Member Reviews

I loved this book. I couldn't see what twist and turn happened. I wanted to know if J would survive and what would happen if he didn't. Would she figure out she was with Bridge? What would happen if she did?

I really loved Izzy and her background story with J. It was so sad to see them in love and then find out how J was before the accident. Then when the truth of everything comes out....amazing! The anticipation, the twist, the ending....the true victim(s).
Once again Rachel outdoes herself. Can't wait to see what she does next.

Was this review helpful?

3.5 stars

One of my favorite things about this author is her ability to write any sub-genre. She is one of the most versatile authors in the field. Having been a fan of her RomCom and PNR series I was really looking forward to this. Everything from the blurb to the cover drew me in.

While this was a good story, there were moments that I had to scratch my head. Certain elements of the plot did not make sense to me. Such as the distance between the brothers when they were not that far apart. I had to definitely suspend the notion that this would really happen and remember it was fiction because it was pretty out there in parts. Even though Bridge and Julian were identical twins I just cannot seem to grasp how Izzy would not have known the difference between her best friend/lover/fiance compared to his altered more muscular and tatted brother.

I did really like Bridge and how he turned out to be so similar to the boy that Julian had once been in regards to Izzy. I hated Julian at the beginning of this story but might have changed my mind by the end. I liked the direction that the author hinted at for the next story in this series.

So even though this wasn't my favorite by this author it still was good.

Was this review helpful?

I felt it took a little too long for Isobel to figure out the twin switch. I wish she had pretended to be fooled instead of actually fooled because it makes no sense she wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I liked the characters and at the end even found myself feeling badly for Julian, the obnoxious twin. I like that story has Bridge take responsibility for his part in hurting Julian, even though Julian brought it upon himself, and works hard to fix the relationship with his twin. Julian does some growing at the end which has me intrigued.

Was this review helpful?

This maybe be the first Rachel Van Dyken book that i really didn't like don't get me wrong it was a great story there was just something that i just didn't like (I'm a mood reader) so that could have something to with why i didn't like it as much.

Was this review helpful?

I am a big fan of Rachel Van Dyken. While I did enjoy this book, I missed the humor I usually find in her stories. Izzy and Bridge were great and I could feel Bridge's distress and dread at what he got forced into (the father was a monster). I just felt like Izzy shouldn't have been fooled so easily. I did feel a bit bad for Julian, but you reap what you sow. I can't wait to see how he is redeemed in the next book.

Was this review helpful?

Ebook provided by NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

I finished this book in a day, I could not put it down; I needed to know what was going to happen and I was not let down. It was a fast read, simple yet not superficial.

We meet the three main character, even if one is not really in the picture (but we come to know him as the story evolves). Julian and Bridge are twins, separated when they were young and raised in two very different backgrounds; Isobel meets Julian and becomes his fiancée. The story revolves around the figures of Isobel and Bridge, as they fall in love and uncover the secrets of his family.

Really good book, beautiful writing style, this author has yet to let me down.

Final vote: 4.5/5

Was this review helpful?

I have not read anything by Rachel Van Dyken in some time. That will be changing. I loved this story.
I loved the twists and turns, the mystery of how it will all play out.
The characters nearly broke my heart again and again. Each of their stories were so tragic and sad.
Do people really split their kids up like that? And how do they live with themselves?
I loved the idea and how Bridge has to step up and help after being deemed the bad twin.

I loved this story and can't wait for more!

Was this review helpful?

** I received an Arc in exchange for an honest review.*
Everyone has things that really aggravate them. Mine is the whole twins that no one can tell apart. My best friends growing up were identical twins. While others had difficulty telling them apart, I did not. People who loved them did not. The thought that a woman who was in love with one twin would be able to be fooled for a long period of time is just ridiculous. Could they fool people who did not know them, certainly. Could they have fooled this woman who had been with one of the brothers for years, no matter how much of an ass he had become, nope. You will never convince me of that.
So this book was not for me from the start. I found the heroine to be such a doormat. It was hard to be sympathetic when she kept putting herself in the same situation over and over and over. Although I liked Bridge on the one hand, the fact that he just caved to his asshole dad did not make him lovable.
I had so many problems with this book. Typically, I adore this authors books but this one was not for me.

Was this review helpful?

I received an arc in exchange for an honest review. This book for me was only 3.5 stars. Rachel is one of my favorite authors..so I feel bad not loving this book, but I felt the relationship between Bridge and Izzy's relationship just felt too fast and forced. I also didn't like how Izzy was supposed to be this smart strong woman and didn't realize that Bridge, who is more muscular and a few other things wasn't Julian. I think for me the first part of this book dragged, but the second part kicked up a bit and I felt it was better. I might be in the minority here, but I also felt bad for Julian. We only know what Izzy and Bridge knew and I feel like some of the stuff they knew wasn't the truth.<spoiler>I hope we get a book for Julian too!</spoiler> I will say by the end of the book I was rooting for Bridge and Izzy. They were both flawed, but fit well together.

