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Take Me #1
Liebst Du Mich? (Leidenschaft in Kalifornien)
Der Lust nach sinnlichen Freuden sollte man sich nie verweigern ...Lily Ellis hat weiche, wunderschöne Kurven. Und sie fürchtet, dass Travis Carson, der Mann, den sie stets aus der Ferne geliebt hat, einen so üppigen Körper wie ihren niemals begehren würde. Allerdings wird die zurückhaltende Innenarchitektin aus San Francisco bald eines Besseren belehrt. Lilys Abenteuer beginnt, als sie sich bereit erklärt, für ihre Schwester, die Modedesignerin ist, bei einer Modenschau ein Kleid vorzuführen.Als Travis dieses sinnlich-schöne Model auf dem Laufsteg erblickt, kann er nicht glauben, dass es dieselbe Lily ist, die er seit einer Ewigkeit kennt – und stets abgewiesen hat. Die magnetische Anziehungskraft zwischen den beiden wird zu einem Wirbelsturm und bald stöhnt Lily Travis Namen nicht mehr nur in ihren heißen Träumen, sondern in seinem Bett. Dass sie nicht wie alle seinen früheren Gespielinnen ist, weiß sie jedoch zu genau.Sie ist entschlossen, Travis mit seinen eigenen Waffen zu schlagen und ihre wahren Gefühle für sich zu behalten. Also tut sie sich geschäftlich mit ihm zusammen und reist mit ihm bis nach Italien. In der verführerischen Wärme der toskanischen Sonne spielt Lily mit dem heißblütigen Travis ein Spiel des Begehrens. Wird sie sich in verzehrender Ekstase die Finger verbrennen oder wird Travis der aufregend erotischen und gleichzeitig beständigen Liebe, die sie ihm bieten kann, sein Herz öffnen?*** Leidenschaft in Kalifornien ***Liebst Du Mich?Schenk mir deine LiebeWie schön du bistGib mir mehr von dir*** Flammen der Leidenschaft ***Feuer in meinem HerzenGefährliche Liebe in den Rocky MountainsEin brandheißer Sommer am See*** Die Sullivans ***Liebe in deinen AugenEin verfänglicher AugenblickBegegnung mit der LiebeNur du in meinem Leben Sag nicht nein zur LiebeNur von dir hab ich geträumtLass dich von der Liebe verzaubernDu gehst mir nicht mehr aus dem SinnEine perfekte NachtNur du alleinDeine Liebe muss es seinDir nah zu seinIch mag, wie du mich liebstOhne dich kann ich nicht seinVier Herzen vor dem TraualtarBilder von dirWeil es Liebe ist Die Süße der LiebeDas Beste kommt erst nochLiebe ist kein MarchenWer Liebe sät Irgendwo auf der WeltHalt michMit Leib und SeeleHerzbeben*** Die Sullivans aus London ***Solange ich dich habe*** Bad Boys of Football *** Spiel um allesSpiel der VerführungSpiel der Liebe*** Die Maverick Milliardäre ***Verliebt bis über beide Ohren Liebe ist nur was für Mutige Keine Angst vor der Liebe Keine Chance gegen die LiebeGrenzenlos verliebtIm Bann deiner Liebe„Bella Andre schreibt warme, sexy, zeitgenössische Liebesromane, die mir stets den Tag versüßen. Ihre Bücher zu lesen, ist ein echtes Vergnügen.“ NYT-Bestsellerautorin Maya Banks„Man kann ja nach allem Möglichen süchtig werden, aber nichts lässt mich so schwelgen und nichts fühlt sich so unwiderstehlich an wie ein neues Buch von Bella Andre.“ Rezension von Natasha Is A Book JunkieBella Andres Bücher führten die Bestsellerlisten der New York Times und USA Today an und sicherten sich weltweit viele Male die Nummer 1 unter den b
Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 2005
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About the author
Bella Andre
149 books56.2k followersBella Andre is the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of “The Sullivans” and “The Morrisons” series.
Having sold more than 10 million books, Bella Andre’s novels have been #1 bestsellers around the world and have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists 84 times. She has been the #1 Ranked Author at Amazon (on a top 10 list that included Nora Roberts, JK Rowling, James Patterson and Steven King). Apple iBooks named her one of the "bestselling authors of all time." And Publishers Weekly named Oak Press (the publishing company she created to publish her own books) the Fastest-Growing Independent Publisher in the US. After signing a groundbreaking 7-figure print-only deal with Harlequin MIRA, Bella’s “The Sullivans” series is being released in paperback in the US, Canada, and Australia.
Known for “sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance” (Publishers Weekly), her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine “Red Hot Reads” twice and have been translated into ten languages. Winner of the Award of Excellence, The Washington Post called her “One of the top writers in America” and she has been featured by Entertainment Weekly, NPR, USA Today, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and TIME Magazine. A graduate of Stanford University, she has given keynote speeches at publishing conferences from Copenhagen to Berlin to San Francisco, including a standing-room-only keynote at Book Expo America in New York City.
Bella also writes the New York Times bestselling Four Weddings and a Fiasco series as Lucy Kevin. Her “sweet” contemporary romances also include the new Walker Island series written as Lucy Kevin.
If not behind her computer, you can find her reading her favorite authors, hiking, swimming or laughing. Married with two children, Bella splits her time between the Northern California wine country, a 100 year old log cabin in the Adirondacks, and a flat in London overlooking the Thames..
* * * * * * *
For digital/eBook, audiobook, foreign licensing, conference keynote and press inquiries, please contact Bella at bella@bellaandre.com
Having sold more than 10 million books, Bella Andre’s novels have been #1 bestsellers around the world and have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists 84 times. She has been the #1 Ranked Author at Amazon (on a top 10 list that included Nora Roberts, JK Rowling, James Patterson and Steven King). Apple iBooks named her one of the "bestselling authors of all time." And Publishers Weekly named Oak Press (the publishing company she created to publish her own books) the Fastest-Growing Independent Publisher in the US. After signing a groundbreaking 7-figure print-only deal with Harlequin MIRA, Bella’s “The Sullivans” series is being released in paperback in the US, Canada, and Australia.
