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The James Family #2
No Way Out
Simon James doesn't get serious with women because work takes priority, but what happens when a bubbly blonde bounces into his life? He must have her and no amount of running away is going to stop him from claiming what's his.
Emmy Watts had no intention of falling in love with a stranger at first sight, but that's the best thing about love. It strikes us unexpectedly. She falls head over heels for him, but when she sees how different their backgrounds are she feels unworthy of him and his lifestyle. Like a thief in the night she sneaks away, but will that stop Simon? No because for her there's no way out.
Emmy Watts had no intention of falling in love with a stranger at first sight, but that's the best thing about love. It strikes us unexpectedly. She falls head over heels for him, but when she sees how different their backgrounds are she feels unworthy of him and his lifestyle. Like a thief in the night she sneaks away, but will that stop Simon? No because for her there's no way out.
106 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 15, 2016
53 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
March 16, 2016
I swear these books are like crack to me. I enjoyed this one better than the first. I wonder if the next is going to be Simon and Susie?
November 9, 2016
3.25 ALMOST ALPHA STARS
So I think I have to stop re-reading my CM Steele Books here, cause this one was not as good as I remembered it.
In this story we have the brother of Cam from Book one named Simon. He is the oldest and honestly he is the most insensitive. He sees Emily (Nathalie's best friend and Cam's wife) at her university grad, and apparently falls hard.
Just like Cam, he is going to claim his woman and make her his! However, unlike Cam he just goes back home and wait for her to come to the wedding before doing something about!
I don't like that!
Now here are Some of the reasons I think the hero Simon was insensitive:
1- He had just broken up with his girlfriend via text a few minutes before! He text her:
Look, it’s over. You texted me yourself. Sorry, but no takebacks. I’m glad because it saved me the trouble of doing it in person—like an adult. So long. Don’t text me again.
2- At the wedding he complimented and kissed another woman
Quote:(Please Note this is NOT the heroine)
"I walked up to a beautiful blonde and slid my hand onto her waist. Andy turned and hugged me. “My, don’t you look handsome. You clean up well.” “You look beautiful, too.”
3- When she drinks too much at the wedding, he still has sex (all three types) the following day. Without giving her a chance to recover or be in her right mind here! Btw Yes she is a virgin!
4- His sister makes fun of her the following morning and he allows her to leave the table without taking issue with his sister.
THAT WAS NOT COOL!
Now the story was a short one with very little real drama and one minor misunderstandings, so that's good. And the hero really is protective and loving towards the heroine! Also, the heroine really seems to love the hero.
LOVED THAT!
In general, this was an enjoyable and stimulating short story about insta-love. It's sweet but despite the editing improvements (when compared to the first one here), this book was NOT as good as the first one to me. The story was less developed and the characters were very flat for me.
GOOD BUT NOT GREAT!
Safety: she is a virgin and he is experienced. No cheating, very little Drama, some pushing from the heroine and some pulling from the hero. No condoms.
So I think I have to stop re-reading my CM Steele Books here, cause this one was not as good as I remembered it.
In this story we have the brother of Cam from Book one named Simon. He is the oldest and honestly he is the most insensitive. He sees Emily (Nathalie's best friend and Cam's wife) at her university grad, and apparently falls hard.
Just like Cam, he is going to claim his woman and make her his! However, unlike Cam he just goes back home and wait for her to come to the wedding before doing something about!
I don't like that!
Now here are Some of the reasons I think the hero Simon was insensitive:
1- He had just broken up with his girlfriend via text a few minutes before! He text her:
Look, it’s over. You texted me yourself. Sorry, but no takebacks. I’m glad because it saved me the trouble of doing it in person—like an adult. So long. Don’t text me again.
2- At the wedding he complimented and kissed another woman
Quote:(Please Note this is NOT the heroine)
"I walked up to a beautiful blonde and slid my hand onto her waist. Andy turned and hugged me. “My, don’t you look handsome. You clean up well.” “You look beautiful, too.”
3- When she drinks too much at the wedding, he still has sex (all three types) the following day. Without giving her a chance to recover or be in her right mind here! Btw Yes she is a virgin!
