Make Me Stay

Make Me Stay #1

by Amarie Avant

Avery Castle carries the weight of a thousand moments of sorrow.
Donavan Hardy carries enough anger for them both.

When they were young, Donavan learned sign language so he could talk to the deaf beauty. He cared, even when Avery’s influential father couldn’t be bothered with her “flaw.”

In spite of things, the bad boy made her fall in love with sound… with music.

They couldn’t have been any more different, but he was always meant to protect her, just like she was always meant to calm his rage.

And then, Avery’s world came crashing down when the love of her life disappeared without a trace, leaving her broken-hearted and pregnant. She loses her baby, the last bit of him she has left, and her world plunges deeper into darkness.
Seven years of hurt, confusion, and pain collide when they are thrown back together. Avery has to decide if the life she’s been living with the sizzling Cuban cop, whom her father approves of, is worth not having Donovan back in her life.
But Donavan is fighting for her forgiveness, to prove that deep-seeded secrets far greater than their love tore them apart.
Donavan will force Avery to return the key to her heart no matter the cost…


***This is a FULL LENGTH, STANDALONE novel
Make Me Stay is complete at a little over 80k words... of a heart-wrenching second chance romance that will make you fall in love with Donavan and Avery and root for them. You'll laugh, cry, and fan yourself while reading exactly how hard these two love with each other.
That being said, this novel ends around the 65% mark of your kindle. For your further enjoyment, an additional second-chance BWWM romance has been added as a thank you for your support***

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Interracial Romance, Second Chance, Contemporary Romance, Disability, Audiobook

382 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 29, 2018

About the author

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Amarie Avant focuses on writing romantic suspense, contemporary romance, dark romance with the occasional redeemable anti-hero.

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Reviews

[Syndi · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

Nothing is click with me. The characters, the story, the plot, and also, Avery is suppose to be deaf right? But why the author makes it like she can hear fine.

Never mind. I am shelving this book under DNF.

2 stars

[Afrikka · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried

Seriously I tried to read this book but it was a hot mess. The story is disjointed many of the plot points that she mentions early on, she throws away and doesn't really connected later in the story. The main couple of the story doesn't make sense I mean there's literally no real connection between them and you can't understand why other than the fact that they were childhood first loves that she would leave her good man for him. And then there's a point at which the quote good man quote starts to think he'd kill her if he couldn't be with her. It doesn't really make sense for the character it only makes sense for as a plot device as to why she would leave him for Donovan. This is the second book that I tried to read from this author, that book had many of the same issues, well as far as I could get through that story before I just couldn't read another ridiculous word and I have no idea how her books have so many positive ratings...I'm seriously perplexed. This author it definitely gets a never again from me.

[MARQUETTA · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the premise but the execution was not that great. I loved the idea of a deaf heroine but the way the author wrote her was so inconsistent. Avery learned to read lips in order to be able to communicate as well as sign language. At the beginning of the book, the author wrote that Avery loved the sound of Salvador's, her bf, accent. How is that possible? Avery was born deaf so she has no idea what a Cuban accent sounds like.

I would have appreciated more flashbacks to Avery and Donnie's (ugh hated that nickname) relationship as teenagers. I wasn't invested in them reconnecting and the emotional turmoil that it took. I could have cared less. It seemed like this book was going to have a love triangle but it seemed like the author decided in the middle of writing that she didn't want to and decided to make Salvador a psychopath. Cause of course we cant' have Avery be the bad guy by breaking up with her boyfriend of 2 years when her old flame is back in town.

I skimmed a lot of this. There were plot inconsistencies, editing issues. This book was hard to read. One phrase that kept taking me out of the story is when the author would say that a character was pawing someone's face. I have no idea why she didn't use the word 'caress'. Pawing is not romantic and not sexy. Humans don't paw. Animals do.

I wish this book was better.

[Laurie]

The premise was interesting, but the MC is deaf and one minute, she's listening to the birds chirping on the trees or remember her ex boyfriend's voice, and then the next, she's sad because she wished she could hear her actual boyfriend's laugh.

[Coco.V]

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[Cherryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful second chance story!!!

