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Give & Take #3
Given
The emotional rollercoaster of the USA Today bestselling Give &Take series by Kelli Maine continues! POSSESSION
For Merrick and Rachael, Turtle Tear Island has become their own private paradise with days of unimaginable bliss and sizzling nights in the bedroom-and beyond. But Rachael and Merrick's happiness is shattered when his daughter, Nadia, suddenly becomes increasingly demanding of his time and devotion. It soon becomes clear that Merrick will have to make an agonizing the woman whose love saved his tortured soul or the daughter he never knew existed . . .
REVELATION
Rachael can't stand the thought of losing Merrick after everything she's sacrificed to be with him. She had thought she and Merrick were done with secrets, that the passion that burned so brightly between them had forged an unbreakable connection, but she begins to wonder if she ever really knew the man at all. Now the love they've fought so desperately to protect may not be enough to save them . . .
Praise for Kelli Maine!
"TAKEN BY STORM is a passionate love story that grips you by the heart from the first page and doesn't let go. MJ and Maddie's love is soul-deep. Maine has written a masterpiece!"-Kristen Proby, Bestselling Author of the With Me in Seattle series.
"This book hooked me from the very beginning and glued me to every page. MJ stole my heart and quickly became one of my new favorite leading men. Loved it."-Michelle Valentine, New York Times Bestselling Author of Rock the Heart
For Merrick and Rachael, Turtle Tear Island has become their own private paradise with days of unimaginable bliss and sizzling nights in the bedroom-and beyond. But Rachael and Merrick's happiness is shattered when his daughter, Nadia, suddenly becomes increasingly demanding of his time and devotion. It soon becomes clear that Merrick will have to make an agonizing the woman whose love saved his tortured soul or the daughter he never knew existed . . .
REVELATION
Rachael can't stand the thought of losing Merrick after everything she's sacrificed to be with him. She had thought she and Merrick were done with secrets, that the passion that burned so brightly between them had forged an unbreakable connection, but she begins to wonder if she ever really knew the man at all. Now the love they've fought so desperately to protect may not be enough to save them . . .
Praise for Kelli Maine!
"TAKEN BY STORM is a passionate love story that grips you by the heart from the first page and doesn't let go. MJ and Maddie's love is soul-deep. Maine has written a masterpiece!"-Kristen Proby, Bestselling Author of the With Me in Seattle series.
"This book hooked me from the very beginning and glued me to every page. MJ stole my heart and quickly became one of my new favorite leading men. Loved it."-Michelle Valentine, New York Times Bestselling Author of Rock the Heart
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First published January 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
March 16, 2014
There's nothing worse than when one of your favourite series turns in to a series that you read just to finish it, not because you are loving and enjoying the books. Unfortunately that is exactly what has happened here.
I don't know what has happened to this series but I'm just not loving it anymore. The story bored me and I feel like we've had too much of a good thing now. All of the books in this series are pretty short and I feel like we could have added some of these together to make longer books. All I can think is that this series has been dragged out far too much.
I'm not interested in carrying in this series anymore, unfortunately I've got to the point where I don't even care how it ends. It's a real shame.
*ARC provided by NetGalley on behalf of Grand Central Publishing in turn for an honest review.*
I don't know what has happened to this series but I'm just not loving it anymore. The story bored me and I feel like we've had too much of a good thing now. All of the books in this series are pretty short and I feel like we could have added some of these together to make longer books. All I can think is that this series has been dragged out far too much.
I'm not interested in carrying in this series anymore, unfortunately I've got to the point where I don't even care how it ends. It's a real shame.
*ARC provided by NetGalley on behalf of Grand Central Publishing in turn for an honest review.*
March 15, 2014
Quick review for a fairly quick read. I almost feel better knowing that I've started this series in the middle, because I probably would feel more frustrated backtracking and seeing how Merrick and Rachel's relationship started given some very...um...sketchy details.
In any case, my introduction to this series started with the novella "Take Me Back," which I thought was okay for both the writing style and respective story in its length, but I still expected a little more from it. "Given" is the third book in the "Give and Take" series, and for the most part, I almost feel like this story would've been better as a novella. (I know, weird, right? My thoughts on the novella were that it needed more expansion.)
It was too drawn out for the conflict to be a full novel. Too many sex scenes, too much meandering back and forth of Rachel and Merrick over the central conflict of the novel - in which Merrick's long lost daughter wants back into his life all of a sudden. Rachel gets something of a jealous streak and feels like she's put to the side in Merrick's life, even when the two secretly hold the same desire to be married and have kids.
There are moments when Merrick and Rachel have good sensual and romantic chemistry - and I liked those parts, but after a time, these interludes became too frequent and overshadowed details where the two were trying to work out conflicts about Merrick's daughter coming back into his life. And it's almost a certain detail once the daughter's motives are ultimately unveiled and Merrick has to make a decision that threatens to tear him and Rachel apart for their relationship.
I almost feel like there was too much ruminating over their relationship for their "perfect" match and the announcements of "I love yous." That slowed the pacing of the narrative despite how quickly I went through the narrative. It felt repetitive, and I'm definitely sure some of it could've been cut for conciseness. The aim of the story was fine, the execution just didn't deliver that well.
Overall - I was mostly on the fence for much of the read, and the ending left me much in the same place. I'm willing to finish out this series for what it offers, but mostly - this didn't deliver because of its respective execution.
Overall score: 2/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Forever.
In any case, my introduction to this series started with the novella "Take Me Back," which I thought was okay for both the writing style and respective story in its length, but I still expected a little more from it. "Given" is the third book in the "Give and Take" series, and for the most part, I almost feel like this story would've been better as a novella. (I know, weird, right? My thoughts on the novella were that it needed more expansion.)
It was too drawn out for the conflict to be a full novel. Too many sex scenes, too much meandering back and forth of Rachel and Merrick over the central conflict of the novel - in which Merrick's long lost daughter wants back into his life all of a sudden. Rachel gets something of a jealous streak and feels like she's put to the side in Merrick's life, even when the two secretly hold the same desire to be married and have kids.
There are moments when Merrick and Rachel have good sensual and romantic chemistry - and I liked those parts, but after a time, these interludes became too frequent and overshadowed details where the two were trying to work out conflicts about Merrick's daughter coming back into his life. And it's almost a certain detail once the daughter's motives are ultimately unveiled and Merrick has to make a decision that threatens to tear him and Rachel apart for their relationship.
I almost feel like there was too much ruminating over their relationship for their "perfect" match and the announcements of "I love yous." That slowed the pacing of the narrative despite how quickly I went through the narrative. It felt repetitive, and I'm definitely sure some of it could've been cut for conciseness. The aim of the story was fine, the execution just didn't deliver that well.
Overall - I was mostly on the fence for much of the read, and the ending left me much in the same place. I'm willing to finish out this series for what it offers, but mostly - this didn't deliver because of its respective execution.
Overall score: 2/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Forever.
August 14, 2016
Hmm...This was an okay read actually. The conflict felt very real. Merrick is caught between his love for his fiancee, Rachel and his daughter, Nadia. He wants to do right by his daughter but when his daughter schemed to get him back together with her mom, he must choose.
I can't believe how dense Merrick was to his daughter's plans. I know he wants to spend more time with her but she's not 16. She's a grown woman who was as manipulative as his father. The ending was a little convenient for me. Suddenly, all the conflict was gone. Not resolved. Just gone. I have a feeling they might be back though. We'll see.
I can't believe how dense Merrick was to his daughter's plans. I know he wants to spend more time with her but she's not 16. She's a grown woman who was as manipulative as his father. The ending was a little convenient for me. Suddenly, all the conflict was gone. Not resolved. Just gone. I have a feeling they might be back though. We'll see.
March 25, 2014
ARC generously provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 Man Frustrating Stars
Merrick and Rachael are enjoying their life on Turtle Tear with each other. It is a dream come true, well most of it. Merrick is getting use to the idea of having grown children he never knew existed, he has bonded with MJ but is finding it harder to do with his daughter. Nadia is in Europe with her mother and Merrick's father. Merrick wants to bring her to Turtle Tear to live but Rachael still doesn't trust her.
Soon Merrick and Rachael are on a quest to find Nadia, and what should be a romantic trip turns into one full of arguments and resentment. Merrick makes it clear he will always chose his children over Rachael, what Rachael has to decide is if she can live with being in second place.
Let me start out by saying that for most of the book I wanted to do this to Merrick.
If you have read the books in this series then you know that Merrick does not always make the wisest decisions (like kidnapping a girl you are interested in) and we see here that he has not learned his lesson. There is no question that he loves Rachael or her him but he just keeps opening his mouth and saying the most maddening things. He is hurt because of his relationship with Nadia and his mistrust of her, but he doesn't want to be a bad father so he places all the anger and resentment on Rachael. I am going to say she is much nicer then I would be, I think he deserves a few nights on the couch.
There is a surprise in the end of the book, but if you have read these books it won't really surprise you because Merrick's father is just such and evil, evil man.
I did still really enjoy this book and catching up with some of the other characters. Kelli Maine is very good at writing likable characters as well as one's you would love to see get ran over by a car.
3.5 Man Frustrating Stars
Merrick and Rachael are enjoying their life on Turtle Tear with each other. It is a dream come true, well most of it. Merrick is getting use to the idea of having grown children he never knew existed, he has bonded with MJ but is finding it harder to do with his daughter. Nadia is in Europe with her mother and Merrick's father. Merrick wants to bring her to Turtle Tear to live but Rachael still doesn't trust her.
Soon Merrick and Rachael are on a quest to find Nadia, and what should be a romantic trip turns into one full of arguments and resentment. Merrick makes it clear he will always chose his children over Rachael, what Rachael has to decide is if she can live with being in second place.
Let me start out by saying that for most of the book I wanted to do this to Merrick.
If you have read the books in this series then you know that Merrick does not always make the wisest decisions (like kidnapping a girl you are interested in) and we see here that he has not learned his lesson. There is no question that he loves Rachael or her him but he just keeps opening his mouth and saying the most maddening things. He is hurt because of his relationship with Nadia and his mistrust of her, but he doesn't want to be a bad father so he places all the anger and resentment on Rachael. I am going to say she is much nicer then I would be, I think he deserves a few nights on the couch.
There is a surprise in the end of the book, but if you have read these books it won't really surprise you because Merrick's father is just such and evil, evil man.
I did still really enjoy this book and catching up with some of the other characters. Kelli Maine is very good at writing likable characters as well as one's you would love to see get ran over by a car.
March 6, 2014
Well if Kelli Maine wanted an explosive conclusion for her series, this book did it! For me, this was the best in the series and I loved it throughout every single page!
