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The Mackay Sisters #3
Adam's Thorn
The arrival of Barbie Declan in his town brought up a lot of bad memories for Adam. A lot.
The calm, controlled cop had Barbie acting like a shrew whenever he was near her. Talk about guilt.
Now she had not only sparks of dislike between them, but something growing a little hotter. As if that wasn’t disconcerting enough…
…there’s something very wrong with the spooky old house she’s inherited…
The calm, controlled cop had Barbie acting like a shrew whenever he was near her. Talk about guilt.
Now she had not only sparks of dislike between them, but something growing a little hotter. As if that wasn’t disconcerting enough…
…there’s something very wrong with the spooky old house she’s inherited…
316 pages, ebook
First published January 14, 2014
14 people are currently reading
231 people want to read
About the author
Angela Verdenius
66 books678 followersI am a mixture of things - full-time worker, cat owner, writer, bookworm, supernatural horror movie buff, mystery series fan, and daydreamer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 2, 2015
Ooh this had a mystery, suspense and super hot cop in it!!, I won't lie i got a bit scared during one bit and may have had to pause to put the light on!, loved Barbie and Adam, talk about perfect for each other, he was commanding but not in an arseholy way and Barbie was strong willed but not in a bitchy way, they played off each other really well. Lovely to hear from the Lori, Ali, Ghost and Matt who feature heavily in this story and Ghost bless him who brings much light relief. Thoroughly enjoyable read.
June 13, 2018
I forgot how much I liked this. I upped the stars on this one to 5 from 4. I only had it at 4 before because I didn't get the chemistry with them at first and she was hard to like a little but this time around I felt I got to know them more as characters. Loved it as always!
February 11, 2014
A nice story, not my favorite heroine.
I like AV stories, I always love the sense of humour that threads through her dialogue and the story-line. I always, always love her Heroes, but her heroines are ok. In this story, I did not care for Barbie at all. I guess the history that she had with Adam was the reason for her being so prickly but it was clear that she had done something really awful in the past so her apology was way past due. In this story, also I felt Adam was the star, he overshadowed Barbie by a mile because Barbie never really did anything. Everything was done to and for her, otherwise she was too one dimensional for me to care about one way or another. I liked the book though and I will definitely read more by AV but this one will not go on my re-read shelf.
I like AV stories, I always love the sense of humour that threads through her dialogue and the story-line. I always, always love her Heroes, but her heroines are ok. In this story, I did not care for Barbie at all. I guess the history that she had with Adam was the reason for her being so prickly but it was clear that she had done something really awful in the past so her apology was way past due. In this story, also I felt Adam was the star, he overshadowed Barbie by a mile because Barbie never really did anything. Everything was done to and for her, otherwise she was too one dimensional for me to care about one way or another. I liked the book though and I will definitely read more by AV but this one will not go on my re-read shelf.
November 29, 2017
I enjoy the characters of Angela Verdenius's books but what detracts for me in all the ones I have read: The Big Girl Lovin Trilogy, The Lawson Boys, The Mackay sisters, The Virgin Sex Queen, Seducing Sam and this one is the editing mistakes; form instead of from,and other typos the missing words, the authors confusion of the masculine and feminine form of fiance. fiancee, the changes in whether characters are wed yet or not detract from the enjoyment. I don't like having to correct in my head while I am reading or re read passages to get sense.
Should not happen with an author who has published so many books and of this calibre.
So only 3 stars for all the above enjoy the stories, love the characters but the mistakes NO ( shakes head)
Should not happen with an author who has published so many books and of this calibre.
So only 3 stars for all the above enjoy the stories, love the characters but the mistakes NO ( shakes head)
March 12, 2014
3.5 stars
Adam is a lovable hero but unfortunately I felt that Barbie was not good enough for him. Therefore because I didn’t like the heroine or didn’t want the heroine to really be with our hero, this book fell a little flat for me. Not that the book wasn’t good, it is good as all of this author’s books are, it just wasn’t as good as I hoped. Maybe it didn’t help that the book I read before this was my favorite from this author and so I had really high expectations for this hero’s story.
There were a few things a few other things I didn’t like about this story – other than Barbie not being good enough for Adam:
1) The mysterious incident in the H/h’s past was so heightened that by the time we found out what it was, it inevitably disappointed – because I think the readers imaginations have thought about more shocking scenarios that when we find out that all it really was then it wasn’t as big a deal as we thought. Also, incident in the past made no sense to me. Honestly, and unfortunately, it made me like Adam less. I don’t understand why that was Adam’s reaction either.
2) I didn’t like that Adam had a somewhat serious relationship with That’s just awkward and has a bit of an ick factor for me.
