What do you think?
Rate this book
The Aces' Sons #4
Craving Lily
I grew up hearing about my parents’ love story. How he’d fought for her when she’d refused to fight for herself. The way she’d fought for him when she’d feared that all was lost.
I wanted that.
But for some reason, I’d always imagined that my love story would be different. That it would be easy.
It wasn’t.
No, our story was intense, and convoluted, and frustrating.
But it was ours.
In the end it all came down to one thing…
I’d loved him since the very beginning.
Even when he wasn’t mine to love.
I wanted that.
But for some reason, I’d always imagined that my love story would be different. That it would be easy.
It wasn’t.
No, our story was intense, and convoluted, and frustrating.
But it was ours.
In the end it all came down to one thing…
I’d loved him since the very beginning.
Even when he wasn’t mine to love.
263 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 27, 2017
137 people are currently reading
497 people want to read
About the author
Nicole Jacquelyn
38 books3,578 followersNicole Jacquelyn started writing before she started elementary school, however she didn’t start publishing her stories until her senior year in college. Today, she’s the author of the best selling Aces Series, Hawthornes Series, Fostering Love Series and Bouchers Series. She loves to read, drinks too much coffee, and lives in Oregon with the coolest children in the entire world and an English Bulldog named Blue.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
December 4, 2018
Low 3 Stars
Sigh.
This was definitely not my favorite in the series by any means. I felt like the beginning had so much potential and so much of the NJ magic I love, but then things started getting rushed and characters starting doing things that annoyed me.
I haven’t had my luck with this secondary series, actually. It’s just missing something that the original Aces series had.
Full(er) review maybe later.
Sigh.
This was definitely not my favorite in the series by any means. I felt like the beginning had so much potential and so much of the NJ magic I love, but then things started getting rushed and characters starting doing things that annoyed me.
I haven’t had my luck with this secondary series, actually. It’s just missing something that the original Aces series had.
Full(er) review maybe later.
October 26, 2017
Warning: spoilers abound.
I love Nicole Jacquelyn’s writing, I really do. But this is the book that I spent several months waiting on?
In that case, I gladly would've continued waiting if the end result meant that we’d get something that at least qualified as a romance.
Craving Lily can be summed up in one word: convenient. I say that, because the reader is expected to overlook serious transgressions on the part of the hero, only for the major conflict to resolve itself far too easily toward the end, and without so much as an epilogue to satisfy curiosity.
The story is told from alternating dual points of view, his and hers, and consists of two parts. At the start of the story, Lily is 16-years-old and suffers from hysterical blindness, after having suffered an emotional trauma on the night her family and friends were gunned down during an innocent family barbeque.
For the past few years, Lily has had a crush on 22-year-old Leo, a member of the Aces’ Sons MC. Prior to the start of the story, Leo had an on-again, off-again relationship with Cecilia, Lily’s older sister, but that doesn't stop Lily from developing feelings for him.
"I’d loved him since the very beginning. Even when he wasn’t mine to love."
Leo and Lily have a really close friendship. They’re best friends. He’s her protector, her confidant, much to the chagrin of Cecelia, whom he is no longer dating. Over time, however, their friendship morphs into something more, with Leo kissing a 17-year-old Lily—a kiss that changes everything for her. Only Leo can’t get over the fact that he kissed a little girl, so, on the night of a party celebrating the fact that Lily has miraculously regained her eyesight, Leo brings another woman to the clubhouse, knowing full well that Lilly will be in attendance, just to send her a message. Devastated and heartbroken, Lily receives that message, loud and clear, and cuts Leo out of her life.
Months later, after continuing to carry on a casual relationship with Ashley, his girlfriend, Leo isn't happy that Lily has iced him out. And just like that, he breaks it off with Ashley, simultaneously making promises to Lily in the process, assuring her that he'll wait for her, that he won't hook up with any more women. Leo and Lily still aren't together, her being a minor and all, but that's where they're headed.
And then Ashley shows up at the clubhouse to announce that—surprise!—she’s pregnant.
Obviously, Ashley’s bombshell spells the end of Leo and Lily’s almost-relationship. Coincidentally, the pregnancy news occurs during the same time Lilly is deciding between which universities to attend. And so, naturally, she chooses a school clear across the country, because what else is she supposed to do? Stick around and play house?
And this is the conclusion to part one of the story.
Okay, look. If Sons of Anarchy has taught me anything, it's that in the MC world, cheating is par for the course, and that women are expected, more or less, to turn a blind eye to infidelity. But this is supposed to be a romance, people. There's no reason for these asshole MC heroes to cheat, whether that behavior is acceptable or not—because, as an avid romance reader, that behavior is unacceptable to me.
Sure, one could argue that Leo didn’t technically cheat, but that depends on one’s definition. Time and time again, Leo disregards Lily’s feelings for him, even going so far as to use them as a weapon against her, on purpose, and constantly throws her age in her face. And not because he doesn’t return those feelings, but because he can’t get over himself long enough to respect the way she feels. But that sure as hell doesn’t stop him from kissing her, from leading her on.
Bottom line, Leo never should’ve gotten together with Ashley. It was a dick move, but then, that’s exactly why he did it—to hurt Lily enough to push her away. And the fact that Ashley was more than okay with being a placeholder for someone else made zero sense to me. What self-respecting woman is going to enter into a relationship, casual or otherwise, with a man who is admittedly in love with someone else? Not only that, but if Ashley and Leo were truly only interested in a no-strings-attached relationship, why the hell did they refrain from using protection?
It infuriated me how often certain characters saw fit to voice an opinion about how Lily should conduct her life in accordance to their standards. It was always something along the lines of, she deserves this, that, and the other, without taking into consideration what she actually wanted—as if she couldn’t possibly know her own mind.
