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Moments #2
Right Now
NOW AVAILABLE!
Sometimes in life....
Things were supposed to get better when Ryan met Lili. I was supposed to move on, get a life... but I'm stuck and lost. Things with my father are not good. There are demons in our closet, big ones. Ones I want to kill him for, I'm seeing a shrink, I'm trying to get better... but my life feels out of control, like I'm a raft adrift on the sea. I don't know where to look, how to get anchored again, and then I meet Zoe Stone. Something about her draws me out of my rut, makes me laugh for real, smile, and for the first time in years I want to be more. But what will she think when she discovers who I really am?
...all we have...
When Alexander Donovan, aka The Golden Adonis, walks into my tattoo parlor, I know I'll do anything to make that man mine. There's an instant connection, a need to know more about him. Everything about him. But there's also a mystery surrounding the guy, when people look at him they only see the man that laughs, that cracks jokes and makes the world think that everything's okay, but I see the truth... I see the darkness that lurks so deep inside few would ever recognize it. I want to help him, I want to be with him, now I just have to make him trust me enough to let me in.
Is Right Now
I leaned my head back and thought about the boy who was no longer really a boy.
Alex was a man.
And a tall, really tall, one at that.
The moment I’d seen him walk through the door, my heart had constricted. Painfully. It’d taken me a second to catch my breath. I’d dreamed about him all through high school, watched as he took one girl after another out around town.
I doubted he remembered the girl working the popcorn counter at the theater, but every weekend there was always a new girl on his arm, a new girl kissing him and rubbing her horny little body all over his, and it was a miracle my teeth hadn’t become filed points as much as I’d ground them together.
And maybe it shouldn’t surprise me that he didn’t have a clue who I was; I no longer looked even remotely similar to the girl who’d graduated valedictorian of J.J. Baines High.
My fingers twitched as I remembered the feel of his body in my fist. He was big, and so damn hard my thighs had trembled.
Fire and static and electricity and whatever other chemical combustion had detonated inside me. I’d gone from zero to horny in two seconds the moment he’d walked in.
His hair had glinted so many different shades of blond, from white to burnished bronze, and all I wanted to do was touch it, run my fingers through it, wondering all the while if it was as soft as it'd looked.
One look into eyes that made me think of a sky right after a storm and I could no longer control myself.
Sometimes in life....
Things were supposed to get better when Ryan met Lili. I was supposed to move on, get a life... but I'm stuck and lost. Things with my father are not good. There are demons in our closet, big ones. Ones I want to kill him for, I'm seeing a shrink, I'm trying to get better... but my life feels out of control, like I'm a raft adrift on the sea. I don't know where to look, how to get anchored again, and then I meet Zoe Stone. Something about her draws me out of my rut, makes me laugh for real, smile, and for the first time in years I want to be more. But what will she think when she discovers who I really am?
...all we have...
When Alexander Donovan, aka The Golden Adonis, walks into my tattoo parlor, I know I'll do anything to make that man mine. There's an instant connection, a need to know more about him. Everything about him. But there's also a mystery surrounding the guy, when people look at him they only see the man that laughs, that cracks jokes and makes the world think that everything's okay, but I see the truth... I see the darkness that lurks so deep inside few would ever recognize it. I want to help him, I want to be with him, now I just have to make him trust me enough to let me in.
Is Right Now
I leaned my head back and thought about the boy who was no longer really a boy.
Alex was a man.
And a tall, really tall, one at that.
The moment I’d seen him walk through the door, my heart had constricted. Painfully. It’d taken me a second to catch my breath. I’d dreamed about him all through high school, watched as he took one girl after another out around town.
I doubted he remembered the girl working the popcorn counter at the theater, but every weekend there was always a new girl on his arm, a new girl kissing him and rubbing her horny little body all over his, and it was a miracle my teeth hadn’t become filed points as much as I’d ground them together.
And maybe it shouldn’t surprise me that he didn’t have a clue who I was; I no longer looked even remotely similar to the girl who’d graduated valedictorian of J.J. Baines High.
My fingers twitched as I remembered the feel of his body in my fist. He was big, and so damn hard my thighs had trembled.
Fire and static and electricity and whatever other chemical combustion had detonated inside me. I’d gone from zero to horny in two seconds the moment he’d walked in.
His hair had glinted so many different shades of blond, from white to burnished bronze, and all I wanted to do was touch it, run my fingers through it, wondering all the while if it was as soft as it'd looked.
One look into eyes that made me think of a sky right after a storm and I could no longer control myself.
237 pages, ebook
First published September 12, 2013
75 people are currently reading
1680 people want to read
About the author
Marie Hall
57 books2,093 followersMarie Hall is a USA Today Bestselling author and has always held a dangerous fascination for creatures that go bump in the night. And mermaids. And of course fairies. Trolls. Unicorns. Shapeshifters. Vampires. Scottish brogues. Kilts. Beefy arms. Ummm... Bad boys! Especially the sexy ones.
Then the day came she realized apart from the sexy bad boy she married, there'd be no vampires/shapeshifters/mermaids/fairies/or even stinky trolls in her future unless she wrote about them. More often than not she can be found roaming the wild, lush tropical forest she calls her backyard (a.k.a. Hawaii) and day dreaming constantly about her latest project.
Her Mad Hatter is the first book of her Kingdom Series.
She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached at mariehallwrites@gmail.com!
Then the day came she realized apart from the sexy bad boy she married, there'd be no vampires/shapeshifters/mermaids/fairies/or even stinky trolls in her future unless she wrote about them. More often than not she can be found roaming the wild, lush tropical forest she calls her backyard (a.k.a. Hawaii) and day dreaming constantly about her latest project.
Her Mad Hatter is the first book of her Kingdom Series.
She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached at mariehallwrites@gmail.com!
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September 16, 2013Right Now AVAILABLE NOW!!!
September 12, 2013
See more of my reviews at www.girlbooklove.com!
Whoa! Marie Hall does it again! I loved the first book, A Moment, in this series and book 2 delivers just as satisfying of a story! See my review for A Moment on the blog! (and BONUS, it’s free on amazon right now! I’m not sure for how long, but you should go get it so when Right Now comes out you’ll be ready!!)
We met Alex in book one and I liked him from the start. He was a good friend and cousin, so I was pumped about him getting his own story. Zoe is super cool, I’d totally want to be her friend in real life. (She’d most likely roll her eyes at me! Haha) This book deals with the same issues as book one but from Alex’s POV. Now that his cousin is in a better place, Alex doesn’t have anyone to take care of and is having to face his own demons. Just like in book one, these tough situations are handled perfectly and I was just blown away by the depths of emotions this book made me experience. I really liked how Zoe knew Alex from years before…it reminded me of how in A Moment Ryan and Lili pass each other years before they actually meet. Also, Marie writes these incredibly sexy guys that are so strong, but equally strong female characters who help save them. I just LOVE that.
“Her voice had guided me back, her touch made me whole. I was never going to give her up. She was my drug and I was an addict. This was my woman, and in her arms I’d found myself again.” –Alex
My Alex and Zoe-
BONUS!! Check out an author interview with Marie Hall on my blog!
**I received this book from the publisher in exchance for an honest review.
Whoa! Marie Hall does it again! I loved the first book, A Moment, in this series and book 2 delivers just as satisfying of a story! See my review for A Moment on the blog! (and BONUS, it’s free on amazon right now! I’m not sure for how long, but you should go get it so when Right Now comes out you’ll be ready!!)
We met Alex in book one and I liked him from the start. He was a good friend and cousin, so I was pumped about him getting his own story. Zoe is super cool, I’d totally want to be her friend in real life. (She’d most likely roll her eyes at me! Haha) This book deals with the same issues as book one but from Alex’s POV. Now that his cousin is in a better place, Alex doesn’t have anyone to take care of and is having to face his own demons. Just like in book one, these tough situations are handled perfectly and I was just blown away by the depths of emotions this book made me experience. I really liked how Zoe knew Alex from years before…it reminded me of how in A Moment Ryan and Lili pass each other years before they actually meet. Also, Marie writes these incredibly sexy guys that are so strong, but equally strong female characters who help save them. I just LOVE that.
“Her voice had guided me back, her touch made me whole. I was never going to give her up. She was my drug and I was an addict. This was my woman, and in her arms I’d found myself again.” –Alex
My Alex and Zoe-
BONUS!! Check out an author interview with Marie Hall on my blog!
**I received this book from the publisher in exchance for an honest review.
September 4, 2013
I loved this book as much as the first in the Moments series. I was hooked from the first page and stayed up way too late to finish. This is about Alex, cousin to Ryan from the first book. As with the previous book Right Now deals with the same dark and difficult issues. I’m starting to get spoiled by the great writing and captivating stories from this author.
Alex was introduced in the first book, but we get to know who he really is this time around. Alex has spent his life making sure Ryan was alright, as alright as he’d ever be, since the incident when he was six. Ever since Ryan got his life on track Alex has been lost. His façade of the smiling, laughing, and everything is fine is starting to crack; even if no one really notices. He uses sex with multiple forgettable (to him) women to forget and cope with the devastation his father has caused. It’s the fortune from a fortune cookie that causes him to admit he doesn’t like the way his life is headed and results in his impulsive trip to the tattoo parlor. This where he meets Zoe, who turns out to be the one woman he can’t forget.
