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Danvers #6

Always Loving You

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Ava Stone has spent her entire life looking over her shoulder—waiting for the past to catch up with her....

After surviving a horrific attack as a teenager, Ava has never been able to truly overcome her fears. The incident was covered up by her family so she wouldn’t have to deal with it publicly—yet only one person understands what she had to endure in private: her brother’s best friend, MacKinley Powers, who found her the night of the attack. But even he doesn’t know everything—and she’s afraid to open up to him.

Mac has loved Ava for most of his life—and being in close contact with her every day as head of security for Danvers International isn’t helping. In fact, it makes him realize the painful truth: He has to walk away to keep his sanity. But when Ava is forced to rely on the only man who has never let her down, can Mac break through the protective walls she’s needed for so long?

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 3, 2015

57 people are currently reading
1496 people want to read

About the author

Sydney Landon

30 books2,804 followers

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Danvers series reading order:

Weekends Required
Not Planning on You
Fall For Me
Fighting For You
No Denying You (12/15/2014)
Always Loving You (2/15/2015)

Betting on You (standalone novella)

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
Profile Image for ♥Rachel♥.
2,271 reviews923 followers
February 6, 2015
4.5 Stars.

Always Loving
You was a beautiful, poignant romance with parts that gave my heart a good squeeze from the pain of longing in one breath, and then made me giggle, snort and laugh out loud in the next.

Ava has been in love with Mac, her brothers’ best friend, since she was a teenager. He was her rock after a tragedy pulled the rug out from under Ava’s life, and stripped her confidence. She still bears the emotional scars. Mac’s always been there for her, well, until recently. It seems he can no longer wait for Ava, and has decided to move on, date with the goal of marrying and starting a family. Ava feels her heart pang in protest.

Mac was, without a doubt, drool-worthy. He was the kind of man that women turned to stare after as he walked by. And…now he belonged to Gwen.

Oh, there’s the knife to my heart!

Ava decides to go all out to win Mac back; she even has a plan of action, but can she gather enough courage to go through with it and fight for the man she loves? Well, she’s got plenty of friends in her corner to root for her and help her along.

Mac has loved Ava for years, but he’s realized that he can’t go on waiting forever for Ava to return those feelings. Mac wants the dream: a wife and kids, but he’s resigned to the fact it may not ever be with Ava. When he’s finally moved on, Ava turns into a dare-devil, coming out of her shell, and her stunts are scaring the hell out of him! Mac is also shocked to find out that the past is not as it has seemed, and he must ask himself if it’s possible to have the love and life he’s always yearned for with Ava afterall.

My heart hurt for Ava, everything she went through and all the effort she put into appearing normal. It was almost a good thing that Mac “moved” on with Gwen, because it forced her to confront her demons. While I felt bad for Gwen in a way, Mac and Ava’s love was something that was epic and meant to be, and everyone around knew it. If you’re worried about this being a painful cheating book, I wouldn’t. Gwen is not in the book much, and there’s not any angsty, back and forth drama.

I was supremely ticked at Mac in the beginning for moving on, but then I got his side of things and felt awful for him, as well. He, too, bore emotional scars and guilt from the tragedy Ava endured. A bearing-of-souls, and hashing things out between Ava and Mac was long overdue, even if it did cause additional hurt.

I have to say, their romance was fiery HOT once things got sorted! There was so much pent up emotion and longing making their physical connection utterly passionate and so heartfelt! It made my heart burst with happiness for them.

While parts of the story were heart-wrenching, a good portion of the story is laced with scenes that had me snorting with laughter! The scenes with Ava’s girlfriends were hilarious! The “labor and delivery: bitch edition” scene was beyond funny, and as Suzy said they needed an “exorcism stat” for poor Ella!

“What’re you laughing at?” Ella snapped. “You think it’s funny that your dickhead brother did this to me and then didn’t have the balls to show up? I hate your whole family, you…”
“Wait for it….,” Suzy muttered.
“Skinny, skanky skank!”


Labor pains are no laughing matter…Well, maybe not most of the time.