Was this review helpful?

Oh how to start this review...I am having a serious book hangover!

Ms. Van Dyken, brings so much in this story.  Angst, heat, heart and a story that is going to keep you glued to the pages until the very end, and them make you beg for more!

This is the story of Julian, Bridge and Isobel.  A love triangle for the ages.  The main characters lives are a twisted vine of lies and deceit.  But there is also the flowering of hope, forgiveness and love.

The dynamic between Bridge and Julian was poignant. A bond that time and distance made fragile, but when needed it was stronger than ever.

The love between each character is beautiful and flawed. The multiple POV's brings so much to the story, it brings a richness to the characters and depth to the story.

I empathized with each main character and Ms. Van Dyken has the writing talent to bring you into the world that she created. I can honestly say that I fell in both love and hate with every main character and that my friends, is a talent few writers can inspire in me! 

Do yourself a favor and read this story!! I am going to be waiting not so patiently for the next book in this series, I promise after you read Stealing Her, you will too!

Was this review helpful?

Bridge Anderson's parents divorced when he was a teenager. He went to live with his mom. while his twin brother, Julian, went to live with their controlling father. Years later, Bridge's mom is ill and he's working 3 jobs to pay for her medical treatments. Julian is CEO of their father's company and engaged to his college sweetheart, Isobel, whom he's alienated so much with his corporate greed and countless affairs that she's ready to leave him. Then Julian gets in a car accident and ends up in a coma. Suddenly, Bridge's father is back in his life for the first time in 12 years, making him an offer he can't refuse: all his mom's medical bills will be paid for if he steps in a pretends to be Julian until a big merger goes through. This means that he has to be the public face of the company, but he also has to go home to Isobel and convince her he's Julian. Which is all fine and dandy until he actually spends time with her. Now he's falling in love with his brother's fiancee and struggling with how to tell her the truth about who he really is. Or...does she already know? His clothes don't fit the way they used to, he's suddenly left-handed, and only so many of the differences in his personality can be explained away by being the results of a brain injury. And what happens if/when Julian wakes up?

This is the second book I've read by Van Dyken, and I absolutely now consider myself a fan. This one was even more polished than the previous one I read, and the characters seem more mature and believable (in her defense, the heroine of the other book was supposed to be barely out of college and the ones in this book are all adults, so that might have been a big reason for the difference). I really liked Bridge. When you think about a guy stealing his twin brother's fiancee while he's in a coma, aside from reminding you of While You Were Sleeping, it also makes you kind of cringe with how wrong it seems. Until you learn that Julian was kind of a shmuck and treated Izzy horribly, and that Bridge resisted making any sort of real move on her until she was very clear on who he was. He didn't take advantage of her and let her sleep with him while thinking he was Julian. Bridge is a stand-up guy who really wants to protect those he loves, and it was impossible not to find him totally swoony. Isobel is a strong woman who has been broken over time by being orphaned, manipulated and emotionally abused by both Julian and his father. All you want after learning all she's been through is for her to rediscover her backbone and find a happy ending.

I really enjoyed this first entry in the series and already can't wait to read the next one!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Skyscape for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!**

Was this review helpful?

What a great read! This book was absolutely amazing. It has great characters and a unique, captivating story. It keeps you on edge the whole time and makes you feel every emotion alongside the characters.

I have to say that at first, I couldn't decide whose side I was on, Bridge's or Julian's and if I could justify Bridge's actions. Love triangles usually have me picking one side and then I simply can't stand the other character but this book is something else. As the story developed, I fell in love with Bridge and started to root for him and Izzy, but as the end was near, I felt heartbroken for Julian and started to wonder what will happen to him. I also loved their mother who was such a warm character and totally likable. She brought some humorous elements into the story, which I deeply enjoyed.

All in all, this book was one of the best ones I've read lately. I just couldn't stop reading it because I was anxious to find out what will happen next and when I got to the end, I was both happy and sad and it left me wanting for more! I'm thrilled that it's part of a series and I can't wait for the next book to come out because I want more of the Tennyson twins. I wish to see what happens with Julian and I hope he does get his happy end as well.

~ Arc provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Stealing Her is a fun read that grabs your attention and won't let go until you finish! You have front row seats to a tyrannical father with severe control issues, a twin brother (Bridge) who wants to be the protector but also is such a romantic and Izzy, the fiancee who is finding her strength after having been put in her designated place for too long. It comes together to be a fun story that has you cheering along the way.

Was this review helpful?

This is my first book by the author and I feel like it is a bit lacking. I really liked Bridge's character, but felt Izzy was kind of missing a whole bunch of clues right in front of her. She really should have figured things out or at least suspected especially with some of the physical differences. Her being completely shocked? I don't know.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Was this review helpful?