Zoe knows who Alex is and doesn’t fawn all over him or give in as all the other women in his life has done. She gives him as good as he’s ever given. Loved the way she played him the first time. Zoe has her issues with her family as well, but she seems to have come to terms with it in a more healthy way. Not that they don’t still hurt her, or that her mother isn’t still distant and disapproving. Zoe takes the journey from rock bottom and self-destruction toward a healthy and productive life with Alex. She gets hurt by Alex more than once and lets him know that she won’t but up with his behavior any longer. Its Zoe’s strength to let him go that pushes Alex to face some serious demons and tell her the truth. I felt for Zoe and got just as mad at Alex, but knowing what she didn’t was frustrating at times. I was so happy when Alex came clean with her and loved the way they “reconnected” after the revelation. When Alex allows himself he can be so sweet and loving.
Mostly focusing on Alex and Zoe’s story we get to see more of Ryan and Lili. Ryan and Alex’s therapist is also introduced and she is a great addition to the story. We get to see that help is needed to deal with these issues, but the therapist is loving, tough, funny, and effective. I wish I’d had a therapist like her when I was dealing with these issues.
I also got to meet Thor, a friend and coworker of Zoe. I really got to like him and can’t wait for his story. That right there’s going to be a third book in the series and it’s about Thor!
Yes, this is a story dealing with very serious and difficult subjects and it was difficult to read at times, but there was also some laugh out loud moments. There’s a wonderful balance of humor, angst, and romance. I applaud the way Marie Hall dealt with the issues! They were handled realistically with no sugar coating. She shows how many people are affected by the betrayal of Alex’s father and how everyone deals with it differently. The characters are very believable. They aren’t perfect and make mistakes, some over and over again until they finally learn from them.
Do I recommend this series? Yes! Be warned to tread carefully if certain things are triggers for you, this is a difficult but rewarding read. I have to say that you must read the first book A Moment before this story.
(I was lucky enough to get a copy from author/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
Darker Passions
Alex was introduced in the first book, but we get to know who he really is this time around. Alex has spent his life making sure Ryan was alright, as alright as he’d ever be, since the incident when he was six. Ever since Ryan got his life on track Alex has been lost. His façade of the smiling, laughing, and everything is fine is starting to crack; even if no one really notices. He uses sex with multiple forgettable (to him) women to forget and cope with the devastation his father has caused. It’s the fortune from a fortune cookie that causes him to admit he doesn’t like the way his life is headed and results in his impulsive trip to the tattoo parlor. This where he meets Zoe, who turns out to be the one woman he can’t forget.
Zoe knows who Alex is and doesn’t fawn all over him or give in as all the other women in his life has done. She gives him as good as he’s ever given. Loved the way she played him the first time. Zoe has her issues with her family as well, but she seems to have come to terms with it in a more healthy way. Not that they don’t still hurt her, or that her mother isn’t still distant and disapproving. Zoe takes the journey from rock bottom and self-destruction toward a healthy and productive life with Alex. She gets hurt by Alex more than once and lets him know that she won’t but up with his behavior any longer. Its Zoe’s strength to let him go that pushes Alex to face some serious demons and tell her the truth. I felt for Zoe and got just as mad at Alex, but knowing what she didn’t was frustrating at times. I was so happy when Alex came clean with her and loved the way they “reconnected” after the revelation. When Alex allows himself he can be so sweet and loving.
Mostly focusing on Alex and Zoe’s story we get to see more of Ryan and Lili. Ryan and Alex’s therapist is also introduced and she is a great addition to the story. We get to see that help is needed to deal with these issues, but the therapist is loving, tough, funny, and effective. I wish I’d had a therapist like her when I was dealing with these issues.
I also got to meet Thor, a friend and coworker of Zoe. I really got to like him and can’t wait for his story. That right there’s going to be a third book in the series and it’s about Thor!
Yes, this is a story dealing with very serious and difficult subjects and it was difficult to read at times, but there was also some laugh out loud moments. There’s a wonderful balance of humor, angst, and romance. I applaud the way Marie Hall dealt with the issues! They were handled realistically with no sugar coating. She shows how many people are affected by the betrayal of Alex’s father and how everyone deals with it differently. The characters are very believable. They aren’t perfect and make mistakes, some over and over again until they finally learn from them.
Do I recommend this series? Yes! Be warned to tread carefully if certain things are triggers for you, this is a difficult but rewarding read. I have to say that you must read the first book A Moment before this story.
(I was lucky enough to get a copy from author/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
Darker Passions
December 12, 2013
Received an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Right Now by Marie Hall is the second book in the Moments series. Though this book can be read as a standalone I HIGHLY recommend reading the first book in the series, A Moment (which is currently free on Amazon!).
Right now is the story of Alex and Zoe and A Moment is the story of Ryan and Liliana, which provides a significant amount of back story for the issues Alex deals with in Right Now.
One event can shape the rest of your life. Ryan and Alex both experienced something that no young child should ever have to go thru. Ryan is trying to run away from his memories, while Alex is trying eliminate his guilt by doing everything he can to keep his cousin from falling into the darkness.
Falling in love with Lily was the best thing that could have ever happened to Ryan. He starts to pull himself out of the darkness, needing Alex less and less.
Without Ryan being Alex’s primary focus he now feels lost and helpless as the intensity of his guilt comes crashing down on him. He uses one night stands to help him forget, but after awhile that can’t keep his memories away. Alex finds himself at a tattoo parlor thinking that doing something so out of character of himself will distract him for awhile. That’s when he meets the beautifully tattooed piercer, Zoe. She stirs up feeling in Alex that he never knew he could feel and slowly begins to heal, wanting to be the man that she deserves.
Right Now is the perfect conclusion to A Moment. Both Ryan and Alex confront their demons and find their HEA’s.
Though this booked didn’t keep me as hooked as A Moment, I still enjoyed it and loved that we kept seeing Lily and Ryan throughout the entire book. I would highly recommend this series!
Right Now by Marie Hall is the second book in the Moments series. Though this book can be read as a standalone I HIGHLY recommend reading the first book in the series, A Moment (which is currently free on Amazon!).
Right now is the story of Alex and Zoe and A Moment is the story of Ryan and Liliana, which provides a significant amount of back story for the issues Alex deals with in Right Now.
One event can shape the rest of your life. Ryan and Alex both experienced something that no young child should ever have to go thru. Ryan is trying to run away from his memories, while Alex is trying eliminate his guilt by doing everything he can to keep his cousin from falling into the darkness.
Falling in love with Lily was the best thing that could have ever happened to Ryan. He starts to pull himself out of the darkness, needing Alex less and less.
Without Ryan being Alex’s primary focus he now feels lost and helpless as the intensity of his guilt comes crashing down on him. He uses one night stands to help him forget, but after awhile that can’t keep his memories away. Alex finds himself at a tattoo parlor thinking that doing something so out of character of himself will distract him for awhile. That’s when he meets the beautifully tattooed piercer, Zoe. She stirs up feeling in Alex that he never knew he could feel and slowly begins to heal, wanting to be the man that she deserves.
Right Now is the perfect conclusion to A Moment. Both Ryan and Alex confront their demons and find their HEA’s.
Though this booked didn’t keep me as hooked as A Moment, I still enjoyed it and loved that we kept seeing Lily and Ryan throughout the entire book. I would highly recommend this series!
October 17, 2013
Ok...
I was greatly disappointed with this book. This book was supposed to be about Alex. His unresolved issues with what his father did to his cousin Ryan, & his estranged relationship with the whole family. Those of you who have read book 1 "A Moment" know the back story pretty well concerning Alex, Ryan & Lili & how Alex was the rock for Ryan while he was dealing with his dark demons, until Ryan falls in love with Lili. Now we see Ryan happy. We see him healing & moving on. So this leaves Alex adrift. He now has no purpose. He now has no Ryan to look after & take care of. So this leaves him open to now deal with his own demons about what his father did. And surprise, surprise, he doesn't want to.
This was the perfect premise to bring you into Alex's world. His heart & mind. His fears & hopes. The cause & effect of his reactions to not only his father & his actions, but also the inactions of his mother & Ryan's parents', his Aunt & Uncle. Unfortunately, that is NOT what you get in this book.
What you do get is plenty of set up & page time concerning Zoe Alex's love interest. You get an in depth look at her issues & hang ups with her own parents. Her issues with an ex she works with & her worries of her best friend/roommate & her man. Which came off as pointless page filler, because it had no overall bearing on the story. Yes, we needed a decent set up for her. We needed to know & understand why Alex would be drawn to her, but that's where it should have stopped. Her life over shadowed Alex's. While we're reading about all the things going on in her life, & Alex trying to fit into her world, we're only getting sprinkles of Alex & his world.
There was no intense push & pull shown when it came to Alex & his issues. We get sprinkles of him going to see his shrink. We get sprinkles of him refusing to see or talk to his mom or dad. But nothing deep, gripping, or consuming was present. 80% of this book was about Zoe,(And I gotta be honest, there is nothing really interesting about this girl) her life & the back & forth uncertainty between her & Alex. She's a sweet girl. She has a good heart, but this was not to be about her struggles etc.. It was to be about Alex's. There was no balance in this novel. And all the things that should have been present/executed were not.
