No Regrets

Canyon Cove #2

by Liliana Rhodes

What happens when you live your life believing in no regrets?

Life hasn't been perfect for plus sized Deborah Hansen. Still reeling from her grandmother's death, her increasing pile of debt, and finally graduating college, she decides its time to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer.

Working as a tailor in a fine department store isn't high on her list, but it has its perks and she meets one in the form of a man she calls "Mr. Sexy". William King isn't just any sexy man though, he's the ultra-private billionaire heir to a fortune Deborah knows nothing about.

When Will's mysterious past puts the two lovers in danger, will the truth bring them closer together or finally tear them apart?

Librarian's Note: This is an alternate cover edition for B00EV6J75S

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Ebooks, Fiction

149 pages, ebook

First published August 28, 2013

About the author

Liliana Rhodes is a New York Times and USA Today Best Selling Author who writes romance with fun, engaging characters. Blessed with an overactive imagination, she is always writing and plotting her next stories. She enjoys movies, reading, photography, and listening to music. After growing up on the east coast, Liliana now lives in California with her husband, son, two dogs who are treated better than some people, and two parrots who plan to take over the world.

Reviews

[Flick · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is my first book review... ever. I've always wanted to do reviews but, my epic laziness has prevented me from doing so.

Until now.

That is the level of ire I have with this book. That it has prompted my eternally lazy self to actually get of my arse and write a review.

Before I go on to actually review the book I should say that I am writing this review having not yet finished it. I will inevitably finish it - it's not because I want to though. I will only finish it because I am incapable of not doing so (it's an OCD thing - I have never not finished a book, and I have read some pretty horrifying ones). But this book enrages me so much that if I had a choice and could voluntarily stop reading I WOULD.

So... the story itself.

I have no problem with insta love, or the concept of fate/soul mates. I really don't. I've read plenty of paranormal shifter romances to not have a problem with the concept of a romance which revolves around a man just 'knowing' the woman was his true love. I've also read plenty of romances with regular folks falling in insta love. So on that point I don't have a big issue with the book. Sure do they move pretty damn quickly - yes. Did I at points think to myself - really??? - yes. But it wasn't a big problem.

My three biggest gripes are these:
1. Will
In general I like Will. I think he's quite possibly the surliest bastard I've ever read about with an whiplash personality but given the shit he's gone through - I get it.

However, and be warned if you're really into knowing nothing about a book this could be considered spoilery (not enough to hide it though), he has a big thing about women know who he is and go after him for it. But there are a bunch of women throughout the book WHO HAVE NO IDEA WHO HE IS!!!! NONE! As in even a bloodsucking money grabber doesn't know who he is. Yet he acts as though the fact Deborah doesn't instantly know who he is, is a g-ddamn miracle.

2. Action
It's not that big a spoiler, and won't ruin the plot, but I'll be careful.
At the beginning of the book, I presume in an attempt to show us just how dangerous Will's life is, there is a a random scene where bad guys trap his limousine, force it off the road and try to kidnap him... WTF?!?! It's like suddenly the book has been transformed into some thriller. And it is entirely unnecessary. Stewart is already acting like Will has a fatwa on him, so there really isn't any need for the chase/attempted kidnap/Stewart kicks a bunch of guy's arses scene. None. It also doesn't match the death of Will's parents. They walked into a dodgy part of town and got shot by a, apparently, deeply disturbed drunk. How does that translate to Will being gone after by well organised mobs? Especially as before said shooting of parents there was no known danger to speak of!


EDIT: I've just finished reading the book and I feel this section needs adding to. In a massive way. But, this is a massive spoiler so I feel I should warn you.

So apparently his father (who isn't dead!!!) and Stewart are ASSASSINS. W. T. F.

Assassins? Really? Oh and Deborah is poisoned, which Stewart knows. But only chooses to give her the elixir (which apparently he keeps around on him when travelling between continents because he's an assassin) after letting her sleep for a WHOLE NIGHT. But she's alright. The second she drinks the elixir. That's some powerful stuff he's got.

I don't understand the need for making them assassins - it wasn't done well and frankly was just laughably absurd.




