It all starts with a one-night stand in this red-hot romance from the national bestselling author who “knows how to hook readers from the first line” (RT Book Reviews).
Can two strangers make that lovin’ feelin’ last? Three months after a first date that ended in a night of explosive passion, Caress Coleman and Julius Jones find themselves somewhere between roommates with benefits and true love. She’s smart, beautiful, and one paycheck away from broke. He’s smart, handsome, and very successful. But that’s just the beginning of their differences . . . She’s messy—and that’s putting it nicely. He’s a neat freak—and that’s an understatement. She’s happy in sweatpants. He’s an urban sophisticate who wears the hippest designer labels. They’re total opposites in every way but they share a sizzling attraction that makes them want to beg for more and more. But can their passion lead to a love that lasts for the long haul?Raves for the writing of Niobia Bryant
“A fabulous love story.” —Urban Reviews
“Hot men, spicy women and a sexually captivating story.” —RT Book Reviews
“Very impressive.” —Cydney Rax, author of A Sister’s Power
Niobia Bryant is the award-winning and national bestselling author of more than fifty works of romance and commercial mainstream fiction. Twice she has won RT Magazine's Best African-American/Multicultural Romance Award, "Kiss the Ring"--written under the pseudonym Meesha Mink--was listed as one of the Library Journal's Best Books, and her books have appeared in Ebony, Essence, The New York Post, The Star-Ledger, The Dallas Morning News and many other national publications. One of her bestselling books has been adapted to film.
I’ll be back later to post my review…need to process some things 😩
Okay, I’m back. So long story short, Caress and Julius get hooked by a mutual friend, they go on a date, sparks fly and they have sex. Julius is going to Africa the next day and he’ll be gone for 3 months. When he comes back, he finds Caress in his apartment and pregnant cuz she lost her job. They live together most of her pregnancy and go back and forth between crossing that line again.
Ok…So, first of all the word of the day is TENSION, okay? This book had all the tension, sometimes it was overwhelming how much Caress and Julius wanted each other and danced around their attraction. I think Julius truly grew to love Caress, but Caress had me doubtful at the end that she loved him back. I was so good with how the story was going up until 75% cuz it was then that boom it was like hell broke loose. My problem wasn’t with Justin getting kidnapped, Justin is their son, by the way who came about from their one night stand, but my problem was the aftermath. Julius and Caress said some nasty things to each other like so nasty it made me wonder how deep their love really was for each other. I get the trauma from that situation but man they turned on each other so bad, it hurt me.
Their back and forth got real bad. Caress was hurt, but I felt she was being more petty than hurt. She wouldn’t let Julius see Justin and was being a biotch, getting mad at him for wanting to fight for custody. It was then that I was like ‘hol up, did they really love each other or was they just horny because during that mess they both was thinking about sex and their physical attraction. I wanted them to miss each other for real, maybe Julius kind of did miss Caress, but alas, I felt like by the end that their relationship was built mostly on the sexual attraction, especially from Caress’s end, which was a complete 180 from the first 70% of the book.
I’m glad all went well though and they got their happily ever after because I did enjoy this story a whole lot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
An interesting storyline that isn't usually explored in romance novels. I enjoyed Bryant's character development, but it took forever for the climax. This was a great quick read. I recommend it.
This book was one that you couldn't predict, Niobia made it where you wanted to keep reading so you could see what was next. Great book
I chose this rating because this book was a good read. This was not predictable, Caress and Julius was a match from heaven they were meant to be. Justin was a great addition to the relationship. The only part of this book was how long they stayed apart and how they did childish things to hurt one another. But in the long run they made it and loved happily ever after.
Who says that one night can't change the rest of your life forever. In the case of Julius and Caress everything changes for them after their one night of sensual passion.The chemistry between these two was so Hot it burned up the pages. There was a few mistakes where the author mistakenly two of her characters whose name started with the letter J. Great read, I would definitely reread this story again.
It’s been a while since I read a Niobia Bryant book but I have to say this book didn’t disappoint. I love how Ms. Bryant takes us through every phase of the relationship between Julius and Caress. I will say Caress got on my nerves a little toward the end but she got herself together and I gave her grace because of the traumatic ordeal she went through.
This was definitely a good read. I plan to go back and check out some of the of the books in her Catalog.
My favorite line from this book.... "You're quick to call her your woman and get jealous over another man, but have you ever thought about marriage? The way to truly make a woman yours is as old as time."
Julius and Caress. Good story. They met chemistry off the hook....then they budding association is interrupted. Once they are back in each others company their relationship strengths. But a horrible situation threatens the relationship. They do get it together in the end.
