Always is a must read for those who enjoy dark suspenseful romance books. This is not my normal genre but I was gifted with this book so I read it and I'm very happy that I did because I would have missed out on an excellent book/series. While I understand why some of the reviews state what they do....for me all the characters blended beautifully and I could understand why they acted like they did. Cam and Maggie, main characters, made choices in their lives and have had to come to grips with the fallout and along the way they come together with the help of friends and family. Ajay and Jags are Cam's brothers and both play roles throughout this book and I can't wait to find out what Lita has in store for those two!!! I really enjoyed this book, Lita Stone
If you read the book description then you're aware of the darker parts of this book, rape, domestic violence, rage, kidnapping, and murder but Lita Stone blends these real life issues IMHO with excellent writing talent and in your face reality of the damage these types of abuse can cause. I have to admit it took me two tries to read this book (the 2nd try I finished in one day of page turning obsession) because of the rape and domestic violence (but that's about me and my personal journey) Lita Stone reminds me of Kristen Ashley in the way she tackles tough "life" situations with courage, respect and honesty.
While there is a "cliffhanger" to this novel I don't feel like I'm forced to go out and buy the next book like I do with some other authors (which I absolutely hate and won't buy just on principle) . That is NOT to say that I don't want the next book (Maybe, and yes that's the name of the next book "Maybe") in this series because I do but the cliffhanger isn't one that interferes with this book. I would call the cliffhanger a book within a book. At least I don't have to wait a year to read the next book which is comforting to know....I can read the entire series if I chose.
I enjoyed this book. I was a little confused at first because this book feels a little "all over the place" it's very jumpy but after a few chapters I was on board.
The story jumps around from all the different character's POV so you get so much more that just the main story. The story line was really good and very fast paced. We get a lot from the secondary characters and I love side stories in a book!
Most of the characters were dark and troubled. My only problem with the main characters is that I had a hard time feeling the "pull" at first, once they were together it was totally there but when they had only met twice and she was just trying to sleep with him even though she didn't seem to really like him that much and he was just plain grumpy and mean to her, they just didn't seem to like each other enough for the instant love feeling that followed (for him at least).
I did really like the special ability that Jags has and I'd love to get more info on that. I hope that will be in book 2. I loved that Cam took such good care of Gramps & that Maggie's dad stepped up!!! Those two things just make those characters more real to me :)
The narration was not my favorite. His voice was good, and the reading was good too but it was SO slow. I had to speed up the narration to X1.25 and then it was perfect (I have only sped up narration once before so this isn't normal for me).
All in all this is a great start to the series and I will definitely read book 2.
I found this book free on Smashwords last night while I was looking around, I liked the blurb so starting reading now this is one of those books that come around every so often that I'm not sure about but just can't bring myself to stop reading. It took me a while to get into this book partly because a lot of characters were introduced early on and just when I'd got things settled a second thread was introduced. One of the problems for me was and I don't know if it was just me, my expectations or the writing but I had real trouble reconciling the characters with their ages, I just couldn't picture Cam as thirty-three but like I said this could be me since it clearly states his age in the blurb. Anyway there was something about this book I didn't like, I've no idea what it was but it stopped me from getting totally engrossed in it, this said there a lot to like, great characters, relationships, family and a bit of mystery thrown in, I should have liked it more. I know it says 'Book 1' but this doesn't tell the reader it's a cliffhanger book and I get sick of putting this in reviews but how difficult is it to put 'ends on cliffhanger' but to be fair this book has two main threads and only one of them is left hanging but still I like to be warned. Will I read the next book, I'm not sure I'm not ruling it out but it won't be straight away.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I gave the book half a star for having words in it and half a star for having a “character” with my name. Otherwise the book is muddled, disjointed and aimless, poorly written and lacking in any sort of depth or real feeling. It reads more like a script for a low -budget porn film than an actual novel. The quality of writing falls somewhere around the middle-grade (preteen) level...though the content is very adult in nature. In essence, I found the book to be a waste of precious reading time. I do not recommend it.