My heart just ached for Avery Castle and Donovan Hardy. They both had been given a raw deal by scheming parents who thought they had their daughter's best interest at heart but ended up breaking her. She was practically dying of a broken heart, missing the two people that she loved more than life itself. Without them, there was no reason to live. She hated her father for what she believed he did. She knew that her bourgy parents only wanted to keep up societal appearances.

Several years later, Detective Salvador Esparza came into Avery's life and helped her heal. She was grateful for his love and she did love him but she was not in love with him. That was a good thing because he was hiding dangerous secrets. When she realized that Donovan Hardy was back in town, her relationship with the detective was over.

Both AC and Donnie had lots of healing to do and it was only the kind of healing that only being with each other could accomplish. They renewed their youthful bonds and promises to each other and the promise they both made to Avery 's great granny Franny. Her mother's ancestral Baudelaire Plantation home held wonderful loving memories for both Avery and Donovan and they vowed to return it to its former glory so they could have their own HEA there.

Amarie wrote a heart wrenching love story about two young lovers being torn apart by plotting and manipulations. Each one lived in their own personal hellish prison for awhile. The only thing that saved them and giving them back their lives was their reconnection with each other. The story was well written with a plot that kept me guessing what was going on. The script was entirely flipped with the antagonist that started Avery's heartbreak turned out to be someone else. I really enjoyed reading this book and just loved Avery and Donovan 's love. Their chemistry was off the chain hot. Great job Amarie!

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me

This book got a lot of good reviews so I gave it a chance. Not what I expected at all. Nothing against the writing it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

***********************SPOILER ALERT***************************
This a story about young love between Avery and Donovan. The story starts with Avery giving birth to a baby who she is told doesn’t survive. She believes that her father poisoned her and caused her to lose her child. Cut to Avery now in a relationship seven years later (she’s twenty four) dating a man named Salvador. She’s not in love with him just going thru the motions bc she’s still in love with Donovan who left her seven years earlier. Donovan happens to see her while he’s shaking some old man down bc he’s now hired muscle and comes to her defense and that’s how they reconnect. While she doesn’t technically cheat on Salvador, you know she wants to. She ends things with Salvador and jumps into bed Donovan. Turns out Salvador, who’s a cop, is a sociopath and has killed a woman previously for breaking his heart. He kills a man to frame Donovan for it. I think the author didn’t know where to go with this story bc there’s a lot going on and none of it was good in my opinion. To top it off the child never died. There’s drama between Avery and her father. Problems with her brother. Crazy Salvador, Donovan the wannabe thug, and rebuilding of an estate.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm being really generous by given a 2* to this book. The storyline made no sense, I tried to find a connection through it all and couldn't. The author kept on jumping from point a to b without a link between them. Very disappointed, and read it to the end because I kept hoping at some point in time it would make sense. But it NEVER did!

[Arlena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Make Me Stay
Author: Amarie Avant
Publisher: A.A.
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:

"Make Me Stay: A Second Chance Romance" by Amarie Avant

My Thoughts...

I found this story was beautifully written love story of Avery and Donovan. Who would have thought that a 7 and 8 year old falling in love would amount to anything, however it was for these two. What happened as these two grew older and with one having to leave the area [being ripped apart by her upper crust family] before being informed about her pregnancy will definitely put quite hedge in this story as a lots of things will happen. So, for 7 years Avery has had a lots going on in her life [losing the baby] and now out of the blue Donavan is back. A little background Donovan [the bad boy] had been a abused foster child and finally adopted by the Hardy's and Avery was born deaf, from a rich family with lots of issues. What I found unique about this story was how well Donovan learned sign language so that he could 'teach her how to hear and feel the music' and this was something this Avery's father had not done[learned to sign].

Will these two be able to pick up where they left off? Well, I will say this storyline, characters, emotional read, great dialogue where you will find yourself laughing and even shedding tears along with the hot love scenes will keep you turning the pages to see what is coming next. So, what will Donovan do after learning of Avery's pregnancy?