I loved this story. Caress and Julius were great characters. They meet when their mutual friend fixes them up on a blind date. The chemistry between the two was overpowering so they ended up having a one night stand. This is out of character for Caress, but they both got caught up in the moment. Julius is a successful photographer who goes to Africa for three month only to return and find he not only has a new roommate but she's pregnant. Caress is an independent woman who is not comfortable taking help from others, but being down on her luck, doesn't give her much choice. She and Julius still have chemistry they are both fighting. Julius isn't looking for a relationship, but when Caress finds an apartment and moves out, he discovers he still wants her in his life. They embark on a relationship, which is torn apart when their baby is kidnapped. I must say I knew when the character who kidnapped the baby was introduced, that she was unstable, but I didn't expect her to kidnap the baby. Anyway Julius is angry and makes some unfortunate accusations towards Caress, and she refuses to forgive him. A custody battle ensues and it gets kind of ugly. Julius walks up on Caress playing around outside with her neighbor, which forces him to have to rethink what he really wants. The secondary characters were interesting and it was nice to revisit Jordon and Mia from Three Times A Lady. I felt it was easy to feel the chemistry between these characters, even though there wasn't page after page of hot and steamy sex, there was enough. I like the fact that Ms. Bryant took the time to develop a real relationship between Julius and Caress, that was based on more than the physical. In my opinion too many sex scenes can make the story boring and I would have found myself skipping through them. Thank goodness Ms. Bryant didn't subject me to that. This was a really good story and I recommend it.
Ms. Bryant gives us an INTRIGUING spin on the old OPPOSITES ATTRACTS storyline...Caress and Julius have ABSOLUTELY nothing in common...except for an INSTANT & very INTENSE physical attraction, that they couldn't STOP if they want to...with all their differences and the MAJOR bumps they encounter throughout their budding relationship...will they be able to move past the hurt and their own stubbornness to find a HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER?!!~~~~~~~Because I haven't read any of the previous books in this series...it was difficult to build a "bond" with the secondary cast...guess I'll have to back-track in order to get the history behind the other two couples mentioned in this novel.~~~~~~~I've only read her Strong Family Series...The Dutton Sisters Series...and "Let's Do It Again"...I really enjoyed those stories...and am DEFINITELY looking forward to the next book in the Strong Family Series...but this book is just an okay read for me...NOT my favorite...but still an entertaining read.
First -- I read this book in less than a day, it is THAT engaging. I absolutely could not put it down. This was my first time reading Ms. Bryant, and I am thoroughly pleased!
The plot is so believable, it's not funny. I can actually think of people I know personally who have lived through the situation Caress and Julius find themselves in. That being said, I appreciate the author's ability to convey the reality of the situation and paint a story that is realistic in how the characters react, not just a fairy tale for the readers.
The characters are, for the most part, well-developed. I could have used more background on some peripheral characters (although I realize that Jordan and Mia are recurring characters), but don't mistake that to say that any of the characters are so underdeveloped that you cannot get through the book.
Would I recommend this book? I already have, and I hope you enjoy it, too.
Make You Mine was the story of the fine as wine Julius Jones and Caress Coleman. Their tale centers around a blind date neither of them wanted to go on but ended up changing their lives.
Can you turn a one night stand into a relationship? Can you trust your heart to someone who you've so easily given your body to? These were the questions both struggled to answer. Caress is fiercely independent and Julius isn't accustomed to that. Both are ridiculously stubborn and like realistically portrayed in this novel as folks who would rather win an argument than find a resolution.
Their story included supportive friends who put their foot down and gave them reality checks whenever necessary without getting all up in their business. We can all use friends like Justin, Mia, Kendrick, and Tamara. Definitely recommend.
What started as a typical "guy meets girls via friends playing match-maker" scene turned into an unexpected twist, which hooked me to read the rest of the book to see what would become of Julius and Caress' relationship. There were a few times I felt the book dragged a bit (due to the couple's stubbornness, or vice versa), but I found myself rooting for a happy ending...this book makes one wonder if that is truly possible given the circumstances that Julius and Caress encountered. This was my first read by Niobia Bryant; there were several excerpts from some of her other novels, and I look forward to reading some of them.
I really loved this book. Two total opposites: him the successful photographer OCD neat freak she: the unemployed slob yet they had chemistry that most people can't buy. I was waiting for Julius to do the right thing, and when he finally did Caress started acting like a fool. In the end they worked it out, but between the drama, and the steamy sex scenes thie book really kept me entertained. Is was a gr8 read.
I read this novel when it was released the first time fell in love with the characters then .and reading it again on my Kindle I enjoyed it also. This was a very romantic funny passionate love story .Julius and Caress was not looking for love but found a very amazing attraction and love for on another
fast read there was just enough drama to keep me reading. the character's back story could have used more details but all in all I'm now a fan of Niobia Bryant.