October 24, 2018
Reviewed on NetGalley
November 8, 2014
Rachael and Merrick have overcome a lot to get where they are, but Enzo’s deception is not fully over. Merrick has to come to terms with the family he had that has been hidden from him for decades, the guilt and the loss of time. But as Merrick strives to do what he feels is best he begins to alienate Rachael. He knows that his life won’t ever be complete without her, but he has Nadia to think of and if forced to choose between the woman he loves and the daughter he never knew – Merrick isn’t certain that is a choice that Rachael will be happy with. But soon they all learn that Enzo isn’t the only one who was keeping secrets and manipulating Merrick.
I struggled with this installment quite a bit. I found myself skimming through pages to get to the heart of the story. Rarely does the thought: This had too much sex in it, cross my mind. But it did. These two coped with the struggles with sex. I lost count of the number of sex scenes by the halfway point and was craving getting back to the story. I love a good sex scene in a book, but that scene needs to lend something to the story and for me, most of these felt like space fillers rather than a way to push the story further.
Rachael’s attitude in this story was also something that soured me. She was so whiney and ultimately unreasonable in her thought process. Her lack of understanding when it came to Merrick’s feelings of having to pick who he would love more, her or his daughter... the whole “coming in third” to his feelings for MJ and Nadia.... for a woman that wanted to marry Merrick and have his children, I found her reasoning beyond odd. I get that Nadia was not a likable or trustworthy character, but Rachael’s thoughts during most of this story drove me nuts.
But Rachael as not alone in this department, Merrick stood right beside her. He lost a bit of the strength and resolve he had in the earlier books. He allowed so much of his life to be manipulated and rather than fight it, he seemed to have just let it all happen. It was like it was a punishment for the way things happened. Maybe that was the point that the author was trying to get across... but I just really missed the take charge guy that I met in Taken.
The twist that occurred in this particular book was something I was expecting to happen. There were a few hints along the way and honestly it felt like the only way it could have occurred. And that ultimately made this story’s conclusion better than if everything just fell into place without the twist.
I felt that the story ended abruptly. I know that we had the novella to look forward to, but I think that it would have been a better story had the novella just been the final chapters of this book rather than a secondary story. With my feelings towards the two main characters being the exact opposite of what they had been when this journey began, I needed the circle to be complete in order to get my feelings to change. However, I ended up not getting that with this story. I finished with a bit of a chip on my shoulder over both of their behaviors and had to get the change in the story that followed.
Overall I enjoyed the series as a whole, but this installment just left a lot to be desired. I look forward to the conclusion of their story and the future works of the author, but I think I am ready to for the goodbyes to this particular story.
I struggled with this installment quite a bit. I found myself skimming through pages to get to the heart of the story. Rarely does the thought: This had too much sex in it, cross my mind. But it did. These two coped with the struggles with sex. I lost count of the number of sex scenes by the halfway point and was craving getting back to the story. I love a good sex scene in a book, but that scene needs to lend something to the story and for me, most of these felt like space fillers rather than a way to push the story further.
Rachael’s attitude in this story was also something that soured me. She was so whiney and ultimately unreasonable in her thought process. Her lack of understanding when it came to Merrick’s feelings of having to pick who he would love more, her or his daughter... the whole “coming in third” to his feelings for MJ and Nadia.... for a woman that wanted to marry Merrick and have his children, I found her reasoning beyond odd. I get that Nadia was not a likable or trustworthy character, but Rachael’s thoughts during most of this story drove me nuts.
But Rachael as not alone in this department, Merrick stood right beside her. He lost a bit of the strength and resolve he had in the earlier books. He allowed so much of his life to be manipulated and rather than fight it, he seemed to have just let it all happen. It was like it was a punishment for the way things happened. Maybe that was the point that the author was trying to get across... but I just really missed the take charge guy that I met in Taken.
The twist that occurred in this particular book was something I was expecting to happen. There were a few hints along the way and honestly it felt like the only way it could have occurred. And that ultimately made this story’s conclusion better than if everything just fell into place without the twist.
I felt that the story ended abruptly. I know that we had the novella to look forward to, but I think that it would have been a better story had the novella just been the final chapters of this book rather than a secondary story. With my feelings towards the two main characters being the exact opposite of what they had been when this journey began, I needed the circle to be complete in order to get my feelings to change. However, I ended up not getting that with this story. I finished with a bit of a chip on my shoulder over both of their behaviors and had to get the change in the story that followed.
Overall I enjoyed the series as a whole, but this installment just left a lot to be desired. I look forward to the conclusion of their story and the future works of the author, but I think I am ready to for the goodbyes to this particular story.
April 18, 2014
"I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads."
Phew! What a relief to read this recent installment to the story of the Rochas. I do hope it is not the last, as there are always more tales to be told!
This was a tightly crafted book, which switched fluidly from Merrick and Rachael's POV. It was fast paced and full of insight and intrigue. In short, it was a fabulous read - thank you Ms Maine for an entertaining saga.
Phew! What a relief to read this recent installment to the story of the Rochas. I do hope it is not the last, as there are always more tales to be told!
This was a tightly crafted book, which switched fluidly from Merrick and Rachael's POV. It was fast paced and full of insight and intrigue. In short, it was a fabulous read - thank you Ms Maine for an entertaining saga.
February 19, 2019
Pshhh. Porn. Ridiculous story line.
October 13, 2020
This book is the 3rd book in the series and since I didn't read books 1 or 2 it was kind of hard to follow but I managed it well enough. I like Merrick but found Rachel a little immature and whiny.
April 11, 2014
In GIVEN, the proverb about "blood is thicker than water" is really put to the test.
GIVEN is the continuation of Merrick Rocha and Rachael DeSalvo's relationship. The first part of the story solidifies Merrick and Rachael's highly sensual relationship, as well as their deep love for each other. Merrick's life has recently been turned upside down with the discovery of a twin son and daughter he didn't know he had. When Merrick's daughter, Nadia, calls from Paris and leaves him a cryptic message, Merrick is determined to find Nadia and bring her back to safety at Turtle Tear in an attempt to get her out of Enzo's evil clutch.
As much as they love each other, searching for Nadia puts a strain on Merrick's and Rachael's relationship. Rachael doesn't trust Nadia, but Merrick is insistent that they help her. Even though Merrick has just discovered that he's a father to a twenty one year old, he's taking his new position as father seriously. He doesn't want to be emotionally unavailable like his father, Enzo. Merrick has a desperate need to form a relationship with his daughter and fulfill his role as loving and supportive father.
As they wait for Nadia to make further contact, Merrick and Rachael seem to have an endless amount of super-charged sex as they sightsee and travel throughout Paris. As days continue to pass and it looks like Nadia is making no attempt to communicate with her father, Rachel finally puts her foot down , giving Merick and Nadia a short deadline to connect with each other, or else it's time to go home.
When Rachael and Merrick return to Turtle Tear without Nadia, Rachael is looking forward to getting back to a normal routine. Rachael and her family are excited to be planning her wedding. Her happiness is short lived when Nadia decides to surprise her father and shows up at Turtle Tear for an extended stay.
Once Nadia shows up at Turtle Tear, the dynamics between Rachael and Merrick change drastically. Merrick is grateful to have his daughter with him and is more than eager to bond with her. Rachael tries to show her support, but Nadia is a crafty, manipulative witch, who knows how to push all of Rachael's buttons while maintaining an act of pure innocence toward her father. Nadia is able to set Rachael up so many times as being the angry, unwelcoming step mom- to -be, even when Rachael is actually trying to make nice with Nadia for Merrick's sake.
Merrick is completely blind to Nadia's antics and is constantly siding with Nadia over Rachael. Quite a few times, he confronts Rachael and warns her, "Don't force me to choose."
Rachael loves Merrick so much, but she can feel herself loosing Merrick to his lying, manipulative daughter. Nadia is only with them for a short time and manages to have Merrick postpone their wedding date. Nadia continues to drive a wedge between Merrick and Rachael's relationship. Even for such a strong relationship, you start to wonder if it will be able to survive the challenges.
Rachael and Merrick's relationship continues to deteriorate as Nadia has the audacity to invite her mother, Gina, to Turtle Tear in an attempt to try and match Gina and Merrick up together so they can be a happy family. It's amazing and completely frustrating to watch the extent Merrick will go to for his daughter's happiness. In the meantime, he is completely destroying a wonderful relationship with the woman he loves. Over and over, situations arise in which Merrick chooses Nadia over Rachael.
A drastic turn of events further changes the dynamics in the Rocha family. Merrick and Rachael reach a point where they have to decide if their love is worth fighting for. "We were tested …. Hard. We nearly failed. Now we learn from it and move forward."
Due to highly sexual content, I would recommend this to readers 18+, who like steamy romance >> erotica and enjoy relationships with a moderate level of angst and drama.
This copy of GIVEN was provided as ARC from publisher in exchange for honest review.
GIVEN is the continuation of Merrick Rocha and Rachael DeSalvo's relationship. The first part of the story solidifies Merrick and Rachael's highly sensual relationship, as well as their deep love for each other. Merrick's life has recently been turned upside down with the discovery of a twin son and daughter he didn't know he had. When Merrick's daughter, Nadia, calls from Paris and leaves him a cryptic message, Merrick is determined to find Nadia and bring her back to safety at Turtle Tear in an attempt to get her out of Enzo's evil clutch.
As much as they love each other, searching for Nadia puts a strain on Merrick's and Rachael's relationship. Rachael doesn't trust Nadia, but Merrick is insistent that they help her. Even though Merrick has just discovered that he's a father to a twenty one year old, he's taking his new position as father seriously. He doesn't want to be emotionally unavailable like his father, Enzo. Merrick has a desperate need to form a relationship with his daughter and fulfill his role as loving and supportive father.
As they wait for Nadia to make further contact, Merrick and Rachael seem to have an endless amount of super-charged sex as they sightsee and travel throughout Paris. As days continue to pass and it looks like Nadia is making no attempt to communicate with her father, Rachel finally puts her foot down , giving Merick and Nadia a short deadline to connect with each other, or else it's time to go home.
When Rachael and Merrick return to Turtle Tear without Nadia, Rachael is looking forward to getting back to a normal routine. Rachael and her family are excited to be planning her wedding. Her happiness is short lived when Nadia decides to surprise her father and shows up at Turtle Tear for an extended stay.
Once Nadia shows up at Turtle Tear, the dynamics between Rachael and Merrick change drastically. Merrick is grateful to have his daughter with him and is more than eager to bond with her. Rachael tries to show her support, but Nadia is a crafty, manipulative witch, who knows how to push all of Rachael's buttons while maintaining an act of pure innocence toward her father. Nadia is able to set Rachael up so many times as being the angry, unwelcoming step mom- to -be, even when Rachael is actually trying to make nice with Nadia for Merrick's sake.
Merrick is completely blind to Nadia's antics and is constantly siding with Nadia over Rachael. Quite a few times, he confronts Rachael and warns her, "Don't force me to choose."