It's not until 90% of the novel, that Alex & his family issues are in the forefront. So the majority of the novel feels as though Alex's life is just an added side note.
Zoe is suppose to be an anchor for Alex A life line. Something that keeps him balanced & grounded but also forces him to face his fears of over coming what he needs to over come with his demons. She was supposed to be integrated into his world, not the other way around. So not only did this leave me disappointed with this novel, it also left me like this...
So I can't in good faith say that I would recommend this read.
It just wasn't a good read for me. All that I had hoped to see with Alex, none of it was there. None of it was seen or felt.
The coupling with he & Zoe also felt a bit forced to me. So there was nothing hot about this either. And if you're looking for at least a little bit of hot lovin to give their story something, you don't get it here.
I was greatly disappointed with this book. This book was supposed to be about Alex. His unresolved issues with what his father did to his cousin Ryan, & his estranged relationship with the whole family. Those of you who have read book 1 "A Moment" know the back story pretty well concerning Alex, Ryan & Lili & how Alex was the rock for Ryan while he was dealing with his dark demons, until Ryan falls in love with Lili. Now we see Ryan happy. We see him healing & moving on. So this leaves Alex adrift. He now has no purpose. He now has no Ryan to look after & take care of. So this leaves him open to now deal with his own demons about what his father did. And surprise, surprise, he doesn't want to.
This was the perfect premise to bring you into Alex's world. His heart & mind. His fears & hopes. The cause & effect of his reactions to not only his father & his actions, but also the inactions of his mother & Ryan's parents', his Aunt & Uncle. Unfortunately, that is NOT what you get in this book.
What you do get is plenty of set up & page time concerning Zoe Alex's love interest. You get an in depth look at her issues & hang ups with her own parents. Her issues with an ex she works with & her worries of her best friend/roommate & her man. Which came off as pointless page filler, because it had no overall bearing on the story. Yes, we needed a decent set up for her. We needed to know & understand why Alex would be drawn to her, but that's where it should have stopped. Her life over shadowed Alex's. While we're reading about all the things going on in her life, & Alex trying to fit into her world, we're only getting sprinkles of Alex & his world.
There was no intense push & pull shown when it came to Alex & his issues. We get sprinkles of him going to see his shrink. We get sprinkles of him refusing to see or talk to his mom or dad. But nothing deep, gripping, or consuming was present. 80% of this book was about Zoe,(And I gotta be honest, there is nothing really interesting about this girl) her life & the back & forth uncertainty between her & Alex. She's a sweet girl. She has a good heart, but this was not to be about her struggles etc.. It was to be about Alex's. There was no balance in this novel. And all the things that should have been present/executed were not.
It's not until 90% of the novel, that Alex & his family issues are in the forefront. So the majority of the novel feels as though Alex's life is just an added side note.
Zoe is suppose to be an anchor for Alex A life line. Something that keeps him balanced & grounded but also forces him to face his fears of over coming what he needs to over come with his demons. She was supposed to be integrated into his world, not the other way around. So not only did this leave me disappointed with this novel, it also left me like this...
So I can't in good faith say that I would recommend this read.
It just wasn't a good read for me. All that I had hoped to see with Alex, none of it was there. None of it was seen or felt.
The coupling with he & Zoe also felt a bit forced to me. So there was nothing hot about this either. And if you're looking for at least a little bit of hot lovin to give their story something, you don't get it here.
September 22, 2013
*this honest review is done in exchange for an Arc through NetGalley*
This is the second book from Marie Hall that follows the story of Ryan and Alex. Book 1 deals with Ryan and this book "Right Now" tells us Alex's story. Now that Ryan has found Lili, things are supposed to get better, so why does Alex still feel so lost? Alex has lost all of his direction, before his life was to keep Ryan on track and keep Ryan safe from himself and now that Ryan doesn't need Alex, what direction does Alex need? Alex numbs his pain with sex and alcohol but now, even that isn't working.
Alex....
Late one night Alex wonders in to a tattoo parlor and finds himself face to face with Z. He is immediately drawn into her. She is nothing like he is used to and suddenly he finds himself "feeling" for the first time. He convinces Z to pierce him and he ops for a lip ring. href="http://photobucket.com/images/lip%20p..." target="_blank">
He only wants to know her name but she only gives him "Z".
Zoe....
Zoe runs into Alex at Chia Time later with her friend Jamie and Alex gets her number. During this time we find out that Alex's father is dying and wants to see him. Alex has so much pain and is in therapy for what his father has done. Alex finds himself falling back on old habits to try and cope and his therapist even issues Alex a challenge to not "medicate" himself with sex. He knows that Zoe is different and wants to prove to both himself and her that she is special. We also learn that Zoe knew Alex from high school. Zoe isn't the tattooed vixen he thought but grew up rich with a mom who she could never do good enough for.... Both Zoe and Alex fight lot of demons through this book and it really is a story of pain, suffering, loss, and finding love when you thought it wasn't possible. It shows the growth of Alex dealing through his pain and trying to find himself and the path he wants in life.
I really enjoyed this book and admire Zoe for her standing by Alex and his guarded past even when he wasn't forthcoming. I would love to read more about Zoe's friend Jamie....
This is the second book from Marie Hall that follows the story of Ryan and Alex. Book 1 deals with Ryan and this book "Right Now" tells us Alex's story. Now that Ryan has found Lili, things are supposed to get better, so why does Alex still feel so lost? Alex has lost all of his direction, before his life was to keep Ryan on track and keep Ryan safe from himself and now that Ryan doesn't need Alex, what direction does Alex need? Alex numbs his pain with sex and alcohol but now, even that isn't working.
Alex....
Late one night Alex wonders in to a tattoo parlor and finds himself face to face with Z. He is immediately drawn into her. She is nothing like he is used to and suddenly he finds himself "feeling" for the first time. He convinces Z to pierce him and he ops for a lip ring. href="http://photobucket.com/images/lip%20p..." target="_blank">
He only wants to know her name but she only gives him "Z".
Zoe....
Zoe runs into Alex at Chia Time later with her friend Jamie and Alex gets her number. During this time we find out that Alex's father is dying and wants to see him. Alex has so much pain and is in therapy for what his father has done. Alex finds himself falling back on old habits to try and cope and his therapist even issues Alex a challenge to not "medicate" himself with sex. He knows that Zoe is different and wants to prove to both himself and her that she is special. We also learn that Zoe knew Alex from high school. Zoe isn't the tattooed vixen he thought but grew up rich with a mom who she could never do good enough for.... Both Zoe and Alex fight lot of demons through this book and it really is a story of pain, suffering, loss, and finding love when you thought it wasn't possible. It shows the growth of Alex dealing through his pain and trying to find himself and the path he wants in life.
I really enjoyed this book and admire Zoe for her standing by Alex and his guarded past even when he wasn't forthcoming. I would love to read more about Zoe's friend Jamie....
September 24, 2013
I had a lot to say about A Moment when I read it in the Spring. There were some very tender and terrifying aspects to it. Ryan Cosgrove was one of the things I enjoyed, quite a lot actually. There were also a couple of things I had a difficult time buying into.
I could not be happier to say that the largest issue I had with A Moment, is a complete non issue in Right Now. I think that when you are dealing with extremely sensitive subject matter, which this series does, you have to handle it with a large amount of respect and care. Hall did just that in Right Now.
Right Now moves on to Alex's story. Equally, yet differently, as tragic as Ryan's story. Alex is a tortured soul and what he has spent his adult life focused on, just does not require the same attention it once did. Leaving Alex lost, depressed and struggling to find his way. Being in Alex's head was saddening. His self loathing, while understandable, was heartbreaking.
Zoe is doll. She's loved Alex from afar, forgotten him, moved on and now finds herself in the precarious position of falling back in love with a man with very dark demons. A man that doesn't understand love. A man that could break her so easily. Her resolve and strength to not only put up with everything Alex throws her way but to also help him cope and find his own resolution...well, absolutely endearing. On top of that she is just an adorable little spit fire.
If you are looking for a smoldering love story, you'll get it here. If you are looking for damaged characters, you'll get it here. If you are looking for a story to pull at your emotions, you'll get it with Right Now. The Moment series is a great series about pain, love, healing and how they all connect. These books will get you a little hot and bothered, they'll break your heart and then show you how it is possible to mend it.
*copy provided for honest review*
I could not be happier to say that the largest issue I had with A Moment, is a complete non issue in Right Now. I think that when you are dealing with extremely sensitive subject matter, which this series does, you have to handle it with a large amount of respect and care. Hall did just that in Right Now.
Right Now moves on to Alex's story. Equally, yet differently, as tragic as Ryan's story. Alex is a tortured soul and what he has spent his adult life focused on, just does not require the same attention it once did. Leaving Alex lost, depressed and struggling to find his way. Being in Alex's head was saddening. His self loathing, while understandable, was heartbreaking.
Zoe is doll. She's loved Alex from afar, forgotten him, moved on and now finds herself in the precarious position of falling back in love with a man with very dark demons. A man that doesn't understand love. A man that could break her so easily. Her resolve and strength to not only put up with everything Alex throws her way but to also help him cope and find his own resolution...well, absolutely endearing. On top of that she is just an adorable little spit fire.
