Eyes Wide Open by Raine Miller

Synopsis

The third part in The Blackstone Affair series: A love on the brink of being destroyed. The fight of a lifetime to keep it alive.Big surprises are on the horizon for Ethan and Brynne as they struggle to adjust to what life has thrown at them. Demons from the past are threatening to destroy the passionate bond they’ve forged despite their vow that nothing will ever keep them apart. A truly devastating loss coupled with the promise of a new hope opens their eyes to what is most important, but is it possible for the lovers to move on from the painful histories that continue to haunt them? A stalker is still lurking in the shadows, plotting evil amidst the distraction of the 2012 Olympic games in London. Brynne and Ethan are on the cusp of losing everything as the stakes rise. Will they yield to circumstances beyond their control or will they give every ounce of fight they have left to save each other and win the ultimate prize of a life together?

Eyes Wide Open is a passion-wrought story that shows us what pure love can achieve when tested and what the heart can accomplish despite danger and adversity.

 

Review

I was hoping that I would come around on this series, but I honestly can't bring myself to really enjoy it. This book really brought the whole thing to the realization to me that it was very much a knock-off of "Fifty Shades of Grey." A lot of the story line follows different plot twists that "Fifty Shades" did, but maybe in a little bit different timeline. I can say that the writing style is a bit better than "Fifty Shades," but I feel as though "Fifty Shades" was executed in a much more seamless fashion. 

 

I felt as though the plot twists in this final book were a little unbelievable in how they were executed. I never truly got invested in the characters to really feel their pain or love between themselves of other people. I remember a point where I looked at the progress bar of my Kindle and realized that I only had 20% of the book left and I couldn't understand how everything in the plot line was going to be tied up. Then I made it to the a point where all of a sudden everything sped up, the main plot of that book was tied up and then it spent the next chapter or two jumping around to clear up the rest of the open plot from the rest of the series. I felt like the last part of the book was really rushed, and it could have been less rushed if the every chapter sex scenes were cut down a bit. 

 

I honestly can't say that I loved the Crossfire series, but I think I would almost recommended it over The Blackstone series just because I feel like the character development is a hundred times better, so you feel a little more invested in the characters. It's not a horrible series, because I'm sure there are worse romance series out there (*cough cough* Megan Hart *cough cough*), but I also wouldn't say the Blackstone series is the best by any means. 

 

3 stars.

 

Purchase Links

Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Wide-Open-Blackstone-Affair-ebook/dp/B00BEHGSEK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=

 

Amazon (Paperback):  http://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Wide-Open-Blackstone-Affair/dp/1476735603/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

All In by Raine Miller

Synopsis
The second part in The Blackstone Affair series! Looming danger. A love worth fighting for. A man who’ll go all in.

Ethan Blackstone has a problem on his hands. He’s broken Brynne’s trust and she’s left him. He’s unwilling to live without her and isn’t giving up—he’s dead-set on getting his beautiful American girl back. The passion between them was explosive, but the secrets they hid from each other are dark and chilling and are powerful enough to destroy their shot at a life together. With political threats now directed at Brynne, Ethan is running out of time and he’ll need to gather all his strength and agility to protect her from the dangers that could take her away from him forever. Will Ethan be able to save Brynne from a past that keeps her locked in fear? Will he ever feel the warmth of her touch, the solidity of her trust again? This is a love-struck man who is willing to do whatever it takes to possess the heart of the woman he loves. He’ll go to any lengths to protect her. He’ll go all in.

Here is the fiery story of what happens when two people surrender to a love so great it can heal the scars of the past and give way to a life of pure, rapturous ecstasy.

Review
I can honestly say that I liked "All In" better than "Naked"....but I can still say that I'm still not sold on this series. I can't really pin-point what I disliked about this book, so it's very difficult for me to write this review right now.

I felt like the author continued to revert back to the same comments continually throughout the book. During any scene between Ethan and Brynne you had Ethan's comments about how much Brynne means to him. The benefit to this book over "Naked" was that it was from Ethan's perspective. You gained a little insight into why he was so protective over Brynne. But I still felt like something between their relationship was lacking. That might have stemmed from "Naked" where it was an "insta-love" story, but I just felt like there love for each other was never truly explained.

The end of "All In" ended differently than I thought it was going to, which actually left me a little disappointed and underwhelmed. Normally I'm really excited when a book takes a turn I don't expect, but again, with this book, I'm not sure why I feel so differently about it.

All in all, I think it's an ok book to read if you enjoyed series like Fifty Shades of Grey and The Crossfire series, but I wouldn't get too excited over it.

3 stars.

Purchase Links:
Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/All-Blackstone-Affair-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00AHE268I/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1384473057&sr=1-2&keywords=all+in+raine+miller

Amazon (Paperback): http://www.amazon.com/All-In-Blackstone-Affair-Book/dp/1476735271/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1384473057&sr=1-2

Up Next: "Eyes Wide Open" by Raine Miller

Naked by Raine Miller

Synopsis
Brynne Bennett has left scandal in her past and is living the good life. An American grad student at the University of London and part-time photographic model, she’s getting back on track with lots of hard work and focus on a career in art conservation. When successful and charismatic London businessman Ethan Blackstone buys her nude portrait, he wants to possess more than just her image. He wants Brynne in his bed, serving him in every way possible. He has no trouble voicing his desires, and he isn’t taking “no” for an answer.