And, also, let me just point out that Poet, Leo’s grandfather, is the very last person who should be handing out advice, as if he’s an expert in the art of relationships, considering the awful transgressions he perpetrated against his own wife—wrongs that took him thirty-plus years to right.
All right, then. Moving on.
Part two picks up two years later, with Lily now living in New Haven, Connecticut, and attending Yale University. There has been no mention of Leo in the interim; he’s excluded from all conversations Lily has with her parents via Skype, text, or what have you. We're even told that she’s managed to avoid him on her trips home.
One day, after Lily attends classes, she arrives home to find her bags packed. Her cousin Rose, who moved to New Haven with her, doesn’t waste any time explaining that Casper, Lily’s dad, was in a terrible car accident back home. When the two arrive in their hometown of Eugene, Oregon, Rose opens up about the rest of the details surrounding the accident. She proceeds to tell Lily that Casper wasn’t alone in the car, as he was driving an inebriated Ashley home from a clubhouse party—yes, that Ashley—when her dad’s SUV was hit by another driver, killing Ashley on impact.
Despite the fact that the news of Ashley’s death was just dropped into her lap, leaving her no time to process, Lily’s family and friends try to shame her for feeling hurt and betrayed—as if she’s not entitled to her feelings—when she finds out that Leo, the club, and even her own family have only good things to say about what a saint Ashley was.
The detached way the narrative navigated around Leo’s personal life, all but excluding the life he made with Ashley, left us with no chance to get to know her. We were told that he and Ashley became the best of friends—partners of a sort, though they weren’t romantically involved, not after Leo ended that part of their relationship almost three years prior. That didn't change the fact that Ashley was an important part of Leo’s life, something we never got to see. And now, suddenly, we’re supposed to care about her? I’m sorry, but there’s something really wrong with that picture.
Don't misunderstand me, I was glad to not have to suffer through intimate moments with Leo and another woman, but the exclusion of that part of his life, especially the aftermath of having a child together, struck me as odd.
In a matter of days, Leo went from mourning the loss of his baby mama—trying to turn that loss into something more, something it most certainly wasn't—to having sexy-times with Lily for the first time, as if he wasn't just questioning how he was going to survive without Ashley in his life.
Ashley was out of the picture—gone for good, this time. And Leo and Lily didn’t waste any time jumping into a relationship. Lily was suddenly bonding with Leo’s son and ready to play house, the very thing that she ran away to escape from two years ago. The way the author dealt with the obstacle that was Ashley, and never mentioned her again after Leo and Lily hooked up, was a little too convenient.
Psst...Ashley, anyone? Remember her?
Leo and Lily's relationship went from point A to point C with nothing in between, but hey, they were together, finally, with Lily having transferred schools to be closer to home. The problem, however, is that the plot over focused on outside conflicts, which didn’t allow the romance enough time to breathe and expand into something believable. It took too long for them to get together—almost the entire book, and that's not an exaggeration on my part—only for the story to end abruptly. There was hardly any page time spent on them as a couple. The anticipation and waiting was rather anticlimactic, if I’m being honest.
And the haphazardly drawn subplot involving the Russians—as well as its rushed conclusion— was so unsatisfying as to not even be worth mentioning.
All in all, I was very disappointed with this one. For a so-called romance, Craving Lily was threadbare, at best.
I love Nicole Jacquelyn’s writing, I really do. But this is the book that I spent several months waiting on?
In that case, I gladly would've continued waiting if the end result meant that we’d get something that at least qualified as a romance.
Craving Lily can be summed up in one word: convenient. I say that, because the reader is expected to overlook serious transgressions on the part of the hero, only for the major conflict to resolve itself far too easily toward the end, and without so much as an epilogue to satisfy curiosity.
The story is told from alternating dual points of view, his and hers, and consists of two parts. At the start of the story, Lily is 16-years-old and suffers from hysterical blindness, after having suffered an emotional trauma on the night her family and friends were gunned down during an innocent family barbeque.
For the past few years, Lily has had a crush on 22-year-old Leo, a member of the Aces’ Sons MC. Prior to the start of the story, Leo had an on-again, off-again relationship with Cecilia, Lily’s older sister, but that doesn't stop Lily from developing feelings for him.
"I’d loved him since the very beginning. Even when he wasn’t mine to love."
Leo and Lily have a really close friendship. They’re best friends. He’s her protector, her confidant, much to the chagrin of Cecelia, whom he is no longer dating. Over time, however, their friendship morphs into something more, with Leo kissing a 17-year-old Lily—a kiss that changes everything for her. Only Leo can’t get over the fact that he kissed a little girl, so, on the night of a party celebrating the fact that Lily has miraculously regained her eyesight, Leo brings another woman to the clubhouse, knowing full well that Lilly will be in attendance, just to send her a message. Devastated and heartbroken, Lily receives that message, loud and clear, and cuts Leo out of her life.
Months later, after continuing to carry on a casual relationship with Ashley, his girlfriend, Leo isn't happy that Lily has iced him out. And just like that, he breaks it off with Ashley, simultaneously making promises to Lily in the process, assuring her that he'll wait for her, that he won't hook up with any more women. Leo and Lily still aren't together, her being a minor and all, but that's where they're headed.
And then Ashley shows up at the clubhouse to announce that—surprise!—she’s pregnant.
Obviously, Ashley’s bombshell spells the end of Leo and Lily’s almost-relationship. Coincidentally, the pregnancy news occurs during the same time Lilly is deciding between which universities to attend. And so, naturally, she chooses a school clear across the country, because what else is she supposed to do? Stick around and play house?
And this is the conclusion to part one of the story.