If you are looking for a smoldering love story, you'll get it here. If you are looking for damaged characters, you'll get it here. If you are looking for a story to pull at your emotions, you'll get it with Right Now. The Moment series is a great series about pain, love, healing and how they all connect. These books will get you a little hot and bothered, they'll break your heart and then show you how it is possible to mend it.
*copy provided for honest review*
December 22, 2014
Please read the first installment "A Moment" as "Right Now" is the second book in the series. Right now receive 4.5 - 5 Lotus Flowers from me!
"A Moment" shows that Ryan has fought his demons and that he is moving on with his life. Unfortunately the same can't be said for Alex. Alex is lost and through Ryan being nearly healed he has lost his purpose in life which leads him to becoming erratic and being so near to the ledge that it all could go horribly wrong.
Alex over compensates his pain and his anger with sex but even that isn't working anymore. After receiving a fortune cookie to be opposite he decides to do just that. He walks into a tattoo parlor and wants to get a tat but after meeting Z he gets a piercing. For the first time in a long time being around Z makes him feel calm. Z is tatted, pierced, half Japanese and half American Beauty and Alex is totally smitten.
Z aka "Zoe Rose Stone" changed her name from Masaki to Zoe as she wanted to change her life. Zoe and Alex went to the same High School and she has had a crush on him since school. Alex can't remember though.
Zoe's best friend J (Jamie) annoyed me because of the fact that she was trying to give Zoe relationship advice. Hallo pot meet kettle black. That she can be so blind when it comes to Angel. Arghh!!!!
BUT in saying that he can't wait for the sexy Norwegian God Tor and Jamie's story.
This book is touching and yet sad and filled with a lot of emotion that is unbearable to what happened to them as children. John tries to make amends and asks for forgiveness only due to the fact that he is dying.
"A Moment" shows that Ryan has fought his demons and that he is moving on with his life. Unfortunately the same can't be said for Alex. Alex is lost and through Ryan being nearly healed he has lost his purpose in life which leads him to becoming erratic and being so near to the ledge that it all could go horribly wrong.
Alex over compensates his pain and his anger with sex but even that isn't working anymore. After receiving a fortune cookie to be opposite he decides to do just that. He walks into a tattoo parlor and wants to get a tat but after meeting Z he gets a piercing. For the first time in a long time being around Z makes him feel calm. Z is tatted, pierced, half Japanese and half American Beauty and Alex is totally smitten.
Z aka "Zoe Rose Stone" changed her name from Masaki to Zoe as she wanted to change her life. Zoe and Alex went to the same High School and she has had a crush on him since school. Alex can't remember though.
Zoe's best friend J (Jamie) annoyed me because of the fact that she was trying to give Zoe relationship advice. Hallo pot meet kettle black. That she can be so blind when it comes to Angel. Arghh!!!!
BUT in saying that he can't wait for the sexy Norwegian God Tor and Jamie's story.
This book is touching and yet sad and filled with a lot of emotion that is unbearable to what happened to them as children. John tries to make amends and asks for forgiveness only due to the fact that he is dying.
September 11, 2013
This is the second book in this series, and features Alex " the golden Adonis". On the surface Alex appears to be a young man who is a handsome easygoing womaniser. But all that is a facade, for underneath he is a mass of emotions. He and Ryan ( who featured in the first book). Share a dark past. But Alex who had always been Ryan's support and rock. Now feels lost and alone, since Ryan had met Lilli. He's now seeing a shrink to try and work through everything he's feeling.
On an impulse Ryan goes into a tattoo parlour, this is where he first sees Zoe Stone. He's never met anyone like her before, she has an immediate impact on him. As for Zoe she pretty much feels the same way. But she's not prepared to become another notch on Alex's bedpost.
Another brilliantly written story from this author full of emotion and drama. The characters are very well drawn. The story draws the reader in right from the first page. I liked how Zoe saw right through Alex's mask, and saw the deeply troubled man underneath. I love it when I really liked both leads. They were perfect together.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley.
On an impulse Ryan goes into a tattoo parlour, this is where he first sees Zoe Stone. He's never met anyone like her before, she has an immediate impact on him. As for Zoe she pretty much feels the same way. But she's not prepared to become another notch on Alex's bedpost.
Another brilliantly written story from this author full of emotion and drama. The characters are very well drawn. The story draws the reader in right from the first page. I liked how Zoe saw right through Alex's mask, and saw the deeply troubled man underneath. I love it when I really liked both leads. They were perfect together.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley.
October 23, 2017
Like Ryan's story, Alex's is full of pain. A different pain, but nonetheless as debilitating as the first. The secret they share will come to light, but in a way you might not expect. I found it a very satisfying conclusion to Ryan and Alex's arc.
As before, the love and characters were well-written and easy to fall in love with.
As before, the love and characters were well-written and easy to fall in love with.
September 1, 2013
I was lucky to get an ARC from the author and couldn't be happier about it.
It is not easy for me to write a review of “Right Now” because I feel so emotionally invested in this book and the series. I already loved and adored and cried over Ryan’s story in “A Moment“. “Right Now” definitely lived up to its predecessor. I feel strangely protective of both books and both characters. “Right Now” is the second book in the series. While “A Moment” concentrated on Ryan’s tragic story of sexual abuse, “Right Now” is about Alex and the effects his fathers deeds had on him. The book is different, but it also has to be, as the characters are different and their experiences -though stemming from the same horrific deed- are different as well. Alex was no a direct victim of his father, but having witnessed what his father had done to Ryan and not having spoken up the way he feels he should have, he is consumed by guilt, shame and pure unadulterated hate. He can’t deal with all the emotions that are threatening to eat him alive. While most of his life he was able to hold things together by having to be strong for Ryan and ensuring his safety, he now feels lost that Ryan has gained a sense of happiness and balance. At the same time that Ryan seems to be succeeding in the battle against his demons, Alex feels like he is more and more losing the fight. So in order to not deal with these emotions, he tries to drown them with women, booze and partying.
That is until one night things change – he meets Zoe. Zoe is a tattoo artist and seems to be a free spirit with a devil-may-care atittude and that tattoos and piercings to back it up. She is strong, fierce and extremely loyal and head over heels for Alex. She sees him in a way no one else does. Not only the fun and charismatic jock, but the hurt soul behind this mask. She is patient and understanding with Alex, while trying to walk the thing line between being there for him and being his doormat. But being the kick-ass type of girl she is, she manages to find a way to get through to his heart without losing herself. While she is willing to go the extra mile to help him and be there for him, she is also vulnerable and scared and at times insecure. She is a real person. Not only did I love her loyal and caring nature, but the fact that she does not conform to society’s or her family’s rules, but lives by the rules she makes for herself. She is a character I can respect and look up to.
Alex character was so heart-breaking. He was sweet and charismatic and funny, but at the same time a tortured soul. All I wanted was to take his pain away. Even through the mistakes he made and the sometimes stupid behaviour, I could not help but feel bad for him. He was in his own personal hell – a hell created by his own father.
Speaking of the father, I hated him so much I was trembling at times, wanting to howl like a wounded animal. I wanted to beat him to a pulp and I could understand the feelings of rage he brought out in Alex. Not far behind on the hate scale were Ryan’s parents. How anyone can do the things to a child, that Alex father did is beyond my understanding. It is so horrific, so disgusting that I wish it would be just a story in a book. But it happens everyday in real life as well. Therefore I adore the fact that Marie Hall doesn’t shy away from really dark and disturbing topics. The kind of topics that make you want to curl up in a corner and bawl like a baby. The kind of things that are still a taboo to talk about and therefore the more important that they are mentioned in a book. Ms Hall does an amazing job portraying”survivor’s guilt” and the effects child abuse and rape has not only on the victim, but on others that are being touched by this. The family of the monster, his wife and his children. The family of the victim as it effects them as well. But don’t get me wrong here – Ryan’s parents should burn in hell for not being there for him. She shows how the guilt of not having done more for the victim can nearly destroy a person. She shows all the consequences a crime like this has in painful clarity.
Yet, she still manages to make you laugh in between or to consider moving to the North Pole with all the sexual tension going on between Alex and Zoe. She manages to make you swoon and the story makes your heart melt. And she manages to make you think.
Throughout the book, you have many sweet, sizzling or funny moments, but the tragedy that happened to Ryan and in a different way to Alex overshadows the good things. The darkness doesn’t just disappear with the snap of a finger and I liked that about this story. It wasn’t the typical „I found love and now I am happy and forgetting my dark past“ type of thing. This book brought so many emotions to the surface – I was sobbing, I was angry, I was happy, I was hopeless, I was a bit of everything.
What I loved about this book that although it has a happy ending, it wasn’t all sunshine and things weren’t just forgiven. There are things that are so awful there is no forgiveness and this book has emphasized that. There is no forgiving or forgetting when a child’s soul is broken – all that the ones affected can do is trying to live their life – right now.
Five + super-emotional, tear-filled, rage-filled, happy in the end stars.
You don’t have to read “A Moment” in order to read “Right Now” but I would highly recommend it as it makes the story complete.
It is not easy for me to write a review of “Right Now” because I feel so emotionally invested in this book and the series. I already loved and adored and cried over Ryan’s story in “A Moment“. “Right Now” definitely lived up to its predecessor. I feel strangely protective of both books and both characters. “Right Now” is the second book in the series. While “A Moment” concentrated on Ryan’s tragic story of sexual abuse, “Right Now” is about Alex and the effects his fathers deeds had on him. The book is different, but it also has to be, as the characters are different and their experiences -though stemming from the same horrific deed- are different as well. Alex was no a direct victim of his father, but having witnessed what his father had done to Ryan and not having spoken up the way he feels he should have, he is consumed by guilt, shame and pure unadulterated hate. He can’t deal with all the emotions that are threatening to eat him alive. While most of his life he was able to hold things together by having to be strong for Ryan and ensuring his safety, he now feels lost that Ryan has gained a sense of happiness and balance. At the same time that Ryan seems to be succeeding in the battle against his demons, Alex feels like he is more and more losing the fight. So in order to not deal with these emotions, he tries to drown them with women, booze and partying.
That is until one night things change – he meets Zoe. Zoe is a tattoo artist and seems to be a free spirit with a devil-may-care atittude and that tattoos and piercings to back it up. She is strong, fierce and extremely loyal and head over heels for Alex. She sees him in a way no one else does. Not only the fun and charismatic jock, but the hurt soul behind this mask. She is patient and understanding with Alex, while trying to walk the thing line between being there for him and being his doormat. But being the kick-ass type of girl she is, she manages to find a way to get through to his heart without losing herself. While she is willing to go the extra mile to help him and be there for him, she is also vulnerable and scared and at times insecure. She is a real person. Not only did I love her loyal and caring nature, but the fact that she does not conform to society’s or her family’s rules, but lives by the rules she makes for herself. She is a character I can respect and look up to.
Alex character was so heart-breaking. He was sweet and charismatic and funny, but at the same time a tortured soul. All I wanted was to take his pain away. Even through the mistakes he made and the sometimes stupid behaviour, I could not help but feel bad for him. He was in his own personal hell – a hell created by his own father.
Speaking of the father, I hated him so much I was trembling at times, wanting to howl like a wounded animal. I wanted to beat him to a pulp and I could understand the feelings of rage he brought out in Alex. Not far behind on the hate scale were Ryan’s parents. How anyone can do the things to a child, that Alex father did is beyond my understanding. It is so horrific, so disgusting that I wish it would be just a story in a book. But it happens everyday in real life as well. Therefore I adore the fact that Marie Hall doesn’t shy away from really dark and disturbing topics. The kind of topics that make you want to curl up in a corner and bawl like a baby. The kind of things that are still a taboo to talk about and therefore the more important that they are mentioned in a book. Ms Hall does an amazing job portraying”survivor’s guilt” and the effects child abuse and rape has not only on the victim, but on others that are being touched by this. The family of the monster, his wife and his children. The family of the victim as it effects them as well. But don’t get me wrong here – Ryan’s parents should burn in hell for not being there for him. She shows how the guilt of not having done more for the victim can nearly destroy a person. She shows all the consequences a crime like this has in painful clarity.
Yet, she still manages to make you laugh in between or to consider moving to the North Pole with all the sexual tension going on between Alex and Zoe. She manages to make you swoon and the story makes your heart melt. And she manages to make you think.
Throughout the book, you have many sweet, sizzling or funny moments, but the tragedy that happened to Ryan and in a different way to Alex overshadows the good things. The darkness doesn’t just disappear with the snap of a finger and I liked that about this story. It wasn’t the typical „I found love and now I am happy and forgetting my dark past“ type of thing. This book brought so many emotions to the surface – I was sobbing, I was angry, I was happy, I was hopeless, I was a bit of everything.
What I loved about this book that although it has a happy ending, it wasn’t all sunshine and things weren’t just forgiven. There are things that are so awful there is no forgiveness and this book has emphasized that. There is no forgiving or forgetting when a child’s soul is broken – all that the ones affected can do is trying to live their life – right now.
Five + super-emotional, tear-filled, rage-filled, happy in the end stars.
You don’t have to read “A Moment” in order to read “Right Now” but I would highly recommend it as it makes the story complete.
December 9, 2013
“Sometimes all we have is right now. I don't know anything about anything Zoe but I want to be with you, I want to hang out and I was to see where this can go.”
I didn’t think there could be a young man who would bore into my heart the way Ryan from A Moment did. But Alex was just as beautiful, tortured and hopeless as the cousin he used to care for. We find Alex still living with Ryan, however, Lili and Javier have now moved in as well, and Alex is feeling the third the wheel, and not the wingman. Alex is also feeling a bit lost, his sole purpose in life used to be taking care Ryan, but now Ryan is better, and he has Lili to help him. So Alex is a bit in limbo now, and he’s now displaying several of Ryan’s former behaviors; i.e. drinking himself to oblivion, hooking up with random girls. One night, Alex sets out to take heed of the advice offered by his fortune cookie and “be opposite”. So clean cut, jock Alexander ‘The Golden Adonis’ Donovan walks into a tattoo parlour, and there he meets Zoe Stone, someone who is the embodiment of the fortune cookie’s advice.
Zoe Stone has changed drastically since she last saw Alex, For one thing, her name wasn’t Zoe, she wasn’t into piercings and tattoos, and she wasn’t able to speak to him either. Instead, Zoe was class valedictorian, wore glasses, had 0 tattoos and less piercings and was bound for an ivy league educational institution. But then she decided that please everyone but herself was causing her to waste her life away. So she changed, and became who she always wanted to be, she now pierces people, and hangs out in grunge clubs. When she talks Alex into a lip piercing, she doesn’t expect to ever see him again. But then he reaches out to her, and Zoe begins to fall for him all over again.
I think Zoe being who she is was essential to her relationship with Alex working. Zoe always saw that Alex was putting up a fake front. She’d always noticed the sadness in his eyes. She knew something dark lurked in him, and so she fought to get it out. She did everything possible to help Alex see that she cared for him. And almost blindly supported him no matter what he was doing. I think that the best moments of this book were their dates. Going to the fair, getting burgers, going to the movies, these scenes were always so much fun and just carefree, even though sometimes Alex’s mind would go back to that dark place. The chemistry between these two was always jumping off the page, The dual POV helped to propel the story in a way that was never cliched annoying or frustrating. I loved every moment of this book, even the really sad ones. I am so happy that both Ryan and Alex are fully recovered, and now have their own HEAs.
I didn’t think there could be a young man who would bore into my heart the way Ryan from A Moment did. But Alex was just as beautiful, tortured and hopeless as the cousin he used to care for. We find Alex still living with Ryan, however, Lili and Javier have now moved in as well, and Alex is feeling the third the wheel, and not the wingman. Alex is also feeling a bit lost, his sole purpose in life used to be taking care Ryan, but now Ryan is better, and he has Lili to help him. So Alex is a bit in limbo now, and he’s now displaying several of Ryan’s former behaviors; i.e. drinking himself to oblivion, hooking up with random girls. One night, Alex sets out to take heed of the advice offered by his fortune cookie and “be opposite”. So clean cut, jock Alexander ‘The Golden Adonis’ Donovan walks into a tattoo parlour, and there he meets Zoe Stone, someone who is the embodiment of the fortune cookie’s advice.
Zoe Stone has changed drastically since she last saw Alex, For one thing, her name wasn’t Zoe, she wasn’t into piercings and tattoos, and she wasn’t able to speak to him either. Instead, Zoe was class valedictorian, wore glasses, had 0 tattoos and less piercings and was bound for an ivy league educational institution. But then she decided that please everyone but herself was causing her to waste her life away. So she changed, and became who she always wanted to be, she now pierces people, and hangs out in grunge clubs. When she talks Alex into a lip piercing, she doesn’t expect to ever see him again. But then he reaches out to her, and Zoe begins to fall for him all over again.
I think Zoe being who she is was essential to her relationship with Alex working. Zoe always saw that Alex was putting up a fake front. She’d always noticed the sadness in his eyes. She knew something dark lurked in him, and so she fought to get it out. She did everything possible to help Alex see that she cared for him. And almost blindly supported him no matter what he was doing. I think that the best moments of this book were their dates. Going to the fair, getting burgers, going to the movies, these scenes were always so much fun and just carefree, even though sometimes Alex’s mind would go back to that dark place. The chemistry between these two was always jumping off the page, The dual POV helped to propel the story in a way that was never cliched annoying or frustrating. I loved every moment of this book, even the really sad ones. I am so happy that both Ryan and Alex are fully recovered, and now have their own HEAs.
June 13, 2014
Alex is a little lost since Ryan found Lili. Granted Alex is happy for Ryan but also a little jealous. Lili is an amazing girl and Alex needs that in his life. Alex does not know it yet but a confusing fortune cookie is about to change his world.
Zoe has had a crush on Alex since high school. She doubts that Alex would even remember her. Zoe was a Sophomore when Alex was a senior but Alex stared in many of Zoe's dreams, even now he is the #1 leading man in Zoe's fantasies. So Zoe is shocked when Alex takes a walk on the wild side and steps into the tattoo shop she pierces at. Alex is not sure what to do and he finds himself thinking about getting a piercing just because he must get this girls name. With only a Z to figure out this mystery girl Alex tries to figure out how Z knows him.
Now Zoe and Jaime run into Alex again at the coffee shop. This must be fate. After Zoe takes a chance on Alex and Alex finally gets her to reveal who she really is they take a chance together and embark on a relationship.
Alex struggles with telling Zoe the truth about his father and what happened with Ryan. He is trying to take his own advise and just be honest but now Alex understands the struggle that Ryan faced with Lili and the truth coming out. The feelings of shame, betrayal and disgust are at the surface.
I love Zoe. She is spunky, colorful, brutally honest, bold, and shy all rolled up into one essentially styled tatted up 5'9" Asian chick. How could anyone not love Zoe.
We saw the same struggle with Ryan in book #1 with the truth about John and the incident so I felt kind of a deja vu happening there. I understand that the discussion needed to take place between Zoe and Alex but I feel that it could have gone smoother this time around. I like the therapist and the scene where the therapist is basically yelling at Alex to just tell the truth and set his demons free was awesome. As a reader I kind of figured out that Alex's struggle would be different from Ryan's of course but I also knew what Alex was feeling. How could any human not feel the same way in the given situation. The Bromance again between Ryan and Alex is great. Ryan is not in this book a lot but he is there whenever you see Alex need his support.
Alex's transition to go off on his own is inevitable and we see him struggle with moving out, going back to school, and figuring out the rest of his life. And of course the issue with Zoe's parents acceptance of Alex and hopefully one day their acceptance of Zoe's choices as well.
Happy Reading!
Zoe has had a crush on Alex since high school. She doubts that Alex would even remember her. Zoe was a Sophomore when Alex was a senior but Alex stared in many of Zoe's dreams, even now he is the #1 leading man in Zoe's fantasies. So Zoe is shocked when Alex takes a walk on the wild side and steps into the tattoo shop she pierces at. Alex is not sure what to do and he finds himself thinking about getting a piercing just because he must get this girls name. With only a Z to figure out this mystery girl Alex tries to figure out how Z knows him.
Now Zoe and Jaime run into Alex again at the coffee shop. This must be fate. After Zoe takes a chance on Alex and Alex finally gets her to reveal who she really is they take a chance together and embark on a relationship.
Alex struggles with telling Zoe the truth about his father and what happened with Ryan. He is trying to take his own advise and just be honest but now Alex understands the struggle that Ryan faced with Lili and the truth coming out. The feelings of shame, betrayal and disgust are at the surface.
I love Zoe. She is spunky, colorful, brutally honest, bold, and shy all rolled up into one essentially styled tatted up 5'9" Asian chick. How could anyone not love Zoe.
We saw the same struggle with Ryan in book #1 with the truth about John and the incident so I felt kind of a deja vu happening there. I understand that the discussion needed to take place between Zoe and Alex but I feel that it could have gone smoother this time around. I like the therapist and the scene where the therapist is basically yelling at Alex to just tell the truth and set his demons free was awesome. As a reader I kind of figured out that Alex's struggle would be different from Ryan's of course but I also knew what Alex was feeling. How could any human not feel the same way in the given situation. The Bromance again between Ryan and Alex is great. Ryan is not in this book a lot but he is there whenever you see Alex need his support.
Alex's transition to go off on his own is inevitable and we see him struggle with moving out, going back to school, and figuring out the rest of his life. And of course the issue with Zoe's parents acceptance of Alex and hopefully one day their acceptance of Zoe's choices as well.
Happy Reading!
November 15, 2013
Copy received for review via Netgalley.
Right Now takes place just shortly after A Moment ends. Ryan and Lili are still around and we get see more of their happily ever after but this story, is the story of Alex.
Alex, can get any girl he wants. And he's had too many to count. But it's getting old, boring and well it's not really working for him anymore. His longest relationship lasting a week. Using sex as away to cope, with his issues. He doesn't want to live like this.
After deciding to listen to his fortune cookie, "Be opposite" he takes his first step in that direction and into Zoe Stone's world.
Zoe, (is probably one of the coolest characters I've read in awhile by the way), works at a tattoo parlor. Dubbed the ice queen by her best friend Jamie she doesn't really date much, not that she doesn't like to she just isn't boy crazy and her hearts really only belonged to one guy ever and he's never even knew she existed, Alexander Donovan.
Imagine her surprise when their worlds collide.
I really enjoyed this book, in fact I liked it better then the first book. Zoe is a great and totally cool character, I love pinups, tattoos, body mods, rockabilly, the 50s that whole scene. So I was really excited to read a character like her. Alex is broken with issues that he still is trying to come to terms with, he's in a dark place trying to escape going back there anyway he can and usually it's through sex. I can relate to this pairing it's freaky how much I can. I think that's part of the reason why I liked this book so much more.
It's dark, and painful and you just want to scream when they scream and hold them in your arms when they are breaking down. I really hope we get a book 3. Will definitely be keeping my eyes open for it.
4.5 stars
Right Now takes place just shortly after A Moment ends. Ryan and Lili are still around and we get see more of their happily ever after but this story, is the story of Alex.
Alex, can get any girl he wants. And he's had too many to count. But it's getting old, boring and well it's not really working for him anymore. His longest relationship lasting a week. Using sex as away to cope, with his issues. He doesn't want to live like this.
After deciding to listen to his fortune cookie, "Be opposite" he takes his first step in that direction and into Zoe Stone's world.
Zoe, (is probably one of the coolest characters I've read in awhile by the way), works at a tattoo parlor. Dubbed the ice queen by her best friend Jamie she doesn't really date much, not that she doesn't like to she just isn't boy crazy and her hearts really only belonged to one guy ever and he's never even knew she existed, Alexander Donovan.
Imagine her surprise when their worlds collide.
I really enjoyed this book, in fact I liked it better then the first book. Zoe is a great and totally cool character, I love pinups, tattoos, body mods, rockabilly, the 50s that whole scene. So I was really excited to read a character like her. Alex is broken with issues that he still is trying to come to terms with, he's in a dark place trying to escape going back there anyway he can and usually it's through sex. I can relate to this pairing it's freaky how much I can. I think that's part of the reason why I liked this book so much more.
It's dark, and painful and you just want to scream when they scream and hold them in your arms when they are breaking down. I really hope we get a book 3. Will definitely be keeping my eyes open for it.
4.5 stars
December 17, 2013
*** I received an ARC in exchange a honest review.***
I really liked this book, it is a heart-rendering story.
Sometimes in life...all we have...Is Right Now
Zoe Stone aka Misaki is a really nice girl with a little insecurity about herself. Her parents want the best for her and it's just happens that none of her choice in her life consider as "the best" according to them. Her job at the tattoo parlor, her love choices...nothing!
And she knows and has a hots for Alexander Donovan, aka The Golden Adonis for a while...
When he walks into my tattoo parlor, I know I'll do anything to make that man mine. There's an instant connection, a need to know more about him. Everything about him. But there's also a mystery surrounding the guy, when people look at him they only see the man that laughs, that cracks jokes and makes the world think that everything's okay, but I see the truth...
They both have their demons, but mostly Alex who suffers from it...just can't forget/forgive his father what he has done with her best friend...not even when he is dying.
I loved the connections between them, that's push and pull thing, how they built their relationship. How Zoe healed him, and made him open up more and more.
The moment I’d seen him walk through the door, my heart had constricted. Painfully. It’d taken me a second to catch my breath. I’d dreamed about him all through high school, watched as he took one girl after another out around town.
Forget the past is hard, build our future while living in the past is nearly impossible so that's why we have just Right now
I really liked this book, it is a heart-rendering story.
Sometimes in life...all we have...Is Right Now
Zoe Stone aka Misaki is a really nice girl with a little insecurity about herself. Her parents want the best for her and it's just happens that none of her choice in her life consider as "the best" according to them. Her job at the tattoo parlor, her love choices...nothing!
And she knows and has a hots for Alexander Donovan, aka The Golden Adonis for a while...
When he walks into my tattoo parlor, I know I'll do anything to make that man mine. There's an instant connection, a need to know more about him. Everything about him. But there's also a mystery surrounding the guy, when people look at him they only see the man that laughs, that cracks jokes and makes the world think that everything's okay, but I see the truth...
They both have their demons, but mostly Alex who suffers from it...just can't forget/forgive his father what he has done with her best friend...not even when he is dying.
I loved the connections between them, that's push and pull thing, how they built their relationship. How Zoe healed him, and made him open up more and more.
The moment I’d seen him walk through the door, my heart had constricted. Painfully. It’d taken me a second to catch my breath. I’d dreamed about him all through high school, watched as he took one girl after another out around town.
Forget the past is hard, build our future while living in the past is nearly impossible so that's why we have just Right now
October 29, 2014
Sometimes the book doesn't have to be an over the top love story with the best HEA in order for you to love it because it touched you so deeply.
Right Now isn't the best new adult romance ever written but it is an amazing continuation of another amazing story. So far, the moment series has touched in topics that aren't normally explored. It's a story of abuse, male abuse, and the ramifications of that abuse to the victim an love ones way beyond that act. While Alex and Zoe's love story was great, it's secondary to what makes Right Now great, which is Alex's story. After reading A Moment, you're left wanting to read Alex's story and hope he finds the love that he deserves after having Ryan's back for so long. You want him to be happy and etc etc but what I didn't even come close to suspecting was how deep his own pain went. It was an eye opener and definitely makes you realize that the victim isn't the only one that hurts.
