by LANI LYNN VALE
This is for charity. This is for fun. You are a professional. You can do it.
Those are the words that Calloway Alvarez chants to herself as she watches all the large men gather into the small room where she’ll be doing the interviews for her employer—Hero Magazine.
Honestly, she’s convinced herself that she can’t accomplish the task at hand.
That is until she hears his voice, and her head turns to see him standing there.
Louis Spurlock. Greek god. SWAT officer. Keeper of her secrets. Ultimate fantasy. Man who will break her heart.
***
Louis Spurlock has been playing nice.
He’s been biding his time, giving Calloway the space she thinks she needs.
But then he sees her taking photos of his friends in all states of undress, talking to them all as if they’re best friends, and that little thread of control he’d been managing to hold onto unravels.
Let’s change it up, she says. And the moment the words are out of her mouth, he’s stripping to his skivvies, and throwing out a challenge while he’s at it.
Calloway won’t know what hit her when he’s through playing.
But he does know one thing for sure. When it ends, she’ll be his.
REVIEW: 3.5 POSITIVE STARS
"He sure knew how to say things to make me feel things that I shouldn't be feeling."
Ooooh, Calloway is feisty!!! That was my first thought upon starting this book, and what an introduction to my first LLV book this was. I have been recommended this author many times over the years, but I was always too scared to jump in because it seemed as if every series was a spinoff of another, and each series had copious amounts of books. This was clearly a daunting pool to jump into!! But, I was assured that I can read any of her books and they do stand alone but have an underlying theme with them in the series.
While this was claimed as a standalone, she discussed a lot of other characters and their issues and subplots and I think that messed with my connection in the very beginning. I didn't want to ruin any of the other stories, so I originally thought I needed to walk away. Was I a little aggressive jumping into the 2.0 family version, 5th book of a run on series? Most would say probably, I would say definitely. However, the writing was really good. The storyline intrigued me, so I knew I was going to be able to settle into it. Aside from giving me more info on past characters - in turn potentially spoiling something for me from previous books, I really did enjoy the "family style" story she was giving me. Again, good flow to her writing, but I felt like she was telling me too much side story so it worried me just a bit.
With the story carrying a romantic suspense element to it, many of the actions were glossed over within that aspect - which was totally fine by me since I don't really enjoy a lot of drama in my books, but it also carried over in to some of the storyline (particularly with the progression of their love) being glossed over as well However, she kept the SWAT action and busy side of the characters true to the long hours, and the grueling schedule they have to keep. It gave me a real sense of the adrenaline rush from their job and I liked reading that side of it. This did read as a series book for sure, so I had to keep that in mind while reading it because of the insinuated familiarity with the characters and their backgrounds. It didn't take away too much from the enjoyment, but it did give me pause and caused me to slow down a few times.
I liked these characters and found them easy to connect with. I was able to feel the many emotions that Calloway was mentally arguing with herself over in terms of Louis and letting him back in, and that's what made her story work for me - it made her very likable and relatable. The alpha in Louis was particularly wonderfully written. His cool calm demeanor made him that much more sexy, combined with that sexy smirk, of course. His level headed side mixed with his ability to not give an eff for the PC side of life sure made this one all the more interesting. There was an edge to this SWAT team and all the characters - I loved their mentality. LLV's alpha was written with an intensity, but genuinely flawed. There was an obvious protective side, but an understated vulnerable side as well. That is what made me fall for him. I really like the dynamic Vale gave these characters.
The truth of their love story was the ability to fall back into a normalcy they’ve always known - and it was really fun to see that happen. I smiled when they got caught in a predicament that they had to make the best of - and that jumpstarted their eventual fall back into each other's arms. I like how hard Calloway fought it. I won't lie. She seems like a fine, stubborn young lady. HAHA!!
Overall, great book. Here's where I sit with this one. It was very easy to read. I feel like I settled into this book magnificently well, without many hiccups, once I got to about 20% in. I was able to really follow the characters and their story. I struggled with the constant mention of the other characters that were clearly pertinent to the overall storyline or were integral to the buildup to this one, but jumping into book 5 made me feel like I missed something. That is MY fault and doesn't reflect on her writing, but I needed to break into the LLV cycle of books somewhere!! I will definitely be following her but I need to catch up on the previous ones as well. I feel like if I were to start with the 2.0 book 1 in this series, I would be ok to understand these kids' grown up stories since I know they are kids of the first generation swat team.
This was a pretty short book, so I know not a lot will be squeezed in, but I would have liked some more depth and storyline with it. More focus on them, and their buildup and how it all came to pass. It did feel a little glossed over, again, but this was a 5th book in a 2.0 series - my fault. I will admit, originally I was lost with names thrown at me left and right. It also started to make my head spin when she tried to explain the other characters’ roles in the group of friends. Sometimes I felt she leaned a little too much into the extra side stories instead of focusing on Louis and Calloway, but I will definitely read her again.
I am baffled by one aspect: I have absolutely NO IDEA what the meaning of the title is - like, not one idea. Wine was never mentioned anywhere in the book.....so I am seriously confused. But I also think that has something to do with the author and her personality and one that I am missing out by not "knowing" her or her books previously. I will need to fix that, most definitely. I didn't really follow the author closely before this, so I'm glad I saw this book in a newsletter. I will also be changing that. I am very interested in checking out more of her books, but I do feel like I need to read the rest of these in order because I do feel like I missed out on a sort of "inside joke" with the buildup of these characters.
TAKEAWAY: I really need to read more by her...
~BEE
PURCHASE LINKS
~ MEET LANI LYNN VALE ~
Lani Lynn Vale is married to the love of her life that she met in high school. She fell in love with him because he was wearing baseball pants. Ten years later they have three perfectly crazy children and a cat named Demon who likes to wake her up at ungodly times in the night. They live in the greatest state in the world, Texas. She writes contemporary and romantic suspense, and has a love for all things romance. You can find Lani in front of her computer writing away in her fictional characters world...that is until her husband and kids demand sustenance in the form of food and drink.
~CONNECT WITH LANI ~
ARC REVIEW
AFFILIATE LINKS USED
COPY PURCHASED FOR GIVEAWAY
Loved your review. I'm always afraid to completely trust that a book is a complete standalone.
ReplyDeleteWell, with good reason, Joy. I wouldn't call this a true standalone, but I was able to get along just fine reading it. I am worried that I may have inadvertently read some spoilers, but not enough to stop me from reading more of this series and more of her in general. I really did enjoy this one.
DeleteWhat do you mean 3.5 positive stars Bee? Just curious. Love your review
ReplyDelete