Turned up (Taking Chances book 3) by Erin Nicholas

Wow! Turned Up is an amazing book. I loved every aspect of this book. Turned Up has a lot of heart swoon moments. Just wow. Erin Nicholas is an amazing author. Erin Nicholas has all the qualities I find amazing in an author. Erin Nicholas always delivers with her books. Her books are a breath of fresh air.

In Turned Up we finally get to read Dylan Alexander's and Kit Derby's story. Let me just say together they are a powerhouse. Kit is the town psychiatrist and Dillon is the ER doctor in Chance, Nebraska. Kit and Dillon have been friends and competing with each other since the third grade. When they get stuck at Kit's grandmother's house in a blizzard things really heat up.

I found this book very amazing. I couldn't put it down. The plot in Turned Up was powerful, enticing and passionate. I loved the chemistry Kit and Dillon have. Turned Up has all the elements that make a great read. I love the town Chance, Nebraska. I love the details of this book. It is clear to see Erin Nicholas did her research.
I highly recommend this book. I give it five stars and two thumbs up. A must read for every romance lover.

<i>Turned Up</i> is the last of the books in the Taking Chances series. The stories are built around a fictional town where three couples come together after a twister tears apart the town. Each of the three couples have a history and the three men are cousins. This last one is Dillon's and Kit's story. It's also my least favorite, mostly because it feels so disconnected from the twister that started it all and from the overarching plotline and relationships.

Dillon and Kit compete against each other. It's what they do. All. The. Time. But every time they get caught alone, they light it up. Every. Time. That would be great, if they just accepted it and enjoyed it. Instead they fight it, or rather Kit fights it. And then when they do hook up, Kit goes from super tough chick calling Dillon out to mushy gooey woman deferring to Dillon. And she hates herself for it.

For some reason, their push-pull drove me crazy - and not in a good way - even though the same dynamic in the other couples worked for me. Maybe it was too much of the same, maybe it was just the way they fought their feelings, maybe it was the personality transplant Kit had, or maybe it was just the whole thing was a bit off.

Whatever it was, it kept me from enjoying this book as much as the previous ones. It was still a good book, though.

This book was just pretty boring and I really didn't see the chemistry between the two main characters.

Turned Up is my favorite in this series. I loved the back and forth banter between Dillon and Kit, it was so much fun to watch them rile each other up. They were so cute together and I loved that they pushed each other to be better people. They were just perfect. This has been a really fun series and I look forward to reading more of this author's work.

Erin Nicholas’s ‘Turned up’ is generally an easy, light read and while I hadn’t been invested in small town Chance for a long while, Kit’s and Dillon’s supposed enemies-to-lovers trope brought me back instantly to that simmering sexual tension that had to snap sometime.

Only that I didn’t quite know what to feel about their complicated history that started in high school which Nicholas outlined, seeing as I was expected (and perhaps hoping for) more of a straight-up competitive ‘hate’ to love sort of relationship because those seem…hotter somehow. Yet, what it takes for them to move past the will-they-won’t-they stage is apparently some kind of disaster or a snowstorm, where dating, rather than occasional pent-up sex over the months and years will become the new norm.

But as most stories go, past the initial honeymoon stage, there’re always obstacles to flatten, some of which become the biggest thorn in the flesh that eventually lead to the pairing’s HEA. The format here isn’t too different, only that I felt emotional mountains were made of molehills that could have easily been solved by talking and some strategic and intelligent positioning so that Kit/Dillon wouldn’t have to listen to what everyone in a small town and what they had to say about their relationship.

I didn’t like how Kit gave credence to how the mayor’s wife tried to dictate the way Dillon’s and her relationship should go and that she did irked me, because it really looked as though they were getting into a whole new rhythm of their own before she starting doubting everything they had. Seriously? Worse yet, she’d started to believe that she could only be the best when Dillon was there to compete with her and push her to be better and that this eventually became the conflict in the climax seemed, well, annoyingly petty. Kit’s way of running to deal with feelings got tiring (and in some way, TSTL) as well, when her inability to face up to how relationships DO change people felt like an identity crisis that only teenagers rather than professionals should be worrying about. Thankfully though, that was brief enough, though sufficiently lengthy enough to trigger the personal peeve of mine when couples get together deliriously happy before someone suddenly shifts and turns tail because of an external influence and acts completely out of their depth.

And I’m going to say right here, that this is probably splitting hairs because of my admittedly short fuse when it comes to stupid behaviour. Yet that was the only downer—with enough push-pull that just didn’t convince me at all—that would have otherwise made this a very, very good read.