Known for “sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance” (Publishers Weekly), her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine “Red Hot Reads” twice and have been translated into ten languages. Winner of the Award of Excellence, The Washington Post called her “One of the top writers in America” and she has been featured by Entertainment Weekly, NPR, USA Today, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and TIME Magazine. A graduate of Stanford University, she has given keynote speeches at publishing conferences from Copenhagen to Berlin to San Francisco, including a standing-room-only keynote at Book Expo America in New York City.
Bella also writes the New York Times bestselling Four Weddings and a Fiasco series as Lucy Kevin. Her “sweet” contemporary romances also include the new Walker Island series written as Lucy Kevin.
If not behind her computer, you can find her reading her favorite authors, hiking, swimming or laughing. Married with two children, Bella splits her time between the Northern California wine country, a 100 year old log cabin in the Adirondacks, and a flat in London overlooking the Thames..
* * * * * * *
For digital/eBook, audiobook, foreign licensing, conference keynote and press inquiries, please contact Bella at bella@bellaandre.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews
May 20, 2012
When I decided to read this book with my reading partner, Laura, I figured I had a 50/50 shot of this being a potentially hot book about a real woman with a real body or this being a really bad book with fat girl porn.
I hoped for the first.
I was sad when it was the latter.
Lily is a size 16. Which, tbh, is normal. It’s probably not the best body ever. But it’s not as if she needs help getting through a door. But according to both her, and the hero in this story, Travis, she might as well weigh 500 lbs.
She is constantly referred to as fat. And Travis is constantly thinking things along the lines of, “I don’t know why I’m attracted to fat Lily.”
Honestly, it turned my stomach.
The final straw for me was when she referred to her dress as a “big tent dress.” Really? Seriously? FLOUNCE. For me, that is unacceptable. I don’t care what message the author was trying to send with this book, but even if she got to a place where Lily (and Travis) accepted her body, the path she chose to get them there was terrible. Awful. And completely unrealistic.
There were other issues with this book. Dildos, rose water, fourteen year old voyeurs and a hero who cries alone at night to name a few.
It was bad. I hated the characters. Lily’s self-loathing and Travis’ infuriating lack of heart. They didn’t make me want to root for them, and because of that, I flounced. Completely. Not even 30% in.
Sad.
1 star.
I hoped for the first.
I was sad when it was the latter.
Lily is a size 16. Which, tbh, is normal. It’s probably not the best body ever. But it’s not as if she needs help getting through a door. But according to both her, and the hero in this story, Travis, she might as well weigh 500 lbs.
She is constantly referred to as fat. And Travis is constantly thinking things along the lines of, “I don’t know why I’m attracted to fat Lily.”
Honestly, it turned my stomach.
The final straw for me was when she referred to her dress as a “big tent dress.” Really? Seriously? FLOUNCE. For me, that is unacceptable. I don’t care what message the author was trying to send with this book, but even if she got to a place where Lily (and Travis) accepted her body, the path she chose to get them there was terrible. Awful. And completely unrealistic.
There were other issues with this book. Dildos, rose water, fourteen year old voyeurs and a hero who cries alone at night to name a few.
It was bad. I hated the characters. Lily’s self-loathing and Travis’ infuriating lack of heart. They didn’t make me want to root for them, and because of that, I flounced. Completely. Not even 30% in.
Sad.
1 star.
February 4, 2012
I chose this book to read because it was on someone's Amazon listmania list of erotic romance with a good plot. Beth Kery's Wicked Burn and Megan Hart's Dirty were both on that list, so I assumed the list author must have similar reading tastes as I.
No.
Very early in the reading I was put off by the writing. Scenes were choppy. Dialogue was unrealistic. But then I learned to there were male twins switching places to "fool" the heroine? OH NO! Please no.
It turns out that the heroine wasn't fooled, however....the writing doesn't improve. The scenes had no continuity whatsoever.
Then....we find out that the heroine has spent her entire life hunching her shoulders to hide breasts that are too big, big blue eyes that are too bright and red lips that are too plump.
You have got to be kidding me?!! What a cliche! Nope. Done.
No.
Very early in the reading I was put off by the writing. Scenes were choppy. Dialogue was unrealistic. But then I learned to there were male twins switching places to "fool" the heroine? OH NO! Please no.
It turns out that the heroine wasn't fooled, however....the writing doesn't improve. The scenes had no continuity whatsoever.
Then....we find out that the heroine has spent her entire life hunching her shoulders to hide breasts that are too big, big blue eyes that are too bright and red lips that are too plump.
You have got to be kidding me?!! What a cliche! Nope. Done.
June 10, 2012
I’m not sure what to say about this one. It started out great, but Lily’s ‘games’ got to be too much and I found myself resenting her and hoping that Travis would call it done and move on. I enjoyed it enough to keep reading because I was hoping it would get better, and will definitely move on to the second book, Love Me. That said, I can’t really say I loved this book enough to read it again or to care about the happily ever after that I’m not completely convinced is happy or ever after. But it was very hot!
July 23, 2011
All of her life Lily Ellis has been fighting with herself to find the confidence she knows is hiding within herself. Her main source of doubt is the one man who she wishes she could have Travis Carson, but he rebuffs her every chance he gets and although Lily has spent years wishing she understood his behavior, she still doesn't.
When his twin asks him to show up at a fashion show pretending to be him, Travis reluctantly agrees to fill in. Travis has never understood his twins loyalty to Lily, but figures that seeing a train wreck in the making could be a source of entertainment. Travis is stunned when he sees Lily coming down the runway, she is a sensual goddess who he desperatly wants. As he begins to see Lily in a new light, he has to wonder the real reason he has been cruel to her over the years, could it be that he was afraid of what she would see.