3) The way and how quickly they fell for each other didn’t feel right, I’ve read scenarios in which passion takes over and the H/h fall fast and hard and sometimes I buy it, but this time I didn’t. It didn’t feel natural.
4) After knowing that their history started when Barbie was 16, for the rest of the book Barbie’s character had felt like she was still that immature 16 year old – a girl – even though she had learned her lesson and changed. She just didn’t quite match up with Adam’s character – a man, not a boy – and so the book left me feeling like Adam had fallen in love with a girl who needs to be taken care of (an unequal relationship) and who didn’t meet his level of “awesomeness.”
5) I liked the ghostly mystery around the house and even the explanation for it made sense, but what the found buried in the grave was a bit of a cheesy cliché addition and kind of ruined the mystery of Great Aunt Penny. I can tolerate cheesy. I can tolerate clichés. But here, being both, didn’t work at all for me.
There were PLENTY of good bits in this book too – don’t get me wrong. If you are a fan of this author and a good BBW CR, you will not be disappointed because it’s all here: the sexy scenes, the protective hero, the independent heroine, the cute gossiping neighbors, and the witty banter! All these made this a fun read. The best part being that we got to see the characters from the Mackay Sisters books a lot – it was great to revisit with Ghost, Ali, Matt, and Lori.
Adam is a lovable hero but unfortunately I felt that Barbie was not good enough for him. Therefore because I didn’t like the heroine or didn’t want the heroine to really be with our hero, this book fell a little flat for me. Not that the book wasn’t good, it is good as all of this author’s books are, it just wasn’t as good as I hoped. Maybe it didn’t help that the book I read before this was my favorite from this author and so I had really high expectations for this hero’s story.
There were a few things a few other things I didn’t like about this story – other than Barbie not being good enough for Adam:
1) The mysterious incident in the H/h’s past was so heightened that by the time we found out what it was, it inevitably disappointed – because I think the readers imaginations have thought about more shocking scenarios that when we find out that all it really was then it wasn’t as big a deal as we thought. Also, incident in the past made no sense to me. Honestly, and unfortunately, it made me like Adam less. I don’t understand why that was Adam’s reaction either.
2) I didn’t like that Adam had a somewhat serious relationship with That’s just awkward and has a bit of an ick factor for me.
3) The way and how quickly they fell for each other didn’t feel right, I’ve read scenarios in which passion takes over and the H/h fall fast and hard and sometimes I buy it, but this time I didn’t. It didn’t feel natural.
4) After knowing that their history started when Barbie was 16, for the rest of the book Barbie’s character had felt like she was still that immature 16 year old – a girl – even though she had learned her lesson and changed. She just didn’t quite match up with Adam’s character – a man, not a boy – and so the book left me feeling like Adam had fallen in love with a girl who needs to be taken care of (an unequal relationship) and who didn’t meet his level of “awesomeness.”
5) I liked the ghostly mystery around the house and even the explanation for it made sense, but what the found buried in the grave was a bit of a cheesy cliché addition and kind of ruined the mystery of Great Aunt Penny. I can tolerate cheesy. I can tolerate clichés. But here, being both, didn’t work at all for me.
There were PLENTY of good bits in this book too – don’t get me wrong. If you are a fan of this author and a good BBW CR, you will not be disappointed because it’s all here: the sexy scenes, the protective hero, the independent heroine, the cute gossiping neighbors, and the witty banter! All these made this a fun read. The best part being that we got to see the characters from the Mackay Sisters books a lot – it was great to revisit with Ghost, Ali, Matt, and Lori.
December 21, 2015
Spectacular
I absolutely loved this story! From the way it started, the reader isn't sure if Adam and Barbie are actually going to quit fighting long enough to admit their attraction. Once they do however, it is sizzling. Throw in the ghost and mystery graves you have a fantastic story that keeps the reader enthralled. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.
I absolutely loved this story! From the way it started, the reader isn't sure if Adam and Barbie are actually going to quit fighting long enough to admit their attraction. Once they do however, it is sizzling. Throw in the ghost and mystery graves you have a fantastic story that keeps the reader enthralled. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.
October 31, 2015
Barbie was not one of my favorite characters by far. The story overall was good, but made multiple references to the title that became a little annoying. Then the ending felt rushed and left a lot to be desired.
November 28, 2016
Good story. Angela Verdenius never disappoints when it comes to the plot. I just had trouble connecting with Barbie. I hoped she would grow on me as the story progressed but sadly it didn't happen. Adam on the other hand was great.
February 2, 2016
3.5 Stars
January 4, 2015
3.75 stars
April 29, 2014
I agree with most of the reviews of this book, loved Adam but wasn't struck on Barbie. Nice enough story, I always enjoy Angela's books.