** I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **
I LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS BOOK!!! This is a story about many characters, all a little unique, and they all are very interesting....Cam is really disturbed, but actually a great guy, he takes care of his gramps who is suffering from dementia and has 2 brothers....now Jag is really interesting..he can read people, there minds, emotions, intentions, aura's and is a bit of character...then we have AJ, who is kinda a gigolo....and doesn't really have that much respect for women....These are the Wolfe Brothers!
Jag, has a vision about Maggie, and asks his brother Cam to teach her how to hike, to keep her safe...in his vision he sees her getting hurt with a little girl and wants to help her avoid getting gravely injured....Also, he wants to set Cam up with a lady, thinking it would help him...Cam is very intense, and quite rude really in the beginning...he agrees and takes Maggie on a 2 day hike...he ends up falling for her...well Maggie has a past...a past where she was really hurt...and when Cam finds out...he will stop at nothing to help avenge her, even though she does not want him to...
All 3 of these brothers are a tad crazy, but you cant help but like them...and this story was fantastic! The narration is really good, and I am on to #2 with the generosity of this author....
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SERIES..ITS A LOVE STORY,MYSTERY WITH A TWIST AND A LOT MORE SURPRISES! Just add it to your cart now and spend the credit..you will not be disappointed!!!
I received this audio book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I loved this book. It is very fast paced, so if you blink you will miss something. If you are confused, go back and listen again. This book is exciting and a little strange, a little paranormal (powers) and a lot suspense / thriller, and even a little romance!
Cameron Wolfe is a troubled man from a strange family. His brother Jags has visions. Then we meet Maggie - she too has a troubled past. As we go thru the story and the past unfolds, the excitement starts to build. This is a well written story, that captured my interest from the very beginning and kept me at my desk listening to it to the end.
The author, Lita Stone did an excellent job writing this book. She captured the essence of the characters and add danger to the equation too. The narrator, Ian Murray did a fine job delivering this story to us. It took me a bit to warm up to he male narration as I prefer female narrators, but he did good! All in all, the book was very exciting and I spent my 4th of July weekend reading this book! It was more exciting to me than the fireworks were.
---I was given a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review
This is definitely my kind of listen. I love romantic suspense, and this book is full of it. The interaction and banter between the brothers I found to be entertaining and full of love. The love story between Cam and Maggie grew on me as the story progressed, of course routing that Cam would win Maggie over, despite all obstacles of their pasts. And love the background stories of Jags and AJ. This was the first book I had with this narrator too. He had a good voice for this, made listening a pleasure. It has set up for the rest of the trilogy which I am looking forward to.
Audiobook 3 1/2 - I like it Stars - Narration, Ian Murray - Good He's pretty good, has a sultry kind of soft soothing voice. There are a lot of characters in this book and he does a decent job of differentiating them, I will say that he has two pretty good female voices and the rest of them are a little more like a guy doing a girls voice.
This is a pretty unusual story. We have three brothers and we mostly deal with Cam and Jags, then we have Maggie and her friends. Jags is an empath and gets visions of futures that can't be changed, so for the most part, he doesn't share them.
I honestly got confused quite a few times because it seemed like there were gaps in the story every once in a while. I re-listened to some parts here and there and they stayed a little unclear, but this is a series, so it's been my experience that sometimes those gaps get resolved in future books, but still, there were some things that happened that I just didn't get.
Cam is an ultimate bad boy and when I say bad, I mean BAD. Like, kind of a jerk. Kind of mean. Really an uncaring a-hole. But then he takes such sweet care of his Gramps. He's prone to extreme violent almost fit like behavior and when it happens, he gets horrible headaches, blinding pains, and goes all ape shit on the target of his anger - but the pain is one of those holes to the story that doesn't quite get explained, but will maybe come back around in a later book in the series?
His father was a violent jerk, so he thinks he's inherited this evil behavior (self fulfilling prophesy?) So as a result, he wants no relationships, no booty calls, no friends, he just stays at home taking care of Gramps, but then he meets Maggie.
Maggie's a mess - after a violent attack in high school which robbed her virginity and made her infertile, she pretty much shut down and turned into a ho. No relationships, just meaningless sex. When she see's the hot and mysterious Cam, she decides she'd like to be a ho with him, but while the attraction is instant, he doesn't want anything to do with her.