3. DEBORAH
OMG!!!!! I HATE Deborah. She is the worst person in the world. I have several very choice words I'd like to call her but I don't think it's allowed on reviews. She is the world's whiniest, spoilt, hellish creature I've ever known. She claims to have issues with her weight, yet that is only shown in her saying one comment (completely out of the blue calling herself fat to Will) and being nervous about being naked (which lasts for all of two seconds).
She stomps around yelling at Will over everything. She says she likes that he's demanding/commandeering but when he does it she goes off her nut. The woman has some serious psychological issues and frankly I'm surprised she ever finished school given her tendency to fly of the handle. She doesn't like that people might think she's gotten things only by 'knowing' the right people - but the second things don't line up to what she wants (and yes there is some nice skinny person shaming going on) she stamps her feet and waits for the people she 'knows' to fix it for her. She's constantly throwing her hands up and 'giving up' and makes the most impulsive g-ddamn decisions.
She is by far the most annoying character I've ever read. Will needs to book her into an institution and then run. RUN WILL, RUN!!!

As far as the writing goes - it's stilted and the dialogue is very unrealistic. I can cope with that though and it isn't the biggest detraction. Although, I have to say the sex really isn't that great and the dialogue made me cringe it wasn't terrible enough to make me hate the book.

Anyway... those are my tuppence. Now I have to finish the rest of it o___O'

EDIT: I should note that I did read the book which is directly before this one in the series (Playing Games). It was a decent book - not the best I've ever read but certainly good enough to enjoy and make me buy the next in the series. So I don't know whether this is just a one off bad apple or if this is a sign of things to come in Second Chances.

[SoBeA]

DNF


Nothing wrong with the writing, but I'm in a mood, and honestly, it's just not working for me. Maybe I'm being nitpicky, but I keep getting annoyed by things, ESP how slow the first chapters were and then how quickly things seem to move between the h and H.

Specifically, when The hero and heroine meet and have a conversation ( and Im using that term loosely) that lasted all of a minute and suddenly the H knows how determined the heroine is, knows how smart and dedicated she is, and how different from other women she is...from a one minute convo!? There's no mentioned of googling her, or checking her facebook, so PI s, no background checks. He just knows things about her....uh huh, sure.


Then another thing that bugged me is that part of their first convo, is literally the H telling the heroine she dropped something and walking away. Now screw chivalry, basic manners say unless you're physically unable, you stop and help her pick her stuff up, so I'll admit I was all kinds of annoyed that the H just walked away...was that supposed to be suave? Or cool? Because IMO it was neither, and more douchey than anything.

And then the heroine goes on and on about how there's no good plus sized clothing available...and maybe that was true 10 years ago, but it isn't anymore. Most major department stores have entire plus size sections, and there are quite a few plus size only stores out there....but even if you lived in bumfuck wherever, and you didn't have any brick and mortar stores around, there's this magical thing called the internet that makes the lack of said stores a moot point.

So yeah, I'm annoyed and not interested in giving this any more of my time, but again, if you aren't easily annoyed than you may like this one..

[Sohinee Reads & Reviews (Bookarlo) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to DNF it midway. I was actually liking the story until I came across two possible words that just turned me off and I couldn't get back to the book.

This books does have a insta love (not exactly love, but you know that sexual attraction or whatever) between the protagonists and I was okay with it. Because under the circumstances, it did feel natural. But word like "meaty head" and "rod" to describe a (you know what) is a big NO. And from there on, I just had to stop. I did try to keep going on but that particular scene where those two words were used, stayed at the back of my mind the whole time and with that picture in my head, I just couldn't finish the book.

[Nancy Huddleston · Rating 4 out of 5]

You will have No Regrets if you read this amazing book. I enjoyed Will and Deb's journey to a happy future. It a wonderful story of love and following your dreams. Its a feel good, take controll of your own happiness. Don't let fear stop you. Dream come true. I love this awesome story.

[Shaly · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

This was marginally better than book one. A lot more mystery and intrigue. I wasn't to thrilled with Deborah's character as her self esteem was just at an all time low. I usually adore plush female leads, but only when they keep it real, love who they are and don't require anyone to validate them. Deborah was none of that, hell she even questioned her talent knowing how awesome her creations were. She was quite literally a Debbie Downer. I felt depressed every time it was her part of the story.