Will Donnie and Avery be able to overcome the 'lies, layered deceptions, suspenseful drama, secrets and a psychopath' for them to finally get second chance in their HEA? Now, this is one of those stories where I don't want to spoil too much for you other than saying you will have to pick up "Make Me Stay" and read it because there will be so many twist and turns that this author will take you on. I will say be ready toward the end of this story for that secret that finally comes out that will really blow your mind. It definitely left me thinking did this person go to far? Oh, well to find out pick up this read to see for yourself in this touching story.

[SassafrasfromAmazon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rather liked this book. While Donavan (WM) was rough around the edges and grew up in foster care & group homes, his love for Avery (BW) was unquestioned. Avery, on the other hand, grew up in a wealthy political family and was deaf from birth. They had been best friends since Avery was 7 years old and Donavan was around 9 or 10. I loved their history, but hated the deceit and treachery of those who sought to sabotage and tear apart the relationship between Donnie & Avery. This story was gut-wrenching at times, and I was really riveted to this book. I found no inconsistencies in the story regarding Avery's deafness. She could only feel vibrations, she signed and was adept at reading lips.

What I loved about Donavan most was his willingness to stand up to anyone who threatened Avery, or attempted to manipulate her, including her father. Here is is passage between Donavan and Mr. Castle which I think beautifully illustrates the heart and character of Donavan:

“Shit, Mr. Castle [Avery’s father], I had you pegged for a man so consumed with status. But here you are, considering your daughter’s welfare over how other peers of yours perceive you [sarcasm anyone?] I’ll have to reevaluate my lack of respect for you. Now, get this clear.” He stepped closer to the man. “Avery is as precious as a flawless diamond to me. And as you can see, I ain’t no wealthy man. So, I’m rich in love. You have my word that I not only love, care for and deeply admire your daughter, but you and I are on the same team. Just like you’d threaten a man for hurting her, I’d murder a motherfucker over her”.

Yeeeessssss!

[Marion Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was such a disappointment.

There is a fine line between erotica and porn. This book was padded with page after page of drawn out sex scenes and no plot. The conversations go on and on for chapter after chapter, and this girl is supposed to be deaf! I expected so much that wasn’t delivered. Sal was a stalker and physical abuser who came up with the idea to have her walk in on him sexing him someone else. Her Dad being the former head of the FBI and just accepting Donovan. His criminal ties. Give me a break! Give me one great book with suspense and sex like Mallory Monroe, Tiana Laveen and Theodora Taylor do on a regular basis. If you have an epilogue, the story is done. It doesn’t mean I have to pay for three more padded books to get a decent book. I’m done with this couple.

[ILoveToRead]

SKIP IT-
Here's my Succinct Review

[Nene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a ARC for my honest review and I loved it. This was a amazing story heartache and second chances. On top of that dealing with a sociopath. I would recommend this book. My only critique is it ended to soon.

[Alexia Mcdavid-Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just recently heard of you (Amarie Avent)and your novel (Make me stay)is the first one of your books I read. I got back into reading when 50shades came out, so I've read A LOT of these kinds of novels so E.L James, Sylvia Day, Kristen Ashely, Zane, Tara Sivec, Tabatha Vargo, Abbi Glines...etc. First off thank you for writing a novel where the African American family is well established also the main character is a black FEMALE, not a black male that loves outside his race. Don't get me wrong I love reading about a powerful white, black or Latin billionaire male, but it was great to relate to Avery in some small way when reading this novel. I don't want to give too much away for those that have not read the book yet, but this book was great to read loved how the epilogue ended the romance, the chemistry between them, the suspense and how it concluded...you have now been added to my book list of Authors to read all the new books you have already out and coming out in the future...Thank You!

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Avery and Donnie’s love for each other!

I really enjoyed reading this book. There were some grammar errors and I had to read the sentence a couple times, but I don’t feel that it took away from the story. The ending wrapped up pretty quickly, I would’ve love to see how Avery and Donnie’s relationship with DJ developed. I also loved that the neither Avery and Donnie were perfect... I’ve never read a book about a deaf character so that appealed to me.

[Sheena Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

It was a good read, but I truly wished that Salvador paid for the crime he committed to the other woman. Like, Sondra's father could've been easily brought into the storyline just as he was about to hurt AC.

