SAVING STACEY REVIEW

Saving Stacey

(Florida Veterans #2)

by Tiffani Lynn

⭐⭐⭐⭐

"A steamy and well written romantic suspense"

Whilst this is the second book in the Florida Veterans series, it is very much a stand alone read. Saving Stacey is one heck of a spicy romantic suspense, with a kooky heroine and a surly hero. 

Having read a few books by this author I knew that this would be a very character driven story, and that those characters would be complex and flawed. I wasn't disappointed, there was nothing trite, boring or predictable about either Stacey or Hudson. I liked that there were several plot strands threading through the book, it gave extra depth and personality to the plot.

There were times I wanted to shake one or the other of this pair, but that just shows how invested I was in them. Their chemistry is as hot as the Florida sun that shines down in this book. There is a good balance so that the steam compliments and enhances the story, rather than swamping it.

I will say that we usually get a little more depth from supporting characters with this author. In Saving Stacey they felt a little underdeveloped, but the plot didn't allow for much interaction with these side characters. For a large part of the book, the plot very much revolved around just Stacey and Hudson.

Due to sexual content I would rate this as an 18+ read, other than that I would happily recommend it to family, friends and lovers of romantic suspense, as well as contemporary romance.

Blurb

On the run from her abusive ex, Stacey Allen spends her days refilling coffee and wiping down tables, instead of using her finance degree crunching numbers. A low profile life is the only way to survive as she struggles to divorce her cheating husband. Having nowhere else to turn when trouble tracks her down, she accepts help from a mysterious stranger. 


Former Navy SEAL Hudson McCormick spends his days as co-owner of Sunset Security and his nights bailing his drug addict ex-wife out of bad situations, including one that leads him to a damsel-in-distress. He can’t help but be drawn to a woman in need, even if he doesn’t want to be. 

The longer she stays hidden away in the sleepy vacation town from her childhood, the more she realizes how much she loves the simple life and the more her feelings for Hudson grow. Just when Stacey starts to feel safe, his past collides with hers, putting them both in danger. Hudson will do whatever it takes to save Stacey - even if it means risking his heart.

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BLURB:

I’m J.D. Wilder, and it takes a lot to shame me, but we’re about to see where you draw the line.

Gabrielle Duval once belonged to me. And like it or not, she'll be mine again. In a world where money, power and corruption rule, I'm prepared to do whatever it takes. Although nothing with that woman is ever easy. But believe me when I tell you, I'll enjoy every minute of the fight.

MY REVIEW - 4 STARS

A well written and exciting first part to this duet, I'm looking forward to reading the rest.


Hmm, this is one of those difficult to rate and review books. Overall I liked it, after all it held my attention all the way through to the cliff-hanger ending. In fact several times I found myself reading and page flipping as fast as I could. Overall I liked both main characters, and some behaviours that irked me were necessary for the plot, so I could accept them.


However I had a couple of BIG 'NOPE' moments with the book though again, once I set my mind to letting go of them, I did enjoy what I read. 


#1 was the fact that they had been together for approx 2 years starting when she was 15 and he was 17. The story is set about 15 years later than this but both are still not over the other one. Sorry but that was just too ridiculous and unbelievable, as was the idea that they indulged in a very kinky/BDSM type relationship for those two TEENAGE years. 


#2 was the whole JD not being able to be honest with Gabrielle, or tell her the truth of why he was worried for her safety. It just didn't wash or make sense, other than the author deciding this was a key point to spin the story around.



Julian/ JD said it all himself with " Why can't I tell her? No reason."

Regarding the second point, JD did start revealing some things to Gabrielle, which helped me get into the story more. I also liked that JD shared his doubts/concerns/suspicions with his brothers and his best friend, so at least we as the reader were not kept totally in the dark. Again this was something that not only helped engage me with the story as well as driving the plot along.


At first I thought this was going to be all about JD manipulating Gabrielle, messing with her head and forcing her into an intolerable situation. I was expecting quite a dark and twisty read, but it isn't that at all. JD is a good man doing some bad things but with the best of intentions. 


However very quickly it morphed into them indulging in a hot and kinky sexual 'non-relationship' for a while, whilst twisting throughout was also a suspense element. Towards the end the sexual shenanigans were pushed aside to bring the suspense part more to the fore. This, for me, felt as though it impacted the pace on a couple of occasions. The majority of the time the pace was good though, for me, it did swing from too slow to too fast a handful of times. 


The writing style is easy to read, it flows smoothly and I didn't notice any glaring grammar or spelling errors. The dialogue felt very natural and all the characters we met seemed well rounded, I liked how many of them were woven into the plot even without necessarily appearing in that particular scene. 


I'm very much looking forward to reading the concluding half of this story and would recommend it to those who love a steamy romantic suspense.

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About Eva

A confirmed city-girl, Eva moved to rural Western Massachusetts in 2014. She found herself living in the woods with no job, no friends (unless you count the turkey, deer, and coyote roaming the backyard), and no children underfoot, wondering what on earth she had been thinking. But as it turned out, it was the perfect setting to take all those yarns spinning in her head and weave them into steamy love stories. A romantic at heart, Eva looks forward to date night all week. The perfect evening includes well-crafted cocktails, a fabulous perfume, Cherry Garcia ice cream, and her husband, of course. If you add good friends, live jazz, and impossible shoes, she will follow you anywhere. Eva holds a BA from Boston College, and a JD from the Washington College of Law. She spent a career working in domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, and civil rights. Aspects of this work often find their way into her books. When she's not writing sexy stories, trying to squeeze information out of her tight-lipped sons, or playing with the two cutest dogs you've ever seen, Eva's creating chapters in her own love story.