Okay, look. If Sons of Anarchy has taught me anything, it's that in the MC world, cheating is par for the course, and that women are expected, more or less, to turn a blind eye to infidelity. But this is supposed to be a romance, people. There's no reason for these asshole MC heroes to cheat, whether that behavior is acceptable or not—because, as an avid romance reader, that behavior is unacceptable to me.
Sure, one could argue that Leo didn’t technically cheat, but that depends on one’s definition. Time and time again, Leo disregards Lily’s feelings for him, even going so far as to use them as a weapon against her, on purpose, and constantly throws her age in her face. And not because he doesn’t return those feelings, but because he can’t get over himself long enough to respect the way she feels. But that sure as hell doesn’t stop him from kissing her, from leading her on.
Bottom line, Leo never should’ve gotten together with Ashley. It was a dick move, but then, that’s exactly why he did it—to hurt Lily enough to push her away. And the fact that Ashley was more than okay with being a placeholder for someone else made zero sense to me. What self-respecting woman is going to enter into a relationship, casual or otherwise, with a man who is admittedly in love with someone else? Not only that, but if Ashley and Leo were truly only interested in a no-strings-attached relationship, why the hell did they refrain from using protection?
It infuriated me how often certain characters saw fit to voice an opinion about how Lily should conduct her life in accordance to their standards. It was always something along the lines of, she deserves this, that, and the other, without taking into consideration what she actually wanted—as if she couldn’t possibly know her own mind.
And, also, let me just point out that Poet, Leo’s grandfather, is the very last person who should be handing out advice, as if he’s an expert in the art of relationships, considering the awful transgressions he perpetrated against his own wife—wrongs that took him thirty-plus years to right.
All right, then. Moving on.
Part two picks up two years later, with Lily now living in New Haven, Connecticut, and attending Yale University. There has been no mention of Leo in the interim; he’s excluded from all conversations Lily has with her parents via Skype, text, or what have you. We're even told that she’s managed to avoid him on her trips home.
One day, after Lily attends classes, she arrives home to find her bags packed. Her cousin Rose, who moved to New Haven with her, doesn’t waste any time explaining that Casper, Lily’s dad, was in a terrible car accident back home. When the two arrive in their hometown of Eugene, Oregon, Rose opens up about the rest of the details surrounding the accident. She proceeds to tell Lily that Casper wasn’t alone in the car, as he was driving an inebriated Ashley home from a clubhouse party—yes, that Ashley—when her dad’s SUV was hit by another driver, killing Ashley on impact.
Despite the fact that the news of Ashley’s death was just dropped into her lap, leaving her no time to process, Lily’s family and friends try to shame her for feeling hurt and betrayed—as if she’s not entitled to her feelings—when she finds out that Leo, the club, and even her own family have only good things to say about what a saint Ashley was.
The detached way the narrative navigated around Leo’s personal life, all but excluding the life he made with Ashley, left us with no chance to get to know her. We were told that he and Ashley became the best of friends—partners of a sort, though they weren’t romantically involved, not after Leo ended that part of their relationship almost three years prior. That didn't change the fact that Ashley was an important part of Leo’s life, something we never got to see. And now, suddenly, we’re supposed to care about her? I’m sorry, but there’s something really wrong with that picture.
Don't misunderstand me, I was glad to not have to suffer through intimate moments with Leo and another woman, but the exclusion of that part of his life, especially the aftermath of having a child together, struck me as odd.
In a matter of days, Leo went from mourning the loss of his baby mama—trying to turn that loss into something more, something it most certainly wasn't—to having sexy-times with Lily for the first time, as if he wasn't just questioning how he was going to survive without Ashley in his life.
Ashley was out of the picture—gone for good, this time. And Leo and Lily didn’t waste any time jumping into a relationship. Lily was suddenly bonding with Leo’s son and ready to play house, the very thing that she ran away to escape from two years ago. The way the author dealt with the obstacle that was Ashley, and never mentioned her again after Leo and Lily hooked up, was a little too convenient.
Psst...Ashley, anyone? Remember her?
Leo and Lily's relationship went from point A to point C with nothing in between, but hey, they were together, finally, with Lily having transferred schools to be closer to home. The problem, however, is that the plot over focused on outside conflicts, which didn’t allow the romance enough time to breathe and expand into something believable. It took too long for them to get together—almost the entire book, and that's not an exaggeration on my part—only for the story to end abruptly. There was hardly any page time spent on them as a couple. The anticipation and waiting was rather anticlimactic, if I’m being honest.
And the haphazardly drawn subplot involving the Russians—as well as its rushed conclusion— was so unsatisfying as to not even be worth mentioning.
All in all, I was very disappointed with this one. For a so-called romance, Craving Lily was threadbare, at best.
January 28, 2019
The story has several things that bothered me a lot.
He was the boyfriend of the older sister of heroine and had sex with her for several years. The family sharing the hero's dick is not cool. Yuck!
He had sex with several women and then had a steady girlfriend who was pregnant with his child. Actually the other woman was our heroine, because he dated Ashley officially.
Sex with Ashley was amazing (his words) while Lily had sex only once and was pretty bad. I think it's ridiculous this double standard. If our heroine is beautiful and with a good personality is very hard she stay two years without anybody as long as the hero continues with active sex life.
The authors should give the heroines a good sex life.
My opinion is that Lily should move on with other relationships because hero was not stopped and continued having sex and created a life with Ashley.
I'm glad Ashley dies and our heroine doesn't have to deal with another woman the rest of their lives because of the son of the hero.
A lot of unnecessary drama and that just annoy me.
The series on the first generation was much better, but I'm going to continue reading to see how it ends.
