Book 1 in Decevito's The Broken Men Chronicles series and focus' on Paxton's journey to a HEA after his split with wife Julie. I adore the mail point of view and feel that Decevito did a great job there. I also love the emotions that will captivate you along with a smooth flowing storyline. Plenty of steamy chemistry is to be found here too that will get you all hot n bothered! An overall quick and easy read I very much enjoyed.

This book was given to me for free at my request thru NetGallery and I voluntarily provided this review.

I loved the thrill that Carey was able to put into this story. She does a great job of capturing the reader.

Paxton is devastated when his wife of five years walks out on him. He had hoped that they would be able to reconcile their differences, but that didn’t happen. Once an aspiring writer, he turns back to writing for consolation. Joining an online group of like-minded amateurs, he begins to put his past failures behind him. He finds a kindred spirit in Alessa, and over time, they form an internet relationship that leads eventually to a face-to-face meeting. Sparks fly almost instantaneously.

The chemistry works. Healing in not instantaneous, but with the help of his new-found friend, and his four-year-old son, Jasper, a broken man finds healing and love again. Heavy on sex and light on introspection, this one is good for four stars.

Once Written, Twice Shy by Carey Decevito is the first book in the Broken Men Chronicles. I really liked this book. Very unusual that I get to read a book from a man’s point of view. I liked that. I also liked that he was not overly macho or alpha he is an average kind of soul.
Paxton has a failed marriage almost behind him. He also has a son he loves. He was chatting online with a woman from his writers’ group. They connect on many levels. So, they meet in person.
I liked he is sweet, kind, and has depth.
Alissa is confident, loving, very giving person. She is just what Paxton needs and his son. She has a ton of love to give them both.

This is a fast-quick read. I found no real conflicts in here, and I just liked the pureness of this one. Great read when you want to fall in love and read a book from the male point of view which you do not see too often.

Five Shooting Stars

Received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Oy. This was a struggle. I've never been one to complain about love scenes, but this book was about 2/3 love scene. It got to the point that I was skimming love scenes because there were just so many. I enjoyed the story, but there was not enough set up about what brought Alissa and Paxton together, so I had a heard time rooting for them as a couple.

Great premise, but I had rough time with this one.

I'm ready for more! If anyone knows me, they know I LOVE single parent romances... they are never long enough for me!

I couldn't finish this book. The writing was not good and the beginning was so jumpy that I couldn't understand what was going on. This author and their editor need to revisit and try again.

Once Written, Twice Shy is definitely erotica. Almost too much erotica, if there is such a thing. The characters are a bit two dimensional for me, and I wished for more layering and information in order to connect to them. The sex scenes didnt always seem to move the story along, which was why I felt they were too plentiful. The story itself was entertaining, and the series looks interesting, so I would read more.

A great introduction to this author for me. I enjoyed the intense characters and found myself cheering for their happily ever after.

I did not connect with this story or the characters. I struggled to finish hoping it would get better but it never really did.

A lovely, pleasant read that tugs at the emotions as it twists through the recovery from a failed marriage and the journey into a new relationship. Ms Secevito knows how to write emotion, bringing the reader’s feelings to the surface with each written word. I loved the added tension in certain parts and had my fingers crossed for a desired outcome – trying not to give things away here… The blurb and book description accurately explains the plot. I HEA story with some twists and turns along the way.

He thought he had everything until his life slowly fell apart. In a way to heal, he began writing and found something he needed. The support that he was missing and opening up his world. A second chance at love.

Different kind of story premise for my but very interesting and engaging, a fun reads and something I would read again so it's a keeper!

This was a wonderful story, beautifully written.

This starts as a captivating romance, a terrific story about Paxton and Alissa meeting and falling in love quite seamlessly. But the real story is more about making it work afterwards, dealing with the complications of fitting into each other's lives. They've got the long-distance hurdle, the jealous ex, the impressionable young child, and the emotional risks involved with starting over. All of these issues are brilliantly handled, with plenty of steam in the love story and even more respect and compassion for the other issues.

How these two work everything out makes for an enchanting romantic journey, and I couldn't love this book more. The characters are so real, so honestly portrayed, you feel like you've known them for years. Alissa is a wonderful heroine, full of love and a huge heart. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

I don't normally read romance, that's my daughter's genre. But after reading the blurb for this book, I took the chance that it would be a good one. It was. It was sweet, it was sexy and above all, believable. Great book!

Super Cute Aspects, Less Writing than Anticipated

Paxton was a pleasant surprise; soft where appropriate for his context, but decisive at the same time. Alissa, meanwhile, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, on...so the pacing seemed a bit odd for the nature of the central conflict. Still, it was a sweet story with lots of steamy scenes, and got a tear out of me a few times.

I want to thank Emberlust Press for allowing me to read this for an honest opinion. I thought this was the most heart warming love story that I've ever read. My opinion on Julie in the beginning was that she was very selfish and did not want to see Paxton happy in any way. Although there was a ton of sex it was really exciting to read that Paxton and Alissa always stayed ready for him as he for her. This is the first book I've read by this author and I think I will be reading many more.

DNF

The book opens with Paxton's wife walking out of him and declaring that she's moving in with the guy she's been seeing that Paxton knew nothing about. It then moves to a time later when Paxton is moving on and meets a woman he's been chatting online with.

My issue with the book is right here. There's no background of the communication over emails, private messages, texts and skype calls that apparently occurred between the two. I felt no connection between the characters, no real bond that would have her jumping on a plane and flying across the country to meet him.

I skimmed through the book, it seems entirely based on their relationship without any drama or anything to keep the reader interested.

I was about 10% of the way through the book when I decided to skim the rest in hopes that it became more interesting.

Mmm, what to say: this book was definitely different than other books. It was written from a male POV about the break up with his ex and finding a new love online from another state. And how he adjusts with his three year old son, Jasper to being a single father.
In all an interesting read, with Alissa (the new girlfriend), who is definitely a sweet woman, who shows she can grow a spine during the book, to oppose Pax's vicious ex. In all a nice read, with some sparks flying and several hot and steamy scenes. But no roller coasters of emotions so it just didn't rock my boat. Therefore three out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Decent! The story told from a male perspective was a nice change; the writing was concise and focused. Romance is outside my typical genre but it was a very quick and light read.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the book in exchange for my honest review.