4- His sister makes fun of her the following morning and he allows her to leave the table without taking issue with his sister.
THAT WAS NOT COOL!
Now the story was a short one with very little real drama and one minor misunderstandings, so that's good. And the hero really is protective and loving towards the heroine! Also, the heroine really seems to love the hero.
LOVED THAT!
In general, this was an enjoyable and stimulating short story about insta-love. It's sweet but despite the editing improvements (when compared to the first one here), this book was NOT as good as the first one to me. The story was less developed and the characters were very flat for me.
GOOD BUT NOT GREAT!
Safety: she is a virgin and he is experienced. No cheating, very little Drama, some pushing from the heroine and some pulling from the hero. No condoms.
March 18, 2016
Decent read!
i liked it :)
i liked it :)
February 13, 2017
If you like insta love and an alpha male this book is for you. I loved it! Obsessed OTT hero, sweet heroine and an epilogue 16 years later with 5 kids! My heart melted! Plus the sex scenes were super steamy. 5 stars for sure!
March 18, 2016
Didn't care much for heroine.
May 23, 2016
Decent read. but I think I liked first book better. idk this felt too rushed at times. Don't get me wrong I love instalove but for some reason it didn't work well for me here. I loved the epilogue:)I hope we read about Simon and Susie and since they are young I hope they are each other's firsts everything and stay that way!
safety:I would safe.
in the very beginning simon gf breaks up with him over text. He could care less and it was over for him for 3 months. that was it with that ex. I really don't know why it was thrown in there. I think that was the last time he had sex but it doesn't really say. honestly I think it was longer. He said he had no time for women.
heroine is a virgin. some light ow drama. very light om drama.
I'm assuming he always used condoms before but never with heroine:)
safety:I would safe.
in the very beginning simon gf breaks up with him over text. He could care less and it was over for him for 3 months. that was it with that ex. I really don't know why it was thrown in there. I think that was the last time he had sex but it doesn't really say. honestly I think it was longer. He said he had no time for women.
heroine is a virgin. some light ow drama. very light om drama.
I'm assuming he always used condoms before but never with heroine:)
Read
March 29, 201622% DNF- This reminds me of a Jordan Silver book. Enough said.
January 23, 2019
No Way Out
Simon and Emmy meet for the first time at her college graduation for a very short time. The time after that he can’t get her out of his mind until she shows back up for Natalie and Cameron’s wedding. At that point, he knows he won’t be letting her go.
Emmy has her insecurities!!! She doesn’t come from money like the James’s family and the drama. When her brother needs her, she sneaks out leaving Simon behind.
Can he convince her they are meant for each other or will her insecurities ruin their chances??
-safe read
-h is a virgin
-H celibate after he meets h
-no ow/om drama
-great epilogue (16 years later)
Simon and Emmy meet for the first time at her college graduation for a very short time. The time after that he can’t get her out of his mind until she shows back up for Natalie and Cameron’s wedding. At that point, he knows he won’t be letting her go.
Emmy has her insecurities!!! She doesn’t come from money like the James’s family and the drama. When her brother needs her, she sneaks out leaving Simon behind.
Can he convince her they are meant for each other or will her insecurities ruin their chances??
-safe read
-h is a virgin
-H celibate after he meets h
-no ow/om drama
-great epilogue (16 years later)
April 12, 2016
Another OTT alpha male who knows what he wants and gets it. I read the first book months ago and finally, I was able to read this one now and I enjoyed it!
The story was about Simon and Emmy.
Simon's a workaholic man. For him, work is a priority, never a woman until he met Emmy. He'd been hit by the James freight train of love. Emmy is Natalie's (book 1 h) best friend. He's at the graduation ceremony and there he met her.
Emmy was a little stubborn but Simon taught her a lesson and I understand why she didn't want to rush into a relationship with him
It has an epilogue too, a cute one. He's so possessive and it's fun to read.
SAFETY:
The story was about Simon and Emmy.
Simon's a workaholic man. For him, work is a priority, never a woman until he met Emmy. He'd been hit by the James freight train of love. Emmy is Natalie's (book 1 h) best friend. He's at the graduation ceremony and there he met her.