==>Hightlights<==
==Family sharing dick<===
==>sex other womam<==
==>sex other womam sex without condoms
==>another woman gets pregnant<==
==>Thanks to God the other woman dies<==
==>He is a Prince charming<==
He was the boyfriend of the older sister of heroine and had sex with her for several years. The family sharing the hero's dick is not cool. Yuck!
He had sex with several women and then had a steady girlfriend who was pregnant with his child. Actually the other woman was our heroine, because he dated Ashley officially.
Sex with Ashley was amazing (his words) while Lily had sex only once and was pretty bad. I think it's ridiculous this double standard. If our heroine is beautiful and with a good personality is very hard she stay two years without anybody as long as the hero continues with active sex life.
The authors should give the heroines a good sex life.
My opinion is that Lily should move on with other relationships because hero was not stopped and continued having sex and created a life with Ashley.
I'm glad Ashley dies and our heroine doesn't have to deal with another woman the rest of their lives because of the son of the hero.
A lot of unnecessary drama and that just annoy me.
The series on the first generation was much better, but I'm going to continue reading to see how it ends.
==>Hightlights<==
==Family sharing dick<===
"things might be different if I was super fucking lucky. I’d lost my virginity to her older sister, which was all sorts of fucked up, no matter how you looked at it, and I knew her dad and brother would never be happy if I tried to get in with their little princess."
“That girl’s always carried a torch for you,” he said as I grabbed a beer and sat down next to him. “Even when you were with her sister.”
==>sex other womam<==
Leo was standing near the bar with a very pretty blonde.
It all came down to Leo, and I knew it and hated it. His girlfriend’s name was Ashley. She was blonde, gorgeous, and nice. I fucking hated that she was nice. I hated that everyone seemed to like her, even his mom. I hated that he seemed to come up in conversation, even though I did my best to avoid any mention of him.
==>sex other womam sex without condoms
felt a bit like an asshole any time we’d been together. The sex was off the charts hot, and we’d had a good time, but I’d never been fully there with her, and I was sure she’d been able to tell.
“I swear to God, I was on birth control. I had an IUD, you know? They put it in and it was supposed to work for like five years. They said it would work.” Black edged at my vision and I shook my head to clear it. No. No fucking way.
“You’re pale as your mother,” he said. “Never thought I’d see that happen. You okay?” “Ashley’s pregnant,” I replied. I saw his fist come at my face in slow
==>another woman gets pregnant<==
“What did you do?” I asked, my eyes beginning to burn. “What did you do, Leo?” “I love you.” “What did you do?” “Ashley’s pregnant.” “No, she’s not.” I shook my head. “I didn’t know,” he said, his voice pleading. “I swear, I didn’t.” Everything inside me quieted to nothing.
==>Thanks to God the other woman dies<==
Jesus, I couldn’t believe that she was gone. I couldn’t imagine my life without Ashley in it.
==>He is a Prince charming<==
“That was because I love you, you stupid bitch,” he screamed, making my head jerk back in surprise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2019
3,5 - 4 stars... I could do with some more books in this series... I would love to read Rose's book, she is all kinds of awesome ;)
Review to come... one day
Review to come... one day
May 2, 2017
I've come to the conclusion that these second generation Craving books just can't measure up to the original bunch (looking you Poet .... be still my beating heart, because that story slayed me!) The feels, the pull, the draw, the gut wrenching angst, the delicious romance is just missing and Craving Lily was no exception.
I read for the romance, and not getting together till virtually the very last page is sadly not my idea of romance. I can't even say there was push and pull in this one, there wasn't much of anything and to me it felt rather one dimensional ..... even the grand suspense drama that wasn't fizzled out in a pfft! There was rather too much filler and nowhere near enough action.
I'll keep on reading these in the hope of catching back up with previous characters and seeing them living their HEA's because we're not getting that at the end of each book, and also because I really do like NJ's writing - I'm guessing it's just this follow on series that's not working for me.
2.5(ish) stars
I read for the romance, and not getting together till virtually the very last page is sadly not my idea of romance. I can't even say there was push and pull in this one, there wasn't much of anything and to me it felt rather one dimensional ..... even the grand suspense drama that wasn't fizzled out in a pfft! There was rather too much filler and nowhere near enough action.
I'll keep on reading these in the hope of catching back up with previous characters and seeing them living their HEA's because we're not getting that at the end of each book, and also because I really do like NJ's writing - I'm guessing it's just this follow on series that's not working for me.
2.5(ish) stars
July 25, 2021
POSSIBLE SPOILERS:
Sometimes I wonder if authors actually read their own books before they publish a series. Did this one have no purpose other than to get this long-awaited book out?
Why else would she sell her diehard fans who love ROMANCE (which this is NOT), a book filled with such unfortunate tropes? (Not that I see many of them complaining seeing as how this has a 4.15 average in GR).
And it's not even a matter of our expectations being too high because of the anticipation.
It's like she made a list of the worst plots and scattered them around. I'm convinced she wrote part 1, left it because she got bored or writer's block or RL got in the way of things, as is natural in anyone's life. But when she got to part 2 and forgot what she started in book 1, produced something in a flurry of roughly thrown together scenarios
The Hxh, who for most of the book hardly spend time together. don’t even belong together.
If he got his head out of his ass, he would’ve realised earlier on how much he cared for the ow but NO, we (and him, after she is conveniently killed off) must wait until later to find that out. It’s like the h is thrown in for shits and giggles. And a convenient lifelong babysitter for his and the OW's kid, of course. We can’t not have THAT plot device.