Sadly, sometimes it takes a natural disaster to make people realize what’s important. This is the premise of the Taking Chances series by Erin Nicholas. After an F4 tornado ravishes Chance, Nebraska, three of the golden boys find their way home. Max and Jake got their own HEAs in the first two books in the series, in Turned Up, it is Dillon’s turn. As his lady love Kit is also his nemesis, the only thing that is going to change the dynamic is yet another natural disaster, this one in the form of a blizzard. Dillon and Kit find themselves trapped at her grandmother’s house which finally allows them to cease their battle of wills and figure out that all their bickering simply forces them to be their best. Together they can truly conquer the world, fighting the whole way.

This is a fast, fun read. Dillon and Kit have sparks that sizzle off the page. While I wasn’t quite ready to starting thinking about blizzards, Nicholas drew me into the story quickly and never let up. This will definitely go into my pile of book to reread once the snow starts to fly.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.

***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

This was a small town, enemies to lovers, second chance romance. It is the 3rd in the series, and while there are characters from the 1st 2 books (it's a small town romance, it would be odd if there weren't) you don't need to have read the other books to enjoy this one...although I do recommend them.

Yeah, there was a lot going on in this one, and this doesn't always work for me. In fact, if you have read my reviews, one of the main issues I have is with books that try to do too much.

But, as you will notice by the rating, this one got the balance just right.

I think because in order for it to really work, it all had to be there. The small town, the inability of them to get away from one another, it had to exist or they never would have gotten past the reason that they didn't work initially, in the past (hence why they needed to also be a second chance) and, the enemies to lovers? Well, that was the draw that kept them coming back to one another, the need to push one another, to challenge each other to be better, and to be unwilling to let one another settle for 2nd best.

It all just worked, and it worked very well.

Dillon and Kit started in high school. With an attraction that maybe wasn't handled totally correctly (but in a way that is forgivable, with an encounter that left them both feeling just a little guilty...even though they didn't need to feel any guilt at all) and the resulting time and distance separation that they needed to find their own footing without one another constantly there. I loves that, as the story goes on, you get some of the details of the other times they have been drawn to one another, and of the reasons that it didn't work, and the reason why this time is different.

Stories where the hero and the heroine are trapped somewhere need a lot of elements in order for them to work, and this one works so well. Their past, the attraction, the fact that their previous encounters have all ended with one of them leaving (at least emotionally, often physically as well) all builds up into a wonderful romance with 2 people who are finally forced to stay in the same place. The conversation, the getting to know one another, that happens is so real, and so emotional, that you can't imagine them ending up anywhere but together.

I also think the story worked as there was no "great breakup scene" for them. Yes, there is the angst of the relationship, and the push and pull of figuring that out...but they do it together. And, there really is no other way for that to have happened after the closeness and openness of their night in the blizzard. I loved that Erin Nicholas didn't lose the momentum of the connection by staging the "big fight" that is so often a part of the developing relationship. Dillon and Kit had done enough of that, seeing them together, even if it was reluctantly on Kit's part, worked for the story and honestly, it is the main reason this was a 5 star read for me.

The other reason this one hit all the 5 star buttons for me is how much Dillon just plain loves Kit. These can be a hard sell, as you need the romantic hero to be a hero, to woo the woman, to be the male you want in a romance...and that can be tough when you start the book with the hero already in love with the heroine (even if she doesn't fully see it) but the way Nicholas writes Dillon, the way instead of forcing his love on Kit he shows her, with gloves, and s'mores, and blanket forts, and just generally caring about her, well, that works so well.

The romance is well balanced with the touches of life in a small town, with the disappointments of life in general, with the idea that sometimes, even when you are doing the right thing, and feel good about it, it is nice to have that push. That person there to challenge you, to come in (even if at the last minute) to shake up your world just a little bit.

I recommend this title.

And, while we are at it...my spelling bee nemesis word is "petition" and I have spelled that right since the 4th grade.

Erin Nicholas is good. For a little while, she helps readers get out of their heads and get in touch with their hearts. If laughter is the best medicine, Turned Up is spot on with the dosage. Kit and Dillon are book smart but clueless when it comes to the heart. Egos explode, sparks fly and love grows. What happens when the bane of your existence morphs into the love of your life? Crazy, sizzling and irresistible fun.

A wonderful conclusion and my favorite book of the trilogy, finally welcomes readers to the world of Kit and Dillon. Highly competitive all their lives, but sparks ignite whenever circumstances bring them together. Kit is super feisty town psychiatrist, while Dillon is the stubborn town doctor. Their chemistry, wit and humor drew me in, and kept me highly entertained. I couldn't put the book down!

Kit Derby and Dillon Alexander have been fighting, and loving, each other since they were young. Dillon, an emergency room physician has returned to Chance, Nebraska, and right back into fighting with Kit, who is a psychiatrist. But the sparks fly every time they are together. They are both strong people. Will they be able to find a middle ground and love?