BUT, in comes Jags, who's a total people person, shakes hands with Maggie, has a vision, and he knows that he needs to do what he must to get Cam and Maggie together.
So there is a subplot with a Sadistic, kidnapping, serial killer that runs through this story and it seems like it is totally out there and unrelated. BUT it's all tied together - that's all I'm gonna say about that!
Except about an hour after I finished this book, as I was thinking about it, a thought suddenly came to me... Oh MAN! What about Cupcake?????? Grrrrr! Dang it! I need book two!
I received this audiobook free of charge via AudiobookBoom in exchange for an unbiased review
the lead man is called Cam, if you wanna call him a man. I would say hes a walking talking sex machine <3 just yum yum yum. Not only did lita make him a sex god, but she made him have problems, ones that are just like what some have; and that's more than fantastic! its makes them more realistic in my opinion!. Its a great thing to accomplish, because most books are so unrealistic i love when i stumble upon one that's got realistic characters. One's i can relate to on a personal level, makes the books stay in my mind for a long time.
Cam has some bad anger problems that stem back from his childhood. Bad boy with a bad image, Hes everything your momma warned you to stay away from, but doesn't that always make you want to go to him. We humans have a uncontrollable urge to change things that are broken.
insert maggie
Equally broken, emotionally scarred female. She perfect for cam, if he only would see that. But Cam is stubborn and a doofus so it takes him a while to let her in.
Maggie puts off this tough guy act, when in fact shes a child cowering inside a cage, waiting to be saved.
Now i wont go into detail because honestly i hate doing it, and i hate reading about it. All im going to tell you is your either going to love it, or hate it. i'm inbetween, a bit of both. at times i wish i could have punched cam and maggie in the face because honestly they were beyond ridiculous. But your going to have to read to understand my meaning.
But let me tell you this, when they go hiking OH MY GOD does it ever escalate.
I was a bit thrown by this book. At first, the cover suggested a fairly lighthearted thriller-mystery. Ok, awesome. Then the first couple of chapters suggested it would be a redemptive romance. Also awesome. But after a couple of chapters it became quite dark. Really dark. Not really my style, but I received a copy of the book from the author and I wasn't going to put it away just because it's not something I usually read. But I had a really hard time positively connecting to the characters . I felt like Cam was too abusive and controlling to be redeemable. Maggie puts up a brave front but is so broken she doesn't recognize his abuse. I did enjoy Stone's writing and dialogue, however.
I feel like most of my complaints come from Ian Murray's narration for the audio version. He didn't give much personality to the characters other than pitch. This might have made Cam seem more imposing and Maggie weaker.
Here is your warning that the book is dark. Very, very dark.
**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
There's very little romance in the traditional sense to be found here. There doesn't appear to be a non-brutal relationship, except between the men and their Gramps anywhere in sight. The writing, characters and settings are all okay though; so if you want to lose yourself in a book for a few hours go ahead. Maybe it will be a world you can identify with. Perhaps I'm out of touch with the real world? If so, I'll be eternally grateful.
No. I couldn't get past the first few chapters. What. The. Heck. The story is so confusing that I can't get past it. The dialogue makes no sense. Seriously. Way too many holes in the beginning, like a child wrote this book. Deleted.
SUPER AWESOME EVEN A 2ND TIME...I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SERIES...IT IS ONE OF MY ATF'S!!!!!!! MOVING ON TO #2 AGAIN NOW.....:) READ IT...YOU WILL LOVE IT!!!!
There is so much going on in this book! It will keep you on your toes, but I will tell you pay attention and things will click! The Love in this book is totally amazing, all of it! I wish I had a portion of it, lol! Voluntarily read for honest review.
Growing up in Texas MANY years ago I knew some like Cam, didn't care for them then and still don't. But the book is well written and nicely paced. There is a bit of violence and a few steamy parts, definitely not PG. All in all despite my feelings toward the main character I did enjoy the read.
This was one of the better romance novels I have read in a very long time. It kept me pinned to the back of the chair, weighed down on the edge of the seat, and rooted in place while standing! Will definitely be looking for more book like this!!