The girls definitely had Ava’s back, supporting her, making her laugh and giving great advice. I love it when a story has positive female friendships instead of the usual mean girl stuff, and back biting.

Always Loving You was a compelling romance that will tug on your heartstrings, make you laugh, and leave you with a big goofy smile by the end. After reading (and loving!) the excerpt of Watch Over Me I think we get a happy ending for Gwen in the next book, which is set to come out in September. Can’t wait!

A copy was kindly provided by Signet in exchange for an honest review.

Profile Image for Jacqueline's Reads.
3,101 reviews1,527 followers
February 26, 2015
4 Loving You Always Stars

Always Loving You is book six of the Danvers series and it can be read as a standalone.

This is my first book by Sydney Landon. I love trying new authors and I just had so much cover love with this one. I was instantly hooked within the first few chapters.

Always Loving You starts with a bang and it really set the tone for the read. I was thinking this was going to be a dark read, but it’s not. It’s a very cute and light book, despite the opener.

Ava has a lot of baggage. She experienced heavy stuff when she was a teenager and it kind of shapes her into woman she is currently. She’s a little reclusive and is very cautious of the opposite sex. I really liked Ava. I felt for her and you just wanted to give her a hug. It’s only natural she acts the way she acts.

Ava is kind of in this slump. She’s been scared for so long, she wants to take charge of her life again and so she does all this dare-devil stuff. I love this! I love the take life by the balls kind of mentality. She doesn’t do anything crazy, just riding motorcycles, but its things she’s never tried and it was fun to read.

Mac is the only thing that is constant in Ava’s life. Mac loves Ava, but he feels she was too immature to be with him. Finally, when he felt like Ava was ready, Ava had the “accident”, which made Ava push people away, including Mac.

Mac is a realistic hero. He wants love and a relationship, but he kind of wants it at the right time. He doesn’t want to date Ava when she isn’t ready for him, yet he doesn’t know how much longer he can wait for her.

There’s a lot of angst in this book. It’s about Ava and Mac trying to work out the issues with all the baggage and obstacles. The thing that made me cringe just a tiny bit is that Mac has a girlfriend. It’s my thing, I have issues with the leading Hero dating a very nice girl while the leading Heroine is kind of like the other girl (sort of). I know a lot of people don’t have this issue. In all honesty, it didn’t take away from the story, it just made my heart beat a little too fast because I really liked Mac’s girlfriend.

Ava also has issues being touched and I’m a big fan of damsels in distress but everyone knows that.

If you are a fan of angst and two friends trying to figure out their issues, then this one is for you.


An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review

Always Loving You (Danvers, #6) by Sydney Landon AMAZON
Profile Image for Lily (Night Owl Book Cafe).
691 reviews495 followers
February 6, 2015
Ever sit down to start a review, and end up being stuck unsure where to even begin? That's how I feel trying to put my feelings into words about Always Loving You. Let me start by saying I have never read anything by Sydney Landon before, so this was me dipping my toes into her writing. The result? I am not really sure how to still completely feel about it. I did enjoy Landon's writing, she did know how to keep my attention and the dirty humor was surprisingly very amusing in this book. There was just one tiny problem...

I couldn't stand Ava Stone as the heroine.

I found her absolutely frustration, and annoying. Her actions seemed a little out there and sometimes a bit childish. I can't say I had a hard time plowing through the book, but it almost felt like being unable to look away from a massive train wreck that was about to happen and that was what Ava felt like to me - a massive train wreck. In a way, she was. The story began with giving us a bit of a background on Ava and the fact that she survived an absolutely horrific attack as a teen and the fact that her grandfather was quick to cover the incident up without bringing any justice to it. So Ava in a way never recovered from the event, and has a hard time letting the only male that she has been in love with forever into her life.

I did like Mac, the man who was in love with Ava for most of his life. He has been patient for a lot of it, but there is only so much rejection a man can take and when Ava showed no interest in giving them a shot, Mac decided to move on.

