Locked… Locked is just one of those books that takes you high, takes you low, and yet, somehow, manages to keep you smiling the whole damn time you’re reading it.
Do you know what I mean? I hope for your sake that you do, because it is—for me, at least—the BEST way to read a book. You feel the feels. You cringe and you worry. You get angered and frustrated. You hate to see the characters you’ve fallen in love with struggle. But, through it all, you know you’re reading something special, something overflowing with GOOD feels too—happiness, love, romance, SEX, content—and it’s just…
Amazing.
That was what this book was. It picks up immediately after the ending of the stellar Aced, and gets moving. It was a pleasure to be back with Ace and Dylan, to finally find out what the fallout of their relationship would amount to—to find out if they’d make it. It was a thrill to see them face their detractors, to look to each other to find something necessary and beautiful, to lean on each other when the going got tough.
And it did. It did get tough. And yet, I felt so freaking good about the way the story was going. I was confident I would be left a smiling, giddy, excited mess. Which, if it isn't obvious, I WAS. I was amused, I could NOT stop grinning, I was turned the fuck on.
But mostly, I was just happy. Happy to be back with Ace, who I've loved, LOVED since Hooker, and Dylan, who is an absolute Daydream. Happy to see some of my favorite people pop in, amuse and advise, and just generally be a reward for a loyal and loving reader of this dream team of authors. Happy to have read Locked.
So, yeah. It took me high. It took me low. And it took no time at all to finish this book, and decide I needed MORE. ~ Beth, 5 stars
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I’m a bit at a loss for words—the huge grin on my face after finishing Locked pretty much speaks for my feelings on this amazing book by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine.
Picking up right where Aced left us readers hanging, Ace and Dylan are now outed and dealing with the ramifications thereof. But they’re doing it together. And it’s hard, very hard *that’s what he said* on both of them. Especially with the challenges of balancing life with rabid paparazzi, curious co-workers, limelight-loving family members, and curious friends.
But what I really and truly love about Ace and Dylan is that they’re LIVING… not hiding. Trying to get through every day—and all the challenges that life throws at them. And they’re doing it together. Life is real. Life is disappointing. Life is heartbreaking. Life is life. But with each other, life sure as hell is worth living and living well, and I can’t wait to see where their road leads them next. ~ Missy, 5 stars isn’t enough…
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So, there I sat—dangling out on a cliff after finishing Aced. I was nervous and a little afraid of where this story was heading, and desperate to know what happened next. I was sickly, hopelessly in love with Ace Locke and Dylan Prescott, and the adorable, tender, dead sexy relationship they had formed with each other. But I knew that they were at a crossroads, a pivotal point in their relationship where the wrong move (or hell, the wrong word) could spell disaster. My heart was in limbo, my mind completely jarred by that abrupt dead end and then...Locked.
Locked is—well, it's the best, most fantastic, gentlest, realist, most heartwarming, giant-goobery-smile-making, perfectly cushioned landing from that cliff Ms. Blaine and Ms. Frank left me hanging on. It was the best. It's not all smiles and swoons (though there are a heap ton of those)—there were some incredibly heartbreaking moments along the way. But this story defined the relationship between Ace and Dylan, and y'all? PresLocke are #RelationshipGoals for real.
They're not perfect, but they're perfect for each other and their entire relationship made me so freaking happy I'm having a hard time using my words here—this is where I just devolve to *flails* and *squeals* because, GAH! So much love.
And, in case you were wondering… Still dead sexy. Maybe even sexier because of all the feels and the evolvement of their relationship. The whole thing just worked for me. It more than worked for me—it made me so super happy, which is the exact way I want to feel at the end of every book I read. And now? Now my heart is just greedy. I thought this would be the end and yet, here I sit hungry for more of this fantastic series. ~ Shelly, 5 stars