If you like a book with a pretty good helping of steamy sex in it, this book is for you. It's the third in a series, but can be read as a stand-alone. I haven't read the first two books, and I had no trouble getting into or following the story.

Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy to read, and this is my honest review.

Another fantastic story from this amazing author. There is plenty of things going on and it keeps you turning the pages just to find out what's going to happen. You will fall in love with the characters from the start. You always get what you expect from this author and that is a fantastic book.

**Advanced copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Turned Up is the third book in the Taking Chances series and it is a great enemies-to-lovers romance. This was my favorite of the three books in this series.

Dillon Alexander and Kit Derby have been rivals since grade school. Dillon was the first person to ever beat Kit at anything and from that moment on, they have always pushed each other and bickered with each other. They definitely make one another better and when they both became doctors, that extended into their professional lives as well.

When a blizzard hits Chance, the two head out into the storm to check on Kit's grandmother and they end up getting stranded together overnight. While they were trapped, they were forced to face the fact that they both have been fighting feelings for the other for years. Are they finally at the point where they can admit that they are better together than they are just being frenimies?

I enjoyed this story from the beginning. The push-pull between the two was engaging and I really enjoyed Kit and Dillon as people. I felt like we really got to know who they were individually and also as a couple. It was great to see the couples from the first two books as well. I would recommend this one for sure!

Having read the first two in the series, I was looking forward to this final instalment with Kit and Dillon. Erin Nicholas doesn't disappoint. As a reader, the characters' respective frustrations leap off the page and it is easy to understand how they are attracted to one another while wanting to compete against each other. I liked both main characters and enjoyed reading their journey to finding each other.

I continue to be a fan of Ms Nicholas' work but I found this title was less enthralling than I have been accustomed to with her books.The third in her Taking Chances series,we are introduced to the medical professionals Dillon and Kit who have had a long-standing competitive/love relationship and are now exploring the complexity of their association.Dillon is one of a few male counterpart who is unafraid of acknowledging his feelings, and is proudly declarative of his emotions.Kit,on the flip side, is more tightly wound and has a proclivity for being"in her head" frequently, sometimes rendering the reading boring and redundant.The first book in the series came through like the tornado in the story and swept you off your feet,enjoyable to the end, whereas this one was a soft fizzle and felt like all the steam was lost somewhere along the way.Kit's friends, especially Bree ,were fun to re-acquaint with, and they brought back some sparkle to the story.I thought the narratives were just too space-occupying and that led to a 3 star rating.I do still recommend this book as a decent read and thank Netgalley for providing this ARC.

A book to read on holiday,relaxing a book you can leave and come back to without having missed anything this book will speal to a certain type of reader.
I sometimes got the impression that it was a long drawn out plot to the end it got quiet predictable

A must read

Kit and Dillion have been each other's nemesis since childhood. They have always challenged each other and the sparring has just added fuel to the attraction between them. But when they are trapped in Kit's grandmas house during a snow storm, the attraction gets too strong to be held back. How will this change in their relation affect their rivalry now ?
Turned up is an excellent read. It's funny, it's sexy. there are time it was sweet and swoon worthy and next minute frustrating and irritating, but at all times it just kept me hooked with a smile on my face. This is my first book in the Taking Chance series, but am definitely changing that and downloading the previous two in the series

Perfectly crafted love story. I only wish it were a bit longer. Great characters and backstory. Dragged a bit in spots but not enough that I dreaded trying to finish.

Since grade school, Dillon Alexander and Kit Derby have been at odds, each fighting with the other, pushing to be the best. But since the big tornado trapped them together in a closet, the emergency room doctor and the psychiatrist have been letting those sparks work for them in a different way. Especially now that another storm has hit, a snowstorm that traps them alone at her grandmother's house resulting in a sexy game of Chutes and Ladders. Eventually it leads them to testing out the possibility of having a real relationship.
And that's where the book starts to fall apart for me a little bit. The road blocks to Twu Lurv seemed artificial and somewhat put up. Then they're resolved ridiculously easily. I don't say this often but this book might have been better as a novella.

Three stars
This book comes out August 29

I strongly recommend this series.. but this has been my favorite of them all. The attraction between Dillon and Kit leapt of the pages and had me cheering for them as a couple from the first page. I enjoyed following them on their very spirited and scorching hot journey of discovery starting as early as lets say high school. The battle between finding yourself as both an individual and a couple was so well written that it made me want to finish this book without putting it down; so much so that I sent my teenage daughter out on chores so I could find out what happened between Kit and Dillon (and I am not feeling at all guilty) Thank you NetGalley and Erin Nicholas for the fantastic opportunity to read and review this book.