Of course the moment Mac moves on, Ava can't handle it and ends up deciding that she must take her man back with a chain of really dumb behavior on her part which in some aspects have been downright dangerous. So get this, to catch the man's attention, Ava pulls a series of really bad stuns in front of him to get him riled up and hope he comes back to her. She puts herself in dangerous situations that are out of character for her, and poor Mac almost loses his mind trying to understand what is going on. Then she wonders why he rejected her when she finally confesses her feelings that he doesn't believe her at first. These two has some series communication issues through the book, it was starting to feel overwhelming at times.

And seriously, what the hell was up with Ava using Mac's best friend to make him jealous? How messed up is this?

I did find some parts of the book funny. When Ava's friend goes into labor, there is a really funny scene with that I found myself enjoying.

I also felt odd how easy it looked when Ava and Mac slept together. I was expecting a bit more resistance I guess on her part, being a victim of a terrible attack that she never really had a chance to get over. There was some hiccup afterward but not much struggle with her emotions during.

Overall, I don't know. I liked Landon's writing, it still kept me hooked but I am not sure if it was entirely in a good way. Like I said, it was like watching a disaster waiting to happen. In this case that disaster was Ava Stone, a very frustrating heroine that left me a bit annoyed by her childish actions.

I gave this book a 3 star instead of 2 1/2 because I did like Mac, I did find some of it quiet funny, I did like the writing and despite disliking Ava very much I still breezed through the book. So in a way, the author did her job in bringing out many emotions out of me through this book even if not all of them had been positive.

I got a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange of an honest review.
Profile Image for Bethany.
501 reviews86 followers
February 6, 2015
This was absolutely perfect!!! I loved this book so much. The Danvers series is hands down one of my favorite series out there and I was so excited for Ava and Mac’s book. It definitely didn’t let me down. The gang is back from the previous books and oh man did the girls have me cracking it up. They are my kind of girls. The men of this series didn’t let me down either, they were always there supporting their crazy women no matter what. Always Loving You made me laugh, smile and swoon, all of my favorite things to have in a book. Anyone that is already a fan of this series is really going to love this book!!
Profile Image for Sofia Lazaridou.
2,863 reviews136 followers
February 21, 2015
Finally, I read the story I was dying to read since Ava and Mac were first introduced to me. I was so mad when I found out that Betting on You wasn't about them, but about Seth and Mia. I was rooting for this couple so hard and I was dying inside when I saw that they weren't going to get together soon.

Ava and Mac have been through so much together and they have always loved each other. I honestly didn't want them through that angst phase close to the end of the book because they had already suffered enough and I was very happy when I saw how the author dealt with it. The epilogue was amazing and the proposal was great and the one that in my opinion would be the best fitted for them.

In Always loving you we are teased for two more books. The next one whose leading male is a very likeable and I almost already love his character and a heroine that I might have hated in this book. And the next after that I hope it will be about Gage and the lady who kicked him in the balls.
Profile Image for Laura.
731 reviews54 followers
February 27, 2016
Ava and Mac have loved each other forever it seems, but a horrific assault when Ava was a teenager derailed their happily ever after. This installment of the Danvers series, which I love by the way, features these two and their journey back to each other. It sounds heavy, but it was a very sweet, satisfying romance. Very funny at times. I've always wondered about these two as in previous books we got to see glimpses of them tap dancing around each other. An added bonus with this is the past characters all play a significant role in this. I can't get enough of this group. With each book it's like I am getting together with old friends. Highly recommend this and the series.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
2,094 reviews93 followers
January 22, 2016
Another great book to this already AMAZING series. I can't believe it took me this long to read this book. I have missed the Danver's crew so much.

This book has a serious side to it but it also had me laughing my butt off (the labor & delivery scene). I love when a book can touch on all of my emotions :)
Profile Image for Rough Draft Book Blog.
475 reviews53 followers
February 16, 2015
ALWAYS LOVING You by Sydney Landon

Ava & Mac

Well, I haven't laughed this much since Claire popped out of the Cake in front of Jason at Winthrop's bachelor party! There is so much banter mixed in with a ton of humor and peppered with some steamy sexual content. I
can honestly say that this book and the first one, Weekends Required are my two favorite in the Danvers series.

Ava is so awesome. Although she's troubled from a horrific past, her demeanor and her persona make me wanna hug her, hard!!! OMG... the fact that she heeds the warning of several magazines and her crazy girlfriends cracks me up. All of the things that she comes up with to capture Mac's attention I probably wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. Frankly I'm surprised she did, but man was it funny!!! The things a woman will do to rectify being kicked to the curb for a woman with a bigger ass... Bwahaha... G-Lo!!!

Mac on the other hand is a total tight ass. I think somewhere along the way he forgot how to have fun and enjoy his own life. Seems he got to tied up with making sure Ava's life was okay and lost a piece of himself while doing it. Enter the new and improved Ava!!! I quite honestly thought this new Ava was going to kill Mac, but it seems that through the anger, the jealousy, and the anguish, he came out somewhat unscathed on the other side.

Great supporting character cast. I especially love all of Ava's wonderful, foul mouthed, bitchin' girlfriends. That part where Ella's in labor will make me laugh out loud for years to come. Hey you skinny skanky skank... You
whorebag... And of course Suzy... The Queen of the whores!!!! Too fuckin' funny!!

All in all I found this story very amusing, extremely funny, and uber steamy!! The pacing is perfect, the dialogue flows exceedingly natural, and the build up to the climax was one I won't soon forget. Great addition to the Denver series Sydney. I totally loved it!!!

I received an ARC Paperback from Berkley Publishing for an honest review

5 stars!
Profile Image for Jen.
1,541 reviews5 followers
December 31, 2018
This was just an okay read for me. I knew going into the book that Ava had suffered through something horrific as a teen and that she was still struggling to act alive again. I got that and I respected that she didn't let it completely keep her down and was successful career-wise. But that's about all she is when we're introduced to her in this book. She's a shell of her former lively self. She doesn't really have friends, she doesn't go out, she doesn't do relationships, etc. She's basically living in a shell. Not to mention, she is still crushing on her childhood best friend, Mac, but refuses to give a relationship a go.

Mac has loved Ava since they were teens and he's always there to protect her now as adults. He's wanted her for so long, but she always pushes him away. He's ready to move on with his life and settle down with a women he'll love and have a future with, so he decides to start dating. Well, Ava doesn't like that and she decides that she's going to do whatever it takes to get Mac's attention and get him to give her a chance at a relationship.

He's in a relationship with someone else when she starts her planning. She uses his best friend to make him jealous (kind of) and get Mac's attention. I felt bad for Gwen, Mac's girlfriend at the time, because she was an innocent bystander in all this. Eventually, Mac breaks it off though when he sees that he can't get over Gwen.

Then Ava and Mac begin a relationship. There's still secrets that they're both keeping. Ava still has serious issues from the attack that she is having difficulty coping with. Honestly, this is what really made me not like Ava as much. I'm trying really hard not to judge her, but even throughout this book, she didn't once sit down with a counselor to discuss the past and what she's struggling with. Yes, she seems to have improved by the end, but it wouldn't have hurt to take that extra step. If it happened, I don't remember it being noted in the book.

I really liked Mac. I can't blame him for trying to move on. I'm glad he gave Ava a chance and still protected her like always. It didn't hurt that he was sexy :-)

I will say that the ending was super sweet and I loved everything about it. I'm glad Ava and Mac got their HEA, but it definitely wasn't my favorite book.
Profile Image for Lauren at Live Read and Breathe Reviews.
2,374 reviews179 followers
February 7, 2015

4 Heartfelt and humorous Stars!

Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy from Penguin Group

This series is just fun especially with all the intermingling of the other characters from the past books in the series. I also love how this series keep growing and growing with all the new characters and it hasn't become mutinous or boring.

In Always Loving You, we finally get Ava & Mac's story. Yeah! Poor Ava, as she's truly broken from a night so many years ago. Since Ava was a kid she has been in love with Mac but one fateful night changes everything for both of them.

"... Sometimes it takes a hard right to the heart to realize how bad you've fucked up. I'm thinking you've taken the hit and now you're ready for some return fire. ... "

Mac has always adored Ava and was waiting for her to get old enough so they could date, but after that night he became more her protector and friend then anything else. Though, that didn't stop him from still loving her.