Ok, I'm a serious binge reader for romance and erotic books and one of my favourite romance authors is Rachel Van Dyken. So, when I noticed netgalley had a notice up requesting arc readers for the newest Rachel Van Dyken book, I honestly couldn't hit that request button fast enough. I didnt even need to read the synopsis to know whether I would like it or not. If it's written by RVD then I'm simply gonna love it. It didnt disappoint. RVD executes this brilliantly. Love triangles can turn out very messy depending on the readers preference and RVD is able to write it in a way that you can sympathise and understand each person's point of view without turning any of them into the villain of the story. With every one of her books, again it doesnt take long before your hooked and desperate for the next chapter of the book. I couldn't put it down. Dealing with betrayal, romance, relationships but also a book of healing, nurturing and loyalty. 4⭐

Was this review helpful?

Stealing Her had me hooked from the very start! The story is about twin brothers Julian and Bridge and their crazy twisted life. This book kept me on my toes and I didn't know what would happen next. I can't wait to read what happens next! Such a great read by Rachel Van Dyken!

Was this review helpful?

5+++⭐️ Okay so I’ve been in an extreme book rut for over a month and I haven’t found anything that’s been holding my attention but when I picked this books up omg it helped me out of my book rut I stayed up through the night to finish this story and I haven’t done that in a while so you know it had to be amazing. Isobel and bridges story was awesome 👍 and I loved every minute of it I never wanted the story to end 😭 it was that good now I must wait In anticipation for Julian’s book ❣️❣️ great job with this one Rachel😀

Was this review helpful?

This book kinda threw me for a loop. I have read everything this author has released and this book is nothing like any of her other work. It was in a league of its own. I really enjoyed it but it didn’t have the typical RVD feel.

Was this review helpful?

I think this book is RVD's best book to date. I absolutely could not put the book down. It was filled with so much angsty goodness and I immediately fell for Bridge. I understood his need to do the things he did (I know vague much? But I can't give any spoilers away!)

Just know that you will be sucked into the story from the first chapter and if you're like me, you won't be able to put the book down once you start. Each book with Rachel gets better and better and I think Stealing Her takes her fans back to her voice in a few of her earlier works.

Read this book and series!!

Was this review helpful?

***I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Van Dyken and Skyscape ***

I’m a fan of Rachel Van Dyken’s writing. Stealing Her is the 8th book I’ve read from her and the first one I didn’t love. It was just ok. Julian and Bridge are estranged twins who were separated after their parent’s divorce. A tragic accident brings Bridge’s father back into his life. He asks Bridge to pretend to be his brother and save the family’s business while Julian fights for his life. Bridge promised he’d always protect his brother, so he agrees to his father’s demands knowing he’ll finally be able to take care of his mom. He doesn’t expect to fall for Julian’s fiancé Isobel.

I knew I was going to have to suspend disbelief going into this story, but it still felt forced and farfetched. Isobel was too wishy washy for me. Her fiancé ignored her, cheated on her, emotionally manipulated her and controlled practically every facet of her life. I understood why she stayed to help Bridge-as-Julian recover but I wish she wouldn’t have. I wanted her to stay strong and believe she’d done the right thing breaking off their engagement. The fact that Bridge was significantly more muscular, had tattoos, cooked, respected her, let her call the shots and control their relationship should have had alarm bells ringing off, not making her think the man she fell in love with had come back to her. I simply wasn’t convinced. She pushed Bridge away then pulled him close, and while I understood her reluctance, it became tiresome.

I also struggled with the business side of the story. The twins’ father was as controlling as they come. I felt like he would not have given Bridge any real responsibility in the company. I felt like he would have known what was going on and what Julian had been up to. I felt as though he was made out to be the real villain but didn’t really live up to the title.

The best part of this book was Bridge. I admired how selfless he was, how he took care of his mom. I loved how respectful he was with Isobel. I loved that he tried to make her laugh, fought to correct Julian’s mistakes, and was consistently patient and understanding with Isobel even when she lashed out at him. I loved that he let her control their physical relationship and tried incredibly hard to not to cross that line out of respect for both Julian and Isobel. I loved that he always tried to avoid outright lying to her, ignoring the deceit of pretending to be Julian that is. He was a good man.

By the end of the book, I’d accepted and even rooted for Izzy and Bridge’s relationship, but I wanted more interaction between the twins, and between the twins and their mom. The mother, whom Bridge was really close to basically disappeared from the book after Bridge becomes Julian. It seemed out of character for Bridge to go so long without seeing her or talking to her. I wanted to see the twins through her eyes, to watch her struggle along with and support the boys. I just wanted more depth, and the only place there was depth was on the romance side of things.

Was this review helpful?