I thought this was a fantastic read, loved the ugly duckling makeover which I am a sucker for. The honesty of Lily's character was beautifully written. There are some truly funny moments as Travis tries to wrap his mind around the Lily he has never known.
When his twin asks him to show up at a fashion show pretending to be him, Travis reluctantly agrees to fill in. Travis has never understood his twins loyalty to Lily, but figures that seeing a train wreck in the making could be a source of entertainment. Travis is stunned when he sees Lily coming down the runway, she is a sensual goddess who he desperatly wants. As he begins to see Lily in a new light, he has to wonder the real reason he has been cruel to her over the years, could it be that he was afraid of what she would see.
I thought this was a fantastic read, loved the ugly duckling makeover which I am a sucker for. The honesty of Lily's character was beautifully written. There are some truly funny moments as Travis tries to wrap his mind around the Lily he has never known.
October 4, 2012
I had the feeling to have read a similar story ten times over, except usually it had been better.
A brief summary could be : a jerk hunk rich womanizer realizes the sexiness of his childhood friend, who is highly insecure because she's plus-sized. She did not have more personnality characteristic than being a plus-size, with a big heart (can we get more cliché!) and protective about her younger sister (yes!). He's a brilliant architect whose loft was in all magazines; however they decide to buy not build their house. He's young, rich and successful but hires her for a major client without having ever seen anything of her work as interior designer. She leaves her secure job for his undefined project, while she feels on shaky grounds after their own night-stand which could never occur again.
Well the whole plot was lame and full of inconsistencies and other stupidities.
At least, the hot scenes were rather good, especially the first one.
I did not believe in their HEA, outside of bedtime.
A brief summary could be : a jerk hunk rich womanizer realizes the sexiness of his childhood friend, who is highly insecure because she's plus-sized. She did not have more personnality characteristic than being a plus-size, with a big heart (can we get more cliché!) and protective about her younger sister (yes!). He's a brilliant architect whose loft was in all magazines; however they decide to buy not build their house. He's young, rich and successful but hires her for a major client without having ever seen anything of her work as interior designer. She leaves her secure job for his undefined project, while she feels on shaky grounds after their own night-stand which could never occur again.
Well the whole plot was lame and full of inconsistencies and other stupidities.
At least, the hot scenes were rather good, especially the first one.
I did not believe in their HEA, outside of bedtime.
May 22, 2017
So here's the deal. I sort of hated Lily. She was so overly sensitive about her weight, which can be totally understandable. But the fact is, she's not fat. She has cellulite, but I don't actually know of any real person who doesn't have at least a little bit. Really, she's not a size 2, which if we're being honest only a very low percentage of people are size 2 without being fucking starving. She's not even a size 6 which is what a normal skinny person is who is NOT starving. From what I can tell, she's not overweight for her body type. She's just not a fucking size 2. You know who else isn't a size 2? Motherfucking Beyoncé:
Is anyone calling her fat? Probably someone out there is because people are dicks. But is the majority of the population saying Beyoncé is fat and therefore ugly? Fuck no! She's Queen Bey of the bootilicious body!!!
Plus there was the weird "magical dress" which is really a dress that isn't a bag thrown over her. Here's some news for you Lily: NO ONE looks attractive in those dresses. You put that on a skinny girl and they will look at her weird just the same as you because #1: it's hideous, and #2: see #1!!! It also reminded me too much of the magical traveling pants from that book/movie that I didn't read/watch.
Then there was Travis. And he was just so stupidly male that it gives me concerns that there are actual men of his caliber.
The relationship between the two of them was fucked up from the beginning. I don't appreciate these literal bullies being forgiven by these girls who were secretly (and stupidly) in love with them the whole time. I don't like it and I don't get it.
That being said, I do have an exception to this rule, and that is when both parties are mutually hateful toward one another. MEANING the girl gives as hard as the guy gets. That's not so much bullying as it is foreplay.
PS I would like to point out that the cover does not display an overweight person in any sort of capacity. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to know that the woman is an actual size 2.
PPS I don't actually know what any of these sizes mean except that size 2 is about the size of a shower rod. I haven't bought an actual dress in like... ever.
Is anyone calling her fat? Probably someone out there is because people are dicks. But is the majority of the population saying Beyoncé is fat and therefore ugly? Fuck no! She's Queen Bey of the bootilicious body!!!
Plus there was the weird "magical dress" which is really a dress that isn't a bag thrown over her. Here's some news for you Lily: NO ONE looks attractive in those dresses. You put that on a skinny girl and they will look at her weird just the same as you because #1: it's hideous, and #2: see #1!!! It also reminded me too much of the magical traveling pants from that book/movie that I didn't read/watch.
Then there was Travis. And he was just so stupidly male that it gives me concerns that there are actual men of his caliber.
The relationship between the two of them was fucked up from the beginning. I don't appreciate these literal bullies being forgiven by these girls who were secretly (and stupidly) in love with them the whole time. I don't like it and I don't get it.
That being said, I do have an exception to this rule, and that is when both parties are mutually hateful toward one another. MEANING the girl gives as hard as the guy gets. That's not so much bullying as it is foreplay.
PS I would like to point out that the cover does not display an overweight person in any sort of capacity. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to know that the woman is an actual size 2.
PPS I don't actually know what any of these sizes mean except that size 2 is about the size of a shower rod. I haven't bought an actual dress in like... ever.
July 20, 2012
I said it once and I’ll say it again – I am a massive Bella Andre fan and her books take me to my happy place every single time but this is definitely my favourite. I just love when a less-than-perfect heroine gets the sexy guy, it just feeds my hope that not all hunks go only for size zeros.
