  But, Emmie is so obsessed with getting married (even though she doesn’t believe in the concept of a marriage), and Bran just couldn’t take it anymore.  It was time for a break while Emmie gets her head straight and Bran moves on with his life.  Finding the way back to each other might be a little difficult, but with determination, they can do it.

This story was different than most I have read.  The heart transplant recipient made for a unique story line.  I liked Bran, but he almost seemed like a pushover in some scenes, and Emmie got on my nerves a little bit with her flakiness.  But when I found out the reasons Emmie was obsessed with weddings, it all made sense.  It was also obvious Bran really loved Emmie and would do anything for her health and happiness.  And, the end of this book is a real tear jerker.  It was obvious the author put a lot of work into this story, either with a lot of research or first hand knowledge, to make it seem so real. 

Review: His Best Friend's Sister (Devil's Rock at Whiskey River Book 2) by Eve Gaddy

Whiskey River businessman Zack Banister has had his eye on Laurel Lewis for years, even though she's always been off-limits. The timing has never been right between them, but now that they’re both free, Zack is determined to convince Laurel that he's the perfect man for her.

The last thing Laurel needs is a white knight. She's a single mom and knows she can only rely on herself. But the thought of a fling with Zack is a different matter—and far too tempting to resist.

Then reality crashes in and Laurel faces hard decisions. And Zack will do anything to convince her to take a risk on him for their happy ever after. 


My Review: 

Laurel Lewis was Zack Banister’s best friend’s sister.  Therefore, she was supposed to be off limits.  But Zach had always had a thing for Laurel and he was finally ready to make his move.  Laurel was a divorced single mother, living in Whiskey River in a run-down apartment.  She worked two jobs just to stay ahead.  Her plan was to eventually find a better place to live.  Laurel had been hurt by her ex and wasn’t trusting of men or her own decisions when it came to men, but she finally agreed to date Zach.  When Laurel ends up pregnant with twins, everything changes.  Zach wants to get married, but Laurel fears Zach might change like her ex did.  Zach has a lot of work ahead of him if he wants to convince Laurel how much he loves her and that he is nothing like her ex was.    

I enjoyed this book a lot even though it was a very quick read.  Several times I got upset with Laurel for being so hardheaded and making Zach wait for her.  But it all played out well in the end and they got their happy ever after. 

 

Review: Nobody Said It'd Be Easy by Patty Blount

They say time heals all wounds…

It’s been two years since former engineer Gabriel Ivers lost his wife and accepted a job as a building superintendent to be home with his children. His focus is being both mom and dad to his girls, until the beautiful Amelia Blake moves next door and reminds him he’s a man as well as a dad. Just as he begins to hope that his life can once again hold more than homework, chores, and movie-and-manicure nights with his girls, he discovers the reason for the fragility beneath Lia's warm smile.

Lia is trying to move on with her life after a miscarriage ends all hope for a baby, and a subsequent betrayal destroys her marriage. She’s charmed by her new neighbor with his sparkling manicure, multi-colored hair clips, and his brood of girls, but disturbed by the sexual tension that sizzles between them. Gabe and his daughters remind her of everything she’s always wanted and it would be so easy to take what he's offering her. But is she ready to risk her heart again, especially when her heart isn't the only one in play?

Falling in love is easy. Staying in love is hard. Good thing Gabe is a fighter who's determined to prove to Lia he’s in this for the long haul…the rest of their lives.

My Review:

An emotional story about two people learning to love again.

Lia Blake was done with men.  While in the hospital, after losing her baby and having emergency surgery, her husband admitted to falling in love with someone else and he wanted a divorce.  Every day Lia had to witness them leaving their apartment building together.  But when Lia saw the new girlfriend’s baby bump, she decided it was time to move. 

Former engineer and widower, Gabe Ivers, was working as a maintenance man at an apartment building.  He couldn’t swing working full time while raising four daughters.  He had to do what was best for them after losing his wife.  Gabe’s wife was the love of his life and he never planned on finding anyone else.  The day he met Lia, everything changed.  But Gabe was afraid to get involved with Lia.  He felt he was doing his late wife a dishonor and didn’t know how his kids would feel about it. 

Lia and Gabe become friends and eventually lovers.  Lia even accepts Gabe’s girls as her own.  When one of the girls ends up in the emergency room, Gabe shuts down and pushes Lia away.  But with a little sneaky intervention, they just might find themselves back together again.

You want to be sure to have your tissue handy while reading this book.  You will need it.  The author did a fantastic job writing this story.  There was the perfect amount of family, love and drama in this book; along with a little heartbreak and a lot happiness. 

 

Review: The Runaway Princess Bride (Castles of Dallas Book 3) by Lenora Worth

After making a serious misjudgment about the man she was about to marry, Cara escaped to the one place she always felt safe–her family’s ranch. She wants to evade the paparazzi and hide her near disastrous mistake from her family, while she tries to figure out what's next.

In need of peace after a tumultuous year supervising the building of Castle's first technology store, Aidan Castle escapes to the Double L Ranch. When he enters the den, he's shocked to find a woman sleeping in a wedding dress. Worse, he recognizes her as the beautiful socialite he kissed at Castle's costume ball. He'd felt that night was special and when Cara left, he'd lost a little piece of his heart.

Cara has no place to go, and Aidan’s not sure he wants to kick her out. When a winter storm traps them in, their attraction and bond become undeniable. Cara opens up and Aidan can't resist playing white knight and offering to scrub all details of her secret love life to save grace with her powerful brother. But then, he discovers secrets that make him question everything. Can he trust her? 


My Review:

Aiden Castle and Cara Lamon were stranded together at Double L Ranch, during a freak Texas snow storm.  The last time Aiden and Cara were together was the night of Lone Star Castle store party.  They got drunk and made out before Cara told him she was secretly engaged and then fled the building.  They haven’t seen each other since then. 

On Cara’s wedding day, she found out her fiancé, Trey, was a con artist and only after her money.  She left him at the alter and headed back to Texas.  Her mother always told Cara and her brother that if they ever get in trouble, go home to Texas.  Texas heals all wounds.  Cara was still in her wedding gown, laying on the couch in her depressed state, when Aiden found her.  Aiden didn’t expect anyone to be at the ranch while he was working on the security system, so he was surprised to see Cara there. 

When Aiden found out what happened to Cara and learned of her concern for a possible scandal right before her brother’s wedding, he used his computer skills to hide and change things online that might be used against Cara and her family.  Aiden and Cara worked together to trap Trey the betrayer and it helps them realize the feelings they both have for each other.

I completely enjoyed this book and series.  I hate to see it come to an end.  The writing, characters, setting, romance and drama all worked together to keep my eyes glued to the pages.