Everything about this book pissed me off: characters from the previous series felt different, the H was a thoughtless handsy drunk creepo who slept around without condoms, and was hung up on his ex-gf, THE HEROINE'S sister - all this while ogling everything in a skirt; the h was superfluous in terms of a love interest; the OW, who has such a big part in the book is mostly off page. Then it just...ends...in the middle of it all...no closure, not that I needed it at that stage because I'd given up on them by then
NTS - neaten review
Sometimes I wonder if authors actually read their own books before they publish a series. Did this one have no purpose other than to get this long-awaited book out?
Why else would she sell her diehard fans who love ROMANCE (which this is NOT), a book filled with such unfortunate tropes? (Not that I see many of them complaining seeing as how this has a 4.15 average in GR).
And it's not even a matter of our expectations being too high because of the anticipation.
It's like she made a list of the worst plots and scattered them around. I'm convinced she wrote part 1, left it because she got bored or writer's block or RL got in the way of things, as is natural in anyone's life. But when she got to part 2 and forgot what she started in book 1, produced something in a flurry of roughly thrown together scenarios
The Hxh, who for most of the book hardly spend time together. don’t even belong together.
If he got his head out of his ass, he would’ve realised earlier on how much he cared for the ow but NO, we (and him, after she is conveniently killed off) must wait until later to find that out. It’s like the h is thrown in for shits and giggles. And a convenient lifelong babysitter for his and the OW's kid, of course. We can’t not have THAT plot device.
Everything about this book pissed me off: characters from the previous series felt different, the H was a thoughtless handsy drunk creepo who slept around without condoms, and was hung up on his ex-gf, THE HEROINE'S sister - all this while ogling everything in a skirt; the h was superfluous in terms of a love interest; the OW, who has such a big part in the book is mostly off page. Then it just...ends...in the middle of it all...no closure, not that I needed it at that stage because I'd given up on them by then
NTS - neaten review
July 20, 2021
I don't know if the reason that I read the original series years ago but this spin-off doesn't work for me the same..this was amazing beginning a five-star read but after something happened and the twist was so those things were all too convenient..ending felt rushed too & no real epilogue. I like this world and the family bonds. Usually, second-generation spin-offs are tedious but I love the characters so I am not sad for reading it but I wish I loved it more.
2,5⭐
2,5⭐
April 29, 2017
1.5 stars - since it had a good start, and it had Cody and Farrah in it
I have re-read all of the old school aces craving books more than 10 times, and I still cannot figure out how all of the kiddy books wound up so rushed and unsophisticated, and unfortunately Lily was no different. I feel as though it needed at least 150 more pages. Still liked the story, but this is getting old, these books that are so close but no cigar. I will think long and hard before I pick up the next book in the series, just because I believe that the story has gone stale.
I have re-read all of the old school aces craving books more than 10 times, and I still cannot figure out how all of the kiddy books wound up so rushed and unsophisticated, and unfortunately Lily was no different. I feel as though it needed at least 150 more pages. Still liked the story, but this is getting old, these books that are so close but no cigar. I will think long and hard before I pick up the next book in the series, just because I believe that the story has gone stale.
avoid
April 30, 2017I finally see Rejane's point about sibling's sloppy seconds!
There are exceptions to the rule. I.e His Secondhand Bride by Cheryl St John.
But in general it IS indeed pretty disturbing!
There are exceptions to the rule. I.e His Secondhand Bride by Cheryl St John.
But in general it IS indeed pretty disturbing!
August 22, 2019
3.75 stars
i love this author. she's an auto buy and one of my all time faves. i also love this mc family, have since the start. would have easily 4 or 5 starred this book but it wrapped up too suddenly. just felt so rushed towards the end. so much was going down and i was all wrapped up in the story and then bam! ended. to me it deserved more. our couple didn't spend enough time AS a couple. they deserved more. i still enjoyed the story, it had all elements of a nicole jaquelyn read. she is a master of drama and angst, two of my book loves. i can't wait for more from her, little bits sprinkled within to tease us with whats maybe to come. dont get me wrong, this was great and i couldn't put it down but i just feel the end was too rushed. i wanted to see lily and **** loved up more. i'm cheesy, what can i say? its a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things i suppose but it left me wanting more and not so much in a good way where you just can't let go.
i love this author. she's an auto buy and one of my all time faves. i also love this mc family, have since the start. would have easily 4 or 5 starred this book but it wrapped up too suddenly. just felt so rushed towards the end. so much was going down and i was all wrapped up in the story and then bam! ended. to me it deserved more. our couple didn't spend enough time AS a couple. they deserved more. i still enjoyed the story, it had all elements of a nicole jaquelyn read. she is a master of drama and angst, two of my book loves. i can't wait for more from her, little bits sprinkled within to tease us with whats maybe to come. dont get me wrong, this was great and i couldn't put it down but i just feel the end was too rushed. i wanted to see lily and **** loved up more. i'm cheesy, what can i say? its a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things i suppose but it left me wanting more and not so much in a good way where you just can't let go.
no-way-jose
May 2, 2017Ohhh... this review!!!!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
October 26, 2024
What in the world was this? It's almost like Nicole Jacquelyn forgot she writes romance. This was Lily's story and it was disappointing as hell. So anticlimactic. Past characters making a complete 180 on how they usually act. Tommy and Heather from previous book are now only bf and gf when they're actually legally married. Farrah, Lily's mom just acts like a bitch. Everyone in the reviews mad at Leo. I wasn't. He wanted Lily to stay. She chose to leave after finding out his ex f*** buddy was pregnant. And good for her. But he wasn't excited at all. His first reaction was his life was ruined and Lily would probably walk away. She did, but they weren't really together. Nothing physical because Casper Lily's dad threatened Leo. So they started to "date" with Casper's consent. Holding hands and stolen kisses. It was kinda sweet because it seemed Leo was all in. She was only 17 and Leo was 21 though. A bit too young you know? So I understood why the author did what she did. But another baby mama ow that conveniently dies? I thought we were about to have Poet and Amy 2.0. No thanks. And Poet giving relationship advice was hilarious. Sit the f*** down you sorry excuse for a man. Lily almost felt like a secondary character in her own book. The characters were not fleshed out. Everything was rushed. She's going to play mommy to Gray Leo's child from Ashley. I think this book had so many missed opportunities and for the plot it was supposed to have was cheapened because it was so short and had so little detail.
