Member Reviews
I think that this book and I were just a poor match. I'm sure that there are other readers who would enjoy this book and find the romance a rewarding one. I'm giving this two stars because of a mismatch between reader and book, but the book deserves a more well-suited reader!
A book that is good for what it is. The main characters have good chemistry and Jax is inherently likable even with his hermit ways. The end was understandable but left me scratching my head. The one big thing was that I would have liked to know more about Jax the man, but the quickness of this read was welcome.
I’m going to get right to the point in this review. I liked some things. I hated some things. I’m about to share some major spoilers. You’ve been warned.
First, I’m going to start with the “thing” I liked. There was really good sexual tension between Jax and Alessia. The very slow burn kind where things start then stop then take two steps back before they start again. And that sums up what I liked about this book.
Next, time for the bad. And it starts off bad from the very beginning. Alessia flees from her mom’s abusive live-in boyfriend who keeps threatening to get into her pants. After failed attempts at breaking away and going to a women’s shelter, Alessia decides her last resort is to steal his car, buy some camping gear and go squatting in the woods on some other guy’s property. She has no plan, no education, but somehow she has a blog following that is donating her money, yet she has no internet friends that will provider her REAL assistance? I find that hard to believe.
For the second bad thing: once Jax discovers her trespassing, he hog-ties her, carries her to his cabin and then drugs her unconscious so she can’t leave. Yes, he DRUGS her without her consent. Then he takes care of her and offers her a place to stay as long as she helps with chores around his property. No, she is not a hostage. Alessia stays because she has no plan and no where else to go. Then the attraction starts and all that sexual tension and it’s easy to figure out where it goes from there.
For the third bad thing: remember the horrible abusive guy after Alessia? Well, of course he finds her, but she never actually knows that she’s been found because Jax DRUGS her again! He then tortures and murders the bad guy…and Alessia NEVER finds outs. The end. They lived happily ever after. Really?
I actually really liked the middle of this book, but it was totally ruined by the beginning and the ending.
This one was fine, but I found many aspects to the story very unbelievable. I know that with many romance novels, and stories in general, you have to suspend your disbelief with certain aspects of the story, but I found that hard to do with this particular story. Alessia was just very unbelievable in general. I will say that I did really enjoy the sexual tension between the two characters!
This was unexpected. A nice slow burn love story. Jax seemed to be a bit of jerk in the beginning, but he was actually a really sweet guy. Unexpected ending, but good.
It was a slow burn romance and I enjoyed it for the most part . I just loved seeing Jax's softer side for Alessia, a girl who runs away from an abusive family. But I didn't feel any connection between two of them, something was missing. In my opinion, this book is not bad and deserves 3,5 stars.
Thank you, Net Galley and publisher, for this opportunity
I thought this book was pretty good for how short it was. I thought both characters were well-developed and it was easy to see how trusting Alessia was of Jax after just a short time. I did feel as though parts of the story were missing, not enough to be confused of the plot line, but there was a mention of them being together for a few months which didn't feel that way while reading. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and liked the storyline.
Complementary copy given for honest review.
Ms Winters knocked it out of the park with this book. I loved it from start to finish. Love brings us to do what must be done.
At All Cost is my first read by Katerina Winters and I enjoyed her writing style, the depth she portrays in her characters and the realistic and caring way she allows the relationship to develop between Jax and Alessia. While the story can most adequately be described as a slow burn, it definitely has complexities that require work and communication from both parties.
Jax is an admirable hero, as he ensures that Alessia is in charge of the progression of their physical interactions, but there were also some areas of concern that I had trouble accepting. I didn’t abide Jax’s decision to restrain Alessia and then lace her drink with what amounted to what he thought was a sedative, and I felt that clarification was required as to the age of Alessia, as she was portrayed as youthful for most of the book.
Overall this was a good story with a strong plot and interesting character development. The relationship worked and they got their HEA, but the ending was definitely unexpected. However, I’m not telling what it was, so I guess you’ll have to read the book to see what I mean.