Lily is a real woman with curves who sees herself as fat while everyone else sees her as beautiful and sexy. Her body image issues prevent her from believing that a gorgeous guy like Travis could ever be attracted to someone like her. Travis is a serial model-dater, all his conquests up to that point have looked like they came from the pages of Vogue and Lily knows that. Never in a million years would she have believed that Travis would find her sexy and desirable. One fashion-show later, one sexy dress and a few glasses of wine too many and Travis is out of his mind with desire for Lily – and he’s not the one that drank the wine! Ok, I won’t pretend that this is not a slightly predictable plot but sometimes that is all that is needed for an enjoyable and stress-free read.
What follows is just hot. I love how free and uninhibited Lily is with her sexuality. She might not like the way she looks but she certainly knows her body and what it likes. I found that beautiful. So many plus-size women who are dissatisfied with their bodies have trouble reconciling their own sexuality with their warped body image and self-esteem issues, but not Lily. The more Travis hungers for her, the more she lets go and becomes everything Travis ever dreamed of. She plays cat and mouse with him in a way because she really finds it hard to accept that he is as attracted to her. What she does not see is that their relationship gradually becomes more than just sexual attraction and they fall in love. We see that in Travis even before we see it in Lily. I really liked how he never saw her size – he always saw her only as beautiful and he felt you’re-my-woman-kind-of possessiveness toward her from the moment they became more than friends. Perhaps he didn’t go about it the right way half of the time but it was entertaining to ‘watch’.
Lily’s ‘issues’ bothered me at times because she was so blind to how men reacted around her. Her ‘self-flagellation’ was sometimes hard to take – I felt like shaking her – but I guess her problems were much more deeply-rooted than I wanted to accept. She was called names while she was growing up, she was considered the fat kid at school and that type of self-hate and embarrassment is sometimes hard to eradicate in oneself. Even with a God’s-gift-to-women lying in your bed. I found it particularly hard to read the gelato-throwing scene in Italy – it summarised Lily’s issues beautifully.
I really enjoyed this book, I even re-read it once. To me it illustrates quite nicely what it means to be a real woman, with a real body and real sexual needs and desires, and how twisted our own perceptions of ourselves can sometimes be. I loved that the heroine was not ‘perfect’ by general standards of beauty. She was a real woman with issues we all share to some degree and she got her dream guy in the end. What more can you really ask?
~ N ♥
http://natashaisabookjunkie.wordpress...
Lily is a real woman with curves who sees herself as fat while everyone else sees her as beautiful and sexy. Her body image issues prevent her from believing that a gorgeous guy like Travis could ever be attracted to someone like her. Travis is a serial model-dater, all his conquests up to that point have looked like they came from the pages of Vogue and Lily knows that. Never in a million years would she have believed that Travis would find her sexy and desirable. One fashion-show later, one sexy dress and a few glasses of wine too many and Travis is out of his mind with desire for Lily – and he’s not the one that drank the wine! Ok, I won’t pretend that this is not a slightly predictable plot but sometimes that is all that is needed for an enjoyable and stress-free read.
What follows is just hot. I love how free and uninhibited Lily is with her sexuality. She might not like the way she looks but she certainly knows her body and what it likes. I found that beautiful. So many plus-size women who are dissatisfied with their bodies have trouble reconciling their own sexuality with their warped body image and self-esteem issues, but not Lily. The more Travis hungers for her, the more she lets go and becomes everything Travis ever dreamed of. She plays cat and mouse with him in a way because she really finds it hard to accept that he is as attracted to her. What she does not see is that their relationship gradually becomes more than just sexual attraction and they fall in love. We see that in Travis even before we see it in Lily. I really liked how he never saw her size – he always saw her only as beautiful and he felt you’re-my-woman-kind-of possessiveness toward her from the moment they became more than friends. Perhaps he didn’t go about it the right way half of the time but it was entertaining to ‘watch’.
Lily’s ‘issues’ bothered me at times because she was so blind to how men reacted around her. Her ‘self-flagellation’ was sometimes hard to take – I felt like shaking her – but I guess her problems were much more deeply-rooted than I wanted to accept. She was called names while she was growing up, she was considered the fat kid at school and that type of self-hate and embarrassment is sometimes hard to eradicate in oneself. Even with a God’s-gift-to-women lying in your bed. I found it particularly hard to read the gelato-throwing scene in Italy – it summarised Lily’s issues beautifully.
I really enjoyed this book, I even re-read it once. To me it illustrates quite nicely what it means to be a real woman, with a real body and real sexual needs and desires, and how twisted our own perceptions of ourselves can sometimes be. I loved that the heroine was not ‘perfect’ by general standards of beauty. She was a real woman with issues we all share to some degree and she got her dream guy in the end. What more can you really ask?
~ N ♥
http://natashaisabookjunkie.wordpress...
May 11, 2012
Take Me has been on my radar and wishlist for a year. I wanted to read this book so bad but I wasn't willing to pay $11.99 for an ebook. I kept hoping that eventually the price would drop and thankfully it finally did! I bought the book and started reading it immediately. And OMG, all I have to say is that reading Take Me was definitely worth the wait!
Lily was friends with Luke and his twin brother, Travis. But when Luke and Travis's mother died, Travis changed. He went from being one of her best friends to being a virtual stranger. Travis ignored her, ridiculed her. Lily grew up always conscious of her weight. As an adult, she doesn't want to be seen so she dresses in ugly, shapeless clothing. When her sister asks Lily to fill in for a model at the last minute, Lily resists. But she is always there for Janica so decides after several glasses of champagne, she won't have any problem walking the catwalk. Travis is in the audience and when Lily struts out onto the stage, he takes notice. He'd never seen Lily look so beautiful and so hot.
