Book Review and Giveaway for AIDEN by Melanie L Moreland

AIDEN
by MELANIE L MORELAND

Haunted by memories of his past, Aiden plays the part of the happy-go-lucky friend. Always ready with a teasing smile or a joke, he is good at hiding his pain.

Using his impressive physique as a shield, he keeps his past buried beneath his rugged exterior.

Except, one woman sees through his façade.

Her green eyes see too much, even as her body tempts him.

Even as his heart yearns for her.

Cami is determined to make him realize that he is worthy of being loved.

He pushes her away at every turn, yet finds himself unable to keep her at arm’s length.

Who will win this battle of love?

ADD TO GOODREADS

REVIEW: 4 STARS
"From the moment I saw her, kissing her was a temptation, fucking her was a fantasy, and hurting her was inevitable."

Ok, I honestly wanted to say, "Move over Bentley, Aiden is here!" But that would probably be mean (but funny!!). I fell hard for Aiden in this book. I really truly did. After reading Bentley, I knew Aiden was going to be a story I definitely wanted to read. Melanie Moreland did his background story and painful past some justice. I am not usually one for stories about overly horrible parents or their kids' upbringings because I hate the anger I feel going in to the book, but I couldn't stop reading this one - and that's a huge plus! I know this is just a personal preference, but since we knew that Aiden had a horrible past, hearing about it in this one was not only sad, but angering. But that's the foot he started out on, so we did too....

I love a tortured man with the inability to let go and love fully with all his heart. When we talk about walls up to protect the heart, Aiden is the poster child for that. He did a really good job hiding his insecurities, but he used those walls to hold everyone at an arm's length too. I just wanted to hug him!! I could feel him warring with himself between staying unaffected by Cami's love and wanting to protect himself and having to pull back. I know it must have been hard, given everything he'd been through, but that mental argument was very valid and very hard to watch him wade through.

"Love came with pain and rejection."

I love a woman that can unknowingly bring a man to his knees and nurture and love so hard, that he has no choice but to give in to his fears. Cami was such a good woman for Aiden, but I feel like she may get lost in the excitement of my love for Aiden. I mean, I know I loved Aiden and I could talk about how perfect he was but I also know that I loved the emotion that Cami had. The strength and subsequent pain she had while trying to love Aiden? I think Melanie nailed that emotional turmoil perfectly! I felt her excitement, but I wallowed in her pain. I really liked the dynamic that these two had and that pushed the story forward.

"Smart, funny, and gorgeous, she was difficult to resist."

Melanie has a really good outline and story for this series, and the nice thing is, it's easy to follow and read. I don't want to undermine this statement because I really am enjoying this series and will continue with it, but I have to admit I had a hard time with the drama in this book. To have something harrowing happening to every heroine just to be saved in each book is a little draining sometimes. I know these things happen in the public in general, but for them to happen to the same circle of friends? The drama is obviously different with each story, but I just don't like the create-a-drama romance just so the heroine can be saved. However, as crazy as the antagonist was in this book, it actually worked with the story so I was getting caught up in everything happening. While some of it was predictable, I was actually looking forward to seeing how it all came together. While this book wavered between a 3.5 and a 4 star read for me, by the end I settled on a 4 because of how it wrapped up. I really, really enjoyed this book, overall, and am looking forward to reading Maddox!

This book was a great addition to the series, and connecting with Bentley, Aiden, and Maddox again just made me smile. I got quite a bit of giggles with their banter while they hung out, and being able to catch up a little with Bentley and Emmy was pure sweetness. I smiled a lot during this book. A lot. As damaged as Aiden was, this book made me fall that much deeper in love with him so I can and will easily recommend this book. Oh, and that cover? Matched Aiden to a "T". Sexy and strong with a side of badassery mixed in. I love when a cover matches the man on the inside....so perfectly, I might add. Aiden will hold a soft spot in my heart for many books to come.

"He had a damaged soul, and as much as I wanted to help him, he had to want that from me."
~BEE

PURCHASE BENTLEY HERE: AMAZON

PURCHASE AIDEN HERE: AMAZON

PREORDER MADDOX HERE: AMAZON

ENTER HERE TO WIN AN ECOPY OR SIGNED PAPERBACK (INTERNATIONAL)

ADD THE SERIES TO YOUR TBR HERE.

~MEET MELANIE L. MORELAND~

New York Times/USA Today bestselling author Melanie Moreland, lives a happy and content life in a quiet area of Ontario with her beloved husband of twenty-seven-plus years and their rescue cat, Amber. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them. 

While seriously addicted to coffee, and highly challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties, and also enjoys travelling, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip. 

Melanie loves stories, especially paired with a good wine, and enjoys skydiving (free falling over a fleck of dust) extreme snowboarding (falling down stairs) and piloting her own helicopter (tripping over her own feet.) She's learned happily ever-afters, even bumpy ones, are all in how you tell the story.

~CONNECT WITH MELANIE~

FACEBOOK     AMAZON     GOODREADS     TWITTER

ARC REVIEW

AFFILIATE LINKS USED
PAPERBACK GIVEAWAY FUNDED BY AUTHOR
EBOOK GIVEAWAY FUNDED BY THE BOOK BEE