May 23, 2014
Overall it was good but Barbie was rather 1-D and the mystery was just SO obvious it was hard to like Barbie when she was SO oblivious.
February 15, 2021
Rounding out the series with the much hyped Adam and Barbie. They've been simmering tension and dislike with an obvious past history that both have been completely silent about. So of course that made for a very promising start. Find out...they're not that interesting after all (although that's not to say their history wasn't kind of jaw-dropping). I liked Barbie at first and found myself really irritated with Adam, since he was being extremely prejudiced and judgmental, down to the point where Barbie was afraid to call the cops because Adam would treat her with disdain. Finally get their back story and I was flabbergasted....
Anyway, they get past this little issue and things are at least looking a bit better. There's some uncertain footing, a bit of a suspense plot as Barbie suspects her house is haunted (or is it an intruder?). Adam and Barbie are getting along better and then it turns sexual. Now unfortunately for my tastes (maybe not for others) this author writes some truly chauvinistic males. And so all of the sex scenes end up being about "control" and "giving commands" and it feels a lot less like it's about two people enjoying being TOGETHER. And then Adam's control issues start leaking outside the bedroom - holding Barbie close and not letting her step away from him, "rescuing" her instead of letting her take care of herself, insisting she eat when she says she's not hungry, telling her she's not allowed to go back into a dangerous house for her cats because he's a man and he says so. And this is where I stopped liking Barbie, because she gives a token protest and then just lets him have his way because being ordered about and controlled is apparently such a turn on for her. Well, not for me.
Also...quite a few typos in this story. Needs some serious editing.
Anyway, they get past this little issue and things are at least looking a bit better. There's some uncertain footing, a bit of a suspense plot as Barbie suspects her house is haunted (or is it an intruder?). Adam and Barbie are getting along better and then it turns sexual. Now unfortunately for my tastes (maybe not for others) this author writes some truly chauvinistic males. And so all of the sex scenes end up being about "control" and "giving commands" and it feels a lot less like it's about two people enjoying being TOGETHER. And then Adam's control issues start leaking outside the bedroom - holding Barbie close and not letting her step away from him, "rescuing" her instead of letting her take care of herself, insisting she eat when she says she's not hungry, telling her she's not allowed to go back into a dangerous house for her cats because he's a man and he says so. And this is where I stopped liking Barbie, because she gives a token protest and then just lets him have his way because being ordered about and controlled is apparently such a turn on for her. Well, not for me.
Also...quite a few typos in this story. Needs some serious editing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2020
Liked it
I like her books. I like the characters but I really wish she would do an epilogue. I get so into the story and then it just ends.
I like her books. I like the characters but I really wish she would do an epilogue. I get so into the story and then it just ends.
September 22, 2024
This was really cute. I still find it weird that no one had an issue with the heroine dating her sister’s ex. It’s just icky.
May 14, 2015
I just can't.*shakes head* Throughout reading I kept thinking of Barbie as
I just did not like Barbie...at all. Couldn't get past what she did. The humor with the other characters were funny and sweet.
This has been the only book so far by Angela Verdenius that I am seriously thinking of purging from my library.
I just did not like Barbie...at all. Couldn't get past what she did. The humor with the other characters were funny and sweet.
This has been the only book so far by Angela Verdenius that I am seriously thinking of purging from my library.
June 11, 2014
I wonder why I can't come to like these ultra alpha-male types, that I find plainly more chauvinistic than sexy. :( I guess I'm not just that type of woman that appreciates it if the guy would spoon-feed me or order me around. In this book, the heroine at least made an effort to stand her own, but ultimately ends up as a fauxhero. Typical.
Adam's thorn lacked in any particularly interesting characters, but there was more of plot than usually compared to previous books. The supernatural theme was entertaining. Barbie, the heroine, was mildly spunky, I liked that. She took at least some action. Adam was just an all around perfect hero, nothing to see there.
Good for a read.
Adam's thorn lacked in any particularly interesting characters, but there was more of plot than usually compared to previous books. The supernatural theme was entertaining. Barbie, the heroine, was mildly spunky, I liked that. She took at least some action. Adam was just an all around perfect hero, nothing to see there.
Good for a read.