Find Eva Online! Amazon: http://amzn.to/2q6oyfy 

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Website: http://www.evacharles.com

Ratings

5 stars - This is a book I will not forget and would definitely read again.

4 stars - I really enjoyed this book, I might not read it again but I would definitely recommend it to others.

3 stars - This story was good but either forgettable or just very typical of its genre.

2 stars - Whilst the book was readable I either didn't enjoy parts of the plot or just could not connect to the main characters.

1 star - This is a book I simply could not finish for reasons listed in the review.

BOOK TOUR AND REVIEW +++++ Blinding Echo by Tina Saxon

Title: Blinding Echo

Author: Tina Saxon

Genre: Romance/Drama/Suspense

Release Date: November 27, 2018

"Blinding Echo is a thrilling book that will make your blood and emotions boil with excitement. Be prepared for an unconventional love-story, catching you like a deer in the headlights." Goodreads reviewer

"Do yourself a favor, read this story, go into it with an open mind and heart. It's gonna make you gasp and make your heartbeat a little different." Goodreads reviewer

We were best friends at ten. 

Lovers at sixteen. 

Going to be married at nineteen. 

Until she woke up one day and couldn't remember me. 

Leaving the small town was easy. Leaving her was my only regret. Ten years later, with a resume that said I had the perfect kill shot, I landed a job at a Security firm. Finding my way in the civilian life, I never thought it would be her I would find. 

She still owned my heart. She still looked at me like I was a stranger. I wasn't leaving her again. This time, we were playing by my rules. I'd been given a second chance to right my wrongs and I was going to start by claiming what was mine. 

We were lovers at twenty-eight. 

Getting married at twenty-nine. 

Until she woke up and remembered me.

3.5 stars

An enjoyable mix of second chance and romantic suspense

Blinding Echo is the first book I've read by this author, so other than the blurb - which doesn't give away much - I went in fairly blind (no pun intended!) I would be careful when reading reviews - stick with the ones that tell you in advance they're going to be vague. This is a story that will be massively spoilt if anyone gives too much detail. I do recommend giving this book a chance, it's a story unlike others you will have read.

Over all I did enjoy the story, the characters were likeable enough, the writing flowed fairly well and the plot was amazing. There were several things that FOR ME stopped this being an excellent read. That's not to say that you won't love the book, but whilst it ticked plenty of boxes it didn't tick some of the ones that are important to me.

There were some very long run on sentences that seemed to lack punctuation. Now I read an arc, so this might have been altered before publication, but it made it very difficult to comprehend some paragraphs. It wasn't a huge problem but it occurred enough for me to notice it.

I really didn't feel a connection to the characters, though it wasn't that they were poorly constructed, boring, unbelievable or flat. For some reason I just didn't 'feel' their emotions, I wasn't invested in them as people and that is top of my 'needs' list. Often this would lead to me DNF'ing the book, so the fact that I read this to the end is testament to the quality of the plot.

Finally I felt the first part was a little too slow at times and the end a little rushed, it also skipped large chunks of time. Now I don't mind this but personally I like a little bit of infill for this time, a suggestion of what's been happening rather than just an 'we've been together 5 months now'. Again that's a personal preference so might not be a negative for you. 

I will repeat again, this is still a good story, it is one I'm happy to recommend. The parts that didn't work for me are very subjective and personal too. I'd love a follow up story/concurrent story for Wayne. If there is one I'd definitely read it.

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EVERLY

Love stories typically begin with boy meets girl. Ours did. Yet, our story is anything but typical. I had always thought the heart led us to ‘the one.’ But, I’ve learned the heart doesn’t have a memory. Its beat is steady until our brain triggers an emotion, making the beat so unmistakable it takes your breath away. It’s blinding, life-altering and sometimes earth-shattering. The feeling of true love. We grow up with the grand illusion there is only one person made for us—our soul-mate. But what if your memories are stripped from you? Your soul-mate forgotten. The unmistakable heartbeat gone. The love that completely filled your heart, now an empty space.  That was my heart. Vacant. He was a stranger, determined to make me fall in love with him. He made it easy. Even though I didn’t know him, he felt familiar. The scars that riddled my body, illustrating my past, he made them feel invisible. Made me feel like I deserved to be cherished and loved.  He was also lying. Doctors told me my memories were locked in my brain. Eighteen years of my life was under lock and key inside my head somewhere. It was Pandora’s box. I wish I had never found the key. Our love story began with boy meets girl. Now…  I love two men. He loves two women.

Tina Saxon lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband and two kids. She’s not afraid to try new things because it’s outside the box of typical housewife. CEO of her home is by far the most rewarding job she has ever had. Her jobs include, but are not limited to, seamstress, carpenter, craft extraordinaire, PTA President, chauffeur, dance mom, mediator—of mentioned kids—and author. Once upon a time she was a Financial Analyst but traded budgets and forecasts in for diapers and bottles. The former was definitely easier but the latter more fulfilling. Tina’s love for reading surged into her passion for writing. Wanting to bring the reader an intriguing story that’s hard to put down with steamy love scenes that heat you up, she’s always thinking of the perfect way to take you down that path.

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Ratings

5 stars - This is a book I will not forget and would definitely read again.

4 stars - I really enjoyed this book, I might not read it again but I would definitely recommend it to others.

3 stars - This story was good but either forgettable or just very typical of its genre.

2 stars - Whilst the book was readable I either didn't enjoy parts of the plot or just could not connect to the main characters.

1 star - This is a book I simply could not finish for reasons listed in the review.