Ava and Mac are best friends. While Mac has not been shy on his feelings towards Ava, she was so scared she rather have him as a friend then nothing else. Ava puts on a front for everyone so they all think she's healing and moving forward. But the truth is, she's just as broken as she was when it all first happened.

"You went from being the girl I had spent the last few years waiting to grow up to the haunted woman that I couldn't get out of my head or my heart. I've loved you for most of my life, and I've never known how to live without you, Avie-I never wanted to. I just didn't know how to reach you after that. ..."

Not until Mac, decides and tries to move on and date someone else does Ava go into high gear. Realizing that she move lose even that piece of Mac while he moves on, Ava tries to re-get Mac's attention by doing unpredictable, high risk stunts.

"Yay, that's the spirit. Now let's get ready to unleash hell on poor, unsuspecting Mac. He's going to find out that hell hath no fury like a woman kicked to the curb for one with a bigger butt."

While it does get Mac attention, it also helps Ava start to be free and heal. The antics that get his attention were fun but poor Mac was so conflicted and having a hard time with these stunts and the new Ava.

Mac knows something has changed but can always be on the sidelines of what if or move on to what he could have, which is love and a family. He knows that with Ava that may never happen.

What right did he have to judge her? If she wanted to plan a fake sex date with her fake boyfriend, who was he to object?



" ... I've got you, though, Ava, and this only goes as far as you want it to. You want to hold my cock and laugh because you conquered your fears, then you fucking do it. Appreciate it if you left it intact, though."


Gah! It broke my heart how broken Ava was, but thankfully Mac's pulling away is just what she needed to kick her butt forward and at the same time she gets engulfed within the woman of Danver.

"Oh, come on, you're all loose and relaxed. No offense, but before, you were so tense and frustrated that I wanted to go into the nearest closet and masturbate for you."

Now with new family and friends she has the full support to re-gain everything that she had once lost.

"Please, Mac, hold me. We need to get past this. I don't know how to exist without you in my life."

"It's impossible for me to do anything but love you, Avie ... my life will be spent always loving you, baby."


I simply adore this series. Every book has been great. Full of angst, drama, humor and love. This was a great story about hope, second chances and friends to lovers. It was heartfelt and humorous.

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Profile Image for Three Chicks.
2,631 reviews419 followers
December 8, 2014
4 Stars

Review by Allison East

A fantastically written friends to lovers story written by Sydney Landon. Looks like I need to go back and read the rest of the Danvers series to get the scoop on this tight knit group of families and friends! This story focuses on Ava and McKinley (Mac). And how they have always been friends, but always wanted something more and not being able to tell the other, for fear it would ruin their friendship.




Ava Stone has a secret kept, that only McKinley Powers knows, and it has ruined her relationships since she was young. She finds it hard to be in a relationship and only sees herself being comfortable with Mac. Too bad Mac has a girlfriend right now! I really liked Ava's character-she was sweet, innocent- but super strong after everything life threw her!




Mac is best friends with Ava's brothers- Brant and Declan, so it's pretty much written in the bro code he can't date Ava, although he really wants to. I like Mac a lot. Super sweet, endearing, loving, and totally hot. He was the perfect match for Ava.




I got my happily ever after, and no cliffhanger- so I was a super happy chick. Even though the road was a bumpy one, these two deserved one another- and I am anxious to see where else she goes with this series, and all the other books are added to my TBR!!!
Profile Image for Wendys Wycked Words.
1,590 reviews3,955 followers
March 19, 2015
I really liked this one. Loved Ava, she was so sweet and strong and what happend to her really made me feel for her. Mac was just awesome...he loved her so much. And all the girls....god they made me laugh out loud....especially Ella giving birth. This is the first book I've read from this series, so it can easily be read as a standalone. Since I enjoyed it so much, I'm gonna be checking the other ones out as well. Hope they are all this good. Also I've read there are gonna be more books and I would really love to read Gage's book. So if your looking for an emotional, funny romantic hot book that's low on angst...look no further.
Profile Image for Noelle.
112 reviews
April 13, 2015
The relationship between this couple was so sweet. I loved their chemistry and how they have always been in love with each other but neither knew.