Emmy was a little stubborn but Simon taught her a lesson and I understand why she didn't want to rush into a relationship with him
It has an epilogue too, a cute one. He's so possessive and it's fun to read.
SAFETY:
April 2, 2016
This is the second book in the James Family series. If you read No Choice then you know Cameron James and his fiancée, Natalie, well this book is about Cameron's older brother, Simon and Natalie's best friend, Emmy. Simon James is in Chicago to attend Natalie's College graduation. He is shocked by his instant attraction to Natalie's friend, Emmy who also graduated. When Emmy goes to Seattle for Natalie & Cameron's wedding she is surprised to see Simon at the airport to pick her up.
March 16, 2016
I love insta love....I insta love it. Simon took one look at Emmy and knew she was his "one" I love that stuff. I enjoy series books. Getting tiny snippets about other couples we've loved is great. There was no cheating, no love triangles, insta love and a hot alpha. I mean seriously what more could you possibly want. Well done Ms Steele!
June 11, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. I was glad to see Simon get his HEA.
March 30, 2016
I really do try to stay positive while reading a book...but this was just a big WTF. I've read multiple books by C.M. Steele but this series is really not my favourite...something about the writing is bothering me and the MCs are so inconsistent..it's literally sex-sans-plot...which I am usually ok with, but this one just was a no-no for me.
I miss the OTT Alphas who loved their heroines intensely, broodingly and showed their love rather than said it. Also the characters' personalities were just so shallow and unattractive, as well as certain scenes nor really realistic )even though nothing about OTTs is realistic but this was just lala land, I swear!)
I am probably going to read more of C.M Steele because I am an OTT addict, but this series wasn't much for me and honestly, I wouldn't recommend it, even for the sex scenes...they weren't that great.
Sorry Steele, maybe next time.
I miss the OTT Alphas who loved their heroines intensely, broodingly and showed their love rather than said it. Also the characters' personalities were just so shallow and unattractive, as well as certain scenes nor really realistic )even though nothing about OTTs is realistic but this was just lala land, I swear!)
I am probably going to read more of C.M Steele because I am an OTT addict, but this series wasn't much for me and honestly, I wouldn't recommend it, even for the sex scenes...they weren't that great.
Sorry Steele, maybe next time.
March 23, 2016
Simon James didn't plan to settle down but when he saw Emmy Watts he knew she was going to be his. Emmy Watts is interested in Simon but can she believe what he is saying about their future?
This was very brisk, I think it needed more build up. Simon wants Emmy, Emmy is worried she is not good enough for Simon and then there is a storyline about Emmy's brother. Had the makings for a really good story but fell a little short.
This was very brisk, I think it needed more build up. Simon wants Emmy, Emmy is worried she is not good enough for Simon and then there is a storyline about Emmy's brother. Had the makings for a really good story but fell a little short.
April 2, 2016
2 or 3? Well the h is kinda silly and so is the plot. But the sex was down and dirty. Ok for a freebie.
October 8, 2019
No Way Out
I never suspected that Emmy's brother was gay, I thought he was just staying in his marriage out of a sense of duty. It was funny seeing Simon go caveman on Emmy's ass. She never stood a chance when he decided she was his.
I never suspected that Emmy's brother was gay, I thought he was just staying in his marriage out of a sense of duty. It was funny seeing Simon go caveman on Emmy's ass. She never stood a chance when he decided she was his.
October 21, 2019
Omg hilarious
So far this is my favorite of the series. It made me laugh and I love that the book. X only written with great characters in an awesome story line.
So far this is my favorite of the series. It made me laugh and I love that the book. X only written with great characters in an awesome story line.
March 22, 2020
Lmmfao
That ending was epically funny.. I stubbed my toe in the bath 😂😂😂 I’m going to use that excuse one day..
That ending was epically funny.. I stubbed my toe in the bath 😂😂😂 I’m going to use that excuse one day..
October 20, 2020
Meh
Idk, It was alright. Nothing stand out about it. The MCs were a bit flat. The steam was detailed but nothing extraordinary. 3/5. There was some a.
Idk, It was alright. Nothing stand out about it. The MCs were a bit flat. The steam was detailed but nothing extraordinary. 3/5. There was some a.
December 27, 2023
Simon will give Emmy No Way Out!
The instant Simon laid eyes on Emmy he knew she was the one for him. Now he just has to convince her that he wants her forever!!
The instant Simon laid eyes on Emmy he knew she was the one for him. Now he just has to convince her that he wants her forever!!
July 2, 2018
Emmy and Simon fall as hard and fast as Natalie and Cameron. This was a quick, fun, sexy read. I loved these characters, the story-line is fun and I enjoyed the writing. Fantastic story C.M. Steele!
March 12, 2017
Blonde on blonde...
That's so rare. The more romance I read the more I notice this actually barely ever happens. Insta love and insta everything, but fun. The epilogue was laugh out loud hilarious. Lol. Seriously for just that it gets a 5. Ha!
That's so rare. The more romance I read the more I notice this actually barely ever happens. Insta love and insta everything, but fun. The epilogue was laugh out loud hilarious. Lol. Seriously for just that it gets a 5. Ha!
January 8, 2017
Not worth it
March 23, 2016
Awful doesn't begin to cover it,No plot,just tons of uninteresting sex.
Uuuugh ;( why can't we give half stars or No stars ?!?!? That was soooo painful to read it should w/Aleve and some chocolate....
Damn.... 1st of all, there isn't really any discernible story it's just a bunch of uninteresting sex scenes ,if you took out all the sex you'd barely have enough for a pamphlet..... 2nd Simon and the gorgeous guy on the cover,I've that yummy guy on many,many covers and sadly he's part reason I was interested, dumb I know just coz a certain is photoshopped on does mean squat about the contents but all I can say is I know I'm not the only who's made that mistake... Simon in the book was the complete opposite of how this guy on the cover looks,the on the cover looks like he's probably a sexy well educated banker/business man,well read and well spoken and intelligent but the Simon in the book ? Well who can I compare him to w/out offending ? Book Simon sounds illiterate,selfish,self absorbed ( meets a woman once and thinks he almost literally owns her) childish,spoilt,deeply ignorant,short tempered and foul mouthed,a convict ? A biker? A ditch digger ? City bus driver ? Truck driver? No assumptions made on anyone those titles might apply to but Simon is an idiot w/all the subtly of a cult leader and sounds like he comes from the family he does or has the job he does about as much as I do.... He made me sick,I've read books where Barbarian is in the title and yet the males treated the females w/100% more respect and would be appalled at how he treated Emmy,who by the was a complete and total doormat and no a very bright one at that..... Aaaaaa Uber close to her brother but can't see he's supposedly gay til she sees him next a guy who is very very openly gay ? Then it's Aha! Your gay? WTH ?!?
Simon and Emmy were both one dimensional and boring but it felt like 90% Simon and just 10% Emmy ,it was like she only existed to F and boss around ;( I loved Cam and Nat's story back when I read it months ago ,I kept asking myself why at the time because it felt soo unlike anything I could see my self truly liking but some hoe I adored it but as bad as Cam could be at times at least there was a story going on with the stalker and all... This was pure I saw you ,your mine come sign on the dotted line... And then F you into oblivion.... Simon made the most Alpha of Alpha wolves look like a wimp but not in a good way,he was just a bully who seemed to need sex like most of us need air ;( off to delete ...
Uuuugh ;( why can't we give half stars or No stars ?!?!? That was soooo painful to read it should w/Aleve and some chocolate....
