The Thrill of It by Lauren Blakely

I have read a few of Lauren Blakely's books, and have loved them all so far. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy of her latest work "The Thrill of It", in the email I received it said to keep an open mind because this book was different from the other books that she has written. Boy, oh boy was that right! This book is so intense from the very beginning! I must admit I was a little confused as to what Harley's problem was, but as I continued to read I figured it out. It is a very intense, drama filled book, unlike anything that Lauren has written before, but I could not get enough of it!

This book tells the story of Harley and Trey, both have had a troubled past and are trying to move on from it, while trying to fight their demons they find one another and in each other find what they are looking for. Neither of them are proud of their past, or proud of the person that they have become but together they begin to try and battle those demons from the past that won't let them fully recover. Harley and Trey are plagued by shame, fears and insecurities. No matter how hard they try to leave the past behind them, it seems to find a way to pop up into their present lives and become a burden once again. This story is told from both points of views, which I believe is necessary to fully understand both of these characters troubled past. We see each character struggle with their inner demons and fighting through their fears. But we also see how supportive and caring they are towards one another, how they see each other as being strong and capable of changing and improving even if they don't feel that way about themselves.

Throughout this story I could feel the characters emotions, the connection that they formed with one another. Harley opens up to Trey and shows him the real Harley, one that almost no one has seen. Trey sees how open Harley is to him, and he wants to do the same, but can't seem to talk to her about the one topic that has brought him the most pain. Throughout the book we see them try to overcome their past. Get rid of those demons from their lives and start over once again. Many secrets are uncovered throughout the book, secrets that tear relationships apart but also create stronger ones.

This is not only a story about two people falling in love, but also about two people who face their past and come to terms with their present, having hope for a better future with one another.

This book is a lot darker and intense than your typical Lauren Blakely book, it was filled with emotion and angst. The struggles that Harley and Trey went through to try to be better people was felt in this book. I found myself rooting for their happiness, hoping that somehow they would free themselves from the past that was holding them hostage. At times I would want to scream at them for the choices that they made, but ultimately these choices led them to finally finding the strength in themselves to break free. At times I wanted to be pissed off at the characters, to hate them, but then they would find a way to redeem themselves to me. I still kind of hate some of the characters but then again, they were written to be disliked. Overall I highly enjoyed this new side of Lauren Blakely, and I cannot wait for the next book. I want more of Harley and Trey's story!!

Far Too Tempting by Lauren Blakely

 I've read a few of Lauren Blakely's books and have loved all of them so far. I was lucky enough to get an ARC copy of her latest book "Far Too Tempting" before it was released. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was a cute and easy read. The characters were really relateable and down to earth. The more that I read, the more into it I got. I found myself reading late into the night (on a school night!) reading about Jane Black and Matthew Harrigan.

This is not your typical rock star novel, and that is what I loved about it. I enjoyed the fact that Jane Black is not your typical rock star. She is a very normal, down to earth artist; going from attending the Grammy's to the volunteering at her son's school the following day. She likes to keep everyone she trusts close to her, and does not let many into her life

Jane Black has been a somewhat struggling indie artist, having a few CD's but nothing that has gotten much attention. After a heartbreaking separation from her husband she writes a chart-topping break-up album. This album earns her a Grammy, and also much more media attention concerning her follow up album. Matthew Harrigan is a well known music critique, and a very good looking man. Did I mention he's British??!!! A super plus!! Matthew is in charge of writing an article following Jane's process as she writes her new album. But the chemistry between them seems to be almost impossible to resist. It is a somewhat forbidden attraction, one that both try to ignore and keep things just professional between them. Jane is still recovering from her failed marriage, she doesn't trust men or reporters. But there is something about Matthew that makes her willing to open herself up to him. The way that their relationship develops is so cute and loving. The small banter, and small talk that they throw at each other shows just how compatible they are with one another. This relationship does not have an easy road, they struggle with the professional aspect of things as well as dealing with Jane's trust issues. But ultimately their connection seems to overcome everything

The way that Blakely writes these books is amazing. Every sex filled or sexually frustrating scene were super hot. Whooo! I was fanning myself reading these scenes. Seeing their relationship blossom was wonderful, and an entertaining way to get to know the characters. I found myself falling for Matthew the more I kept on reading. This book is one that you will NOT want to put down. I had to force myself to stop reading at times. The more you read this book the more that you fall for these characters. I felt as if I was part of this group, and had a connection not only with the main characters but with the supporting ones as well.

Pretending He's Mine by Lauren Blakely

I had heard about the Caught Up in Us series by Lauren Blakely, but had not gotten around to reading it. This book is the 2nd one in the series, but can also be read alone which is what I did. This is the first Lauren Blakely story that I read and I can honestly say that I fell in love with her writing and got me curious to check out more of her work.

"Pretending He's Mine" is a short novella in the series. It tells the story of Reeve, a struggling actor and Sutten, a movie and tv show casting agent. Sutten, a strong independent women, is trying to land the big casting director position for a big motion picture. Her work with other shows and movies has her on the top of the producers list, but the producers womanizing ways has it so that he is only hiring women who are either married or engaged, which Sutten is neither. She comes up with a plan to hire an actor (Reeve) to play the role of her fiancee. Over the course of pretending to be together both Sutton and Reeve develop real feelings for one another. But Sutton refuses to acknowledge that she is falling for an actor. Reeve tries his hardest to show Sutten that his feelings for her are real and that he is no longer pretending.  There are many twists and turns in this novel that take us on a ride with Sutten trying to come to terms with her feelings with Reeve

This book is filled with cute and fun read. Unlike other romance novels this one shows us an empowered main female character. This book also gives us a back story for some of the main characters in the first book of the Caught Up in Us book. Lauren Blakely's writing is amazing, I seriously forgot that this was a fictional book for a moment and felt as if I knew these characters. I think I fell in love with Reeve around the same time that Sutton did.