Mac was the best hero. Sweet, hot, protective, and possessive.

And I loved Ava. Every dangerous activity she did to get Mac's attention was hilarious.

The sex scenes were hot yet sweet. Mac was very patient and careful with her.

I didn't want this book to end. I can't wait for Dominic's story!
Profile Image for Vicki Curtis.
86 reviews4 followers
May 18, 2015
Loved the book. Great characters. Ava a strong beautiful women who a has loved Mac since she was 16 who's world was turned upside down when she was raped. Mac who loves Ava finds her at his door battered and bruised after she is rape. Both hearts shattered can there love survive? Love Ella's birthing scene in the book it was hilarious.
Profile Image for Shelly.
287 reviews
January 13, 2015
This 5+++ star novel is one that every romance lover needs to read. The Danvers series is one of my all time favorites and this installment lives up to its rating! Incredible job, Sydney, I can't wait for more!!!!

****FULL REVIEW TO COME*****
Profile Image for Liah B.
434 reviews3 followers
February 7, 2015
3.5! This story was just ok for me. It wasn't an omg did that just happened moment to me. It was very timid and quite type book. However The comic relief is always on point.
Profile Image for Jinxy.
118 reviews6 followers
January 2, 2020
What a let down

I’ve read a few of the other books in this series and always thought Ava was a dimensional and interesting character. I was eager to read her book because I wanted her to get the HEA she deserved. While she did get the HEA, it was not the great book I was hoping for.

Let me start out by saying that this book can be read as a standalone. All books in this series deal with separate couples that are related somehow (through work or family) but each book is its own entity. I really loved No Denying You and that’s the book where you really catch a glimpse of Ava and her struggles which had me intrigued.

The good:
1. The side characters. This is such an interesting and fun group of people. I love the mix of personalities and would love to have a girl’s day with some of the women from the story. The side characters really enhanced this book and kept it from being a 1 star review.

2. The writing. The writing in terms of grammar and flow was pretty good. There weren’t any glaring problems for me.

3. The HEA. I’m putting this in here because after everything that happened for Mac and Ava they deserved a HEA and I was happy they finally got one (just not happy about how it came about). They are a sweet and loving couple that should be together forever.

The bad:
1. The other woman. This book has Mac initially dating another woman for a few months. Although they never have intimate relations outside of kissing, I hate that she was involved in the story. The love triangle trope is one of my least favorites because someone always gets hurt. Ava and Mac start getting intimate (a few kisses) before he has even called it off with the OW. This doesn’t sit well with me. While the author wraps it up in a nice little bow where the OW wasn’t upset and realized those two were meant to be together, nobody deserves to get played like that even if it’s unintentional. They kept saying that there weren’t any strong feelings on either side so it was okay. But that really doesn’t matter to me. Plus the whole premise of the story is that Ava doesn’t really care if he’s with this other woman. She’s going to steal him back by whatever means possible. I think they actually use the phrase “All’s fair in love” which I wholeheartedly disagree with. Here’s my dilemma... I think if they hadn’t been interrupted, Ava gladly would have had sex with Mac even though he was with someone else and maybe BECAUSE of that to prove he loves her not the OW. For that matter I think Mac also would have as he admits he never even thought about the OW while they were kissing. Cheating isn’t a good quality in my hero and heroine and isn’t one I want to see.