After reading Right Now, Ive had to go back and change my rating and classification of a Moment because Ive just realized I've actually read A Moment a total of 3 times so far and I suspect Ill probably read it again. I read a moment as a "read it an review it" and thought it was great but its obviously a story that's touched me and stayed with me if I keep going back to it.
That being said, Right Now was excellent and furthermore, I definitely recommend.
Also.....real excited to know that Thor's story is next!
Right Now isn't the best new adult romance ever written but it is an amazing continuation of another amazing story. So far, the moment series has touched in topics that aren't normally explored. It's a story of abuse, male abuse, and the ramifications of that abuse to the victim an love ones way beyond that act. While Alex and Zoe's love story was great, it's secondary to what makes Right Now great, which is Alex's story. After reading A Moment, you're left wanting to read Alex's story and hope he finds the love that he deserves after having Ryan's back for so long. You want him to be happy and etc etc but what I didn't even come close to suspecting was how deep his own pain went. It was an eye opener and definitely makes you realize that the victim isn't the only one that hurts.
After reading Right Now, Ive had to go back and change my rating and classification of a Moment because Ive just realized I've actually read A Moment a total of 3 times so far and I suspect Ill probably read it again. I read a moment as a "read it an review it" and thought it was great but its obviously a story that's touched me and stayed with me if I keep going back to it.
That being said, Right Now was excellent and furthermore, I definitely recommend.
Also.....real excited to know that Thor's story is next!
December 9, 2013
**ARC in exchange for an honest review**
4.5 stars
This is book two and follows Alex the Golden Adonis’s journey. Also it should be read after book one but does NOT need to be, as you receive back story during Alex’s book.
I really enjoyed this one. Not because it’s full of passionate moments that allow your brain to shut off and work solely on emotion, or even because the writing is so deep that you find yourself in a trance trying to figure out the plot. But because it is 100% human. The crimes may not have been committed to Alex, but he was there, he witnessed it and he needs to find a way to put it to rest. Also, it’s 100% realistic. There are moments where the book lulls but over all I did not see any issues with how the book followed Ryan’s story, there were no inconsistencies and very, very few grammatical errors. I love this series by Marie Hall.
The Author’s notes (which I never read) were perfect and explained the book fabulously. I cannot wait until book 3!
My Zoe and Alex
4.5 stars
This is book two and follows Alex the Golden Adonis’s journey. Also it should be read after book one but does NOT need to be, as you receive back story during Alex’s book.
I really enjoyed this one. Not because it’s full of passionate moments that allow your brain to shut off and work solely on emotion, or even because the writing is so deep that you find yourself in a trance trying to figure out the plot. But because it is 100% human. The crimes may not have been committed to Alex, but he was there, he witnessed it and he needs to find a way to put it to rest. Also, it’s 100% realistic. There are moments where the book lulls but over all I did not see any issues with how the book followed Ryan’s story, there were no inconsistencies and very, very few grammatical errors. I love this series by Marie Hall.
The Author’s notes (which I never read) were perfect and explained the book fabulously. I cannot wait until book 3!
My Zoe and Alex
May 3, 2014
I received this book from Marie Hall and "Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock" for an honest review.
This book is a follow up to a Moment in the moments series. It concludes the first book,a Moment, Ryan and Lili' s story and gives Alex and Zoe's story. This was a perfect follow up story.
Ryan finally has his life together which leaves Alex lost and confused. After reading his fortune in a fortune cookie he decides to go to a tattoo parlor and get some ink on a whim. He doesn't get his ink, but he does meet Zoe who remembers Alex from high school. Zoe has been in love with Alex for years, and quickly realizes Alex doesn't remember her. Upon meeting Zoe, Alex likes her sassy attitude and her challenges to his words and opinions realizing he has to have her in his life.
This story didn't make me sob and ugly cry like the first book, but it was still fantastically heart wrenching. I truly love this story and cannot wait to dive into my ARC of the 3rd book.
This is a New Adult book, which is a young adult book with light sex and cursing thrown in. The sex is indeed light, and the cursing is mild to moderate.
This is definitely a series and you will need to read the first book, A Moment, or suffer confusion in the story
I give this book 5 fangs! =D
This book is a follow up to a Moment in the moments series. It concludes the first book,a Moment, Ryan and Lili' s story and gives Alex and Zoe's story. This was a perfect follow up story.
Ryan finally has his life together which leaves Alex lost and confused. After reading his fortune in a fortune cookie he decides to go to a tattoo parlor and get some ink on a whim. He doesn't get his ink, but he does meet Zoe who remembers Alex from high school. Zoe has been in love with Alex for years, and quickly realizes Alex doesn't remember her. Upon meeting Zoe, Alex likes her sassy attitude and her challenges to his words and opinions realizing he has to have her in his life.
This story didn't make me sob and ugly cry like the first book, but it was still fantastically heart wrenching. I truly love this story and cannot wait to dive into my ARC of the 3rd book.
This is a New Adult book, which is a young adult book with light sex and cursing thrown in. The sex is indeed light, and the cursing is mild to moderate.
This is definitely a series and you will need to read the first book, A Moment, or suffer confusion in the story
I give this book 5 fangs! =D
October 22, 2013
Better then the first book?
Okay maybe not better but parallel. This one may not have been as deep or as tragic as Ryan's story but Alex still suffered. He witnessed the incident but kept quiet and that guilt ate at him. He as only 6 and what 6year old would know what to do in the instance? Probably none.
I liked Alex in A Moment but in his book I think Zoe/Misaka actually stole the show. I loved her. Everything about her was great. Alex always had potential to be a great character but I think Zoe really helped him to shine.
Tor...not much is said about him but it was just enough to lead me to believe his book will be great...A modern day Viking thats a drummer and is a tattoo artist. I am there.
Okay maybe not better but parallel. This one may not have been as deep or as tragic as Ryan's story but Alex still suffered. He witnessed the incident but kept quiet and that guilt ate at him. He as only 6 and what 6year old would know what to do in the instance? Probably none.
I liked Alex in A Moment but in his book I think Zoe/Misaka actually stole the show. I loved her. Everything about her was great. Alex always had potential to be a great character but I think Zoe really helped him to shine.
Tor...not much is said about him but it was just enough to lead me to believe his book will be great...A modern day Viking thats a drummer and is a tattoo artist. I am there.
September 18, 2013
Omg!!!! Loved it what a great story Alex is a man whore he does this to fight his demons that he has carried around but when he walks into the garage tattoo & piercing parlour he doesn't expect to meet the feisty Z the very sexy piercer she's loved him since high school but he doesn't remember her but she makes him wait but will his demons get in the way will there love withstand that my fellow readers u will have to read for yourself x
September 17, 2013
Really like this series. I enjoyed Alex so much in the first book and was really looking forward to his story. The book did a great job of showing the fallout of abuse, how those close to the victim are also impacted. I really liked Zoe, she was strong, yet vulnerable. I liked how it wasn't tied up in a pretty bow @ the end, but showed hope for the future. Looking forward to Tor!
December 17, 2013
I was pleasantly surprised to see id already read book 1. it was so long ago I couldn't remember! Alex definitely deserved his own story, he had his own demons to get through. meeting zoe was definitely opposite and helped him on the path to recovery.
January 17, 2014
loved loved it Marie Hall u rock!!!;! amazing story good as the first!!!!!! Wonderfully written so much intensity so much and raw emotions what awesome way to end a truely truely terrific series!!!!
September 23, 2013
4.5 stars!
While it was hard to watch his cousin settle his demons, watching Alex deal with his was heart-wrenching. Thoroughly enjoyed it, and happy they both got their HEA's.
While it was hard to watch his cousin settle his demons, watching Alex deal with his was heart-wrenching. Thoroughly enjoyed it, and happy they both got their HEA's.
July 13, 2019
Misaki and Alex
When I read Ryan and Liliana‘s story, I was more excited to read about Alex and Zoe. Their characters spoke to me more.
I felt like Alex was more than Ryan’s cousin. They were more like brothers. I loved how deeply their feelings ran for each other and how it didn’t need to be spoken. It just was a fact.
For Ryan to go through what he did was unspeakable. No question. What Alex went through was no less than unspeakable. The tragedy that happened at the same moment was just awful.
I liked this story so much because it was more about healing. Yes, this unspeakable act occurred but where do we go from there. I feel like this book was THAT story.
I loved the therapist. I appreciated her homework and ability to really get in there and dig the crap out so both Ryan and Alex could really heal.
I loved Ryan and Alex also because they desperately wanted to get better and they were willing to put the work in.
I appreciated the authors insight because I didn’t feel like anything was forced. No relationships were saved just because. The feelings felt real and genuine throughout.
I would recommend this book but I wouldn’t recommend reading them out of order.
When I read Ryan and Liliana‘s story, I was more excited to read about Alex and Zoe. Their characters spoke to me more.
I felt like Alex was more than Ryan’s cousin. They were more like brothers. I loved how deeply their feelings ran for each other and how it didn’t need to be spoken. It just was a fact.
For Ryan to go through what he did was unspeakable. No question. What Alex went through was no less than unspeakable. The tragedy that happened at the same moment was just awful.