Rachael loves Merrick so much, but she can feel herself loosing Merrick to his lying, manipulative daughter. Nadia is only with them for a short time and manages to have Merrick postpone their wedding date. Nadia continues to drive a wedge between Merrick and Rachael's relationship. Even for such a strong relationship, you start to wonder if it will be able to survive the challenges.
Rachael and Merrick's relationship continues to deteriorate as Nadia has the audacity to invite her mother, Gina, to Turtle Tear in an attempt to try and match Gina and Merrick up together so they can be a happy family. It's amazing and completely frustrating to watch the extent Merrick will go to for his daughter's happiness. In the meantime, he is completely destroying a wonderful relationship with the woman he loves. Over and over, situations arise in which Merrick chooses Nadia over Rachael.
A drastic turn of events further changes the dynamics in the Rocha family. Merrick and Rachael reach a point where they have to decide if their love is worth fighting for. "We were tested …. Hard. We nearly failed. Now we learn from it and move forward."
Due to highly sexual content, I would recommend this to readers 18+, who like steamy romance >> erotica and enjoy relationships with a moderate level of angst and drama.
This copy of GIVEN was provided as ARC from publisher in exchange for honest review.
May 12, 2014
Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 3 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Publisher
Reviewer: Ariel
Given is the third book in the Give & Take series by Kelli Maine. Definitely not a book to be read on its own. I got through it ok, but reading the first two books in the series definitely would have helped.
How to explain Givenin a nutshell… the two main characters are Rachael and Merrick, and the book switches back and forth between their perspectives with every chapter. Merrick has two children from a sexual encounter when he was far too young to be having them, and he was under the impression that the mother had died in childbirth for his entire life, up until a few months before the third book takes place. It turns out Enzo, Merrick’s father, paid Gina, the mother of Merrick’s kids, to disappear. Now close to his son, MJ, Merrick would like to get to know his daughter, Nadia.
Rachael is Merrick’s very serious girlfriend. She’s an architect and she absolutely loves Merrick. However, she does not love his daughter. When Nadia begins making strange requests of Merrick and talks about wanting to do the right thing, Rachael gets suspicious. Oh, and did I mention that in previous books, Nadia was apparently working with Enzo to take everything from Merrick? Yeah, that was a thing, from what I gather. Merrick refuses to turn his back on his daughter, and Rachael refuses to come in second for Merrick’s affections. Needless to say, their relationship definitely gets put to the test in this novel.
First issue I had with this novel: I absolutely could not stand Rachael. She was whiny and completely not understanding of Merrick’s desire to help his daughter. Like, yeah, Nadia is definitely a somewhat mysterious character, and you do question her motives. But she’s Merrick’s daughter, and he hasn’t been a part of her life in all of her twenty years. So it’s understandable that he’s going to want to help her and make up for lost time. I’m not saying Rachael’s suspicions aren’t justified, but she really should have let Merrick do what he felt he needed to do. Also, she gets very concerned throughout the novel that she’s always going to come in second to his kids. Now, I don’t have kids, so I can’t speak from personal experience, and maybe I’m wrong, but I think your kids should always come first. They are your flesh and blood, that you brought into this world, and whether you were with them from day one or if you didn’t know about them until they were 20 years old, you’re going to want to protect them. Rachael just came off as extremely selfish and I had a really hard time liking her.
Merrick wasn’t necessarily that great either. I said that Nadia’s motives should definitely be questioned, and I meant it. But Merrick is blinded by the fact that his daughter wants to be a part of his life, and is calling him Dad, and has the same business savvy that he does that he doesn’t want to see that she could be getting close to him for less than pure reasons. He isn’t trying to push Rachael away, which is how Rachael sees things, but he is caught between a rock and a hard place.
The plot itself seemed very soap opera-esque which is fine, if that’s what you like. It isn’t what I was expecting going into the novel, but there was a plot twist at the end that made me want to keep reading the series, so that was really well done. And the side characters were great. MJ, Merrick’s son, was one of my favorites, although you don’t hear from him a ton. Other great side characters include Joan, Beck, Mr. Simcoe, Paul, and Maddie, not listed in any particular order.
Overall, I’m giving Given 3 out of 5 controllers. It was entertaining and a really quick read but every time I had to read a Rachael chapter I got really irritated. I think I’m going to pick up the first two books and see if it changes my mind at all, so we’ll see.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Publisher
Reviewer: Ariel
Given is the third book in the Give & Take series by Kelli Maine. Definitely not a book to be read on its own. I got through it ok, but reading the first two books in the series definitely would have helped.
How to explain Givenin a nutshell… the two main characters are Rachael and Merrick, and the book switches back and forth between their perspectives with every chapter. Merrick has two children from a sexual encounter when he was far too young to be having them, and he was under the impression that the mother had died in childbirth for his entire life, up until a few months before the third book takes place. It turns out Enzo, Merrick’s father, paid Gina, the mother of Merrick’s kids, to disappear. Now close to his son, MJ, Merrick would like to get to know his daughter, Nadia.
Rachael is Merrick’s very serious girlfriend. She’s an architect and she absolutely loves Merrick. However, she does not love his daughter. When Nadia begins making strange requests of Merrick and talks about wanting to do the right thing, Rachael gets suspicious. Oh, and did I mention that in previous books, Nadia was apparently working with Enzo to take everything from Merrick? Yeah, that was a thing, from what I gather. Merrick refuses to turn his back on his daughter, and Rachael refuses to come in second for Merrick’s affections. Needless to say, their relationship definitely gets put to the test in this novel.
First issue I had with this novel: I absolutely could not stand Rachael. She was whiny and completely not understanding of Merrick’s desire to help his daughter. Like, yeah, Nadia is definitely a somewhat mysterious character, and you do question her motives. But she’s Merrick’s daughter, and he hasn’t been a part of her life in all of her twenty years. So it’s understandable that he’s going to want to help her and make up for lost time. I’m not saying Rachael’s suspicions aren’t justified, but she really should have let Merrick do what he felt he needed to do. Also, she gets very concerned throughout the novel that she’s always going to come in second to his kids. Now, I don’t have kids, so I can’t speak from personal experience, and maybe I’m wrong, but I think your kids should always come first. They are your flesh and blood, that you brought into this world, and whether you were with them from day one or if you didn’t know about them until they were 20 years old, you’re going to want to protect them. Rachael just came off as extremely selfish and I had a really hard time liking her.
Merrick wasn’t necessarily that great either. I said that Nadia’s motives should definitely be questioned, and I meant it. But Merrick is blinded by the fact that his daughter wants to be a part of his life, and is calling him Dad, and has the same business savvy that he does that he doesn’t want to see that she could be getting close to him for less than pure reasons. He isn’t trying to push Rachael away, which is how Rachael sees things, but he is caught between a rock and a hard place.
The plot itself seemed very soap opera-esque which is fine, if that’s what you like. It isn’t what I was expecting going into the novel, but there was a plot twist at the end that made me want to keep reading the series, so that was really well done. And the side characters were great. MJ, Merrick’s son, was one of my favorites, although you don’t hear from him a ton. Other great side characters include Joan, Beck, Mr. Simcoe, Paul, and Maddie, not listed in any particular order.
Overall, I’m giving Given 3 out of 5 controllers. It was entertaining and a really quick read but every time I had to read a Rachael chapter I got really irritated. I think I’m going to pick up the first two books and see if it changes my mind at all, so we’ll see.
May 24, 2014
Title: Given
Author: Kelli Maine
Publisher/Year: Grand Central Publishing 3/4/14
Length: 288 Pages
Series: Give & Take #3
Overview
POSSESSION
For Merrick and Rachael, Turtle Tear Island has become their own private paradise with days of unimaginable bliss and sizzling nights in the bedroom-and beyond. But Rachael and Merrick's happiness is shattered when his daughter, Nadia, suddenly becomes increasingly demanding of his time and devotion. It soon becomes clear that Merrick will have to make an agonizing choice: the woman whose love saved his tortured soul or the daughter he never knew existed . . .
REVELATION
Rachael can't stand the thought of losing Merrick after everything she's sacrificed to be with him. She had thought she and Merrick were done with secrets, that the passion that burned so brightly between them had forged an unbreakable connection, but she begins to wonder if she ever really knew the man at all. Now the love they've fought so desperately to protect may not be enough to save them . . .
My Thoughts
As we knew from the last few books, the happiness that Merrick and Rachael shared would have to have some bumpy road up ahead in order to survive, and this installment is exactly what we were expecting. We remember that Nadia had left to go back to her mother but it seems like that's not necessarily what she wants - yet she's not making it easy for Merrrick to get her back. This story takes us on the journey of these guys - following Nadia to Paris and then to the South of France in the hopes that Nadia will choose Merrick over her mother and grandfather. That doesn't happen quite so easily....until it happens a little too easily.
It's a good thing that Rachael is so suspicious - since we're beginning to see Nadia's true intentions come out, but Merrick is too blinded by the fact that she's his daughter and he feels this huge sense of guilt that he wasn't in her life. Because of this, there's a huge question looming whether Rachael and he will survive, since it seems like he's going to choose his children and ex over her.
I think that it's a nice twist on what we've been reading so far - we get alternating chapters in the POV of both Merrick and Rachael which makes things much easier to follow and much better than a full book in the 2nd person. We also get to see what the other is thinking in the moment, vs. getting a one sided re-telling.
I have to say that i fully expected some of what happened to happened it wasn't a surprise to me based on how some things were set up - but the deaths that happened in this book - i don't know that i was expecting those to happen. It made for some great tension at least. The return of Enzo pulling the puppet master strings was also exactly what we knew was going to happen, although i kept waiting and keep waiting for the shoe to drop in what he did to Mr Simcoe.
So - i believe there's still one more novella in this series to read- so i guess our journey continues - but....for the most part - the biggest pieces of the story are complete. There's still the resolutions for Beck/Joan that we're waiting on since they seem to have their own little bubble in life. especially after Merrick fires Beck and tells him to go back home and be a professional cellist. Maddie and MJ still need their happy ending as well and now that the dynamic has changed in this story - it'll be nice to see where they end up and how.
I don't know about anyone else but are you waiting to hear more about the montgomery tie and relationship to Gina? I have to admit that i didn't pick up on that at all before, and it was only when she pointed out the relation that it made me wonder what she was after...i still wonder.
Anyhow - i'm glad that i stuck with this series - it definitely got better as things progressed and i hope that you guys choose to take the journey as well. Enjoy!
Author: Kelli Maine
Publisher/Year: Grand Central Publishing 3/4/14
Length: 288 Pages
Series: Give & Take #3
Overview
POSSESSION
For Merrick and Rachael, Turtle Tear Island has become their own private paradise with days of unimaginable bliss and sizzling nights in the bedroom-and beyond. But Rachael and Merrick's happiness is shattered when his daughter, Nadia, suddenly becomes increasingly demanding of his time and devotion. It soon becomes clear that Merrick will have to make an agonizing choice: the woman whose love saved his tortured soul or the daughter he never knew existed . . .