Will was okay, he wasn't pushy or a bully. He was very secretive, while I understand he didn't want Deborah to know about his position and wealth when they first met, he was dishonest, omission of truth is still a lie. He should have told her the truth before the Paris fiasco, this way all her tantrums could have been avoided.

Stewart was pretty cool. Not really much else to say about him.

One thing I do enjoy about this writer is that she provides the POV of several characters, not so much to get the reader confused but enough to give us background information without getting to stale and boring. Probably the only thing I really do like about her writing style. I would like to see her write female leads that are strong willed, courageous, don't take shit from anyone but are still capable of being loving, compassionate and loyal. Her leads act more like children and are downright doormats, they have no minds of their own.

Oh and please for the life of me, stop portraying these women as simpering idiots when they encounter a good looking man! Why is it that the female always gets tongue tied and starts acting like a fucking moron in the presence of a cute guy? I would like to see that mantle being passed to men at somne point! They have the right to make fools of themselves in front of a pretty girl as well! Please!!

 READ AS AN ARC OF THE CANYON COVE BILLIONAIRE FIVE BOOK BUNDLE

[Lucia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The two bright stars I’m giving this book are for the full potential that the story has. With a few twist of words, a little more emotions and some coherence added in there, we could have a novel for days.

Now for my honest review:
1. I rolled my eyes until I got dizzy at most of the events that happened in the book, they were uncharacteristic and so painfully cliche it hurt to read them.
2. The book had way too little emotion for a romance novel and at the beginning of the story, Will shows some bossy tendencies towards Deb that were irritatingly arrogant and belittling rather than romantic. All throughout the book the characters kept acting without reason
3. I’ve finished the book, but if you’d asked me about any of the characters’ personality, I’m afraid I’d have nothing to tell you, except about the driver-slash-assassin, now that’s really sad.
4. What’s going on with Debbie, how does her personal life with Jean Marc (whose name is so familiar with the driver-slash-assassins girlfriend Jean DeMarco, not that it matters)?
5. The story is soooo predictable, I’m still looking for some twists or turns.... or something, anything, two hours after finishing the novel. (That should tell you something)

Anyways I was comforted by the happy ending, at least they get to live happily ever after 😉.... that’s just my opinion
#uncensored

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Regrets: Deborah and Will: Canyon Cove Billionaires: Book 2 is by Liliana Rhodes. This book is about one of the girls who is in the club with Cassie and her cousin Ashley. It is about taking chances when they come up and having no regrets for not trying. It is well-written and although somewhat of a patterned book, it is still well-written and full of fun.
Deborah Hansen had finally graduated from college. The first thing she gets in the mail is notification to pay her student loans. She has to find a job. A friend of Ashley Boone’s who is also a designer, Joshua Cane, offered her a job while at the same time telling her of how good it would be to work for Hargrove’s, a high-end department store. She takes the job with Hargraves because she can be a tailor for men’s clothing while working on designs to put forth in their employee only fashion design contest. Now she just has to come up with money to buy the material to work on the designs she intends to present.
Meanwhile, she meets Will or Mr. Sexy while she is trying to figure out how to get fabric for the designs. They are attracted to each other; but Deborah has more important things to work about just now. It is a really good book of second chances.

[Nancy Ku · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Regrets (Kindle Edition) A Billionaire Romance (Canyon Cove Book 2) by Liliana Rhodes.. William King is not just a Billionaire he is troubled by a dangerous past and threats on his safety...he also does not trust people just want something from him... Deborah Hansen just graduated and takes a job as a tailor hoping to win a contest on her fashion designs. She sees him in her department and calls him in her head "Mr. Sexy". A plus size girl she can't believe he is interested in her...he can't believe she doesn't know who he is... They travel a funny, sexy, dangerous, heartfelt road to their HEA.

[Doug Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romantic Surprises
I loved this story! It is a romance novel but I would call it not your average romance story. Deborah is a recent University grad in Fashion Design and dreams about becoming a noted fashion designer. She does not have your standard heroine’s supermodel figure. She wears a size 20 dress, designed by her as always, to suit her figure. She is not looking for a man but a successful career. But there is always a perfect partner out there for everyone if we are patient long enough. There are a lot of surprises tucked away in these pages but as a true romance novel we of course have a happy ending.