Travis and Lily have so much chemistry that it should be illegal. Take Me is smoking hot with some of the best and hottest sex scenes I've read to date. But not only is Take Me extremely sexy, it is also very emotional. Even though Lily is constantly heating it up with Travis, she is very insecure about her size. No amount of extremely hot sex can rid Lily of years of hurt and ridicule. And the person that she loves most was part of that. Lily wants to believe that Travis doesn't care about her size and that he truly likes her for her, but she is constantly on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Lily's low self-esteem and self-doubt was very frustrating. But I understood that growing up feeling unattractive and being called fat takes time to get over. I wanted to yell at Lily, "stop sabotaging yourself!" Just when Lily started to think that Travis was legit and was giving into her feelings, Travis puts his foot in it. This is when Take Me started being more about trust and security and love. I was so emotional while reading the last 25% of the book and my heart broke for both Travis and Lily. Even though they have sexual chemistry in spades, they both had to navigate through emotional landmines in order to realize that they were meant to be together.
I absolutely loved Take Me. When I finished it, I was ready to read it again if only to read one of the hottest bathroom scenes EVER!
Buy Take Me now if you haven't already!
Lily was friends with Luke and his twin brother, Travis. But when Luke and Travis's mother died, Travis changed. He went from being one of her best friends to being a virtual stranger. Travis ignored her, ridiculed her. Lily grew up always conscious of her weight. As an adult, she doesn't want to be seen so she dresses in ugly, shapeless clothing. When her sister asks Lily to fill in for a model at the last minute, Lily resists. But she is always there for Janica so decides after several glasses of champagne, she won't have any problem walking the catwalk. Travis is in the audience and when Lily struts out onto the stage, he takes notice. He'd never seen Lily look so beautiful and so hot.
Travis and Lily have so much chemistry that it should be illegal. Take Me is smoking hot with some of the best and hottest sex scenes I've read to date. But not only is Take Me extremely sexy, it is also very emotional. Even though Lily is constantly heating it up with Travis, she is very insecure about her size. No amount of extremely hot sex can rid Lily of years of hurt and ridicule. And the person that she loves most was part of that. Lily wants to believe that Travis doesn't care about her size and that he truly likes her for her, but she is constantly on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Lily's low self-esteem and self-doubt was very frustrating. But I understood that growing up feeling unattractive and being called fat takes time to get over. I wanted to yell at Lily, "stop sabotaging yourself!" Just when Lily started to think that Travis was legit and was giving into her feelings, Travis puts his foot in it. This is when Take Me started being more about trust and security and love. I was so emotional while reading the last 25% of the book and my heart broke for both Travis and Lily. Even though they have sexual chemistry in spades, they both had to navigate through emotional landmines in order to realize that they were meant to be together.
I absolutely loved Take Me. When I finished it, I was ready to read it again if only to read one of the hottest bathroom scenes EVER!
Buy Take Me now if you haven't already!
April 4, 2016
Wow! What a rush! Andre has written a poignant romance that definitely packs a punch (or three). This author definitely isn’t afraid to turn up the heat in her stories, but at the same time, does so in a way that enhances the plot. And what a plot it is. Andre’s story is simultaneously romantic & heartbreaking, hot & sweet. She threw me for a loop more than once with twists I definitely didn’t see coming. There is a very personal feel to this story. I felt like I was a part of it, rather than simply reading about two people I’ve never met before. Andre made me laugh at and with her characters. She also brought tears to my eyes more than once, both tears of sadness and of joy.
I connected with the female lead from the 1st page. She’s so real and approachable. Her fears and doubts humanize her in a very poignant way. Admittedly, there were times when you just wanted to make her realise who she could be, but seeing her journeying towards that discovery on her own was breathtaking. Coupled with a male lead who’s also learning a great deal about himself, you have a brilliant couple. Not only are they fantastic in the present, but their combined histories add a great deal to who they are today. I really enjoyed the fact that these characters have heart. These characters’ emotions are palpable. Their chemistry is unforgettable.
This was a fantastic novel by a fantastic author. She combines the best of all worlds in a fantastic package. I’d highly recommend it to those looking for a romance that turns up the heat.
I connected with the female lead from the 1st page. She’s so real and approachable. Her fears and doubts humanize her in a very poignant way. Admittedly, there were times when you just wanted to make her realise who she could be, but seeing her journeying towards that discovery on her own was breathtaking. Coupled with a male lead who’s also learning a great deal about himself, you have a brilliant couple. Not only are they fantastic in the present, but their combined histories add a great deal to who they are today. I really enjoyed the fact that these characters have heart. These characters’ emotions are palpable. Their chemistry is unforgettable.
This was a fantastic novel by a fantastic author. She combines the best of all worlds in a fantastic package. I’d highly recommend it to those looking for a romance that turns up the heat.
July 7, 2013
.5
Okay, a size 16 is really not that big on the Big Girl scale. Now if the author said she was a size 22 and up, okay then she is Big and Beautiful, but that is not a conflict, nor does it make a story. So many have done this trope and many far, far better than this author. A beautiful curvy girl, who doesn't know she is sexy, pining for her long lusted after high school jock frenamie. Bad writing, bad spelling, bad plot, just bab, bad, bad. I didn't like the main characters, they were stereotypes. Lily was boring and the hero was an immature ahole.
Get an editor, proofread, proofread, proofread and study creative writing.
Okay, a size 16 is really not that big on the Big Girl scale. Now if the author said she was a size 22 and up, okay then she is Big and Beautiful, but that is not a conflict, nor does it make a story. So many have done this trope and many far, far better than this author. A beautiful curvy girl, who doesn't know she is sexy, pining for her long lusted after high school jock frenamie. Bad writing, bad spelling, bad plot, just bab, bad, bad. I didn't like the main characters, they were stereotypes. Lily was boring and the hero was an immature ahole.
Get an editor, proofread, proofread, proofread and study creative writing.
