Dance with reckless abandon. Pet a snake. Get a tattoo. Have wild, hot sex with a gorgeous stranger.
Recently divorced from her abusive ex, Celeste Harrison is creating a new life for herself, and hot ex-Marine Zane Fagan is perfect for crossing at least one item off her bucket list.
Celeste isn’t Zane’s usual type, but there’s something about her that keeps him coming back for more. In addition to being sweet and incredibly sexy, she’s smart, funny, and when he’s with her, the demons that haunt him are quiet.
It’s all fun and games until her ex tracks her down. Then Zane must decide if he is going to be the man she thinks he is, or the man he was.
Abbie Zanders is a USA Today Bestselling Author with more than 55 published romance novels to date. Her stories range from contemporary to paranormal and everything in between. She promises her readers two things: happily ever afters, always, and no cliffhangers, ever.
Born and raised in the mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania, where she sets most of her stories, she’s known for small town romance featuring golden-hearted alpha heroes and strong, relatable heroines. Besides being an avid reader and writer, she loves animals (especially big dogs), American muscle cars, and 80's hair bands.
3.50-4.0 RATING- This was a cute, sexy read. Just fluff but enjoyable. The end was a bit cheesy but it worked for the mood I was in. I'd recommend for those that enjoy lighter romances with instant attraction and a shorter length.
Note: At the time this review was posted, this book was available to borrow through Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program.
To see other books available to borrow through Kindle Unlimited or SCRIBD, check out the Subscription Addiction group
I just love this kind of story. Easy, sweet and with a touch of steam to it, it was a very entertaining and enjoyable book.
Zane lost his family (parents and little sister) in a very traumatic way. He’s been out of the marines for a couple of months, but he hasn’t recovered from his loss and has been drowning his sorrows in his start-up security consultant business, exercise and any woman who smiles his way. That is until he sees the honey blond Goddess by the pool and he turns into an insecure, mumbling teenager.
Celeste is trying to get a fresh start after some very bad experiences. She’s a slightly socially awkward computer genius (as in builds and programs them) and she has just moved near her mom to rebuild their relationship. She would have never thought an Adonis such as Zane would give her a second look, and although Zane confesses at some point that she is not his usual type, they seem to be meant for each other, arousing feelings they’ve never experienced before.
After the first hook up, Zane can’t stop thinking about her and Celeste is equally affected. Soon they start spending more and more time together. While neither is exactly looking for a relationship, what started out as the best sex they’ve ever had morphs into feelings that can’t be stopped from growing.
I’ve said before, I love Ms. Zanders style and her alpha male leads. Once they find “the one ” they eventually get their heads out of their butts and refuse let her go. Zane stepped up, finally, but it did take him some time to get there. It was so cute seeing this super confident, decisive, alpha soldier fumbling around a hot girl. It made him that much more endearing.
Celeste was the type of h you can connect to even with all her awkwardness. She was constantly battling her demons and trying to better herself and learn from her past mistakes. It was a delight to see her blossom under Zane’s rough but gentle hands… and other body parts...
Not everything is hearts and rainbows. A freaking crazy ex, the need to overcome personal demons and some pretty idiotic male reasoning will stand in their way to a happily ever after.
There was one thing that bugged me a little, and that was the situation with Zane’s family, or more accurately, his apparent lack of closure. By no means am I trying to say he should be over it, but the whole thing felt a little unfinished. Maybe it was just that we don’t get to see him deal with it.
I had Celestial Desire sitting on my kindle for some time and am now kicking my own ass for not getting to it earlier. I loved it.
I love Abbie Zanders !! Her books have so much feeling in them, she brings so much emotion to life you feel like you are the hero or heroine. I love every book I have read by Abbie!
This is a first for me by this author and won't be the last. Overall this was a really good quick read. I enjoyed Zane and Celeste as well as the supporting characters. It was predictable in what would happen to Celeste. I mean we knew that train wreck was going to occur but you COULDN'T look away or in this case stop reading, at least I couldn't. Celeste has had a rough go when it comes to men, well one man in particular. She is a nerd at heart and prefers to be a recluse and work where you don't have to interact with people. I could really relate to her in that respect. Trying to change how she usually acts, she decides to go for a one night stand. Much to her surprise it turns in to SO much more. When her haunted past comes knocking she has to fight for what she believes in and wants. Zane doesn't know what to do. We got to see a bit into his troubled past and I really wanted more. I felt like it was a little glazed over on him divulging his past and secrets to her. I would've loved to have more depth with that respect but am aware that this was a short novella. I was cheering for him as the story went along and wanted him to find his HEA with Celeste. Mitch and Jessica were great supporting characters that brought out the best in both lead characters. Overall this was the perfect sweet novella. There was suspense and drama that you hoped would resolve into a sweet HEA. When Zane made a choice for Celeste I was pissed off! I could kind of understand it but at the same time I was like SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?! I think the main reason this was a 4.5 for me is because I wanted more of the personal deep discussions to go both ways. We had Celeste confide in Zane and it was handled well, but what about him confiding in her. It felt like an afterthought when he glazed over how wonderful she is about accepting all of him. While this was a 4.5 I will definitely be checking out more from this author. The writing style was good and flowed in an easy to read and enjoy way.
One can't help but fall for former Marine Zane Fagan but what is surprising for me is how easily I fell for mild mannered, meek, nerdy geek Celeste Harrison aka Celeste Bradley. Celeste is the total package--a very strong woman. Although because she is an introvert, one would assume she would be waiting for a man to fall into her lap or be too shy to partake in a one night stand with a sinfully hot man who's intentions are crystal clear--hit it and move on!