I liked this story so much because it was more about healing. Yes, this unspeakable act occurred but where do we go from there. I feel like this book was THAT story.
I loved the therapist. I appreciated her homework and ability to really get in there and dig the crap out so both Ryan and Alex could really heal.
I loved Ryan and Alex also because they desperately wanted to get better and they were willing to put the work in.
I appreciated the authors insight because I didn’t feel like anything was forced. No relationships were saved just because. The feelings felt real and genuine throughout.
I would recommend this book but I wouldn’t recommend reading them out of order.
June 6, 2018
GOOD STORY
This follow-up story in this series is another thought provoking look at the damage to so many by one man. Sexual abuse doesn't only affect one person and this series addresses that very real situation.
Forgiveness is hard won but never given by either Alex or Ryan. The damages were too great. Alex was lucky to find Zoe, a woman who has loved him since high school. Their journey is an emotional one but we'll worth reading about.
This follow-up story in this series is another thought provoking look at the damage to so many by one man. Sexual abuse doesn't only affect one person and this series addresses that very real situation.
Forgiveness is hard won but never given by either Alex or Ryan. The damages were too great. Alex was lucky to find Zoe, a woman who has loved him since high school. Their journey is an emotional one but we'll worth reading about.
September 6, 2017
Maybe now
Marie hall is an amazing author this series is amazing as this is my second time around its still one of the greats to me
Marie hall is an amazing author this series is amazing as this is my second time around its still one of the greats to me
June 11, 2025
Alex has spent most of his life ‘sing’ his cousin, Ryan. Now, that his cousin is on the right path, healing, and with someone he loves, Alex feels stuck and lost. He should move on but to where and in what direction? Enter Zoe. She was the brain back in high school and now she the tattoo artist covering in ink and on his mind all the time. Therapy is helping Alex realize that he’s centered a lot of his life around his cousin and his father’s secret, now his cousin is healing and his father is dying. Alex doesn’t want to see his father or forge him for what he did to Ryan. He told his mother about what he saw all those years ago and he never understood why she stayed married to the man, so he distanced himself from her as well. Now, his mother wants him to come home and listen to his father because of the cancer that will claim him life.
I can be grateful for the fact that Alex’s father confessed to the family before he died. Telling the truth about how he molested Ryan as a young boy and Alex came home and saw. I hate that Ryan’s parents are still assholes about everything and still won’t do right by their son. At least Ryan has Lili now and their own son. He doesn’t need them anymore. I think people forgot that it didn’t only mess up Ryan it also messed up Alex to have seen it and know that it was his dad who did it. Now, with Zoe by his side, Alex can begin to heal as well.
I can be grateful for the fact that Alex’s father confessed to the family before he died. Telling the truth about how he molested Ryan as a young boy and Alex came home and saw. I hate that Ryan’s parents are still assholes about everything and still won’t do right by their son. At least Ryan has Lili now and their own son. He doesn’t need them anymore. I think people forgot that it didn’t only mess up Ryan it also messed up Alex to have seen it and know that it was his dad who did it. Now, with Zoe by his side, Alex can begin to heal as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2013
This was Alex's story, Ryan's cousin from A Moment. Part of why I read A Moment was because I wanted to read this book, and it did not disappoint. Of course, by the time you've gotten to this book, you should have done the same as me and have read A Moment first. In which case, you'll know what Ryan's secret is and how it ate him alive for years. But what we didn't really see before was how it truly impacted Alex.
Since Ryan and Lili got engaged, Alex has been floundering. For so many years, his purpose in life was to protect Ryan and to keep him alive. Outside of that, he was a good student and a total manwhore, never really connecting emotionally to anyone - he couldn't afford that and didn't think he deserved love. After Ryan shares his secret with Lili, he starts going to therapy and he suggests that Alex do the same. We pick up the story months after Lili and Javier have moved into Ryan and Alex's house and Lili's mom has passed away. Alex is plodding along, working at the coffee shop, sleeping around and going to therapy. He's taken a break from school and he's lost.
One night, he's in a Chinese place with twins, who take him to the bathroom for...okay, well, you can read it or guess. But Alex can't keep it up, no matter what they're attempting to coax him into it. So he leaves and wanders across the street to a tattoo parlor, taking the advice of his fortune cookie to do something unexpected. But once he's in there, he has no idea what that should be.
Enter Zoe, the gorgeous, tatted, exotic Asian woman who does the piercings at the shop. Alex is instantly smitten. And so is Zoe. Or is she? No, it's not instant for Zoe, because she recognizes Alex immediately. He was the boy she worshiped and adored from afar in high school. Older than her, he had no idea who she was in their big Texas high school. In part, because she was nothing like the goddess she has become. Her Japanese mother ruled with an iron fist then, and in her adult years, Misaki transformed herself from a bookworm into Zoe.
These two have some serious issues to overcome. For one, Alex really likes Zoe and his therapist has challenged him to actually treat her differently, which, until he shares the fact that he's going to therapy, is a bit confusing to Zoe. For another, Zoe's family does not approve of Alex at all. Zoe's father is an oil baron and understandably overprotective of his little girl.
Like Lili and Ryan, these two struggle, over and over, but their chemistry keeps them wanting more and makes it hard for either of them to give up completely when things get rough. And, as with A Moment, Right Now does not end with a HEA, but it does have a positive ending. The themes here weren't quite as heavy as they were for Ryan's story, but they still dealt with the repercussions of what happened to Ryan when they were kids. Alex grew by leaps and bounds over the course of the story and it was such a refreshing change, for the female lead to be the stronger, less damaged person, to have rescued the male lead.
That doesn't mean Alex isn't an Alpha, because he is. While I never heard a southern accent on Ryan (though, surely he had one; he's from Texas, too), I heard that southern drawl on Alex and I was sold. Add to that the fact that he's a sweet man underneath it all, he's got sexual prowess in spades and he's enormous (I never thought much about how tall and big he is in A Moment because it wasn't HIS story, but he's actually taller than Ryan and equally huge), and I was beside myself. I didn't blame Zoe for wanting him. I wanted him, too. Well worth the wait to read it.
I'm hoping this isn't the end for the series. I think there's easily room for a story in there for Zoe's roommate/best friend, Jamie and her coworker, Tor. Let's hope, because I don't really want to be done with this series yet. Again, excellent work, Marie Hall, and bravo for tackling some very difficult issues.
Since Ryan and Lili got engaged, Alex has been floundering. For so many years, his purpose in life was to protect Ryan and to keep him alive. Outside of that, he was a good student and a total manwhore, never really connecting emotionally to anyone - he couldn't afford that and didn't think he deserved love. After Ryan shares his secret with Lili, he starts going to therapy and he suggests that Alex do the same. We pick up the story months after Lili and Javier have moved into Ryan and Alex's house and Lili's mom has passed away. Alex is plodding along, working at the coffee shop, sleeping around and going to therapy. He's taken a break from school and he's lost.
One night, he's in a Chinese place with twins, who take him to the bathroom for...okay, well, you can read it or guess. But Alex can't keep it up, no matter what they're attempting to coax him into it. So he leaves and wanders across the street to a tattoo parlor, taking the advice of his fortune cookie to do something unexpected. But once he's in there, he has no idea what that should be.
Enter Zoe, the gorgeous, tatted, exotic Asian woman who does the piercings at the shop. Alex is instantly smitten. And so is Zoe. Or is she? No, it's not instant for Zoe, because she recognizes Alex immediately. He was the boy she worshiped and adored from afar in high school. Older than her, he had no idea who she was in their big Texas high school. In part, because she was nothing like the goddess she has become. Her Japanese mother ruled with an iron fist then, and in her adult years, Misaki transformed herself from a bookworm into Zoe.
These two have some serious issues to overcome. For one, Alex really likes Zoe and his therapist has challenged him to actually treat her differently, which, until he shares the fact that he's going to therapy, is a bit confusing to Zoe. For another, Zoe's family does not approve of Alex at all. Zoe's father is an oil baron and understandably overprotective of his little girl.
Like Lili and Ryan, these two struggle, over and over, but their chemistry keeps them wanting more and makes it hard for either of them to give up completely when things get rough. And, as with A Moment, Right Now does not end with a HEA, but it does have a positive ending. The themes here weren't quite as heavy as they were for Ryan's story, but they still dealt with the repercussions of what happened to Ryan when they were kids. Alex grew by leaps and bounds over the course of the story and it was such a refreshing change, for the female lead to be the stronger, less damaged person, to have rescued the male lead.
That doesn't mean Alex isn't an Alpha, because he is. While I never heard a southern accent on Ryan (though, surely he had one; he's from Texas, too), I heard that southern drawl on Alex and I was sold. Add to that the fact that he's a sweet man underneath it all, he's got sexual prowess in spades and he's enormous (I never thought much about how tall and big he is in A Moment because it wasn't HIS story, but he's actually taller than Ryan and equally huge), and I was beside myself. I didn't blame Zoe for wanting him. I wanted him, too. Well worth the wait to read it.
I'm hoping this isn't the end for the series. I think there's easily room for a story in there for Zoe's roommate/best friend, Jamie and her coworker, Tor. Let's hope, because I don't really want to be done with this series yet. Again, excellent work, Marie Hall, and bravo for tackling some very difficult issues.
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