May 23, 2012
HOT! Take Me... oh Travis can take me for sure. I absolutely LOVED this book.. until the very end, it's not that it was bad because it wasn't, it was just a little corny and I wanted Travis to hear what had been said so he could take a stand and tell those ignorant people how it's going to be.
Full Review...
http://lorisbookblog.blogspot.com/201...
Full Review...
http://lorisbookblog.blogspot.com/201...
April 29, 2012
This overpriced book was horrible. I was so disappointed with both main characters in this story. Lily who is overweight, has low self esteem, extremely naive and pretty much a doormat is a bad representation of what a plus sized heroine should be. She was too stupid beyond words when it came to Travis.
Sigh...Travis was a jerk and pathetic. He was such a wishy-washy character. He married the woman and then was ashamed of her in the next paragraph. He didn't deserve Lily. At the end of the book, I actually didn't care, these two really deserved each other. I've read Bella Andre's work in the past, this was a let down. She missed a few details she mentioned in the beginning of the book as she got deeper in the story. I noticed this once before in her football series (which is better BTW).
The only reason why I gave it two stars instead of one is because there aren't as many romance novels featuring plus sized leads (which is why I think most readers actually gave it stellar ratings). The plot was great, the writing was sub par. Also for such a high price, the formatting and editing could have been better.
Sigh...Travis was a jerk and pathetic. He was such a wishy-washy character. He married the woman and then was ashamed of her in the next paragraph. He didn't deserve Lily. At the end of the book, I actually didn't care, these two really deserved each other. I've read Bella Andre's work in the past, this was a let down. She missed a few details she mentioned in the beginning of the book as she got deeper in the story. I noticed this once before in her football series (which is better BTW).
The only reason why I gave it two stars instead of one is because there aren't as many romance novels featuring plus sized leads (which is why I think most readers actually gave it stellar ratings). The plot was great, the writing was sub par. Also for such a high price, the formatting and editing could have been better.
August 3, 2013
Listened to on audio. Narrated by Grace Grant and Ian MacLaren.
The audio performance was excellent. I've got some other audio books narrated by Grace Grant and she's brilliant as always. Perfect pacing and such a lovely voice to listen to. Ian MacLaren was also fabulous and I'll definitely look out for more books narrated by him.
Unfortunately I wasn't keen on the book. Travis' complete change of personality is too much. Has he had a lobotomy? He was really too vile in the beginning to then have such a polar swing in the opposite direction - I just couldn't believe it.
I didn't really feel that I had a fix on Lily's character either. Again, the shift in her character was just too much. One minute she's like a teenager with the whole 'I'm fat, no one likes me, I'm so ugly...' and then she masturbates in front of Travis in the most bizarre thing I've ever read 'Oh, I'm probably dreaming, I know, let's masturbate...'
It was enjoyable-ish, but I wouldn't read it again and probably wouldn't recommend it. There's so many far better books that it's not worth wasting time on.
The audio performance was excellent. I've got some other audio books narrated by Grace Grant and she's brilliant as always. Perfect pacing and such a lovely voice to listen to. Ian MacLaren was also fabulous and I'll definitely look out for more books narrated by him.
Unfortunately I wasn't keen on the book. Travis' complete change of personality is too much. Has he had a lobotomy? He was really too vile in the beginning to then have such a polar swing in the opposite direction - I just couldn't believe it.
I didn't really feel that I had a fix on Lily's character either. Again, the shift in her character was just too much. One minute she's like a teenager with the whole 'I'm fat, no one likes me, I'm so ugly...' and then she masturbates in front of Travis in the most bizarre thing I've ever read 'Oh, I'm probably dreaming, I know, let's masturbate...'
It was enjoyable-ish, but I wouldn't read it again and probably wouldn't recommend it. There's so many far better books that it's not worth wasting time on.
September 24, 2013
Disappointing for me. The heroine is size 16, which was great, but she is sooooo self-loathing about it that it ruined it. The hero has been a complete jerk to her for a flimsy reason and she forgives him waaaay too easily. She's just so grateful that he has agreed in a moment of weakness to have sex with her that she tosses aside whatever shred of self-confidence she has to be with him and then becomes deaf and blind so that she can't see that he's falling for her or hear him when he tells her as much. So, no. I didn't enjoy this one. The sex scenes were okay, but the characterizations needed a lot of work. They were just too formulaic and their motivations were too murky. The whole way they were "married" was also too convenient to believe.
dnf
January 16, 2016Hell no. This sounded interesting. But then I started reading. I hated Travis and he is the hero of this book. I fail to see how he is redeemable. So I figured I'd toss this in the DNF pile.
Some quotes:
"...a cute little thing..." He sees women as things. Sexy.
"When Travis gave her one of his disdainful looks, or worse yet, ignored her completely, it made her feel like dirt." This refers to the heroine, Lily.
"...all he cared about was pleasing himself and looking at pretty things." There it is again. The reference to women as things.
"She wasn't pretty enough for him. Or thin enough. Or perky enough." Yeah, fuck that.
Some quotes:
"...a cute little thing..." He sees women as things. Sexy.
"When Travis gave her one of his disdainful looks, or worse yet, ignored her completely, it made her feel like dirt." This refers to the heroine, Lily.
"...all he cared about was pleasing himself and looking at pretty things." There it is again. The reference to women as things.
"She wasn't pretty enough for him. Or thin enough. Or perky enough." Yeah, fuck that.
February 6, 2011
Loved it second book by this author will not be my last. I must say though the main female character was a size 16 but the female on the cover is far from a 16. But anyway it was good from start to to finish, they had some crazy intimate moments.
November 12, 2011
The love scenes were steamy, but I kept wanting to smack the MC's around to knock some sense into them. :(
March 6, 2017
I'm ashamed of even managing to finish this book. Worst recommendation ever.
August 10, 2019
I've had issues with some of this author's work in the past, so I went into this a bit wary. It wasn't a bad story, really, but some parts of it were rather annoying.