This book drew me in, and kidnapped me until I finished it!! Couldn't put it down! And if I did Cam and Maddie's story was all I thought about! 5 stars isn't enough!
Came across this story and it sounded like it would be a good read and wasn't your usual sappy love story. Well when I started I couldn't put it down, honest, open (if not open minded not for you) and loved Maggie and Cam (in my mind he is sooo hot). It's a dark romance with everything you could want and I couldn't wait to read the next one.
The heroine is Maggie. She's damaged. Her virginity was taken when she was in high school via gang rape. She never tells anyone because her father was running for Mayor and she didn't want to sully his reputation. The hero is Cameron. He's also damaged. He killed his father when he was young because his father was abusive. Fast forward some years (I can't remember how many - this book is so contradictory and confused me so much, that I can't even remember the number of years). Maggie is on a pond or lake in a canoe with her friend, Tilly, and she's getting drunk. They see a man on shore with a gun. Maggie manages to tip the canoe over and the man on the shore, Cam, saves her from drowning. In comes Jags, Cam's step-brother, and resident empath. Tilly knows Jags and tells him that Cam was going to commit suicide. Jags then touches Maggie to "read her" and apparently discovers that she's meant to be with Cam. Also, she's going to have some serious hiking accident. The story goes from there. Maggie thinks she's a slut because she was raped and she only does hook-ups. And she wants to hook-up with Cam. Cam, on the other hand, experiences uncontrollable rage about random things, so he's made a vow of celibacy. But, Jags thinks Cam needs to get laid, so he gets Maggie to get her father to rezone the restaurant Cam is buying so that he can fix it up. Jags then blackmails Cam in to taking Maggie hiking to teach her some basics, in an effort to avoid this serious hiking accident. Even though it's stated SO MANY times that what Jags "sees" is written in stone.
Every single person in this story is dysfunctional and not a very nice person. Cam is totally mean to Maggie, but they end up having sex on the hike. She can't get pregnant because of the rape and he won't use a condom because he's the last man she'll be with. So, he's been around her twice and decides he loves her. She completely blows him off. A couple days later, she almost has sex with his brother, Ajay, in the bathroom at some bar. And Ajay seemed ready to rape her if she didn't consent (even though she was already the second or third woman he'd taken to the bathroom that night), but then Cam knocked on the door and that stopped it.
Cam ends up killing one of the four guys that raped Maggie when she was in high school. Anyway, Cam gets out of the murder charges via blackmail (someone does it on his behalf). I wouldn't be surprised to learn Ajay was one of the guys who raped her (she didn't see all of them, apparently). Jags is supposed to be this super sweet and sensitive guy that everyone loves, but he's a dick to almost everyone around him during every scene he occupies.
Cam solves all of his problems by fighting. Fist fighting. He decides to "remind" Maggie about how dangerous her rapists are by dressing in a black mask and jumping in her car in the parking lot where he asked her to meet him and threatening her with rape and death.
Every other sentence is a contradiction. She likes him. She hates him. He loves her. He tells her to go away. They're all completely dysfunctional and need to be on anti-psychotic medication. But, don't worry.. The Cam/Maggie arc is resolved at the 97% mark after they're separated for months!
All the other stuff about the rapists and the other side characters is left unresolved.
I liked that the situations seemed realistic and human relationships were not all sweetness and light. In fact, our main characters' road to the alter was very rocky due to communication--or the lack of it--as well as violence and good intentions. All in all a good story, with a couple of side plots that could easily lead to another novel in the series. This is NOT a cliff hanger!
I was given a copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review. Keep in mind that this is only MY opinion. Thank you Lita Stone for the opportunity to read it.
I would have preferred a little more back story on some of the characters but overall it was well written and the story had a lot of potential. It felt rather rushed to me, but I think had it been a little longer maybe the story could have taken its time to play out and would have ultimately been a better story and more believable.
As it was written I had a hard time believing Maggie and Cams love story. They met briefly at a lake when he saved her life and for the second time when he was taking her on a two day hike. On the hike they really didn't seem to like each other much yet she reveals a horrible and deeply personal piece of her past to him, they have sex, and suddenly they're in love and talking about forever? That was fast! But then they fight and break up, get back together, break up, get back together, etc. The breaking up and making up seemed to happen often enough to feel more like a relationship between teenagers rather than two mature adults.