May 27, 2024
3.25
the backstory between the 2 had a great build up and i was really enjoying the antagonistic energy... but then we find out what happened 12 years prior and it was... weird as shit??? like why? outta some historical romance 1800s thing. i know that all the heroes in verdenius' books talk about that shit but it actually happening outside of a playful established relationship was too much.
luckily i was able to compartmentalize that weirdness and get on with the story. but these two did not spend enough time together for me to believe it went past lust hence the rating given
reread: just love how barbie completely forgot about what dude accused her of. what in the hell
the backstory between the 2 had a great build up and i was really enjoying the antagonistic energy... but then we find out what happened 12 years prior and it was... weird as shit??? like why? outta some historical romance 1800s thing. i know that all the heroes in verdenius' books talk about that shit but it actually happening outside of a playful established relationship was too much.
luckily i was able to compartmentalize that weirdness and get on with the story. but these two did not spend enough time together for me to believe it went past lust hence the rating given
reread: just love how barbie completely forgot about what dude accused her of. what in the hell
January 25, 2014
Angela Verdenius did amazing job on Adam's Thorn. It wasn't just romance, sex, sweetness. Oh no it had mystery, suspense,a bad guy, chills, arguments (that led to hot sex ;) lol) and one hot cop who is all alpha male and knows how to dole out punishment in a very good way. I could not put this down. I was captivated and held in suspense the whole time reading it. I look forward to many more books from Angela. You ROCK!!! :)
January 31, 2014
Another great book from Angela. I love this book. Adam is a yummy cop and Barbie is not the shy girl at all. They both explode together & the love scenes are hot oh so hot! The full body massage was well you have to read it!. I like the mystery part of this book and enjoyed meeting up again with the Mackey sisters and their fiances. Angela Verdenius is a very talented author who I just love. Keep them coming. Hope the next book come quickly.
July 27, 2014
Wow!
This book by far is the best Angela Verdenius's books I have ever read. Seriously. I got the misunderstanding between main characters, I got heroine's hurt feeling and hurt physique and finally, and Hero that falling adly in love even though he, at first, hated the heroine. I got all of them in one package. Seriously!
I loved this book. Even though Adam's a bit annoying at first, I liked him anyway. Looking forward to read Angie's future books, especially the BBW ones!
This book by far is the best Angela Verdenius's books I have ever read. Seriously. I got the misunderstanding between main characters, I got heroine's hurt feeling and hurt physique and finally, and Hero that falling adly in love even though he, at first, hated the heroine. I got all of them in one package. Seriously!
I loved this book. Even though Adam's a bit annoying at first, I liked him anyway. Looking forward to read Angie's future books, especially the BBW ones!
November 2, 2014
I love the stories from Angela Verdenius. So this book is another favorite.
It took awhile to like Adam. He was so gruff and angry. Barbie seemed nice. There was the whole mystery of how Barbie and Adam knew each other and why they hated each other.
The other mystery is the house Barbie inherited from her aunt. It seems to haunted.
It was nice to see the Mackay sisters and their fiancés.
It took awhile to like Adam. He was so gruff and angry. Barbie seemed nice. There was the whole mystery of how Barbie and Adam knew each other and why they hated each other.
The other mystery is the house Barbie inherited from her aunt. It seems to haunted.
It was nice to see the Mackay sisters and their fiancés.
March 13, 2015
With crossover from characters in the MacKay Sisters series, this book takes place in a little town called Peeron and the spooky goings-on at the old Declan house, owned by Barbie, who has a past with police officer Adam.
Follows the Verdenius formula well, and one of my fave in this series.
I did enjoy the introduction of the paranormal and possible haunting. Pleasant read.
Follows the Verdenius formula well, and one of my fave in this series.
I did enjoy the introduction of the paranormal and possible haunting. Pleasant read.
July 11, 2014
Only 3 stars because this is the only book of Angela's that I started three times...I don't know why but the first two times I couldn't seem to finish it.
But third time's the charm! I read it in a day.
I liked Adam from the previous books and the more I read the more I liked Barbie too. There was a little twist in the end which I enjoyed.
But third time's the charm! I read it in a day.
I liked Adam from the previous books and the more I read the more I liked Barbie too. There was a little twist in the end which I enjoyed.
November 12, 2014
It was good, but made reference to her being a thorn to him a bit much. Wish there was more details about the engagement too, the one thing i noticed about these books is the man usually says "i love you" first and it takes a while for the women to say it back, like in this book, she only said it in the book once and Adam said it 3 times at least..
Oh well, very good book
Oh well, very good book
April 3, 2016
I loved the chemistry between these two characters. Adam is a great big Alpha male and Barbie was able to hold her own with him. It was fun to read about other characters we have been previously introduced to.
December 9, 2015
Love this and all her BBW books. They are romantic, funny and sexy. Highly recommend for all who likes BBW romance with great heroines, hot heros and some suspense. I have and will re-read her books many times. This one is one of my favorites.
January 25, 2014
great read a fab book to relax and chill with
November 5, 2022
Thank you again, Ms Verdenius, for writing such a sweet and sexy (let's not forget that) story.
As always it's a highly recommendable read. I hope for more to come.
As always it's a highly recommendable read. I hope for more to come.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews