~ARC gifted to Kris & Vik Book Therapy Cafe in exchange for an honest review.~
I met him before I knew.
I loved him before I knew.
I didn’t know he was my stepbrother when I fell for Bladen. I fell for a mystery guy who I spent a long, amazing weekend with. Then he got up and left me, without even a goodbye. I was nothing more than a bit of fun.
He broke my heart.
I didn’t see him again.
Until my mom and her new husband, Jack, decide to take us all on a family vacation to the lake so I can meet my new stepbrothers for the first time.
I don’t see it coming.
When he gets out of that car, my world stops. My passionate lover is…my stepbrother.
He isn’t the same man. He’s a prick and he makes sure I know it.
I’m not the same woman. I’m in love with him and I very much plan to make sure he knows it.
He won’t make my life easy. I won’t give up.
♥♥♥ 3.5 STARS ♥♥♥
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‘All this time I never knew his name. If I did, this wouldn’t have happened. But no, we thought it would be sexy and fun to leave it a damned mystery.’
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This book starts off when eighteen year old Aria, goes out with friends and ends up having an amazing weekend with a hot stranger she met at the bar. Something happened that weekend, Aria felt this strong connection to him and she loved how sweet and tender he was with her. They agreed to no names and to one weekend only, but Aria hopes for more. Those dreams crash and burn when the sexy mystery man leaves without a goodbye. A year goes by since this event took place, a lot has changed, which includes two families coming together as one. Aria will get to meet her step-brothers soon when they all go off for a one month family bonding experience. She is quite excited to meet them, but never in a million years did she expect one of them to be the stranger that left her a year earlier.
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“I ran when I should have stayed and now it’s too late. I can’t have you. Even if I wanted you, I couldn’t have you.”
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As soon as I began the story, I thought it was very interesting. I liked Blade and how he was with Aria when they first met. Unfortunately, when they reunite, Blade was anything but sweet. I didn’t think he would react the way he did to seeing Aria again. I was so upset and hurt for Aria. The whole story was told in Aria’s POV, so when things like Blade being douchenozzle happened, I really wanted to know what exactly was going through Blade’s mind. He was über sexy, don’t get me wrong, I just wish he hadn’t been such a jackass.
The story moves forward in time, once again after their family vacation is over. I was crossing my fingers that finally something good would come of it. Blade and Aria are now living in the same town, after Blade, once again, left her. I really wanted Blade to redeem himself here, but the only thing that happened was a whole world of more hurt. I honestly don’t know how much more Aria could take of it because it was killing my emotions. I got frustrated by them, and even teared up because of the pain. I really wanted them to be together, so it was really upsetting watching them push each other away, rather than to work something out like adults. I thought I would end up loving Blade completely, but the way he kept changing his mind near the end had me going nuts. I was losing hope for these two.
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‘Love finds us for reasons unknown and when it finds us, it latches on.’
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For the most part, I did enjoy the story itself, sure it had its moments, and the characters sometimes drove me crazy, but it was good. I liked the secondary characters, especially Ripley, the youngest step-brother. I am still very curious about Brody, and can not wait to read his book. I liked when things finally got good for Aria and Blade. It was really great, and I loved how both of their parents reacted and the things they said. And I liked Aria, and felt for everything that happened in her life. Overall, it may have not been my favourite step-sibling romance book, but it was still good. And I am definitely going to be checking out the next book.
Bella Jewel is a self published, USA Today bestselling author. She’s been publishing since 2013. Her first release was a contemporary romance, Hell’s Knights which topped the charts upon release. Since that time, she has published over five novels, gaining a bestseller status on numerous platforms. She lives in North Queensland and is currently studying editing and proofreading to further expand her career. Bella has been writing since she was just shy of fifteen years old. In Summer 2013 she was offered an ebook deal through Montlake Romance for her bestselling modern day pirate series, Enslaved By The Ocean. She plans to expand her writing career, planning many new releases for the future.
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