Then there was Cams emotional outbursts. His temper was not only volatile but he was controlling and at times abusive, making me wonder why someone who didn't even seem to like him would want to be in a relationship with him (especially once she also became afraid of him). It wasn't just the anger, though. After seeing Maggie talking to another man Cam gets, what I thought, was over the top emotional. He's angry and crying and thinking they're over and she doesn't feel the same for him that he does for her. I was caught off guard wondering where all that came from since it wasn't how he normally reacted.
I loved Jags, although I got more of a mental picture of him as a gay best friend character than a ladies man (he actually reminded me of a friend I once had). He's funny as hell and just felt like the kind of guy you would like to hang out and be friends with.
This is only the first Wolfe Brothers book in the series so I would have liked to see the relationship between Maggie and Cam slowed down over at least a couple of books, but I really enjoyed the other relationships. Tilly and Nate were adorable and I loved the devotion Cam had to their grandfather.
I would recommend this book to others, but with a warning about the relationship between Cam and Maggi. At the end Cam does say that he's been getting treatment, though, so I would like to read more of the series and see how the relationship and treatment has progressed, I also want to read more about Jags and Ajay, so there's certainly enough interest for me to want to read at least the next book.
3.5 - 4 Stars for this. I'm not really sure what to make of this book. On the one hand it's got a great story line, good characters (love Jags? and the basis for a really great book. On the other hand I feel like some parts of this book pretty fast paced. It takes a while for Cam and Maggie to get together but they seem to fall in love so quick, I mean Cam said it the first weekend they were together. This book jumps from different characters point of view and not just of one or two characters, but several. This doesn't make it too confusing because you can easily tell who's speaking but some characters seem to have a completely different story and it's not until the end of this book that the prices start coming together. It ends on a cliffhanger, which I don't normally like, but all the books are out and so I've got them all ready. there's nothing worse than having to wait months for the next one! I do feel like this book should come with a warning because there are a few sensitive subjects, abuse being one of them. If your not into dark stories, this may not be the book for you because having read some dark romances, even I felt a little uncomfortable at times. Saying this, I am enjoying it so far and can't wait to get onto the next one.
* I was given a free copy of the series (but am reviewing individually) in exchange for an honest review
I learned about this book from Good Reads with the free offers. This one sounded interesting and I was having to wait for another book. Now I want the rest!!!!!!
It did not take me long to be hooked and having difficulty putting the book down. When I did I could not stop thinking about it and back into my hands it would go. Needless to say sleep was interrupted. Now I already have issues with sleep but this just made passing the time a bit easier and gave me a good excuse....YAY a twofer!!!
But seriously, rape is a serious crime and one that is difficult for a woman to overcome. The worst I hear is "she was asking for it," or "she was saying no but her eyes said yes." I will never understand why society puts the victim on trial. As I read through the book and learned more about Maggie I understood her actions. She was trying to find a way to cope. When you are made to feel like a slut then you might as well be one....right?" Lita Stone did an amazing job portraying this emotion in Maggie's character and even the melt down to the point she could not hide in that manner again. It was only making her feel worse.
I am looking forward to reading the rest of these books. Thank you Lita Stone for sharing your talent with us.
I started reading this book at random from the ebooks I had downloaded to my Kindle. I started this book early this morning and couldn't put it down. I kept reading until I finished it and now I want to start reading the next book in the series.
I was fascinated by the Wolfe Brothers who you meet at the beginning of the story. I was sucked in by Jags' special skills telling me this wasn't just a a straightforward romance novel. I liked Jags and Cam and Gramps and some of the female characters as well. There are some steamy sex scenes in this book which were well written.
As much as I'd like to give this book 5 stars I had a few problems with the story that caused me to lower the rating. the Wolfe brothers do act as stereotypical males who mistreat women and bed any girls they can. Towards the end of the story were are suddenly introduced to the characters of Maggie's brother, wife and daughter. And we find out that Maggie has a mother but she's not mentioned until near the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and plan on reading the next books in the series..