Celeste has got it going on with a thriving business, a bucket list to make a gal proud, a hot specimen of man and most importantly, a fresh start after her brush with Hell on earth. Celeste was only 22 when she fell for poser James Bradley, and married him only to find out he definitely was not the man she thought he was. Instead she finds him to be a brutal, religious zealot-psycho who sees her as nothing more than property--not a partner.
Fortunately, there is a white knight with shinning armor waiting to rescue our damsel in distress--although if this damsel was packing any lead, I doubt she'd need rescuing...The way Zane and Celeste's relationship starts, "Maybe we can have sex later", lets you know you're in for a fast and furious ride. However, it's not about the sex in this one. The sex scenes are tastefully done (less is definitely more and much sexier than the step by step usual "in and out"). What progresses is a much more interesting heart felt, realistic relationship between two opposites.
The characters are very well written. This is a fun story and will keep you smiling for the most part. There is a point when our hero loses his mind briefly, but lucky for him our heroine knows whats up and makes plans for the future.
Abbie Zanders is a fantastic storyteller and this free Amazon read is one for the book list.
3-3 1/2 stars. I'm a huge fan of this author, and given the title, I thought she broke into the "sci-fi" category--um, I was wrong. However, it was still an easy to read, short, but rather entertaining story. I really enjoyed the couple. It started off as just a "hook-up--routine for the H, unusual for the h, and of course, they can't stay away from each other. There is a lot of sex--especially in the beginning, but I felt the author did a good job "implying" a lot of it, so the story could actually show through. To be honest, I was not crazy about the last third of the story. I was really enjoying the relationship, and liking the characters, but there was an incident with a hospital stay, and I am very confused as to why the H acted the way he did after. Maybe if the story was longer, his character could have been expanded, and I could see things the way he did--but the way it was, I just didn't get it. Also, I really want my H's to fight for the h--even if he has to "fight" her insecurities. That didn't happen here either. I really loved the beginning, just disappointed in the end.
Celestial Desire is another fabulous contemporary romance by Abbie Zanders. Gotta tell you folks, Ms. Zanders has zoomed right up to the nosebleed section of my favorite authors list. Ms. Zanders has again provided readers with a book that once started, you won't want to stop reading until the end. This book is well-written, smooth reading and furnished with lovable, fun characters. Celeste moves close to her mother and works from home. Zane meets Celeste at the apartment pool and she agrees to meet him for coffee. Zane and Celeste's story is packed with drama, humor, sexy bits, action and suspense. I loved every word of this book and look forward to reading more from Abbie Zanders soon. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
Okay, it is official. I am addicted to Abbie Zanders books! After reading "The Callaghan Brothers" and "The Connelly Cousins" series back to back, I knew I just had to find more of Abbie's books. When I found "Celestial Desire," I thought it sounded good from reading the synopsis. It turned out better than I thought. I loved it!!!! Abbie Zanders is a fabulous writer. Her stories pull you in and wrap around your heart with real life issues and amazing characters. I can't wait to go find more treasures from Abbie Zanders to add to my library.
I wasn't sure what to expect. (Though I should know better being a Callaghan brothers fan) luckily this is a book I consider a quick read since I couldn't put it down. The book was mostly about the romance but it did have some action and my heart was in my throat the whole time. Excellent read!
This was a lovely lighthearted read, although it had some domestic abuse around the female lead of Celeste which wasn't so lighthearted. However, Celeste and Zane were a lovely couple who both had some baggage and it was a relatively short romantic story, well written and sensitively done and of course a wonderful HEA. Another great contemporary book by this author.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I don't remember ever laughing and grinning as much as I did over some of the bucket list scenes. The author did a great job of building the characters and the suspense and even managed to fit in how our thinking gets skewed when we think we are doing something good for another but is not always the best. Mainly he had a stupid man moment.
Abbie you've done it again. Zane and Celeste are perfect for each other. He's steong,gentle and protective. She's keatning to be strong.Together you get a never ending love and humor.
Zane and Celeste meet by accident and start a one night stand. It continues onto a few more times. Each one has some baggage they are carrying but reluctant to tell each other. Feelings get involved. Very good story.
Celeste and Zane are so cute. Celeste was trying to just work on a bucket list. Zane was just the man for the job. Coffee, Kurig,and condoms made for a wonderful start to a great adventure. Loved it!
Two honourable souls each healing from a painful history. Add great physical chemistry, a villain who gets his comeuppance and you get a MOST satisfying read!
A beautiful and well written novel. I felt the strong connection between Zane and Celeste in every way. The development of the storyline engaging in the drama and promised ending was perfect!
What a charming romance! Celeste and Zane are so right for each other despite gaving experience with uglier side of life. They just made me smile. He gave her what she was missing in life...fun. she gave him purpose and her goodness filled his soul.
Love this author and this is a great read. Strong heroine and alpha hero. Both have suffered losses and seen violence in their lives. Good storyline. Hopefully Mitch and Jessica can get their own story. Highly recommend.
I enjoyed the book but I also love Abbie Zanders. This book has a great storyline that engulfs you from the first few pages. I thought that Zane and Celeste had a HEA.
This is a great realistic story. It was an easy read with realistic events even if some of them are somewhat disturbing. Great story line and characters.