Really good book. I loved the story between Tyler and Lia.

Cute story that really pull the reader in. It deals with some sensitive situations. How men view women who work in the sex industry... are the woman sluts or can it be that is it just a means to make a fair living. Why is it that men are not looked at as being dirty for going to a strip club but a woman is dirty if she works there? Lia has been raising her little brother and trying to make ends meet by working two jobs and trying to get her BA in school. Tyler and Lia meet when she learns that her brother (aged 17) has been beaten up by his peers. Tyler informs Lia that he has been coaching her brother on self-defense for free three times a week after school. Lia was taken aback.. due to she was never informed that her brother was learning to fight. She and her brother had a very bad upbringing with their mom and dad. Their mom attempted to commit suicide after her husband left... she was always drunk or strung out on drugs her children were growing up Tyler just wants to help the two with any and all problems he can. I will not give away the rest of the story... but it does have a few surprises.

Tyler Cavallo was a bad boy who had been in a gang and was a MMA fighter and currently a National Guardman having served active duty in the Middle East. He had settled down as he got little older and now owned a gym where he taught others how to fight and defend themselves. He also mentored young men who were at-risk. That is where he met young man named Caleb. He had come to Tyler for help because he had been "jumped" and he wanted to learn how to fight and defend himself, if necessary. One of those times he ended up pretty battered and Tyler made him call his sister and had her meet him at Tyler's gym. That is how Tyler met Caleb's sister, Lia.

Lia Hanson was a women who was in her late 20s whose only parent was a women who had suffered a stroke at a young age. She was raising her younger teenage brother, trying to finish her college education so she could get a decent job and taking care of her mother who was in a nursing home. She worked two jobs, one of which was in a strip bar, as a "server". She didn't want anyone to know about that job so she kept it a secret and worked over an hour away so no one she knew would recognize her. She was barely holding herself together with all the responsibility she had and the challenges they faced.

Tyler was instantly smitten by Lia. She was a strong woman who he could see was vulnerable and had a hard time trusting anyone, but especially men. She had never had a good example in her life to learn from and Tyler was determined to help her see that he could be the one who could help her and protect her.

I really enjoyed this story a lot. There was a ton of chemistry between Lia and Tyler and he was a big softie. I didn't really like the descriptive sex scenes or the language. I'm not a f-bomb kind of girl. I did like the story, though.

I was given an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story is the second in the series. Great story and reading a book by this author is always enjoyable. Can't wait for the next one.

Along Came Us is the 2nd book in the Man Enough series but it can be read as a stand-alone. This was a sweet, sexy and fun read. Lia and Tyler had great chemistry. You couldn't help but love them, especially Tyler.

I really enjoy this series so far and can't wait for more.

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for supplying a copy of Nicole McLaughlin's "Along Came Us" in exchange for an honest review.

This is second book in series and we get reunited with Tyler, who is also in the national guard, and now owns a gym to help young kids keep out of trouble. He ends up meeting Lia, whose little brother Caleb is going to his gym without her knowledge. Lia has a difficult life, her mother is in a home, and Lia is working as a waitress in a strip bar to help pay the bills, and still assist her mother even though, her mother neglected taking care of them. There are problem with Caleb, and he does not want to tell her, Lia is an angry girl, and does have a chip on her shoulder, sometimes you want to knock her out, but as you continue to read, you feel for her. Tyler is instantly attracted to Lia, and he tries to get close to her, but when he finds out her job, he flips, and then the issues arise. I loved Tyler, and loved reading about Reeve and Emily.

Along Came Us is a heartwarming, sexy romance. Lia is an independent 27 year old working multiple jobs just trying to graduate from college all while taking care of her younger brother, Caleb. When she gets a call from Caleb one night while at work, little does she know that she'll end up meeting the man that will change her and Caleb's lives. Tyler runs and owns a gym where Caleb has been attending the free open-gym program for teens 3 times a week. Tyler's a former gang member and a National Guardsman whose mission is to try to keep kids from making the same mistakes he had made when he was younger. In Caleb he seems something that calls to him, and when he meets Lia, he knows she's special, too. He likes that she's feisty as hell, railing on him after informing him he will not be teaching Caleb how to fight, even to defend himself, and he's determined to not only get her to allow Caleb to learn how to defend himself, but he's determined to get Lia to open up to him, too.

