I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley

Sexy and fun read. Believable yet adventures

loved this book. Was a great read. finished it in one read. I will read more from them. Must read and get this book

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by NetGalley. Opinions and reviews are my own. Elsa Winckler picked up right where she left off with Lindsay's sister. Foreshadowing was provided in the previous book and I am glad the ending allowed closure. This is a sweet romance with minimal intense adult scenes.

I read the synopsis for this book and I just could not wait to start reading it. I mean; protective hero, strong heroine, danger from her ex boyfriend, ... I am HERE FOR IT! So I was super exited to get an ARC for this book.

Now having finished it, the book leaves me very conflicted. I still love the story and the characters are both interesting and likable, however the entire story just felt rushed to me. I would have preferred to see their relationship develop more over time.

I still loved Blake as the protective hero. Lindsay does not make it easy for him, but he is determined to keep her safe. Things with her ex escalate quickly so blake can't afford to let his guard down around her. So offcourse he does let his guard down and things go wrong.

What happened after, all happened to quickly. I felt like it was very unlikely that they would both just get over their traumas so quickly and just move on. That beeing said, I still loved the HEA :)

This book just wasn't a great read for me. I am a big fan of romantic suspense - and have a great love for books with a fabulous Alpha male. BUT what I don't love are heroine's who act TSTL and heroes who are just totally emotionally stunted - and that was this book to a T.

Lindsay and her siblings have moved to Alisson, Montana from South Africa. Their parents were killed and Lindsay's sister was injured in a car accident. While the family was recovering from that trauma, Lindsay entered into a relationship that turned out to be abusive. Part of the reason for the move to the US was to escape that relationship and put distance between her old life and new one. When they moved to town, Lindsay took some self-defense classes from Blake (a former FBI agent). They definitely had sparks - but neither one pursued it. Lindsay because she seemed in denial about her response - and channeled it into dislike and Blake because he felt he wasn't good enough for Lindsay. Now Lindsay's ex is back in the picture and threatening her. Blake shows up as her self-appointed protector.

So what was my issue? They are many. Lindsay for the first 2/3 of the book just acts in ways that are truly - not smart. She acts like nothing is wrong - and that Blake's protection is what she needs to run away from not her ex who is trying to kill her. It was just stupid, childish, and bizarre. Then there is Blake - who I think says maybe like three words to Lindsay before the middle of the book. He says he's "not good with words" - but there is not good with words - and then there is - I am acting in a way that you aren't worth my words. He was definitely in the second category. I don't think the author intended it to come across that way - but it didn't feel ok. It felt like - he needed to make an effort and just wasn't. His reasoning - like Lindsay points out later in the book just doesn't make sense. I honestly felt like I needed to see Blake get some therapy along the way.

This is the second book in a series - and I did feel like I was missing something at least at first.

I was also thrown off by the pacing of the book. The main suspenseful part of the book is pretty much resolved by the 60% mark - and the remainder is based on Blake getting his head out of his butt. I didn't enjoy that part AT all especially with the addition of some of the other relationship twists.

Overall - this one just wasn't for me.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own..

Loved it!

Lindsay is now a strong person who has overcome an abusive relationship only for the stalker ex to be back in her life to torture her. Blake feels like the other half of her - strong but not so open - he has his own demons to overcome... The two of them were beautiful together..

Those who like Ms. Elsa Winckler's writing will surely like this book!

Waiting for "Loving Brooke" 💃💃


4.5 stars for a lovely read...

This story was okay, but I did not finish it.
It just seemed a little choppy to me and I simply could not get into it.