[Rose Baker · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was an interesting one, but there were gaps

I really liked the story. Girl graduated college. Girl looks for job. Girl gets job, but it's not exactly her dream job. Girl enters contest at said job and wins. Throw in a hunk of a guy who is a moody bast$rd and then throw in some intrigue and danger and you have this book. There were very few grammatical or typing errors, but the characters lacked a lot of development and Deborah and Will irritated the snot out of me being so wishy washy. The mysterious Stewart was the stories saving grace.

[BJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok - I did not like the plot or the characters. The h is short, curvy and she's uncomfortable with herself. She is good at what she does thought, and gets her first job as a tailor. A super hot customer flirts with her, and she deliberately touches his erection when taking his inner seam! What? This is wrong in very way. It was not a key part of the plot, just poor taste. The h never thinks before she speaks, attacks everyone, and is unlikable. Not for me.

[katherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I Have Regrets!

First. the book ends at 77%......didn't day some other book included which bugs me. Second: This story spins into the filling about Wills dad and then Stewart's background. Third: Here Den is in Paris, two days and she must take measurements of her models but no pool she and Will have time to sneak off......this whole story, short story, just didn't feel cohesive!
I can't imagine a series like this!

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Undeniably good

I do not usually enjoy books with rich men and poor women. That being said I loved these characters they were well thought out with rich backgrounds. The heroine becomes rich on her own merits. The author put together a well thought out story which was a pleasure to read.

[Marliz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too rushed

The plot was decent, my issue is that everything happened too quickly and left me feeling cheated. The characters weren’t clearly developed and the reasons for moods felt off. Trying not to give away any details, still when characters go thru a traumatic incident they don’t go back to normal in one sentence. Glad this was a free read.

[Whit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will has way too many secrets. As a result, it will hurt whatever relationship he wants with Deborah.

Deborah works in Rhodes. Will's family department store. She is a dress designer for plus size models. However, a fashion show in Paris turns upside down and some of Will's secrets become downright dangerous!!!!

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jumped around a bit, HUGE leaps and bounds in the timeline. Unexpected violence that, thankfully, was brief. I've not read much about the author but if I had to guess, it would be an early work in her career.

[Hildy Peterson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Physical attraction does not equal romance

Grade: F
Didn't finish this one! The only thing these two had in common was A physical attraction to one another. Lust does not make for intriguing, heartfelt romance.

[Anne Turnley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a surprise!

Deborah is a young fashion designer who meets her "Mr Sexy" at her new job. He seems interested in her but, somewhat mysterious. As their relationship develops, strange things happen.

[Priscillia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

I like how the story started, but after a while kind of got lost. Almost wish I knew more about the characters in the story. Going from past to present times kind of made the story interesting but confusing sometimes.

[Earleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chance at love.

I really enjoyed reading this book.It was full of twists and turn that you were not not expecting.Could not believe Will father was alive all this time.Happy H.E.A for Rebecca and Will.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Gong with her heart, not her brain, no room for regrets, words and advice from her grandma came to mind. Friends give her a warning to stay away or he would probably make her cry. He is distant and objectionable, no time for anyone, but, he did notice her, one of the wait staff.

[Laurel Pate · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot to say about instant attraction and the depth of it. Again you have a woman moving into a place with her Boss way too soon from knowing him for me to feel it is authentic.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

Another wonderful story in the series. Each brings together couples that are different from each o, but bring out the best of each. A wonderful HEA.

[RaChelle Holmberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book, but writing was a bit "slow".. story concept was good, but a bit repetitive, Characters didnt fit together just perfect .....that said, I read it all the way through, and enjoyed it.

[Barbara A. Faw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. made it to 66%. There were too many point of view changes, too much insta love, too many unnecesary view points (Stewart and Bill). I couldn't go anymore.

[Jamie Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grad read

This was a great read. From their pain came their joy. What a unique read. I loved the writing and the characters.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book

Great book with amazing twists though some are predictable. But I love the suspense and the happy ending. Looking out for the other sequels

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda far fetched at times, but otherwise an okay romance.

[Freddly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe next time

I couldn't connect with any of the characters, the story felt rushed. The assassin spin fell flat and underdeveloped. Several elements missing