Overall this second generation series is kind of sucking. Not going to lie. And where on earth are the epilogues? It's seriously a crime for the reader's. At least for me 😅
Overall this second generation series is kind of sucking. Not going to lie. And where on earth are the epilogues? It's seriously a crime for the reader's. At least for me 😅
June 12, 2019
2.5 stars
Going into this I was very interested in Lily and Leo’s story after seeing them in previous books. The first few chapters of their story were really good and engaging, so I was initially thinking positive things.
Unfortunately, I really disliked the direction this story went in. It was as if all of a sudden one day they loved each other with hardly any realistic development to lead up to those feelings, and things just continued to fall apart for me from there. I once again found this couple severely lacking development, and if the story wasn’t so short/contained enough interactions with previous characters I adore, I likely would have DNF’d it because the lack of development bothered me so much. I felt like i was seeing 20% of the story, and was confused by emotions the couple were claiming to have for one another. The couples arc really just made no sense to me and I wasn’t buying what was being sold. I also actually really did not enjoy how this story ended, and in general that’s left me with a bad taste while writing this review, so I apologize for the negativity.
I’m so sad to admit all the things i disliked about this, because as I’ve stated many times before I really,truly love these characters and the Aces world. If it wasn’t for my love and appreciation for the setting and characters, this as a single read itself would have likely been 2 stars for me.
My favorite this about this was definitely Lily. While
Many elements were poorly developed, by the end I actually felt like I had a good grip on her as a mc and liked what I read.
Even though I didn’t love this as much as I hoped, I still see myself sticking with this series because I’m a glutton for disappointment apparently and am still holding on to a sliver hope that this series will soon contain even half the magic it’s predecessor held for me! Also despite the faults I have generally found in this spin-off, the stories are short, easy reads and entertaining enough, so why not.
Going into this I was very interested in Lily and Leo’s story after seeing them in previous books. The first few chapters of their story were really good and engaging, so I was initially thinking positive things.
Unfortunately, I really disliked the direction this story went in. It was as if all of a sudden one day they loved each other with hardly any realistic development to lead up to those feelings, and things just continued to fall apart for me from there. I once again found this couple severely lacking development, and if the story wasn’t so short/contained enough interactions with previous characters I adore, I likely would have DNF’d it because the lack of development bothered me so much. I felt like i was seeing 20% of the story, and was confused by emotions the couple were claiming to have for one another. The couples arc really just made no sense to me and I wasn’t buying what was being sold. I also actually really did not enjoy how this story ended, and in general that’s left me with a bad taste while writing this review, so I apologize for the negativity.
I’m so sad to admit all the things i disliked about this, because as I’ve stated many times before I really,truly love these characters and the Aces world. If it wasn’t for my love and appreciation for the setting and characters, this as a single read itself would have likely been 2 stars for me.
My favorite this about this was definitely Lily. While
Many elements were poorly developed, by the end I actually felt like I had a good grip on her as a mc and liked what I read.
Even though I didn’t love this as much as I hoped, I still see myself sticking with this series because I’m a glutton for disappointment apparently and am still holding on to a sliver hope that this series will soon contain even half the magic it’s predecessor held for me! Also despite the faults I have generally found in this spin-off, the stories are short, easy reads and entertaining enough, so why not.
March 27, 2025
God, I just really don’t like Lily.
Maybe I’m the only one but who likes someone who fancies themselves better than everyone else?
I’m not here to read about a saint.
Maybe I’m the only one but who likes someone who fancies themselves better than everyone else?
I’m not here to read about a saint.
April 29, 2017
As always i loved this new story out of the Aces clubhouse. The only complaint I have was there was a lot of back and forth. Leo and Lily spent more time apart than together. The ending felt rushed and there could've been a better rounding to the last couple of chapters. It basically just ends. No epilogue or anything. Not feeling the ending of the book like that
I'm hoping Nicole Jacqueline left if like that because she plans on rounding it out in the next book
I'm hoping Nicole Jacqueline left if like that because she plans on rounding it out in the next book
September 6, 2017
Cute
Thats all I can say. But more so I really want to express that this spinoff series is NOTHING like the first. I found all of these books paled in comparison. In this one, the sexy times are few, the endings are rushed and the HEA is practically non- existent.
Thats all I can say. But more so I really want to express that this spinoff series is NOTHING like the first. I found all of these books paled in comparison. In this one, the sexy times are few, the endings are rushed and the HEA is practically non- existent.
May 21, 2017
Loved it. I love this series
May 19, 2017
I actually liked this.
Yes there was an age difference, but the way it was handled was great and sweet. Really liked this. It just ended kind of abruptly, big downside.
Yes there was an age difference, but the way it was handled was great and sweet. Really liked this. It just ended kind of abruptly, big downside.
October 4, 2017
Lovely Lily. If your into this series you know that Lily had been blind since the Russian attack.
If you had seen my review on Trix, I admit I was a bit hesitant going into this book. But I shouldn't have been as it was FANTASTIC!
Loved Lily, loved Leo, loved it all!
I also realised that I missed out Hawk and Molly so I am going to need to get those and read!