2. Story. Everything was wrapped up in a neat little package which means it became boring and flat. This book should be messy with high emotions just simply due to the issues the main characters were dealing with but instead it’s all solved easily. This woman has been holding on to her trauma for 15-20 years, give or take. She hasn’t been intimate with anyone since and the first time Mac tried to kiss her she panicked and pulled away. That’s what prompted Mac to attempt to move on with someone else. The kiss happened only a few months ago. Now however when they restart a romance she is miraculously cured and has no panic or anxiety when being physical but has done no therapy work. It doesn’t just disappear like that! She should have been struggling with it and maybe only been able to kiss for a bit before the next time moving to another stage. Instead she gets through it in one go, start to finish, with no problems (she had a second of panic but quickly dealt with it). This did such a disservice to the story as well as survivors of this type of trauma when authors make it appear that it’s just as easy as trying. Ava’s whole trauma and the drama surrounding it was dealt with in such a tidy way that the reader never feels any satisfaction that she’s moving on and conquering her fears. Just one day she’s afraid and the next she’s not and can do everything she wants without fear.

This book could have been great but it was a real let down. I definitely would recommend some of the other books in the series but would advise skipping this one.
212 reviews12 followers
December 22, 2017
I've read the earlier parts in the Danvers series so I am familiar with Landon's writing style and the light-hearted way the stories go. This is the last book that I read in the series because I wasn't positive the author's playful style could do justice to a topic like rape. And unfortunately I was right.

Let's start by saying I really didn't like how everyone kept throwing it in Ava's face that she needs to move on. Nobody stole her candy she was raped that requires time and support and therapy. And although she was given more than enough time I didn't think her family and mac had done much for her except for standing on the outskirts and watching the light fade out from her eyes.It was mentioned more than once that Ava changed drastically after the rape and for the worse closing up and keeping everyone at arm's length yet all her brothers did was give her time and eventually just accept the fact that this was what she had become. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that her loved ones totally ignored her lack of friends boyfriends and also smiling and enjoying life in general. How they thought she was coping I have no idea.

Contradicting a lot of people's opinion I didn't like Mac and the way he treated Ava. Yes he was there for her as a friend but except for the one time he kissed her there was no incident where he could say that he had given Ava a clear ultimatum about either starting a relationship with him or letting him go. Yet he kept blaming Ava for clinging to the past when any sane person could see that she was struggling. I also found it highly hypocritical and selfish of him to claim to be hurt because Ava had had a few one night stands while sleeping around himself. He was the one who had feelings for her he should be the one to not have sex with others she didn't love him(according to Mac) why should she stop. It also said quite a bit about his character that he was willing to accept that Ava feared the touch of any man and had panick attacks at the thought of sex as opposed to having sex with men she picked at bars.

Not to say Ava's character didn't have any flaws. This being a romance novel with an obvious happy ending the method Ava and the others chose to help her move on worked but I highly doubt parasailing and roller skating are what one needs to forget the trauma of rape. Also the way Mac totally cut contact with her would be absolutely horrendous in real life instead of serving as a catalyst to change. The way she started blaming herself and had to navigate through her feelings alone was not helpful either.

On the other hand I did find her ways for gaining Mac's attention fun and relatable. Yes they were stupid and dangerous(hello! Isn't that the purpose of adventure sports?) but they made her endearing in way helping readers see a normal annoying girl instead of a victim, taking the pity from our opinions. I had also expected it since the synopsis said a women getting her man back any way she can. Their back and forth was fun and of course the conversations between the girls was hilarious af.


So all in all I liked the story and the situations but not so much the characters.
I do enjoy Sydney Landon tho so looking forward to reading more of her stuff.
Profile Image for Jewlsbookblog.
2,209 reviews74 followers
January 14, 2018
Mac is smart, reliable, and detail oriented in a nutshell. He was also extremely overprotective of Ava which made sense when I learned the details of Ava’s past. He’s been in love with her since they were kids, but the insecurity she causes him emotionally has him finally throwing in the towel and deciding to try and move on and have a life of his own. I’m. I think he ended up with a large lesson in frustration instead.

Ava started the story out like a frustrated scaredy cat-I can’t think of any other way to describe her! She’s let her past consume her, to the point of creating a whole new persona around family and friends, but when Mac pulls away from her to finally move on..it’s like the straw that broke the camel’s back. She decides to reassess and revamp herself, becoming a dare devil with hysterical results and really making Mac lose his cool. And holy cow, if he was appealing before, Mac was more so when he lost his cool-less perfect, more human and all that jazz-and yum to the sexy times that eventually resulted!