I really like Along Came Us. It's heartwarming, sweet and sexy and Tyler and Lia are both well rounded, layered characters who have chemistry to spare, and watching them fall in love, even with her fighting it, was sweet and sexy. Tyler is so sweet and has such a huge heart. Lia is awesome, she's independent and tough and a great mother figure to Caleb. I wish she had opened up to Tyler sooner, and allowed him to help her, but considering her background, her lack of trust toward people, especially men, was completely understandable.

This story was ok but very predictable. My favorite person was the brother, he seemed to be the one with brains.

Lia had too much on her plate. She had a mother to take care of, brother to raise, bills to pay and finish her business degree. There is not enough hours in a day for two jobs. She is barely making enough for both but when she gets a call about his brother and finds her brother all bruised and she feels she is not failing as a guardian. Plus finding him in a gym doesn’t make her happy. She has hard time dealing with violence and that’s how she saw Tyler, who owns the gym where Caleb has been going.
Tyler, ex-marine and troubled kid himself, saw himself in Caleb. He was trying to help Caleb out and try to talk to him about what had happen to him but he hasn’t opened up to him yet. Now he sees his sister, he is more interested in Lia. But he had to convince her that Caleb is in good hands before he can start anything with her.
Both had different childhood but similar in a way both had to endure. Lia was trying her best to keep both living a normal life as possible. When she forbids Caleb to go to gym because she doesn’t believe in violence. She can’t face another violence in her busy and hectic life.
When Lia is starting to open up to see different side of Tyler and they decided to give it a try. She opens up to him but there are couple of things looming over her and he can feel it. She didn’t want to reveal about her other job but her job working at a strip club is going to cause more problem. She is used to being independent and not use to taking help from other people. When Tyler senses there is something in Lia, but he wasn’t ready to push and waiting for her to open up to him.
While he was on training his friends decided to celebrate his birthday at a strip club and his friend Reeve finds very similar looking Lia in the hall way. He was suspicious and finds his Lia on stage ready to strip.... He couldn’t believe his eyes and he couldn’t believe she never have told him about it. He was waiting and this is what he gets....
Everything turns upside down.. Lia went through so much but now she feels she lost everything. What will they do... Caleb was excited to see Tyler finally taking care of Lia but things turns for the worst for her. She thought he could be the one but she lost it.. What will she do and what will he do???

I enjoyed the first one about Tyler’s friend Reeve and this one was great too... it was great for my summer reading.

I enjoyed this book. I thought Tyler was more likeable than Lia, although she grew on me. You learn to understand why she is the way she is. Tyler has pulled himself up into a successful business owner. Watching these two and how their story unfolds was a really good read. Plenty of romance and not lacking the passion between these two.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Lia is a hard worker trying to make ends meet while taking care of her young brother and also paying for her mother who is in an nursing home. What Lia doesn't have time for is Tyler, a gym owner who is looking out for Lia's younger brother and who is teaching him how to fight.

This was a good read. I liked that Lia stepped up to the plate to care for her loved ones and Tyler was trying to take care of Lia. Good book.

Oh goodness. Tyler and Lia were incredible. She is a strong and proud woman, raising her brother and trying to care for her invalid mother. Tyler was a perfect match for her, both strong and powerful, while being patient and understanding. I enjoyed watching the two of them dance around each other and finally fall in love, overcoming many obstacles in their way.

Along Came Us by Nicole McLaughlin
Man Enough #2

Lia Hanson and Tyler Cavallo meet in his gym when she goes to pick up her injured brother. They do not hit it off at first sight with Lia jumping to conclusions and Tyler realizing his preconceptions were totally incorrect. The two have some trust issues to deal with before they get their HEA. This was a well written story with great characters and real issues to be dealt with. I liked the H/h dynamics and the interaction of Caleb, the brother, with both of them. I enjoyed the first book in this series and look forward to finding out who will have his story told next.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press-Swerve for the ARC – this is my honest review.