Lily drove me crazy with all her harping about being "fat". She wasn't that fat! Call me when you're a 26, honey, then we can talk! That literally overshadowed everything else happening in the book. I get that Luke and Travis' deception was a convenient ploy to get Lily and Travis together, but it still felt a little slimy to me. I also didn't care for how Travis kept treating Lily.
The book was fast paced, too much so for me. Everything felt glossed over, and not enough depth was given on any situation or person found in the book. I'm slightly interested in seeing where things go with the supporting characters, but not in a big hurry to do so.
Lily drove me crazy with all her harping about being "fat". She wasn't that fat! Call me when you're a 26, honey, then we can talk! That literally overshadowed everything else happening in the book. I get that Luke and Travis' deception was a convenient ploy to get Lily and Travis together, but it still felt a little slimy to me. I also didn't care for how Travis kept treating Lily.
The book was fast paced, too much so for me. Everything felt glossed over, and not enough depth was given on any situation or person found in the book. I'm slightly interested in seeing where things go with the supporting characters, but not in a big hurry to do so.
May 26, 2017
It was just ok. I really liked the idea of a plus size heroine. But she was supposed to be a size 16 and they were making it seem like she was huge! There was a lot of fat shaming, pretty much from the heroine herself, which bothered me. I also didn't much like the constant back and forth.
February 26, 2018
Quick read with nothing really original to offer except for a few lazy hours on a Sunday. Meh...
April 16, 2020
Romance engraçado e cheio de clichês...
May 18, 2012
Let's make this 4 1/2 stars. I hope I'm not cheating by including the goodreads description ... Lily Ellis has curves -- soft, beautiful curves. The kind of voluptuous body she fears Travis Carson, the man she's always loved from afar, would never crave. But Lily is about to be proven wrong. Her adventure begins when the demure San Francisco interior decorator agrees to model a plus-size dress for her fashion designer sister. Watching this sensual beauty move down the runway, Travis can't believe it's the same Lily he's always known -- and always rejected. In a whirlwind of electric attraction, Lily is soon moaning Travis's name in his bed, not just in her wild fantasies... because they're great jumping off points.
First of all, thank you twitter friend for suggesting this book. Lily is definitely curvy, and not in the size 8 sense: the reader gets the impression she on the upper end of the spectrum, somewhere in the cusp of switching to plus sizes. That's not important: I saw her as a pre-makeover Adele, curvaceous and womanly. What she isn't is confident -- until she's wearing a "magic" dress. Somehow the dress unleashes the inner Lily and then watch out world. More importantly than her size though is her fantasy life. This is the first mainstream romance I've read where the heroine had a collection of vibrators, which she uses and shall we say, mentally as well as physically. But wait, later in the story, Travis and Lily have a threesome of sorts, with one of her BoBs and it's not gross or gratuitous, it's more than Travis cannot believe how lucky he is to be with this sensuous, vibrant woman ... and part of her charm is her appreciation of sex. Contrast that with the coy way the heroine of Sylvia Day's Bared to You talked about her vibrator (and it was only talk) ... I don't have the right vocabulary, but the effervescence and lightness that Andre sprinkled all through her fairytale was missing in this element of Bared to You. There's an old expression: it's not the meat, it's the motion and I'm finding that sex toys and implements and games don't mean much -- to me at least -- if there isn't a bedrock of intimacy and fun that sizzles.
There is some darkness in Take Me but of course there's a delicious HEA. And there's no magic weight meltdown -- Lily grows into her beauty and it's not just her man who sees her as special. What can I say, so much of attractiveness is mental.
First of all, thank you twitter friend for suggesting this book. Lily is definitely curvy, and not in the size 8 sense: the reader gets the impression she on the upper end of the spectrum, somewhere in the cusp of switching to plus sizes. That's not important: I saw her as a pre-makeover Adele, curvaceous and womanly. What she isn't is confident -- until she's wearing a "magic" dress. Somehow the dress unleashes the inner Lily and then watch out world. More importantly than her size though is her fantasy life. This is the first mainstream romance I've read where the heroine had a collection of vibrators, which she uses and shall we say, mentally as well as physically. But wait, later in the story, Travis and Lily have a threesome of sorts, with one of her BoBs and it's not gross or gratuitous, it's more than Travis cannot believe how lucky he is to be with this sensuous, vibrant woman ... and part of her charm is her appreciation of sex. Contrast that with the coy way the heroine of Sylvia Day's Bared to You talked about her vibrator (and it was only talk) ... I don't have the right vocabulary, but the effervescence and lightness that Andre sprinkled all through her fairytale was missing in this element of Bared to You. There's an old expression: it's not the meat, it's the motion and I'm finding that sex toys and implements and games don't mean much -- to me at least -- if there isn't a bedrock of intimacy and fun that sizzles.
There is some darkness in Take Me but of course there's a delicious HEA. And there's no magic weight meltdown -- Lily grows into her beauty and it's not just her man who sees her as special. What can I say, so much of attractiveness is mental.
August 5, 2014
Hmmm...what to say about this book....At first when I read the back cover it sounded like a fun/interesting read but once I started reading it I lost count of how many times I rolled my eyes and felt annoyed with the main character (Lily Ellis). While it did have its smutty moments that were semi-steamy and I did get a few chuckles out of some parts of the book, that most irritating thing about this book was the main character and how ridiculously insecure she was about her body even when scenarios all around her painted a different view. I just could not stop rolling my eyes at her and thinking how pathetic this girl was, I was getting bored and annoyed with her pity party and her self-loathing about being "fat" or more precisely not a stick figure with boobs! Seriously. she had a dungeon full of insecurities and bad knack of always putting herself down and thinking she was nothing just because she wasn't a size 2 even when everyone around her, even the guy who was always totally into her kept reassuring her that she was attractive and not a hideous ogre that should hide in the woods somewhere in the states or Italy or where ever she may happen to be, that was I think the part most annoyed and killed the book for me. At least in the end after being so utterly irritating about her weight all the time during the whole book she only had up to go so, she finally accepted she was worth something and stopped caring about her weight. Honestly, this character was just so pathetic for me I don't know how I finished it. The writing itself was easy but I could have sworn I saw a few typos in there somewhere but impossible right because there are editors for that before it goes to print or at least I would assume. Anyway. a so-so read.