I haven’t read this author before and obviously started out in the middle of the series, but it was easy to follow the plethora of characters. The main focus was on Ava and Mac and their rocky road to love, while the rest the cast had their own set of stories to bleed over. Sometimes snippets, or in Dom and Gwen’s case, a potential romance developing on the sidelines, yet it was all highly entertaining! The top highlight though was the maternity ward scene when Ella becomes this positively snarky delivery mom, a complete personality flip from the super nice person she’s been..that scene alone made me want to go back and read her story! I will say the part that did drive me a little nuts was the frequency Ava’s past was mentioned. It was a dragging point to the plot because it made everything stand still instead of progressing forward. (I understood the whys, but that doesn’t mean I had to like it.)

Overall, I genuinely liked the story! I loved the characters, especially Dominic and Gage since everyone else already has their HEA’s at this point. The story was full of humor, snark, sexual innuendos out the window, angst, and a fun sense of camaraderie that kept things light when the going got tough! I’ll definitely be looking for more of Landon’s books.
Profile Image for Aileen.
122 reviews1 follower
October 31, 2016
So far, I'm really glad I continued forward with this series. This book was amazing and the storyline was so goooooood. I really liked how Ava tried to overcome her own fears and branch out. Not going to lie though, I kinda liked Dom more than I liked Mac. Mac was such a worry wart, it got kind of annoying. I liked how strong Ava was and how she stood up for herself, and when she and Dom were talking told him, how she belonged to herself. At that, I immediately loved her. Her friendship with Dom was something I wish was explored more, instead of it being for the first half of the book. Also seeing her make friends with the rest of the women was heartwarming, cause she was really trying to open herself up.

To be honest I liked Mac in the beginning, but I agreed with Ava, when she said that the men in her life tried too much to coddle her. Sure, she was doing "dangerous" adventures, but none of them tried to understand, they just kind of went "no, don't." "get off the bike" blah blah. I don't know, i just didn't like Mac for her. But she was such a good character. I loved her.
Profile Image for 20012206.
692 reviews
August 30, 2017
es mas un 3,5 pero como me gusta la escritora se la subo a 4

Ya mas o menos conociamos la historia de Ava por los libros anteriores, entonces me gusto como ella se desperto cuando Mac decidió seguir con su vida, ahí si se pellizco y se dio cuenta que si no actuaba pronto lo iba a perder

Mac tambien me parecio un buen protagonista, pero no sé a mi los tipos del ejercito me los imagino como Jonny Bravo, todos como que van a romper la ropa, no me matan

Al que si dieron ganas de matar el al HP abuelo, no salio mucho pero todo lo que hizo daño mucho a Eva

En fin, es divertida como toda la serie
446 reviews12 followers
July 27, 2020
This is actually a story of a rape survivor and not a love story. There’s a love story, of course, but that is secondary, since so much talk and parts of the book go into what happened and the aftermath for everybody involved; Ava the victim, Mac the close house friend, and her family members.

Excerpt: “I had loved him for most of my life, but after that, I never considered myself good enough for him again. As I got older, I couldn’t resist the draw of being near him but only on my terms. I couldn’t let him see how broken I was.”

I think it is an okay read but the subject just didn’t appeal to me.
Profile Image for Meaghan.
29 reviews5 followers
June 28, 2018
DNF. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for a ridiculously naive heroine. Even after being violently assaulted as a teen she actually thought, for years mind you, that it was a good idea to PAY random men to go home with her from the bar just to stay at her house to make the security team think that was normal and could have normal relationships. Years. She. Did. That. For. Years.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Gwynne.
559 reviews33 followers
July 6, 2017
I obviously remembered that I read it.. that's it.
Profile Image for Sanjasbestshelf.
172 reviews3 followers
July 14, 2017
Great book

Not my favorite in the Danvers series but definitely still a good read! Can't wait to read the next book
749 reviews
May 5, 2021
Danvers series, Mac & Ava. Sort-of second-chance romance, but more focus on post-sexual assault recovery. Still good sexy times, while accommodating her history. Advances to prior storyline as well.
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