At first, his dominant nature captivates her, but it isn’t clear if the force of his powerful desire will ultimately awaken or dispel the demons Brynne is carrying inside. There are secrets on both sides of this relationship—huge ones. Can Ethan erase the scars of Brynne’s past so that she can reveal her true self to him? Or will the shadows cast by Ethan’s own mysterious former life destroy their chance at happiness?

Naked is the sizzling, unforgettable story of what happens when a strong woman meets the one man powerful enough to strip away all her defenses, leaving her standing naked and perfect before him.

Review
I had heard mixed reviews about this book, in particular. The series as a whole I had heard rave reviews about, but this book I'd heard a little both direction. But because the series was so highly talked about, I decided that I just needed to bite the bullet and read the whole thing.

My first impression of this book was that I absolutely loved the Prologue. Seriously, the prologue made me want to just bust through this whole book in one sitting. Then going into the first chapter, I just had a hard time getting into it. I felt like the relationship between Brynne and Ethan was a little rushed. Usually I don't have an issue with "insta-love" but for some reason in this book, it put me off. I just couldn't understand the insta-love with this relationship. But the more I read it the more I got into it. By about the 75% mark I was sold on the book. It just was slow going at first for me.

But now that I've finished the book and I absolutely couldn't believe the ending, I couldn't wait to bust into "All In". I feel like "All In" will be more of what I was looking for in this series having it being written from Ethan's perspective.

I will say "Naked" was somewhat hard to get through, but so far it's seeming like the series as a whole is a definite must-read.

So far I'd rate Naked 3.5 stars, but considering what I've read of All In so far, I'd rate the series as a whole at a 4 stars at this point.

Purchase Links
Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Blackstone-Affair-Book-ebook/dp/B00AHE266U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383501001&sr=8-1&keywords=naked+raine+miller
Amazon (Paperback): http://www.amazon.com/Naked-The-Blackstone-Affair-Book/dp/1476735247/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1383501001&sr=8-1

Up Next: "All In" by Raine Miller

Finding Cinderella by Colleen Hoover

Synopsis
A chance encounter in the dark leads eighteen-year-old Daniel and the girl who stumbles across him to profess their love for each other. But this love comes with conditions: they agree it will only last one hour and it will only be make-believe.

When their hour is up and the girl rushes off like Cinderella, Daniel tries to convince himself that what happened between them only seemed perfect because they were pretending it was perfect. Moments like that with girls like her don’t happen outside of fairytales.

One year and one bad relationship later, his disbelief in insta-love is stripped away the day he meets Six: a girl with a strange name and an even stranger personality. Daniel soon realizes the way he pretended to feel about Cinderella and the way he really feels about Six may not be so different after all. Especially when the two loves of his life end up being one in the same.

Unfortunately for Daniel, finding Cinderella doesn’t guarantee their happily ever after…it only further threatens it.

Review
First off, no one has the excuse of not being able to read this book...it's free! Colleen Hoover wrote this novella that goes along with the Hopeless/Losing Hope series as a thank you to her fans. This story follows Holder's friend Daniel and Sky's friend Six.

This novella was everything I could have hoped for. Even though it was only around 120 pages, it hit everything we would have wanted with Daniel and Six. Right off the bat I was drawn into the story. When reading Hopeless/Losing Hope I always thought Daniel was hilarious and I knew that I would enjoy reading this novella either way, but Colleen Hoover surpassed my expectations. My husband constantly questioned what I was laughing about and I'd read him the section and he'd just respond, "Really? What is with this guy?" Which is why I love Daniel.

Even though it's a novella I still felt like the story hit on everything we would need to complete the story line. I would love to read more into their relationship, but I didn't feel like the story wasn't summed up by the end. Though Colleen Hoover is making it sound like she is going to do some more writing in the line of Daniel, Six, Holder and Sky in the coming year. We will just have to wait and see from her.

I will say that at the end of chapter 6 I just sat there staring at my Kindle. Seriously, I was reading right along and flipped to the next page and couldn't believe my eyes at that point. I didn't think that was where the story was going to go. I was just flabbergasted at that point and I couldn't bring myself to move on for quite a few minutes.

This novella is a must read for anyone that enjoyed the Hopeless/Losing Hope books and just want a little extra into the overall story. But you can read this story without reading Hopeless/Losing Hope and still understand what is going on for the most part. If you are not sure on spending the money on the other books and just want to try out Colleen Hoover's writing style with a free book, this is definitely a way to do it....but I will promise you that you'll fall in love with Colleen Hoover. And if you have been a Colleen Hoover fan, you'll fall in love with her all over again.

Purchase Link:
Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Cinderella-Novella-Colleen-Hoover-ebook/dp/B00FNWRSCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383498752&sr=8-1&keywords=finding+cinderella

Up Next: Naked by Raine Miller