This book sounded interesting to me, but I ended up not finding the actual story to be all that great. I felt like there was more of a sibling relationship between Jax and Alessia than a romantic relationship. I felt like Jax saw her as more of a child than an equal. I’m not quite sure how I feel with how Jax dealt with the big problem in the story. This was not a horrible read and it just was not for me.
Thank you Neeta for your recommendations. I will check them out.
I just read two great books by Katerina Winters. Her H are EVERYTHING...they are totally alpha males and will do anything (even kill) for their woman. I just read
At All Cost by Katerina Winters -Mountain Man so sweet with the heroine
His Smile A Mafia Romance by Katerina Winters Russian Mafia killer/kingpin who meets the quirky heroine. I loved this story
I read this book a while ago and loved it. The H in this story works with the H in the previous book.
Glass Cage by Katerina Winters Russian mafia H falls in love with the awesome h. GREAT BOOK
At All Cost was my first read from this author and I was excited to try something new and I thought the blurb sounded interesting.
The book started off interesting, but I found that I couldn't really connect with the characters much. I understood the reasoning for Alessia's running away from home, and I could see the appeal of Jax's solitary lifetsyle in the woods, but I didn't understand them together...at all. I just didn't feel their chemistry or connection. It just wasn't there for me. In addition the writing style seemed somewhat immature and I felt like the book could definitely benefit from some further proofreading and editing.
Overall, I think the story line could have been entertaining, but various parts of the execution sadly didn't really work for me.
This is my first read from this author and I kinda feel like I read a totally different book from everyone else. I'm not really sure where to start but I can say I didn't love it. One thing that really bugged me is that the ages of the characters is never really clear. I get the impression that the h is young, which is ok with me, but how young are we talking here? It's almost written as if there's some sort of taboo element but I never really could figure it out. I don't know, it was just all over the place for me. There were several things I didn't enjoy that took away from the overall story, including the ending. It was a quick read and I think the book had potential, but there were just too many holes and not enough depth.
This was my first book by Katerina Winters and I absolutely loved it. Once I started it, I could not put it down. Not only is this a fantastic contemporary romance read but it also takes the reader on a angsty suspense filled journey. I absolutely loved rugged mountain man Jax. The sexy loner lives alone in a secluded cabin in the middle of nowhere. He loves his solitary existence and does not tolerate human interaction. Alessia is young, beautiful and resourceful. She is on the run, trying to escape a dangerous situation and finds herself on Jax’s radar. When Jax stumbles across her camping out on his land he saves her from the elements and her own stupidity. Recognizing that she is alone and desperate, he offers her shelter in exchange for some help around his cabin. Unbeknownst to her he is ex military and is prepared to protect her at all costs and protect her he does. A nail biting ending will leave you on the edge of your seat as will their much deserved happily ever after. TBR this great book and enjoy.
**I received a copy of At All Cost from Net Galley and the author in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. My opinion wasn't solicited in any way.**
At All Cost by Katerina Winters is an author I haven't read before and because the description intrigued me. However, I agree with other reviews the abrupt ending left me with a lot of questions because of this. I loved the strong alpha with his protective instincts and when he was cuddling Whiskers the cat melted my heart. Give me a slow burn on the romance any day as the couple then learns more about each other instead of heading straight towards love. Alessia's mom left me with very bad opinion of her which includes her boyfriend Gary and his treatment of Alessia.
Alessia is on the run from her mother's boyfriend and when she decides to rough it for the winter in the Oregon Coast mountains little does she know that Jax will be her rescuer when the winter rain storm happens. (Trust me I lived on the WA coast and know how these storms are). But when Jax offers her shelter in exchange for helping him with finishing the house. But will she always be looking over her shoulder for Gary to take her back to Yakima? Or can she stay and make a life in Gaulding, Oregon without fear?
Jax Beranak came to Gaulding after serving in the military for almost 10 years but after losing both parents while on duty his escape to the Oregon Coast to live off the grid was what he needed. When he sees Alessia in the woods it will mean a change for both of them. When danger is found tracking her he'll do whatever necessary to keep her safe.
Alessia and Jax are both alone in the woods for different reasons, but it seems like they were meant to find one another. Alessia is running from an abusive situation. Jax is withdrawing from the world after withdrawing from the military.