[Natashia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous surprise.

This is definitely a Amerie must read. Make Me Stay ended up being way more than I originally thought. Donavan and Avery’s love story was very sweet but so complicated. Throw Salvador the psycho in the mix and boom I was hooked.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listen To Your Heart

Bad boy meets Good girl how many times have we read this story? But there was something different about these two. They met when they were young and built an everlasting friendship which turned in to love. Cue the music. Donovan a foster child who's been abuse most of his young life until he's adopted by the Hardys. Avery born deaf and into a rich family. Donovan learning sign language for her and teaching her how to hear and feel the music. There was so much in this story. I would recommend it.

[Ashley Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!!

Always a pleasure reading your works ms. Amarie. An hea that was a joy to read. Keep the good works flowing.

[Alicia Washington · Rating 1 out of 5]

That's it. I can't take it anymore. When I have to keep stopping to go back and reread something because things aren't making sense, it's a problem. But when I start laughing in the middle of what I assume was supposed to be a suspenseful scene because what is happening is so ridiculous and farfetched, I just have to stop reading. Enough is enough. I'm usually too lazy to write reviews, so a book has to be superbly written or a turd for me to write one. Guess which one this is?

SPOILERS BELOW

So the premise of this story--good girl & and bad boy fall in love as kids and are separated by her rich and powerful father--isn't original by any means, but there's a reason it has become a trope. It works. The main characters, Avery and Donovan, had potential. Avery is deaf (more on that later) and Donovan acted as her protector when they were kids. Unfortunately, the characters' early relationship wasn't fully fleshed out. We were told, not shown, who and what they were to each other. Too much, "Remember the time we did this or that?" I wish the author had allowed us to experience their early relationship more.

Telling and not showing is a major flaw in this book. We are told that Alexander, Avery's father, is a powerful and ruthless man. Is the reader brought to this conclusion by reading about his exploits? No, we know because Avery compares her dad to Papa Pope from Scandal. We never get to experience any of Alexander's nefarious deeds; we only hear about them from either Avery or Donovan after the fact.

The book is inconsistent as well. Avery's deafness is written in such a weird way. She describes loving her boyfriend Salvador's accent, but how does she know he even has an accent? Then she's wondering how Donovan's chuckle sounds. It sometimes read as if the author kept forgetting Avery was deaf.

Let's go back to Salvador, one of the major problems with this book and the character who sent me here to write this review. After years of being without Donovan, Avery ends up with Salvador who is described as a great guy. Out of the blue, he starts having homicidal thoughts about Avery leaving him. When she finally does dump him, we find out that he killed the last woman who left him. Salvador--who is a cop, by the way--tries to frame Donovan for murder. Then (and this one takes the cake) he tries to make Avery suspicious of her father by sneaking into the house and spiking her tea with... cinnamon. I kid you not. CINNAMON. Avery is deaf, but her sense of smell and taste are just fine. I cannot believe that Avery had never been exposed to CINNAMON in her life, and yet when she tasted the tea she freaked the hell out, saying that her tea tastes funny. I'm leaving a couple things out, like how she previously believed her dad had done that once before and she ended up in a psychiatric facility, but IT WAS CINNAMON. That was just too much for me. I literally burst out laughing and came straight to Goodreads to leave this review.

I could go on trying to explain how bad this book is, but frankly I've wasted enough time on this book. Please don't read it.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Avery and Donovan have loved each other since they were kids. Avery comes from a privileged family and is a trained pianist. Donovan was a foster kid who never felt like he belonged at the posh private school he attended and often believed he wasn't good enough for Avery. In spite of the many obstacles thrown at them, their feelings for each other never wavered. After being apart for several years, they are desperately trying to hold on to each other and stay together.

This book was on my TBR list for awhile. I finally got around to reading it and was sorely disappointed. I couldn't really put my finger on it but for some reason I couldn't get engrossed in this book. It took me a little over a month to finish it when usually a romance book this length takes me about 3-4 days to complete. The book contained elements that should make for a great novel - suspense, sex, intrigue, violence - but I kept taking breaks from this story because the plot dragged on and on.