Damn.... 1st of all, there isn't really any discernible story it's just a bunch of uninteresting sex scenes ,if you took out all the sex you'd barely have enough for a pamphlet..... 2nd Simon and the gorgeous guy on the cover,I've that yummy guy on many,many covers and sadly he's part reason I was interested, dumb I know just coz a certain is photoshopped on does mean squat about the contents but all I can say is I know I'm not the only who's made that mistake... Simon in the book was the complete opposite of how this guy on the cover looks,the on the cover looks like he's probably a sexy well educated banker/business man,well read and well spoken and intelligent but the Simon in the book ? Well who can I compare him to w/out offending ? Book Simon sounds illiterate,selfish,self absorbed ( meets a woman once and thinks he almost literally owns her) childish,spoilt,deeply ignorant,short tempered and foul mouthed,a convict ? A biker? A ditch digger ? City bus driver ? Truck driver? No assumptions made on anyone those titles might apply to but Simon is an idiot w/all the subtly of a cult leader and sounds like he comes from the family he does or has the job he does about as much as I do.... He made me sick,I've read books where Barbarian is in the title and yet the males treated the females w/100% more respect and would be appalled at how he treated Emmy,who by the was a complete and total doormat and no a very bright one at that..... Aaaaaa Uber close to her brother but can't see he's supposedly gay til she sees him next a guy who is very very openly gay ? Then it's Aha! Your gay? WTH ?!?
Simon and Emmy were both one dimensional and boring but it felt like 90% Simon and just 10% Emmy ,it was like she only existed to F and boss around ;( I loved Cam and Nat's story back when I read it months ago ,I kept asking myself why at the time because it felt soo unlike anything I could see my self truly liking but some hoe I adored it but as bad as Cam could be at times at least there was a story going on with the stalker and all... This was pure I saw you ,your mine come sign on the dotted line... And then F you into oblivion.... Simon made the most Alpha of Alpha wolves look like a wimp but not in a good way,he was just a bully who seemed to need sex like most of us need air ;( off to delete ...
August 21, 2016
This book was shorter than the first James Family book (No Choice), but Simon is just as over the top alpha male as his brother Cameron and I love it!
The only thing I'm disappointed in these two books is that both girls - Natalie (in the first book) and Emmy (this book) - both worked hard and graduated from a really good college (University of Illinois), though I don't think their majors were mentioned. However it seems that both girls are just going to be stay-at-home-moms. No offense to stay-at-home-moms, but it seems like they worked so hard and got scholarships to attend college and they are just throwing their degrees away. They may as well have started working right after high school.
I think in the first book Natalie was brought in as Cameron's assistant temporarily and she made some suggestions, but I feel like Cameron could've hired her to work as a financial analyst (since he owns his own investment firm).
In this book Emmy doesn't even seem like she's looking for a job. She stays at her brother's home for 3 weeks and is still unemployed? That doesn't really make sense because she hates her sister-in-law and initially said she's going to try to find a job to get her own place instead living with her brother (whom she loves) and her sister-in-law (whom she hates). When she visits and ends up staying with Simon he should've brought her to work with him instead of leaving her at his family home. Didn't that thought even cross his mind or is he really such a neanderthal that he thinks the girl she stay home. Simon keeps calling Emmy independent, but it doesn't seem like she is.
I think it may be just my perception because my mother worked and I worked hard to get my degree so I could get a good job that I can't even contemplate not working even if I did find a billionaire and didn't need to work. If this happened I would probably think about quitting for about 1 day before realizing I would be bored, but I guess I could read romance books all day.
Still, aside from this one issue, I still really liked this book (and series) and I love reading C.M. Steele's books of insta-attraction and OTT heroes.
The only thing I'm disappointed in these two books is that both girls - Natalie (in the first book) and Emmy (this book) - both worked hard and graduated from a really good college (University of Illinois), though I don't think their majors were mentioned. However it seems that both girls are just going to be stay-at-home-moms. No offense to stay-at-home-moms, but it seems like they worked so hard and got scholarships to attend college and they are just throwing their degrees away. They may as well have started working right after high school.
I think in the first book Natalie was brought in as Cameron's assistant temporarily and she made some suggestions, but I feel like Cameron could've hired her to work as a financial analyst (since he owns his own investment firm).
In this book Emmy doesn't even seem like she's looking for a job. She stays at her brother's home for 3 weeks and is still unemployed? That doesn't really make sense because she hates her sister-in-law and initially said she's going to try to find a job to get her own place instead living with her brother (whom she loves) and her sister-in-law (whom she hates). When she visits and ends up staying with Simon he should've brought her to work with him instead of leaving her at his family home. Didn't that thought even cross his mind or is he really such a neanderthal that he thinks the girl she stay home. Simon keeps calling Emmy independent, but it doesn't seem like she is.
I think it may be just my perception because my mother worked and I worked hard to get my degree so I could get a good job that I can't even contemplate not working even if I did find a billionaire and didn't need to work. If this happened I would probably think about quitting for about 1 day before realizing I would be bored, but I guess I could read romance books all day.
Still, aside from this one issue, I still really liked this book (and series) and I love reading C.M. Steele's books of insta-attraction and OTT heroes.
September 20, 2016
This book was much faster paced than No Choice (and I thought that one was relatively fast paced as is). Simon is most definitely an alpha male. Emmy is an independent woman with no faith in happily ever afters. Simon decides that Emmy is his much like Cam did with Natalie: upon first sight (though he did try and fight it, briefly). While this book doesn't include a character plotting to murder the heroine, it is definitely not without its turmoils. Emmy's brother is married to an absolute b*tch who happens to deplore Emmy's existence. It's when she gets Steven in trouble that Emmy is forced to leave Seattle. Even Simon gets the pleasure of interacting with what he aptly refers to as Emmy's "skank of a sister-in-law". Something I really enjoyed was the glimpse into the future at the end. It is clear that Emmy has 100% learned how to handle Simon, who is just as protective and intense as ever (if not more so). Emmy and Simon definitely find their HEA and the book ends without a cliffhanger. While this book could probably be read as a stand-alone, I would definitely recommend reading No Choice first. This book overlaps with that one and contains some references to it that would be better understood having previously read it. Plus, having read No Choice gives you much more appreciation for what could be referred to as "the James freight train". Overall, this is a quick, enjoyable read.
June 1, 2016
This book was really nice and that was because of the dominating character of Simon and the feisty character of Emmy.....
This was a good read and I really enjoyed it, but I thought that the run would be more intense and more thrilling but it was really short compared to what the blurb had said:(......
I don't about other but I love the thrill when the female character runs away from the male and the male character become very frustrated and angry to find his female
It's always nice to read the chase and the thrill that comes out of it because we get to now how much the male really missed his female
but overall i liked the booka dn it was good
This was a good read and I really enjoyed it, but I thought that the run would be more intense and more thrilling but it was really short compared to what the blurb had said:(......
I don't about other but I love the thrill when the female character runs away from the male and the male character become very frustrated and angry to find his female
It's always nice to read the chase and the thrill that comes out of it because we get to now how much the male really missed his female
but overall i liked the booka dn it was good
March 22, 2016
I had to stop reading after abput 20% in. There was no way I could finish this book.
It started off with the sh!t way the H treated his ex. Ugh! What an immature, conceit ass he was...
It's never a good indication when a man (and I use the term "man" very loosely here), treats his ex with so much disrespect.
Then when he met the h, it was just too immature and too cocky. It made me want to kick him in his glockenspiel. He was just gross.
The h wasn't much better. Immature and insensitive towards her poor brother and "evil" sister in law. The sister in law might be a b!tch, but the way the h spoke and acted was more like a spoilt fifteen year old, and not really helping her brother, who seemed to be having enough martial problems without her adding to it.
Sorry, her selfishness just made it impossible for me to like her - so I gave up.
So many books, and so little time, so why waste it on book characters that annoys you?
It started off with the sh!t way the H treated his ex. Ugh! What an immature, conceit ass he was...
It's never a good indication when a man (and I use the term "man" very loosely here), treats his ex with so much disrespect.
Then when he met the h, it was just too immature and too cocky. It made me want to kick him in his glockenspiel. He was just gross.
The h wasn't much better. Immature and insensitive towards her poor brother and "evil" sister in law. The sister in law might be a b!tch, but the way the h spoke and acted was more like a spoilt fifteen year old, and not really helping her brother, who seemed to be having enough martial problems without her adding to it.
Sorry, her selfishness just made it impossible for me to like her - so I gave up.
So many books, and so little time, so why waste it on book characters that annoys you?
March 19, 2016
I always wondered what happened to Simon and Emmy. It's wonderful to know what happened to them love the story line love the way the James brothers just claim their women lol just fine it funny. can't wait to read it again you are awesome writer thank you I really enjoyed the book. Can't wait to read your next one.
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