4.5 Stars

WHY I READ IT:

About two weeks ago, I talked about how much I love reading basically anything Nicole McLaughlin (previously Nicole Michaels) writes. It was a no-brainer that when the second book in her new Man Enough Series became available, I would be reading it.

REVIEW:

Along Came Us by Nicole McLaughlin is the second book in the Man Enough Series, featuring Tyler and Lia. Tyler is the owner of a local gym and a National Guardsman; Lia is a full-time college student with two jobs, working to support her teenage brother. Lia meets Tyler when she receives a call that she should come to Tyler’s gym to pick up her brother because he’s been involved in a fight. She learns that Tyler opens his gym to at-risk teen boys and offers them a place to work out for free in exchange for good attendance at school. Tyler wants to train Caleb to defend himself because it seems that he is a target for bullying. Lia refuses to consent to any fighting at all because she doesn’t encourage fighting, ever.

Tyler has a past history of underground fighting and then professional fighting before his military service. He spent time overseas and is now in the National Guard with Reeve from All I Ask and several other close friends. He believes that equipping Caleb with the knowledge to defend himself will give him the confidence and ability if he finds himself in a fight situation again. He likes Caleb and it is clear that the teen looks up to Tyler in the absence of any other male role models in his life. Lia’s background with her parents is a rough one. Specifically, her stepfather was rough and even abusive and took his anger out on her mother and even on her.

Once Tyler realizes that he is attracted to her, it takes Lia a while to warm up to his flirting and a little longer to reciprocate. Lia has issues with trust. Thankfully Tyler recognizes this and is very patient. As they spend more time together, first because of Caleb as a shared interest, then as they begin to date – it feels like it takes forever for Lia to be receptive to Tyler in any way. I love the way Tyler pursues her, though. He is careful not to come across as overbearing but he makes sure to be honest about his intentions and what he wants.

The best parts of the story were, of course, Tyler himself and his friends. I adore the other Guardsmen and have since they were all introduced in the first book.

My biggest issues with this story are:

1. Lia has a huge secret that she is keeping from both Tyler and Caleb. I really dislike secrets in romances because they always backfire. This one is just, wow. And when it is revealed, it is jaw-dropping. I felt awful for all parties involved.
2. This book is a mixture of several plot details and tropes mixed together that aren’t my favorites. I hesitate to reveal them all because of spoiling the plot, but one example is that I don’t always love children in romance stories. In this case, it worked out because Caleb is a teenager and helped to further the plot rather than provide comic relief for stressful situations. But it also felt like he made the book less like romance and more fiction-y.

Thankfully the resolution was a good one and everything worked out for everyone in the end.

I liked this one, but I don’t think I liked it as much as the first book in this series. I feel like this is mainly because it lacks the light-hearted banter and humor that the first book had and the romance is slightly less compelling to me. The story itself is a good one, though, and it’s certainly reread-worthy. I’m desperate for more information about the rest of this series. I would love to know when the rest of the National Guardsmen will have their stories published. There is one in particular that I’m dying for.

A well written book with a good plot. I enjoyed the story and the author's writing.

lia hanson has a plan. finish up her studies. quit her terrible job. get a good job she can be proud of. one good enough that will allow her to quit her second decent job. all while supporting her infirm mother and her teenage brother. along came us opens when her brother gets involved in a series of fights she realizes that maybe she doesn't have things as in control as she thought.

first she discovers that he's been taking lessons on how to defend himself at a local mma gym. she's definitely not pleased when she meets tyler cavallo and learns of past involvement with gangs in la and the military. but he has a connection with her brother she can't deny. and she is attracted to him in a way she can't deny either.