REVELATION
Rachael can't stand the thought of losing Merrick after everything she's sacrificed to be with him. She had thought she and Merrick were done with secrets, that the passion that burned so brightly between them had forged an unbreakable connection, but she begins to wonder if she ever really knew the man at all. Now the love they've fought so desperately to protect may not be enough to save them . . .
My Thoughts
As we knew from the last few books, the happiness that Merrick and Rachael shared would have to have some bumpy road up ahead in order to survive, and this installment is exactly what we were expecting. We remember that Nadia had left to go back to her mother but it seems like that's not necessarily what she wants - yet she's not making it easy for Merrrick to get her back. This story takes us on the journey of these guys - following Nadia to Paris and then to the South of France in the hopes that Nadia will choose Merrick over her mother and grandfather. That doesn't happen quite so easily....until it happens a little too easily.
It's a good thing that Rachael is so suspicious - since we're beginning to see Nadia's true intentions come out, but Merrick is too blinded by the fact that she's his daughter and he feels this huge sense of guilt that he wasn't in her life. Because of this, there's a huge question looming whether Rachael and he will survive, since it seems like he's going to choose his children and ex over her.
I think that it's a nice twist on what we've been reading so far - we get alternating chapters in the POV of both Merrick and Rachael which makes things much easier to follow and much better than a full book in the 2nd person. We also get to see what the other is thinking in the moment, vs. getting a one sided re-telling.
I have to say that i fully expected some of what happened to happened it wasn't a surprise to me based on how some things were set up - but the deaths that happened in this book - i don't know that i was expecting those to happen. It made for some great tension at least. The return of Enzo pulling the puppet master strings was also exactly what we knew was going to happen, although i kept waiting and keep waiting for the shoe to drop in what he did to Mr Simcoe.
So - i believe there's still one more novella in this series to read- so i guess our journey continues - but....for the most part - the biggest pieces of the story are complete. There's still the resolutions for Beck/Joan that we're waiting on since they seem to have their own little bubble in life. especially after Merrick fires Beck and tells him to go back home and be a professional cellist. Maddie and MJ still need their happy ending as well and now that the dynamic has changed in this story - it'll be nice to see where they end up and how.
I don't know about anyone else but are you waiting to hear more about the montgomery tie and relationship to Gina? I have to admit that i didn't pick up on that at all before, and it was only when she pointed out the relation that it made me wonder what she was after...i still wonder.
Anyhow - i'm glad that i stuck with this series - it definitely got better as things progressed and i hope that you guys choose to take the journey as well. Enjoy!
January 15, 2015
***3.5 stars ****
Given by Kelli Maine – 3.5 stars
Just when Merrick and Rachael thought they’d seen through the worst of their problems, his family once again becomes a huge stumbling block in the way of their future. She’s been through so much and seen him through the good and bad during their time together. It may not have been long, but they’d been tested and come through to the other side together. So dealing with his long-unknown daughter Nadia wanting back in his life shouldn’t have been a huge obstacle for them, except for the fact that she was a conniving little bitch determined to see Rachael gone!
Nadi was really giving Rachael a run for her money now that she was in the picture and knew her dad wanted to get to know her. Rachael was rightfully untrusting of her and let Merrick know exactly what she thought of his dad and daughter possibly teaming up, so of course there was a lot of tension to work through between them. He loves Rachael with everything he has, but suddenly there’s a daughter that he’s desperate to get to know. He’s carrying guilt over not being there for either of his kids, even though it wasn’t his fault, and that was a huge factor in his actions with this installment. It clouded what was right in front of him, which was a woman who loved him dearly and had her eyes much more open and observant than his.
So here’s the thing; I’m always up for some drama and heartbreak to keep things lively, but I was so frustrated for a good portion of this story. Nadia’s the antagonist, so we’re pretty much meant to hate her from the start, and let me say that was very easy to do. I had no love for this girl, despite Merrick’s loving fatherly wish to have her in his life. The girl was clearly out to get Rachael from point A, and I wanted to throttle Merrick for being so quick to take her side blindly at every turn. It was a little monotonous watching him and Rachael fight, make up with (super-steamy) sexcapades, and then fall right back into tension again when Nadia came between them. On the one hand, it was good to see this tender fatherly side of Merrick, but it was like he was completely unwilling to see what was going on at times. I love Merrick and Rachael together, so seeing more of their romance surviving yet another test was great, but I just felt like they took five steps back before taking a step forward. Bottom line, it was a rocky road with a very unexpected twist, but it was nice to see them finally put their relationship back on track when all was said and done.
Quotes:
Helpless—that was how I felt. The helplessness circled the fear, stalked around it, and poked it, making it raw and sore in my chest. I wanted to take the situation and resolve it quickly, but I couldn’t. ~Loc 557
A very small part of me was happy for him. I wished it was a larger part of me. There was too much suspicion left inside me from when Nadia showed up at the hotel the first time after sneaking around undetected for a week spying for Enzo. ~Loc 1384
MJ glanced over his shoulder and gave Maddie and me a leery look. Maddie smiled, encouraging him. She was a better woman than I was. If Nadia had tried to keep Merrick and me apart like she had MJ and Maddie in the past, I would be nowhere on this island with her. ~Loc 1384
Find this and more of my reviews at:
http://www.autumnreview.com/search/la...
Given by Kelli Maine – 3.5 stars
Just when Merrick and Rachael thought they’d seen through the worst of their problems, his family once again becomes a huge stumbling block in the way of their future. She’s been through so much and seen him through the good and bad during their time together. It may not have been long, but they’d been tested and come through to the other side together. So dealing with his long-unknown daughter Nadia wanting back in his life shouldn’t have been a huge obstacle for them, except for the fact that she was a conniving little bitch determined to see Rachael gone!
Nadi was really giving Rachael a run for her money now that she was in the picture and knew her dad wanted to get to know her. Rachael was rightfully untrusting of her and let Merrick know exactly what she thought of his dad and daughter possibly teaming up, so of course there was a lot of tension to work through between them. He loves Rachael with everything he has, but suddenly there’s a daughter that he’s desperate to get to know. He’s carrying guilt over not being there for either of his kids, even though it wasn’t his fault, and that was a huge factor in his actions with this installment. It clouded what was right in front of him, which was a woman who loved him dearly and had her eyes much more open and observant than his.
So here’s the thing; I’m always up for some drama and heartbreak to keep things lively, but I was so frustrated for a good portion of this story. Nadia’s the antagonist, so we’re pretty much meant to hate her from the start, and let me say that was very easy to do. I had no love for this girl, despite Merrick’s loving fatherly wish to have her in his life. The girl was clearly out to get Rachael from point A, and I wanted to throttle Merrick for being so quick to take her side blindly at every turn. It was a little monotonous watching him and Rachael fight, make up with (super-steamy) sexcapades, and then fall right back into tension again when Nadia came between them. On the one hand, it was good to see this tender fatherly side of Merrick, but it was like he was completely unwilling to see what was going on at times. I love Merrick and Rachael together, so seeing more of their romance surviving yet another test was great, but I just felt like they took five steps back before taking a step forward. Bottom line, it was a rocky road with a very unexpected twist, but it was nice to see them finally put their relationship back on track when all was said and done.
Quotes:
Helpless—that was how I felt. The helplessness circled the fear, stalked around it, and poked it, making it raw and sore in my chest. I wanted to take the situation and resolve it quickly, but I couldn’t. ~Loc 557
A very small part of me was happy for him. I wished it was a larger part of me. There was too much suspicion left inside me from when Nadia showed up at the hotel the first time after sneaking around undetected for a week spying for Enzo. ~Loc 1384
MJ glanced over his shoulder and gave Maddie and me a leery look. Maddie smiled, encouraging him. She was a better woman than I was. If Nadia had tried to keep Merrick and me apart like she had MJ and Maddie in the past, I would be nowhere on this island with her. ~Loc 1384
Find this and more of my reviews at:
http://www.autumnreview.com/search/la...
March 6, 2014
Given. Kellie Main
Review from Jeannie Zelos Book reviews.
Well, I’ve done it again, misread the description and got into a book not realising the preceding ones were linked...Doh, I did look and saw book two featured M.J and Maddie so assumed as there were different people in this one it was a completely different book. Wrong, its linked to books one and two but it was fairly easy to work out the back story, though if I’d read them I’d maybe have more context to put events into.
Racheal and Merrick – sickeningly in love sometimes and having hot sex at every possible moment it seemed. And yet there was trouble in paradise, a fly in the ointment, worm in the bud....his daughter, who it seems he only recently knew about, and her mother,who he'd been told was dead have reappeared. M.J,Nadia's twin brother,who Merrick didn't know about til recently either,gets on well with his dad. They live close and are good friends and he likes Racheal. Nadia though – she's something else. Manipulative ( I’m with Rachel ) devious and out to cause problems between Merrick and Racheal. She wants him and her mum together so they're all one big happy family, and that leaves no place for Rachel. She's clever though and Merrick thinks Racheal is being unduly harsh, not giving Nadia a fair chance etc..even when M.J and Maddie don't like her, and mum Gina,he still seems to feel so guilty for his absence from their 20 years of life that he's bending over backwards to accommodate what they want. Its causes lots of friction between him and Racheal, though they have hot make up sex after !! I knew- well, had worked out-Merrick was only 13 or so when he got Gina, his babysitter, pregnant . I knew Enzo his father was a cruel and selfish man, he'd told Merrick he'd taken care of things, and that Gina had died, but even those lies weren't the worst he had done. With a father like that no wonder Merrick was so determined to be a better dad to his children,and so taken in by Nadia.
Racheal is stuck, in one row Merrick says don't make him choose between her and Nadia and she's really hurt. I would be too, she's tried so hard to make things work, but its clear to everyone except Merrick that Nadia doesn't see her having a place in their lives. I got to the point where like Racheal I just couldn’t see how it could be resolved, they're always going to be in Merrick's life, and though she's telling her dad she's trying to get along with Racheal in reality she's doing the opposite. There's only so much being put second, or third someone can take,and Racheal has serious thoughts about what can be done. She loves Merrick, without a doubt, and knows he loves her but how do they move forward when Nadia is hiding secrets and trying to cause trouble. Its like walking on egg shells for her, and Merrick is torn. He loves Racheal, but having just found Nadia can't comprehend losing her, he's so blinkered though by her actions, so taken in when she blames Racheal for things – I could shake him at times. What was paradise for him and Racheal had become a hot bed of seething arguments and rancour. When things really hit bottom and more secrets come out I was gob-smacked.
Stars: four, good sexy, solid read full of surprises.
Review from Jeannie Zelos Book reviews.
Well, I’ve done it again, misread the description and got into a book not realising the preceding ones were linked...Doh, I did look and saw book two featured M.J and Maddie so assumed as there were different people in this one it was a completely different book. Wrong, its linked to books one and two but it was fairly easy to work out the back story, though if I’d read them I’d maybe have more context to put events into.
Racheal and Merrick – sickeningly in love sometimes and having hot sex at every possible moment it seemed. And yet there was trouble in paradise, a fly in the ointment, worm in the bud....his daughter, who it seems he only recently knew about, and her mother,who he'd been told was dead have reappeared. M.J,Nadia's twin brother,who Merrick didn't know about til recently either,gets on well with his dad. They live close and are good friends and he likes Racheal. Nadia though – she's something else. Manipulative ( I’m with Rachel ) devious and out to cause problems between Merrick and Racheal. She wants him and her mum together so they're all one big happy family, and that leaves no place for Rachel. She's clever though and Merrick thinks Racheal is being unduly harsh, not giving Nadia a fair chance etc..even when M.J and Maddie don't like her, and mum Gina,he still seems to feel so guilty for his absence from their 20 years of life that he's bending over backwards to accommodate what they want. Its causes lots of friction between him and Racheal, though they have hot make up sex after !! I knew- well, had worked out-Merrick was only 13 or so when he got Gina, his babysitter, pregnant . I knew Enzo his father was a cruel and selfish man, he'd told Merrick he'd taken care of things, and that Gina had died, but even those lies weren't the worst he had done. With a father like that no wonder Merrick was so determined to be a better dad to his children,and so taken in by Nadia.
Racheal is stuck, in one row Merrick says don't make him choose between her and Nadia and she's really hurt. I would be too, she's tried so hard to make things work, but its clear to everyone except Merrick that Nadia doesn't see her having a place in their lives. I got to the point where like Racheal I just couldn’t see how it could be resolved, they're always going to be in Merrick's life, and though she's telling her dad she's trying to get along with Racheal in reality she's doing the opposite. There's only so much being put second, or third someone can take,and Racheal has serious thoughts about what can be done. She loves Merrick, without a doubt, and knows he loves her but how do they move forward when Nadia is hiding secrets and trying to cause trouble. Its like walking on egg shells for her, and Merrick is torn. He loves Racheal, but having just found Nadia can't comprehend losing her, he's so blinkered though by her actions, so taken in when she blames Racheal for things – I could shake him at times. What was paradise for him and Racheal had become a hot bed of seething arguments and rancour. When things really hit bottom and more secrets come out I was gob-smacked.
Stars: four, good sexy, solid read full of surprises.
August 27, 2016
Now that Merrick and Rachael have settled into their lives, accepting MJ and Maddie into their fold and looking forward to some time together after all the hoopla that took place in the previous installments, Nadia comes calling for help and Merrick and Rachael's loyalty is put to the test.
I'll be honest with you and tell you that when I first started this series, I was not convinced about it. When I first reviewed Taken , I was sure that I would not keep with future installments. But Kelli Maine threw me a curve with No Take Backs and Taken by Storm. With these two stories the author made sure that I took more of an interest in Merrick and Rachael's story.
So when Merrick and Rachael started to question each other's loyalty and the bond they had developed since they got together, I was giddy. No, I'm not heartless. But this is what I love to see in the characters I read. I love watching them fight for what they want, see them questioning their feelings, ponder their options, confronting their fears. And in this installments, Kelli Maine delivered that and much more.
What I enjoyed most about this installment was the reactions it got out of me. I wanted to throttle both characters - Merrick for being so obtuse and Rachael for not making her point clearer. But then I wanted to close them up in a room and leave them to tear at each other and communicate the only way they knew how - by having sex. *sigh* Sometimes it was exhausting to read their whiplash inducing thoughts.
Mind you this was only while they were in Paris. Once they returned to the island and all hell started to break lose I was having the time of my life. Merrick was so clueless as to how he was treating Rachael. He wanted so badly to be a great dad, that he failed in his loyalty to Rachael. He was blinded by his need to be there for his daughter and although I admired that side of him, I wanted to smack him upside the head for failing to see how his behavior was affecting his relationship with Rachael.
Truth be told, I am not a fan of Rachael, but I understood her predicament. She wanted to support Merrick because she loved him, but she was not going to stand by and watch their relationship crumble after everything they had been through to get there. Especially when Nadia's intentions were clear to every one but Merrick.
There were more elements added to the story as well. With the myriad of emotions brought to the page coupled with the sizzling love scenes that brought forth the connection that Merrick and Rachael shared, the intrigue continued, questioned were answered others arose. In the end Kalli Maine wrapped it all seamlessly to close another chapter in Merrick and Rachael's story.
*I received an ARC copy of this title through NetGalley in exchange of my honest opinion.
I'll be honest with you and tell you that when I first started this series, I was not convinced about it. When I first reviewed Taken , I was sure that I would not keep with future installments. But Kelli Maine threw me a curve with No Take Backs and Taken by Storm. With these two stories the author made sure that I took more of an interest in Merrick and Rachael's story.
So when Merrick and Rachael started to question each other's loyalty and the bond they had developed since they got together, I was giddy. No, I'm not heartless. But this is what I love to see in the characters I read. I love watching them fight for what they want, see them questioning their feelings, ponder their options, confronting their fears. And in this installments, Kelli Maine delivered that and much more.
What I enjoyed most about this installment was the reactions it got out of me. I wanted to throttle both characters - Merrick for being so obtuse and Rachael for not making her point clearer. But then I wanted to close them up in a room and leave them to tear at each other and communicate the only way they knew how - by having sex. *sigh* Sometimes it was exhausting to read their whiplash inducing thoughts.
Mind you this was only while they were in Paris. Once they returned to the island and all hell started to break lose I was having the time of my life. Merrick was so clueless as to how he was treating Rachael. He wanted so badly to be a great dad, that he failed in his loyalty to Rachael. He was blinded by his need to be there for his daughter and although I admired that side of him, I wanted to smack him upside the head for failing to see how his behavior was affecting his relationship with Rachael.
Truth be told, I am not a fan of Rachael, but I understood her predicament. She wanted to support Merrick because she loved him, but she was not going to stand by and watch their relationship crumble after everything they had been through to get there. Especially when Nadia's intentions were clear to every one but Merrick.
There were more elements added to the story as well. With the myriad of emotions brought to the page coupled with the sizzling love scenes that brought forth the connection that Merrick and Rachael shared, the intrigue continued, questioned were answered others arose. In the end Kalli Maine wrapped it all seamlessly to close another chapter in Merrick and Rachael's story.
*I received an ARC copy of this title through NetGalley in exchange of my honest opinion.
March 18, 2014
Given is the third and final (ish) book in this series which I absolutely adore. If you’ve not heard of these books before, bear in mind that these are adult novels with adult themes and must be read in order otherwise you will encounter spoilers and you won’t know what the hell is going on.
If you’d have told me that by the end of this series I’d be metaphorically high-fiving Joan of all people, I’d call you a liar but that’s exactly what I was doing by the end. I loved the fact that Kelli totally made me change my mind about her (okay, not completely as this is JOAN after all) but quite frankly, Nadia (Merrick’s daughter) makes Joan look like a saint.
Basically, Given centres around Merrick going after his daughter Nadia on some kind of misguided rescue mission. Nadia is currently with her mother (who Merrick thought had been dead for twenty years) and his father, Enzo. Believing that Nadia can’t get away from them, Merrick follows them to Paris and brings Rachael along for the ride – especially after she insisted that he NOT shut her out, even if he wants to protect her. What follows is a trip to Paris, some communication problems between Merrick and Rachael (no surprise there then) and basically Nadia is the biggest obstacle between them and continues to be for most of the book. I’m not going to say anything more but I really enjoyed the story and the outcome.
Interestingly, you may recall that Rachael has always been the narrator in these books, writing in a second person POV. However, in Given, we’re finally privy to the mind of Merrick Rocha as he and Rachael take turns narrating via alternating chapters.
Given is a must read for fans of the series, especially as Kelli drops the bombshell to end all bombshells in this book, something that was hinted at in the last novella in a kind of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of way. I will admit that it came to me within the first part of the book but I was still a little unsure until it was confirmed. It’s the curse of the writer brain, I’m afraid. That being said, my Goodness did I enjoy this book. I love going back to the island and that’s one of the reasons that I think this series makes a PERFECT Summer read.
For all the fans who are sad that this series is ending, I believe there is one more novella entitled Take This Man coming on 1st April, 2014 which should wrap things up quite nicely but don’t read the synopsis until you’ve finished reading Given. You have been warned!
I’ve enjoyed every minute of reading this series and want to thank Kelli Maine for writing it. You want a sexy, Summer read? You’ve just found it but start with Taken and see if you can stop reading. I’ll bet you can’t.
If you’d have told me that by the end of this series I’d be metaphorically high-fiving Joan of all people, I’d call you a liar but that’s exactly what I was doing by the end. I loved the fact that Kelli totally made me change my mind about her (okay, not completely as this is JOAN after all) but quite frankly, Nadia (Merrick’s daughter) makes Joan look like a saint.
Basically, Given centres around Merrick going after his daughter Nadia on some kind of misguided rescue mission. Nadia is currently with her mother (who Merrick thought had been dead for twenty years) and his father, Enzo. Believing that Nadia can’t get away from them, Merrick follows them to Paris and brings Rachael along for the ride – especially after she insisted that he NOT shut her out, even if he wants to protect her. What follows is a trip to Paris, some communication problems between Merrick and Rachael (no surprise there then) and basically Nadia is the biggest obstacle between them and continues to be for most of the book. I’m not going to say anything more but I really enjoyed the story and the outcome.
Interestingly, you may recall that Rachael has always been the narrator in these books, writing in a second person POV. However, in Given, we’re finally privy to the mind of Merrick Rocha as he and Rachael take turns narrating via alternating chapters.
Given is a must read for fans of the series, especially as Kelli drops the bombshell to end all bombshells in this book, something that was hinted at in the last novella in a kind of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of way. I will admit that it came to me within the first part of the book but I was still a little unsure until it was confirmed. It’s the curse of the writer brain, I’m afraid. That being said, my Goodness did I enjoy this book. I love going back to the island and that’s one of the reasons that I think this series makes a PERFECT Summer read.
For all the fans who are sad that this series is ending, I believe there is one more novella entitled Take This Man coming on 1st April, 2014 which should wrap things up quite nicely but don’t read the synopsis until you’ve finished reading Given. You have been warned!
I’ve enjoyed every minute of reading this series and want to thank Kelli Maine for writing it. You want a sexy, Summer read? You’ve just found it but start with Taken and see if you can stop reading. I’ll bet you can’t.
March 19, 2014
http://imperfectwomen.com/book-crush-...
Rachael and Merrick start off their relationship in the most unconventional way… with him kidnapping her. You’d think that would be a deal breaker, but it’s not. And in the weirdest way, Merrick doesn’t creep me out. I get him. I get what he was trying to accomplish by doing it. And the fact that Rachael gets him too, allows them to continue their relationship through several books, leading us to the current book, Given. I highly encourage you to read books 1, 1.5, and 2 to fully grasp everything that has occurred between them so that when you get to book 3 you’re fully prepared for the craziness that’s about to happen.
These two have had to endure quite a bit to get themselves to the semi-comfortable place they currently are. Seeing as they have never had a normal kind of relationship, it’s not a surprise that crazy things keep happening to them. Merrick’s father, Enzo, is just an awful, manipulative a-hole and the things he’s done to Merrick are downright despicable. Given is all about dealing with the downfall of Enzo’s manipulations which put a huge stress on Rachael and Merrick relationship.
Rachael is a kick butt type of chick. She is super smart and doesn’t fall for anyone’s bullcrap. She knows when Merrick is being played… but Merrick is too stubborn to listen or see it at first. Thank goodness Rachael is a strong woman, because not everyone could put up with the nonsense that takes place. Buttons are pushed, people are manipulated and Rachael stays strong for her man even when he pushes her away.
Merrick can be a stubborn ass but in this case, he’s really trying to make up for 20 years of lost time and memories and I get why he’s allowing things to happen as they are. Unfortunately it also makes me want to punch Merrick in the face and tell him to wake the heck up and see what his decisions are doing to Rachael. The girl is suffering, trying to keep it together all because she loves him more than life. Despite all of the stress from Merrick trying to makes things right, the one thing that is never missing between these two is chemistry. Holy moly, these two have it going on. There’s a scene… around the 93% mark that is just… *sigh* perfectly perfect. No matter what happens, these two can always reconnect with each other when they are alone. My other favorite thing about this book is the island where most of it takes place. I thought Kelli did a great job with creating the beautiful setting of Turtle Tear Island and the private resort. It felt lavish but still homey. I want a Turtle Tear resort of my own!
Rachael and Merrick start off their relationship in the most unconventional way… with him kidnapping her. You’d think that would be a deal breaker, but it’s not. And in the weirdest way, Merrick doesn’t creep me out. I get him. I get what he was trying to accomplish by doing it. And the fact that Rachael gets him too, allows them to continue their relationship through several books, leading us to the current book, Given. I highly encourage you to read books 1, 1.5, and 2 to fully grasp everything that has occurred between them so that when you get to book 3 you’re fully prepared for the craziness that’s about to happen.
These two have had to endure quite a bit to get themselves to the semi-comfortable place they currently are. Seeing as they have never had a normal kind of relationship, it’s not a surprise that crazy things keep happening to them. Merrick’s father, Enzo, is just an awful, manipulative a-hole and the things he’s done to Merrick are downright despicable. Given is all about dealing with the downfall of Enzo’s manipulations which put a huge stress on Rachael and Merrick relationship.
Rachael is a kick butt type of chick. She is super smart and doesn’t fall for anyone’s bullcrap. She knows when Merrick is being played… but Merrick is too stubborn to listen or see it at first. Thank goodness Rachael is a strong woman, because not everyone could put up with the nonsense that takes place. Buttons are pushed, people are manipulated and Rachael stays strong for her man even when he pushes her away.
Merrick can be a stubborn ass but in this case, he’s really trying to make up for 20 years of lost time and memories and I get why he’s allowing things to happen as they are. Unfortunately it also makes me want to punch Merrick in the face and tell him to wake the heck up and see what his decisions are doing to Rachael. The girl is suffering, trying to keep it together all because she loves him more than life. Despite all of the stress from Merrick trying to makes things right, the one thing that is never missing between these two is chemistry. Holy moly, these two have it going on. There’s a scene… around the 93% mark that is just… *sigh* perfectly perfect. No matter what happens, these two can always reconnect with each other when they are alone. My other favorite thing about this book is the island where most of it takes place. I thought Kelli did a great job with creating the beautiful setting of Turtle Tear Island and the private resort. It felt lavish but still homey. I want a Turtle Tear resort of my own!
September 4, 2016
I received this book as an e-ARC free from Netgalley. Below is my review.
Rachael and Merrick, Merrick and Rachael: Cray-cray and not in a good way. Let's start with everything that drove me insane about this book.
1. I started a series in the middle of it. This is NOT a stand-alone book and vast tracts of it will be virtually incomprehensible if you decide to just pick it up without reading the earlier books.
2. Merrick: Hey Dad who didn't know he was a Dad, let me help you out a bit. Allowing your kids to walk all over you is not being a good father, not even close. Neither is being willfully blind to their faults. Neither is trying to treat them like children when they are already grown adults. Neither is chasing them all over Europe while they keep just out of reach and taunting you with that. Seriously? This is just messed up.
3. More Merrick: Not respecting the opinions of the partner you have chosen in life. Let me repeat that for good measure. Merrick, you say you love this woman but you never respect her or her opinions. Not buying the love here - lust yes, but not love.
4. Rachael: Seriously hun, you enable Merrick with his no respect thing all the time and then you can't figure out why he shows you no respect and get mad that he treats his piece of garbage daughter better than you. Um, just no. Grow a spine.
5. Supporting cast: I felt like I should know them, have some understanding of them. No doubt they were in the earlier books. But there is very little work done to ensure that I know them now here, in this book.
6. Cliffhanger: No, just no. It's a doozy and in the grand scheme of things, I like it. But, it also means that this book feels very unfinished, like we didn't come to a natural conclusion here. Want to know how it all ends? I'll be there are at least 2 more books before we get to some plausible HEA. Right now, I am still rooting for Rachael to walk away.
After all that, you might think I hated the book. Somehow, I didn't. I liked it. It had a lot of angst, some good sexy times, some real world conflict, and despite his idiocy I want Merrick to find the peace he needs to get over all the garbage his father has pulled. I just don't necessarily see that coming with Rachael. I think Rachael can do a lot better than Merrick.
Will I read the earlier books? No. Will I read the rest of the books? I doubt it. There wasn't enough in this book to make me want to. The book did pass the time well and I did enjoy what it offered.
Rachael and Merrick, Merrick and Rachael: Cray-cray and not in a good way. Let's start with everything that drove me insane about this book.
1. I started a series in the middle of it. This is NOT a stand-alone book and vast tracts of it will be virtually incomprehensible if you decide to just pick it up without reading the earlier books.
2. Merrick: Hey Dad who didn't know he was a Dad, let me help you out a bit. Allowing your kids to walk all over you is not being a good father, not even close. Neither is being willfully blind to their faults. Neither is trying to treat them like children when they are already grown adults. Neither is chasing them all over Europe while they keep just out of reach and taunting you with that. Seriously? This is just messed up.
3. More Merrick: Not respecting the opinions of the partner you have chosen in life. Let me repeat that for good measure. Merrick, you say you love this woman but you never respect her or her opinions. Not buying the love here - lust yes, but not love.
4. Rachael: Seriously hun, you enable Merrick with his no respect thing all the time and then you can't figure out why he shows you no respect and get mad that he treats his piece of garbage daughter better than you. Um, just no. Grow a spine.
5. Supporting cast: I felt like I should know them, have some understanding of them. No doubt they were in the earlier books. But there is very little work done to ensure that I know them now here, in this book.
6. Cliffhanger: No, just no. It's a doozy and in the grand scheme of things, I like it. But, it also means that this book feels very unfinished, like we didn't come to a natural conclusion here. Want to know how it all ends? I'll be there are at least 2 more books before we get to some plausible HEA. Right now, I am still rooting for Rachael to walk away.
After all that, you might think I hated the book. Somehow, I didn't. I liked it. It had a lot of angst, some good sexy times, some real world conflict, and despite his idiocy I want Merrick to find the peace he needs to get over all the garbage his father has pulled. I just don't necessarily see that coming with Rachael. I think Rachael can do a lot better than Merrick.
Will I read the earlier books? No. Will I read the rest of the books? I doubt it. There wasn't enough in this book to make me want to. The book did pass the time well and I did enjoy what it offered.
June 5, 2014
To read this review and others like it check out my site at www.homelovebooks.com
I have to admit, I went back and forth with this book. Sometimes I loved it, sometimes not so much. Full disclosure, this book is book three in a series, and I haven't read books one and two, so it's very possible that someone who is more attached to the characters might have more appreciation for this book.
First things first, I like the writing style, I think that's what had me enjoying most of the book. It's easy to read, and Kelli does have the ability to keep you interested in what is going to happen next. Honestly, my biggest problem with the book was that I felt this book should have been a novella. It was just far to long for the plot line it had going throughout the book. I think it would have been a much more exciting, dramatic novella then it is a book. Because the book felt too long, it did at times feel like it was dragging, which can be a hard thing for me to overcome. Also I think a big problem with the length of the book came from the sex scenes, don't get me wrong sex scenes are nice to have, but when they happen as often as they did in this book they lose so much of their impact, and start becoming repetitive.
I had a hard time liking Rachael, on one hand I could see where she was coming from but on the other I thought she was being unreasonable. So Merrick and Rachael together and Merrick wants to get to know his long lost daughter. Understandable right? While yes, Rachael does have suspicions about the daughters true motives, she really isn't supportive of the man she loves, I mean at all. She came off really whiny and a lot of times selfish to me, so it was really hard for me to really like her. One the plus side to her character, Merrick and Rachael did have chemistry, I just thought she could have acted a bit more like a grown up, would have helped a lot.
Merrick is a pretty good guy. I mean he's in a hard place. Getting to know children he's never known before is hard, and clearly he wants to make up for lost time. But sometimes he was a bit to dense for me, like he had to have some inkling that dear ole daughter was actually plotting didn't have pure motives. Other than that though, he was an okay character.
In this book I have to admit I liked the secondary characters more. It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't a great one either, a solid 2.5 for me. I think if you are looking for a book that's a little more soap opera and a lot of erotica then this book is probably for you.
I have to admit, I went back and forth with this book. Sometimes I loved it, sometimes not so much. Full disclosure, this book is book three in a series, and I haven't read books one and two, so it's very possible that someone who is more attached to the characters might have more appreciation for this book.
First things first, I like the writing style, I think that's what had me enjoying most of the book. It's easy to read, and Kelli does have the ability to keep you interested in what is going to happen next. Honestly, my biggest problem with the book was that I felt this book should have been a novella. It was just far to long for the plot line it had going throughout the book. I think it would have been a much more exciting, dramatic novella then it is a book. Because the book felt too long, it did at times feel like it was dragging, which can be a hard thing for me to overcome. Also I think a big problem with the length of the book came from the sex scenes, don't get me wrong sex scenes are nice to have, but when they happen as often as they did in this book they lose so much of their impact, and start becoming repetitive.
I had a hard time liking Rachael, on one hand I could see where she was coming from but on the other I thought she was being unreasonable. So Merrick and Rachael together and Merrick wants to get to know his long lost daughter. Understandable right? While yes, Rachael does have suspicions about the daughters true motives, she really isn't supportive of the man she loves, I mean at all. She came off really whiny and a lot of times selfish to me, so it was really hard for me to really like her. One the plus side to her character, Merrick and Rachael did have chemistry, I just thought she could have acted a bit more like a grown up, would have helped a lot.
Merrick is a pretty good guy. I mean he's in a hard place. Getting to know children he's never known before is hard, and clearly he wants to make up for lost time. But sometimes he was a bit to dense for me, like he had to have some inkling that dear ole daughter was actually plotting didn't have pure motives. Other than that though, he was an okay character.
In this book I have to admit I liked the secondary characters more. It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't a great one either, a solid 2.5 for me. I think if you are looking for a book that's a little more soap opera and a lot of erotica then this book is probably for you.
April 8, 2014
***Received an ARC of this book from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review***
Overall Rating: 3 Rockin’ ★★★
"I would always jump through hoops, cross mountains, swim seas to give her everything she wanted and needed. I'd never known love like this before Rachael."
Merrick lifted my chin to look in my eyes. "Like I said, I'm plugged into the universe when I'm inside you. That can't fade. It's the most powerful feeling I can imagine."
I was conflicted from the beginning on where this story was headed. Merrick is an entrepreneur whose father tried to cripple him financially as well as emotionally. Rachael is an architect, who is in love with a man and will do anything to keep him. It really made me leery with the fact that Merrick, who is only in his mid 30's has twin 21 year old children. So right off the bat there is the stigma of WTH! As I began to read and delve into the story of Merrick and Rachael, I was left feeling like something was missing. I think I was just expecting or hoping to be captured in some way. I didn't feel a connection to the characters. There was passion and heartache, a perfect match for a romance novel, and the steam between the two lovers was adequate. The romance took a few twists and turns and ended in a way that appeased me, but didn't rock my world. A few quotes from the book were very substantial, which lends to the fact that it is very well written. In the end, I was left with the feeling of apprehension and longing. I just wanted, no needed to feel more from the story. I think it had great potential, but I was just not as impressed as I'd hoped...Grēta
Hero - Merrick Rocha 3.0 stars
Heroine - Rachael 3.0 stars
Steam Level: 3.0 stars
Plot: 3.0 stars
Cliffhanger: Yes
Would I recommend this book: Yes!
Would I read other books by this author: Yes!
Given
Kelli Maine
February 15, 2014
I received this book as an advanced readers copy through the goodreads contest. This is my unbiased opinion of the book.
I always have trouble writing reviews, thinking I'm giving too much away. This book was written back and forth from Merrick and Rachael's points of view. For the first one third of the book, I was thinking that I may not like it as much as the other books in the series, but the last part of the book delivered in true Kelli Maine style.
In the beginning, Rachael and Merrick were constantly going back and forth between being completely in love, almost sickenly so, and at each other's throats. I had read some other reviews that there was too much sex, and perhaps in the first part, that was true. The ultimate test of their relationship comes into play, however, and how they deal with it will either make or break them.
In this book, there is an ever developing relationship between all of the characters, both in their own relationships and how they feel about each other as friends, and as family. Mr. Simcoe is a wonderful addition to the island, as his sage advice is needed by more than just Merrick and Rachael.
Readers will probably expect, now that Merrick and MJ have bonded, that Merrick would also like to have a relationship with his daughter, Nadia. But Rachael has a hard time dealing with the fact that she is no longer the only woman in her love's life, and she has a hard time trusting that Nadia really wants to know her father the way she says she does. And how about MJ getting to know his mother? Does he want to?
Just when you think that everything is getting back on track, Enzo's evil rears it's ugly head again. Will his deception make or break this expanding island family? Will they all live happily ever after? Or will another plot twist have you waiting impatiently for the next book to see how they all survive?
Read it and find out!
I always have trouble writing reviews, thinking I'm giving too much away. This book was written back and forth from Merrick and Rachael's points of view. For the first one third of the book, I was thinking that I may not like it as much as the other books in the series, but the last part of the book delivered in true Kelli Maine style.
In the beginning, Rachael and Merrick were constantly going back and forth between being completely in love, almost sickenly so, and at each other's throats. I had read some other reviews that there was too much sex, and perhaps in the first part, that was true. The ultimate test of their relationship comes into play, however, and how they deal with it will either make or break them.
In this book, there is an ever developing relationship between all of the characters, both in their own relationships and how they feel about each other as friends, and as family. Mr. Simcoe is a wonderful addition to the island, as his sage advice is needed by more than just Merrick and Rachael.
Readers will probably expect, now that Merrick and MJ have bonded, that Merrick would also like to have a relationship with his daughter, Nadia. But Rachael has a hard time dealing with the fact that she is no longer the only woman in her love's life, and she has a hard time trusting that Nadia really wants to know her father the way she says she does. And how about MJ getting to know his mother? Does he want to?
Just when you think that everything is getting back on track, Enzo's evil rears it's ugly head again. Will his deception make or break this expanding island family? Will they all live happily ever after? Or will another plot twist have you waiting impatiently for the next book to see how they all survive?
Read it and find out!
March 28, 2014
I enjoyed seeing more of Merrick and Rachael in this book. I really liked that the story was told in both Merrick and Rachael’s POV, and not in second person. I enjoyed the other books though that were written in second person it just took a bit to get used to that writing style.
In this book there is more drama caused by Enzo. The entire time I was waiting for Enzo to show up and have to pay for ALL of the pain that he had caused everyone. He was such a horrible person to literally everyone who crossed his path. In the end though I guess he sorta paid but I wasn’t happy with how.
Merrick was still, well himself in this book. I do find him adorable at times, and very sexy. He does make a few bad decisions. Especially with Nadia, I’m not going to touch on the issues with her (the list is long) but lets just say there are HUGE red flags that Merrick just seems to ignore when it comes to her. When Merrick is sweet he is cavity inducing and the same for when he is sexy, pantie’s drop. I like how direct he is when he wants something from Rachael too.
So when it comes down to Rachael I’m impressed. She sticks around the entire time Nadia is trying to sabotage things between her and Merrick. Merrick also makes it very clear that he wont chose between her and his daughter, and she still sticks around. There were many times in this book when I was all like “oh gurl, get off that island! Stat!” or “Oh no he, didn’t!”. But I did really like that she stuck around waited it out and that instead of running they talked things out.
This story is more fairytale than dark, like I thought that it would be in the beginning when I started Taken, but I like it a lot. The writing was great and the story seemed to flow nicely together. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to fans of hot fairy tales. I hear this is the end to this series, but I wish there was more from all the characters.
*** I have received an ARC from Forever (Grand Central Publishing), via NetGalley ***
In this book there is more drama caused by Enzo. The entire time I was waiting for Enzo to show up and have to pay for ALL of the pain that he had caused everyone. He was such a horrible person to literally everyone who crossed his path. In the end though I guess he sorta paid but I wasn’t happy with how.
Merrick was still, well himself in this book. I do find him adorable at times, and very sexy. He does make a few bad decisions. Especially with Nadia, I’m not going to touch on the issues with her (the list is long) but lets just say there are HUGE red flags that Merrick just seems to ignore when it comes to her. When Merrick is sweet he is cavity inducing and the same for when he is sexy, pantie’s drop. I like how direct he is when he wants something from Rachael too.
So when it comes down to Rachael I’m impressed. She sticks around the entire time Nadia is trying to sabotage things between her and Merrick. Merrick also makes it very clear that he wont chose between her and his daughter, and she still sticks around. There were many times in this book when I was all like “oh gurl, get off that island! Stat!” or “Oh no he, didn’t!”. But I did really like that she stuck around waited it out and that instead of running they talked things out.
This story is more fairytale than dark, like I thought that it would be in the beginning when I started Taken, but I like it a lot. The writing was great and the story seemed to flow nicely together. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to fans of hot fairy tales. I hear this is the end to this series, but I wish there was more from all the characters.
*** I have received an ARC from Forever (Grand Central Publishing), via NetGalley ***
March 18, 2014
POSSESSION
For Merrick and Rachael, Turtle Tear Island has become their own private paradise with days of unimaginable bliss and sizzling nights in the bedroom-and beyond. But Rachael and Merrick's happiness is shattered when his daughter, Nadia, suddenly becomes increasingly demanding of his time and devotion. It soon becomes clear that Merrick will have to make an agonizing choice: the woman whose love saved his tortured soul or the daughter he never knew existed . . .
REVELATION
Rachael can't stand the thought of losing Merrick after everything she's sacrificed to be with him. She had thought she and Merrick were done with secrets, that the passion that burned so brightly between them had forged an unbreakable connection, but she begins to wonder if she ever really knew the man at all. Now the love they've fought so desperately to protect may not be enough to save them . . .
Okay-
The storyline of this book was good. It wasn't great, but it was good. And I don't think not reading the first two books in the series really hurt me, because the author gives you enough back story to understand what happened before this book. I think the ending was a bit soap opera-esque but I won't spoil it :)
And the sex. They had sex, detailed sex, pretty much every other chapter. And hey, nothings wrong with that, if its your cup of tea. I just felt like maybe the story could have evolved more without it.
I gave it 2 out of 5 stars. I tried to find a reason to give it 3, but I really just couldn't. But I would not discourage anyone who thought they might want to read it from doing so. Especially people who like reading erotica.
I received this book in digital form to read and review contest of the publisher through Netgalley.
For Merrick and Rachael, Turtle Tear Island has become their own private paradise with days of unimaginable bliss and sizzling nights in the bedroom-and beyond. But Rachael and Merrick's happiness is shattered when his daughter, Nadia, suddenly becomes increasingly demanding of his time and devotion. It soon becomes clear that Merrick will have to make an agonizing choice: the woman whose love saved his tortured soul or the daughter he never knew existed . . .
REVELATION
Rachael can't stand the thought of losing Merrick after everything she's sacrificed to be with him. She had thought she and Merrick were done with secrets, that the passion that burned so brightly between them had forged an unbreakable connection, but she begins to wonder if she ever really knew the man at all. Now the love they've fought so desperately to protect may not be enough to save them . . .
Okay-
The storyline of this book was good. It wasn't great, but it was good. And I don't think not reading the first two books in the series really hurt me, because the author gives you enough back story to understand what happened before this book. I think the ending was a bit soap opera-esque but I won't spoil it :)
And the sex. They had sex, detailed sex, pretty much every other chapter. And hey, nothings wrong with that, if its your cup of tea. I just felt like maybe the story could have evolved more without it.
I gave it 2 out of 5 stars. I tried to find a reason to give it 3, but I really just couldn't. But I would not discourage anyone who thought they might want to read it from doing so. Especially people who like reading erotica.
I received this book in digital form to read and review contest of the publisher through Netgalley.