May 13, 2012
I loved this story and I could so relate to Lily's insecurity about her body image and of finding love. There were some funny moments too that left the hero, Travis questioning his manhood that had me chuckling. I really enjoyed the friendship and sibling relationships portrayed throughout the book. Lily has secretly loved Travis ever since they were young kids, but the loss of Travis' mother pushed him away from her since he didn't want to appear weak to her. Lily has always felt inadequate and self-conscious about her weight and Travis' treatment of her and his subsequent ladies's man image has continued to play havoc with her emotions. When her sister begs her to model in a fashion show, Lily calls Travis' twin brother and her best friend, Luke to come support her but he is unexpectedly called into ER and has Travis show up in his place. When Travis sees her, all he can think about is how much he wants her and they end up having amazing sex over and over again. The sex scenes were well written and so hot that I could combust. Despite the great sex, this couple must overcome her feelings of unworthiness and his wariness of commitment. I loved how their relationship played out and could not wait for them to get their happy ending.
April 18, 2016
When dress designer Janica Ellis's plus sized model gets ill before the big show, Janica begs her beautiful plus sized sister Lily to take the model's place. Lily is a size sixteen and uncomfortable about it, but she doesn't want to let Janica down. Lily agrees to model only if her best buddy Luke Carson will come over, sit in the audience and lend her his support. Luke, a doctor, can't get off work and so he begs his twin brother Travis to take his place. Luke is the good twin who has always been Lily's best friend and champion. Travis is the bad twin who has sneered at Lily for years, but he agrees to go and be nice to her.
Lily has been secretly in love with Travis forever he however has teased that long..Now when she steps out on the runway Travis can't believe his eyes.. That night they dance and then leave together for a night of sex...but she leaves him before he can see her "fatness"..
Lily was just too insecure, I wanted to scream own it bitch, but obviously it wouldn't have done me any good..
So Now Travis is a man on a mission, he is in lust and now he needs to convince Lily they need to continue... However Lily is too insecure so the whole book was him reassuring..
May 29, 2012
I read the sequel to this first - Love Me. I was so intrigued by Lily and Travis in that book that I wanted to know more about how they ended up together. I was NOT disappointed.
I really loved the story and premise of Take Me. I liked the idea that once Lily felt sexy in her body then she was sexy to Travis, no matter her body image. Plus they had a backstory which made the attraction between them more plausible. This isn't a relationship between two strangers.
The sex scenes were explicit -- more so than I have read before. But they didn't seem gratuitous or raunchy. Kudos to Ms. Andre for creating a sexual chemistry that was both believable and enviable!
I'm rating this a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I'm taking a half star off only because I think the HEA was drawn out a little too much which was frustrating and made Lily's character more whiny than it needed to be.
I really loved the story and premise of Take Me. I liked the idea that once Lily felt sexy in her body then she was sexy to Travis, no matter her body image. Plus they had a backstory which made the attraction between them more plausible. This isn't a relationship between two strangers.
The sex scenes were explicit -- more so than I have read before. But they didn't seem gratuitous or raunchy. Kudos to Ms. Andre for creating a sexual chemistry that was both believable and enviable!
I'm rating this a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I'm taking a half star off only because I think the HEA was drawn out a little too much which was frustrating and made Lily's character more whiny than it needed to be.
August 25, 2015
I picked up this book thinking it would be great since the woman in the book is ME, I mean she is so much like me it's crazy. She's a big girl, red hair, self-worth is next to nil.. need I go on?
So I was super stoked to read this book!
But then reality set in and I kept thinking: Travis would never think twice about women like Lily and myself. It just doesn't happen. Ever.
The fairy tale then disappeared for me. I could barely finish the book!
Seeing so much of yourself in the main character and then realizing that this would never happen takes all the fun out of these books.
I really wanted to like it. I did. But I just couldn't. I couldn't focus on anything but thinking how wrong this story was.
So I was super stoked to read this book!
But then reality set in and I kept thinking: Travis would never think twice about women like Lily and myself. It just doesn't happen. Ever.
The fairy tale then disappeared for me. I could barely finish the book!
Seeing so much of yourself in the main character and then realizing that this would never happen takes all the fun out of these books.
I really wanted to like it. I did. But I just couldn't. I couldn't focus on anything but thinking how wrong this story was.
August 3, 2011
Without a doubt this is one of my all time favorite books and characters. Take Me has a great storyline with the heroine in love with the hero since she was a little girl. Finally seeing Lily capture the drop dead gorgeous Travis was scorchingly erotic. I devoured this book and have since read it several times. Not only do I have it in paperback but also for my Kindle. The sex was hotter than hot and I loved the emotional connection between these two. It was off the charts. I've read thousands of romance books and I have to say this one is one of the hottest books I've read. This will always be one of my favorite books. Loved Travis and Lily! I could read about them forever.
June 28, 2010
This is the first Bella Andre I read and I've read a few more since then. It was not only nice to read about the Napa Valley Wine Country but about an average size girl who is attractive. It gets really annoying sometimes when you aren't a huge person but shopping for clothes is a blow to your self-esteem because it feels like the clothing manufacturer's think that anyone Size 10 and up is just huge with no shape. As for steam, this book if I recall correctly had plenty of it.
I plan to do a more detailed review of this one as soon as time allows.
I plan to do a more detailed review of this one as soon as time allows.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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