Jax helps Alessia, even when his better judgment tells him not to. They are both quickly attracted to each other and find a home within the other person. I liked Alessia's resilience and sassiness. She was truly someone you could see as a good friend. Jax seems to have been through the ringer and deserves some happiness. Watching them fall for each is pretty delightful!
To be honest, this was a four star read for me up until the very very end of the book. <spoiler>When Jax murders - yes - I'll say murders - Alessia's mother's boyfriend, it completely changed the way I thought about him and the story. Alessia's mother's boyfriend was a terrible person - of that there is no doubt. But, I don't think killing him was the right answer. I understand that Alessia would have likely never truly felt safe until she new that the man wasn't able to come after her. But, I'm not sure he really would have ever come after her. I think he really did just want his car back. Not that I think he wouldn't have hurt Alessia, given the chance, but I think Jax had other options. I'm also not sure that Alessia would have agreed with Jax's actions. Victims of sexual assault seldom get resolution against the person who assaulted them, but I am not sure that even the death of the person who assaults them gives them back the peace of mind and feeling of safety they had before their attack. </spoiler>
Overall, I enjoyed the story and thought it was an interesting and different take on romance. It definitely fell outside the normal tropes of romance and I enjoyed the originality.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are my own.
This is a slow burn romance about wo broken souls who finds the one that heals them in one another
Alessia was molested by her mothers boyfriend so she took his car and went on the run she isn't running anymore she is camping in the forest what she doesn't know is that the land belongs to Jax. He isn't happy to find a trespasser on his land but he knows she needs help and it is too cold for to be out there so he offers her shelter in return for her work. These two start of hating one another but passion soon flares Do they have a future together You will have to read to see
This was my first time reading this author. I love mountain man theme. Jax Beranek is a mean recluse. He has his cabin and his solitude and does not need anyone. He finds Alessia in the woods and gives her a choice leave with his help or tied up over his shoulder. He sees the same pain in her that he lives with.
I enjoyed this book it was a quick fast read. They were both real people with real problems and emotions and they help each other find away out of the loneliness and solitude and back to living. If your looking for a book to read check this one out it is enjoyable.
I receieved a free copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest reveiw. I would reccomend this to my friends.
At All Cost: A Mountain Man Romance by Katerina Winters is the story of Jax Beranek and Alessia Conners. Alessia is on the run from her past that threatens to find her. So she plans to get off the grid by camping in a small town. But that town has a man named Jax that prefers to live alone and only goes to town when he has too. But this time his trip into town he spots Alessia there. Jax tries to keep his emotions in tack because something about her brings out feelings in him. When he finds her camping on his property he tries to get her to leave but ends up taking her home where they slowly build a weird friendship that starts to mean more.
Enjoyed their story and couldn't put it down.
I went back and forth between giving this three or four stars. There were parts I really enjoyed, but others really bothered me. So, I ultimately landed on 3 stars.
This is more of a novella which I don’t think is always the best length for a romance. They typically lead to rushed romance. Alessia and Jax actually have a pretty well-paced romance. They become friends, get to know each other, and then develop a romantic relationship. I wish there were more conversations after they started having sex, but it wasn’t a big deal. At least they talked before.
Jax was interesting, but not as developed as Alessia. And she wasn’t as developed as she could have been. She was also pretty impulsive which started to bother me. Jax would try to protect her from things in the wilderness and she wouldn’t listen and act like a petulant child. You can be an independent woman/person without being stupid.
There were some continuity issues. Normally, I can overlook these things, but it happened several times and it started to take me out of the story.
Now, I need to discuss something that happened at the end. It is the main reason I had to give it three stars.
So, there be spoilers ahead.
You’ve been warned.
Alessia is assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend. That is awful. No one should ever go through that. He should be punished. But Jax brutally murders him. It’s literally premeditated murder. If Gary had attacked Alessia and in self-defense Jax killed him I would be okay with it. Instead I finished this book with a bad tastee in my mouth. Jax wasn’t a protective alpha male-he came across as a psychopath.
I would be willing to read another Katerina Winters book-especially if it was longer.