March 22, 2014
I got this book as a guaranteed-available free read through NetGalley. If I weren't obligated to do a review for NetGalley to increase my likelihood of getting additional books to review for NetGalley, I would have DNF'd this book 10% in. My utter disdain and despisement of all the characters just grew and grew as I read, until I was spewing vitriol at the characters as I flipped the pages.
These characters are exactly the kind that drive me ape. They are shallow and selfish, and they swing widely between huge emotional highs and lows like a drunken see-saw. Interspersed with acrobatic sex. Perhaps Merrick and Rachael would be more appealing to me in 10 years, if they were actually to grow up and become rational and reasonable adults. As they are currently, however, I just want to smack them for their immature and over the top overreactions to everything. This is a huge soap opera.
The desire of these two to subsume themselves into the screwed up 'us' is so unhealthy.
"We wanted to climb into each other's skin. Making love wasn't enough. F*%king wasn't enough. Whatever we were doing was what came next and it wasn't enough. We need more, the complete and utter taking of the other person"
This book is part of a series, and I definitely felt lost not having read the previous books. However, since I hated this book, it didn't matter to me that I didn't know the back story. And holy crap, the total soap opera ending was the cherry in the whole effed up mess. Thank goodness this was only 240 pages so it didn't take too much time to finish.
This book may appeal to those who enjoy the angst and up and down emotions of romance series like Sylvia Day's Aftershock or her Crossfire series, or the Inside Out series by Lisa Renee Jones.
These characters are exactly the kind that drive me ape. They are shallow and selfish, and they swing widely between huge emotional highs and lows like a drunken see-saw. Interspersed with acrobatic sex. Perhaps Merrick and Rachael would be more appealing to me in 10 years, if they were actually to grow up and become rational and reasonable adults. As they are currently, however, I just want to smack them for their immature and over the top overreactions to everything. This is a huge soap opera.
The desire of these two to subsume themselves into the screwed up 'us' is so unhealthy.
"We wanted to climb into each other's skin. Making love wasn't enough. F*%king wasn't enough. Whatever we were doing was what came next and it wasn't enough. We need more, the complete and utter taking of the other person"
This book is part of a series, and I definitely felt lost not having read the previous books. However, since I hated this book, it didn't matter to me that I didn't know the back story. And holy crap, the total soap opera ending was the cherry in the whole effed up mess. Thank goodness this was only 240 pages so it didn't take too much time to finish.
This book may appeal to those who enjoy the angst and up and down emotions of romance series like Sylvia Day's Aftershock or her Crossfire series, or the Inside Out series by Lisa Renee Jones.
April 29, 2014
This my first book in the series, I’m definitely going to go back and get the background information I was missing in this story. It’s also my first Kelli Maine book to read. It is a good story but doesn't stand well on its own. I really did enjoy this book so I know the others are going to be just as good if not better. The characters were compelling and the series must be a character driven series. The settings were so detailed. I felt like I was actually there with them.
Merrick and Rachael are enjoying their life on Turtle Tear with each other. They’re finding their way in the relationship and things are going pretty good with a few exceptions. Merrick is getting use to the idea of having grown children he never knew existed; he has bonded with MJ but is finding it harder to do with his daughter, Nadia. She’s in France with her mother and Merrick's father. Merrick wants to bring her to Turtle Tear to live but Rachael still doesn't trust her and for good reason; she’s betrayed Merrick before to his father, why not again. Rachel gets something of a jealous streak and feels like she's pushed to priority number 3 in Merrick’s life, even though they both want to be married and have children together. Merrick knows that at some point he’s going to have to make a choice, his daughter or his relationship with Rachael.
The moments when Merrick and Rachel have good sensual and romantic chemistry – I loved those parts but the sex happened way too often (WHAT??? DID I REALLY JUST SAY THAT??) and so much so that it overshadowed the times where the two were trying to work out issues and worries about Merrick's daughter coming back into his life. We all know sex doesn’t solve everything, don’t we.
http://booklovinjunkie.blogspot.com/
Merrick and Rachael are enjoying their life on Turtle Tear with each other. They’re finding their way in the relationship and things are going pretty good with a few exceptions. Merrick is getting use to the idea of having grown children he never knew existed; he has bonded with MJ but is finding it harder to do with his daughter, Nadia. She’s in France with her mother and Merrick's father. Merrick wants to bring her to Turtle Tear to live but Rachael still doesn't trust her and for good reason; she’s betrayed Merrick before to his father, why not again. Rachel gets something of a jealous streak and feels like she's pushed to priority number 3 in Merrick’s life, even though they both want to be married and have children together. Merrick knows that at some point he’s going to have to make a choice, his daughter or his relationship with Rachael.
The moments when Merrick and Rachel have good sensual and romantic chemistry – I loved those parts but the sex happened way too often (WHAT??? DID I REALLY JUST SAY THAT??) and so much so that it overshadowed the times where the two were trying to work out issues and worries about Merrick's daughter coming back into his life. We all know sex doesn’t solve everything, don’t we.
http://booklovinjunkie.blogspot.com/
May 24, 2014
First, I have to preface this with the caveat that I have not read the preceding books in the series, other than the novella, Take Me Back. It's possible I'd feel differently about the characters if I'd followed their journey from the beginning (but I think kidnapping someone in order to convince them to be your project manager is preposterous, so probably not). That said, I found both Rachael and Merrick to be immature, whiny, and maudlin, and apparently rather than ever actually communicating with each other they just have sex. Oh sure, there might be few words exchanged just before, during, or after, but none of it was particularly mature or deep, either. (Unless you consider "I love you. I'll never leave you." repeated ad infinitum to be emotionally deep.)
I realize that based on everything I just said, it would sound like I hated the book, but I really didn't. It wasn't painfully bad by any means, but that may be primarily because it wasn't particularly long. I'd probably give it about a 2.5. I think my biggest problem is that it felt like the "story" was really just cobbled together scenes used to connect the sex scenes, and those just weren't original enough to merit the vast quantity of them. But, since they were the only time the characters talked to each other, I guess that's why we needed so many.
I received this ARC from NetGalley.
I realize that based on everything I just said, it would sound like I hated the book, but I really didn't. It wasn't painfully bad by any means, but that may be primarily because it wasn't particularly long. I'd probably give it about a 2.5. I think my biggest problem is that it felt like the "story" was really just cobbled together scenes used to connect the sex scenes, and those just weren't original enough to merit the vast quantity of them. But, since they were the only time the characters talked to each other, I guess that's why we needed so many.
I received this ARC from NetGalley.
January 4, 2015
3.5
I was happy to read this one to finally get closer to an ending. I will say that through just about the entire book I was right there with Rachael. Oh, there were things that were driving me nuts about Merrick. I mean, how can he be so stupid, and just an idiot!?? I mean I get why he was in love with his new daughter and wanted to do everything he could to make her happy and keep her in his life. He would give anything to be able to try and make up for missing so much of her life.
There are a few things that happen that just left me at a loss. Rachael is not a mean person and that drove me nuts because I wanted to scream COME ON!!! Just beat someones ass RIGHT NOW!!! But she would take the high road and it kind of drove me crazy.
There are some things that happen that just leave you thinking WTF? I know I was.
The only issue I had was that there is something that happens that it kind of felt like after that it was a quick end. It just didn't feel completed if that makes sense. It felt like a rushed ending. I think there could have been more added to make it feel more complete, but that's just my opinion. I just felt like the build up was good, it had pulled me in and I was looking forward to where things were going than boom, something happens and that's that.
I was happy to read this one to finally get closer to an ending. I will say that through just about the entire book I was right there with Rachael. Oh, there were things that were driving me nuts about Merrick. I mean, how can he be so stupid, and just an idiot!?? I mean I get why he was in love with his new daughter and wanted to do everything he could to make her happy and keep her in his life. He would give anything to be able to try and make up for missing so much of her life.
There are a few things that happen that just left me at a loss. Rachael is not a mean person and that drove me nuts because I wanted to scream COME ON!!! Just beat someones ass RIGHT NOW!!! But she would take the high road and it kind of drove me crazy.
There are some things that happen that just leave you thinking WTF? I know I was.
The only issue I had was that there is something that happens that it kind of felt like after that it was a quick end. It just didn't feel completed if that makes sense. It felt like a rushed ending. I think there could have been more added to make it feel more complete, but that's just my opinion. I just felt like the build up was good, it had pulled me in and I was looking forward to where things were going than boom, something happens and that's that.
April 8, 2014
This is book 3 in the Give and Take series by Kellie Maine. Despite it being ages since I had read the last book I very quickly got into the book.
This story is back on to Merrick and Rachel. Merrick really wants to get to know his daughter Nadia, however when Nadia joins Merrick and Rachel at Turtle Tear island after sending them on wild goose chase it’s clear that the two most important women in his life are not getting along will Merrick have to choose between the women he loves and his daughter.
This was another great read in the series. It was a fairly quick read and it have very quick paced. The story is told from both Merrick and Rachel’s POV and this helps add to the story. I was surprised that Merrick fell so easy for his daughter lies, it was obvious from the beginning she was playing him. I really didn’t like Nadia character and was please when Rachel started to work out what she was up to. This book has lots of romance, I think Merrick and Rachel work really well as a couple. They have great chemistry.
I am pleased that I had the final novella in the series ready to ready straight after this.
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for honest review
This story is back on to Merrick and Rachel. Merrick really wants to get to know his daughter Nadia, however when Nadia joins Merrick and Rachel at Turtle Tear island after sending them on wild goose chase it’s clear that the two most important women in his life are not getting along will Merrick have to choose between the women he loves and his daughter.
This was another great read in the series. It was a fairly quick read and it have very quick paced. The story is told from both Merrick and Rachel’s POV and this helps add to the story. I was surprised that Merrick fell so easy for his daughter lies, it was obvious from the beginning she was playing him. I really didn’t like Nadia character and was please when Rachel started to work out what she was up to. This book has lots of romance, I think Merrick and Rachel work really well as a couple. They have great chemistry.
I am pleased that I had the final novella in the series ready to ready straight after this.
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for honest review
April 21, 2014
Love, Love, Love this series. Rachael and Merrick's story started so insanely crazy but has ended up with this last book being the sweetest love story ever. I was torn about my feelings for Merrick. I wanted to understand his need to do for his newly found children and his need to love Rachael unconditionally. I could not stand Nadia through this entire book. I just knew she had some type of plan with Merrick's father and her mother. There was so much drama packed into this quick read. Rachael is one heck of a woman because I know I couldn't possibly open my home to my significant others ex no matter how long ago it was. I was definitely expecting the huge plot twist that came at the end. I still can't stand Nadia or her mother. And Merrick's father deserved everything he got plus some. Although, I don't know where it happened but, it did happen. I learned not to hate Joan so much. She was actually someone that Rachael could turn to and Joan actually seemed to be loyal to Rachael for once.
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