It would have been beneficial if there was additional editing to make the story a bit tighter. Certain parts of the plot were convoluted. By the time I got to the end of the book, this story completely went off the rails. Lingering issues that should have been complex and taken time to work through were suddenly tied up in a neat little bow within one scene.

Based on all of the pain the couple went through, I should have felt some type of emotional satisfaction at the conclustion of the book, but I was left feeling indifferent. Actually, I wasn't indifferent. I was relieved that the story was finally over.

Before I started reading this book, I bought the sequel. I can't bring myself to keep reading about these characters and the forced, stilted drama that occurs in their lives. Based on how the first book concluded, I don't think a second book was even necessary.

[Elysa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not to my liking...

I read most of this story but over a period of a couple of months as I had to consistently take breaks. I find the writing style somewhat stilted and the chapters too long filled with unnecessary words. I was able to skip over several sections and still had the gist of the story.
There is so much ugliness and sadness in this story and the good just wasn't enough to get the bad taste out of my mouth.
It just dawned on me that Black Queen..Dark Knight and Fearless are by the same author. I couldn't finish BD/DK but I did complete Fearless barely. That one was so disappointing I didn't bother with Part Two.
Stupidly I purchased The Good Mistress 1 & 2.😕 That was a few weeks ago before I had sense enough to realize these were penned by the same author. I have a soft spot for her probably because I have the same last name. 😊 I don't know when or if I'll read The Good Mistress.
Writing is no small feat and AS puts major effort into her works. Hell..I can't do it!😆 Hopefully I'll come across one I enjoy.

[Camille · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't get past the first chapter. In the prologue, Avery thinks her dad poisoned her but in Chapter 1 she talks about her dad like he's any other overbearing rich dad. I needed some hate or something. The sex was really explicit between her and Salvador, which is fine, as I'm no prude but it came too fast... so did she...

The author says at one point about Avery who is deaf, "A voice that made her flesh burn...". But how would his voice do that when she can't hear? Not my cup of tea so I'm done.

[N.L. Gassert · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book because of its deaf protagonist. You don't see too many deaf leading characters in fiction. Sadly, I gave up at about the 25% mark.

The writing itself isn't bad, but the storytelling is a hot mess. My main issue and the reason I am putting this book aside is the misrepresentation of Avery as a deaf character. There's nothing deaf about her or her life. Sure, her hearing loss is mentioned every now and again, but this is not someone living with profound hearing loss.

Hard pass.

[Chanika R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It takes a WHOLE lot for me to give a really low rating, but I just couldn’t figure out this novel. I didn’t get the couple, didn’t understand the angst, struggled with the family dynamics (all of them), and found myself fighting to keep reading. It was absolutely painful at times - the conflict and the dialogue. I know there’s a second novel in this series, but I don’t have it in me to pick it up.

[Charmer (+ Vibes Only) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had I known this was erotica I would not have read it. I checked out the audio book from the library and didn't realize I own the ebook. It was too much sex for me. I was not interested in any of these characters. Avery's parents are horrible people. Several times I wanted to quit this book but I hate not finishing a book.

[Kandyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually finish books on one setting but this one took me over a week to finish. Everything moved at the speed of a turtle until the end. I am all for a bit of fantasy, but this story was just out there. The twists and turns made no sense but it did get a bit better by the end. I have unlimited so I can read the next story for free.

[Shirley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stayed

Most of the novel was enjoyable. The beginning was attention grabbing. However, the detailed sex scenes did not add to my enjoyment . In order to complete the novel I skipped what I considered to be unnecessary, disgusting sex scenes. Sorry but as the novel is currently I would not recommend it or any follow-up story as a read.

[Mae · Rating 1 out of 5]

How does this book have 5 stars?

I was excited for this book. It was highly rated, good cover, solid story. Then I began reading, and it made me want to cry. The story is all over the place, the writing is bad, the characters are simple. I really wanted to love this book. Don't waste your time.

[P Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story had good bones but really needed an editor. If I could I would give it 2.5 stars the excessively ridiculous way the author gave the main characters a happy ending almost inspired me to give this story 1 star.

It Started pretty well but it dropped off.