tyler is so interested in lia. and the fact that she wants nothing to do with him kills him. and with her brother putting him in the middle of things his loyalty and ability to keep promises are in question. because he hates lying to lia. she barely trusts him as it is, and all he wants is her trust.

there's a push and pull between them throughout the book that works because they are so good at talking about their problems. they still fight and get their wires crossed. but nothing ever feels insurmountable, you have faith that they'll figure it out. that what they feel for each other is love. and that love is strong enough to withstand all the hurt and pain they cause one another without meaning to. because their biggest problem is trust. lia has been hurt so badly before. her father, her stepfather, previous boyfriends, not one of them have stepped up and treated her the way a woman should be treated. and so with tyler everything feels too good to be true. and when he doesn't act or react the way she wants him to, it's painful. but the truth is, he's human. he's entitled to feel conflicted and angry. he's hurt by her lack of confidence in him more than anything else.

but once they really decide to go for it. to trust each other. to trust in their love. what they get is something wonderful. something that might not have been planned for, but is exactly what lia needs in order to achieve happiness.

**along came us will publish on june 27, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press (swerve) in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Tyler and Lia’s story. There’s a great cast of characters and I just get so emotionally attached to these characters. Lia is trying so hard to keep her head above water and her brother out of trouble and on the right path. She’s had a rough life but she’s determined to make things better for her brother. Along comes Tyler and his MMA gym, the exact opposite of everything Lia thinks she and her brother need and the sparks start flying. These two are really great together but watching them get there was occasionally heartbreaking. It was another excellent story and I’m really enjoying this series, I also loved getting to see Reeve and Emily again, even if it was pretty brief. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the series and it was actually different enough from the first to be very refreshing. I've read probably thousands of romance books, but don't think I've ever read one with this same plot. I read several of Ms. McLaughlin's books under her pen name of Nicole Michaels and also thought the plot for those were very new and exciting. Her characters are very well developed and their behavior is consistent with their backgrounds.
In Along Came Us, both main characters have had rough upbringings. It's nice to see the characters overcome their past and work for their futures. Although Lia ends up making a rough decision when she finds her back against the wall in trying to find a way to pay for the nursing home her mother is in, she still puts a lot of thought and soul searching into it. It's a decision that Tyler has a hard time accepting and it could possibly end their relationship. Can he understand that she is doing what she has to, or will it truly be the end of their chance for a happy ending?
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tyler was the most patient man. He was helping a young man learn how to defend himself, but when his guardian gets involved, Tyler is drawn to her. Liz has had to rely on herself to take care of her younger brother and herself. She has a plan to work at a gentleman's club through college and then be done with it. Unfortunately, life doesn't always go according to plan.
When Lia meets Tyler she is upset and demands that he stop teaching her brother how to fight. But, she is drawn to Tyler and feels safe with him. She has some secrets, where she works and she is a virgin. She tells Tyler that she wants to take things slowly and he promises to never push her.
Can she find a way to let him help her? What happens when Tyler finds out where she works? Will she fell him or will he find out some other way? Their chemistry was off the charts and you really feel like Tyler understands What she is going through.
I really liked this book and the characters in it. Great story. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

I loved this one! Tyler is a former fighter/gym owner. He was in a gang in his teens and eventually joined the military and straightened himself out. Because of his past, he is eager to help other teens who are having a hard time by running a program at his gym helping kids stay out of trouble. Lia is a 27 year old woman who has her hands full - she is working two jobs and is finishing her college degree. She also is guardian to her teenage brother, Caleb. When Caleb gets into a bit of trouble, Lia meets Tyler and the attraction is instant. Lia has trust issues after everything she's been through in her life. She has problems opening up and trusting and she's worried about taking a chance on Tyler. Lucky for Lia, Tyler doesn't give up easily and he knows there's more to Lia. I loved that Lia and Tyler are really interesting characters. Both of them have things in their past that shaped who they are now. They have flaws and aren't perfect but they are perfect for each other. This book was nicely paced, had a good plot and the writing was really good. I am really enjoying this series and can't wait for the next book!