You can find all my reviews and book news here at CJR The Brit:
Website: https://cjrthebrit.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cjr_thebrit/
If you had seen my review on Trix, I admit I was a bit hesitant going into this book. But I shouldn't have been as it was FANTASTIC!
Loved Lily, loved Leo, loved it all!
I also realised that I missed out Hawk and Molly so I am going to need to get those and read!
You can find all my reviews and book news here at CJR The Brit:
Website: https://cjrthebrit.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cjr_thebrit/
May 11, 2017
************spoilers*************
Eh. If I hadn't gotten this from KU I would've been really ticked, because I don't think this is worth the cover charge. I really like N.J.'s writing style, superb, really a talented author, and some of her work just blows me away. But this one? Not so much. I didn't see the romance in this. Basically Leo has a stable of women, while "really" loving Lily, but gets one of the other fillies pregnant (sorry for the horsey comparisons), Lily runs (like a race horse, snort, sorry) away for two YEARS, all the while Leo and his filly raise his foal in an unromantic relationship while he whinnies for Lily. Then, the filly gets in a car wreck with Lily's dad (don't ask me how that comes about), Lily races, ;-), home, other filly dies, she (Lily) and Leo get back together (with like maybe one chapter left in the book, slight exaggeration, but not much) and raise Leo's foal (from dead filly) together. The End. No epilogue, no nothin, just.........The. End. It's a stretch to call this a romance because we really never get to see Lily and Leo together romantically. But hey, at least we didn't have to listen to Poets excuses, right? Oh wait, yes we did. (Sorry for all the parentheses ;-))
Eh. If I hadn't gotten this from KU I would've been really ticked, because I don't think this is worth the cover charge. I really like N.J.'s writing style, superb, really a talented author, and some of her work just blows me away. But this one? Not so much. I didn't see the romance in this. Basically Leo has a stable of women, while "really" loving Lily, but gets one of the other fillies pregnant (sorry for the horsey comparisons), Lily runs (like a race horse, snort, sorry) away for two YEARS, all the while Leo and his filly raise his foal in an unromantic relationship while he whinnies for Lily. Then, the filly gets in a car wreck with Lily's dad (don't ask me how that comes about), Lily races, ;-), home, other filly dies, she (Lily) and Leo get back together (with like maybe one chapter left in the book, slight exaggeration, but not much) and raise Leo's foal (from dead filly) together. The End. No epilogue, no nothin, just.........The. End. It's a stretch to call this a romance because we really never get to see Lily and Leo together romantically. But hey, at least we didn't have to listen to Poets excuses, right? Oh wait, yes we did. (Sorry for all the parentheses ;-))
May 1, 2017
3.5 stars... huh... kind of disappointed
I have loved this series. It grown and matured and now we are getting the kids love stories. My point of contention with this book is that it was a great build up and then seemed to escalate quickly and then done... seemed like I worked forever for the tipping point and the euphoria was like 2 seconds! The ending was whack!
I have loved this series. It grown and matured and now we are getting the kids love stories. My point of contention with this book is that it was a great build up and then seemed to escalate quickly and then done... seemed like I worked forever for the tipping point and the euphoria was like 2 seconds! The ending was whack!
April 29, 2017
Another Fantastic Aces' Style Romance
This is one of those stay up all night until I finished it books. It was a beautiful love story. I loved Lily and Leo even when they were being so annoying. Family. True love. Aces perfect storm. This one had it all.
This is one of those stay up all night until I finished it books. It was a beautiful love story. I loved Lily and Leo even when they were being so annoying. Family. True love. Aces perfect storm. This one had it all.
May 2, 2017
I really liked this book I thnk it was my fave so far from the aces sons but oh how i wish it would have been longer i feel like there story was so short it just ended I needed so much more. More time together more time with Grady just a lot more.......
May 12, 2022
Ultra slow burn. Unrequited love. Sister’s ex. I probably shouldn’t have read ceecee’s book before this one 🥴 made me not like Lily as much. Still cried though. Also, wtf with that super abrupt ending. Even seeing these two in future books since I started out of order didn’t give me any warm fuzzies.
May 20, 2017
Really not sure where all the two and three star reviews came from on this book! Was it different from the others in the series? Yes! But, in my opinion, it is every bit as good as every Craving book I have read. Maybe better because the story was so intense. It kept me interested from beginning to end!
I loved Lily and Leo. They have both gone through a lot in their lives, but come out the other side stronger and better people. Theirs is a relationship that is built over the span of their lifetime and, in the end, will be stronger for the time it took for them to finally get their HEA!
I look forward to the next book in this series!!!!
I loved Lily and Leo. They have both gone through a lot in their lives, but come out the other side stronger and better people. Theirs is a relationship that is built over the span of their lifetime and, in the end, will be stronger for the time it took for them to finally get their HEA!
I look forward to the next book in this series!!!!
May 3, 2017
I have mixed feelings on this book. Leo loves Lily but because she's young, hurts her on purpose by getting another girlfriend. This is after he kisses her. He could have waited a few months ok she was 18 or had a long distance relationship for the two years she was at school. Instead he breaks her heart and rubs it in her face on purpose. Then when he finally pulls his head out of his ass he gets the ultimate bomb dropped on him from the girlfriend. Ugh. Saw that coming. I hated that he did that .he never should hVe been with Ashley EVER! He did that to himself. I loved that she left his ass and lost her virginity at school. I hate when they save it while the guy is whoring around. What happens after is tragic, but again, I just hated that Lily felt she needed to apologize. Why???? She was the wronged party. She left for good reason. He was an asshole. He got himself into a completely avoidable situation and had no one but himself to blame. Hurting lily and breaking her heart in the process. It ends like you expect, a HEA, but he was a douchebag. I will say, he did break up with Ashley when lily finally spoke with him 3 months later and says she won't be around him because of Ashley. But, again, wtf? He knew it hurt her the whole time and kept doing it. He should have never been in that relationship at all. Ugh. Okay. That's my review. Some people LOVED it.... all the big stars and whatnot. I just can't stand stupid men. I wanted someone to really show her true love, adore her from start to finish. But, I guess that would make a boring book. I liked the storyline with the other couples and there were not catty club whore types so that's good. ( I'm not counting the sister, Cecelia. She was a jerk at first ). 3 stars HEA
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2017
I've enjoyed this series and felt like I waited so long for Lily's story. This is why I'm disappointed with Craving Lily and I'm sad that I feel this way. 😔
There's insta-love, slow burn, and almost romance. This felt like an almost MC romance to me. Almost but not quite. And it's not just the romance factor that was disappointing to me, it's how the problems were presented and solved. The problem dragged on until almost the end and then bam! All's good and it's the end.
Maybe there's another book for Lily and Leo? I hope so.
I want to have another book for them and not just read about how life's turning out for them after FINALLY being in a relationship as a substory to another characters' books.
There's insta-love, slow burn, and almost romance. This felt like an almost MC romance to me. Almost but not quite. And it's not just the romance factor that was disappointing to me, it's how the problems were presented and solved. The problem dragged on until almost the end and then bam! All's good and it's the end.
Maybe there's another book for Lily and Leo? I hope so.
I want to have another book for them and not just read about how life's turning out for them after FINALLY being in a relationship as a substory to another characters' books.
May 8, 2017
I love this author and this series is so good.
This is one of those series that you start the book and you can't put it down and before you know it you have finished the whole book in one go!
I hope there is more of this series!
This is one of those series that you start the book and you can't put it down and before you know it you have finished the whole book in one go!
I hope there is more of this series!
May 13, 2017
I had really high hopes for this book, and there were great moments but all in all, it felt a bit rushed. Even years after the Russians attacked the Aces' at the BBQ, there were still consequences, Lily remained blind. She learned to live with her blindness, and Rose became her eyes. I have to say that I absolutely loved their relationship, they loved and supported each other no matter what just like Farrah and Callie. Leo, dated Cecilia on and off for years, and it was hard to see how she turned out, pitting him against Doc's son and the thoughts that Leo had. But he always had a soft spot for Lily and they got along pretty great, and they only had a six year age gap. Cecilia left, and little by little Lily's eyesight came back until one morning she woke up and could see clearly. She goes to the clubhouse to tell Leo and they end up kissing and he kicks her out of his room. This is where shit was getting tricky, they should have sat down and talked about him being 23 yrs old and her being 17 yrs old and things not really working out for the time being. But no, he lashes out, she gives him the silent treatment, he starts bringing some chick to the club and things just get complicated. But when Casper, Lily's dad gives him the ok to start kind of be with Lily, he cuts things off with the girl he was seeing and Leo and Lily kind of start dating without sex because she is still 17. But of course things don't always go as planned and some shit goes down and Lily moves to Connecticut to go to Yale and Rose goes with her, because they will never be apart. Couple yrs later, they go back home when Casper gets into an accident and Lily is there for Leo and they kind of pick up where they left off. It was good that they never stopped loving each other but, I wish we had more, more details about their rekindled relationship, more sex scenes between them, cause we only got one and it sure as hell wasn't enough. The relationship felt rushed, they were barely together before, and she comes back and kind of jump right back in without any sort of courtship. I'm happy that Leo and Lily got their HEA but I wanted more, the parents' books were longer and way more detailed and the only people from the new generation who had a fully developed book and realized relationship were Trix and Cam, Molly did nothing for me and Hawk was ok. I enjoyed the book because I love these characters no matter what and I hope whoever's book is next gets fully developed.
May 23, 2018
4.5 stars. The first generation series (The Aces) is one of my all time favorite MC series. This author can write some controversial stories that either you love or don't like. Fortunately I have liked them all. I usually don't do well with second generation series because it's hard for me to realize that the babies I read about are now grown. But this series is the exception to that rule. I guess you could read this as a stand alone but the story is so much richer if you know Lilly's back story. Leo is six years older than her and the same age as her older sister. Leo has always had a special feeling for her, even as a young child, because of her former blindness for years. The older sister leaves home when Lily is a very young teenager. Sex between Leo and the sister was well before any romantic relationship developed between Leo and Lily. Once Lily and Leo cross over to a romantic relationship Leo pledges to not have any other women.
Unfortunately Leo's former girlfriend turns up pregnant from sex before he gets romantically involved with Lily. Lily is 17 years old and can't handle the situation. She cuts off all contact with Leo and goes away to college. No contact for over two years
Lily knows she has always loved Leo but she's immature in so many ways and adjusting to a new life is hard on her. Leo has his own baggage and problems to deal with.
I loved catching up with all of the characters from the previous books and I liked the fact that Leo and Lily don't have sex until much later in the book. Their relationship has a lot of barriers and my heart broke for both of them. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because I felt like the book ended abruptly. There is a HEA and IMO no cheating.
Unfortunately Leo's former girlfriend turns up pregnant from sex before he gets romantically involved with Lily. Lily is 17 years old and can't handle the situation. She cuts off all contact with Leo and goes away to college. No contact for over two years
Lily knows she has always loved Leo but she's immature in so many ways and adjusting to a new life is hard on her. Leo has his own baggage and problems to deal with.
I loved catching up with all of the characters from the previous books and I liked the fact that Leo and Lily don't have sex until much later in the book. Their relationship has a lot of barriers and my heart broke for both of them. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because I felt like the book ended abruptly. There is a HEA and IMO no cheating.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews