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shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent story. Look for my review on Night Owl Review
caligirlrae's review against another edition
3.0
First off, the cover caught my eye right away. Very sensuous, sexy and it definitely helps that the hero looks like the very yummylicious actor Neal McDonough.
Always You was a fun, sweet romance about secrets, betrayal, truth and moving on. Our heroine Lyla suffered when she lost her late love Andrew in a car accident involving Andrew's friend Alex. Lyla has harbored anger at Alex ever since she found he was in the car and was the lone survivor. Things are complicated when Alex and Lyla are thrown together in work, years after their breakup. Lyla has been angry with Alex ever since, but he, knowing the truth behind the accident, also knows the embers are still alive between them.
This reminded me of a classic Harlequin Presents novel only with a more likeable hero than the overzealous, sometimes brute-like HP heroes. Lyla was like a classic HP heroine going back and forth between her feelings while trying to keep in mind the sorrow she has held toward Alex. Exotic locations and glamorous jobs added to the romantic feel of the story, and there was also a sense of dramatic mystery throughout the book. One that hints to the reader of the tragic accident known between the hero and heroine but not to the reader.
Alex knows the truth of the accident and although he doesn't reveal it until later, there is a lot of internal conflict where he suffers survivor's guilt. The accident is not done deliberately by his doing (for anyone wondering ahead of time) but the reasons behind it are believable and tie the story (as well some of secondary characters) together.
I must admit, it's Alex's character who really brought me into the book. Thank you Ms. Mudiganti for this wonderful hero! While Lyla ran a bit hot and cold with her changing feelings (which made it hard to identify completely with her), Alex was a sexy, confident, complex character. He has a reputation for being a Lothario but inside he holds a candle for one woman: Lyla. While it was hard to identify with Lyla's ever changing attitude and quick changing thought process, I found Alex attractive in his smooth reasoning and calm confidence. I imagine much of his Casanova-ing took place off screen where we only hear Lyla mention it to reason herself into not falling for him again. This works because I wouldn't want to see Alex hanging all over another woman other than the heroine but I would have also liked to have been shown some things that were talked about later. Comparing the characters, it was a nice juxtaposition to have such two different personalities. I like to think that there were many a times Alex had to be the calm one to Lyla's passionate personality when they were dating before the novel opened.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the whimsical romance of Always You. There were a few times when I as pulled out of the story due to some errors (grammar and such) and when I had to re-read some passages where it seemed like characters would be in one place one minute and then transport to another place with no transition, but I'm pretty sure that's only in the case for the ARC and the final books will be clean reads.
Always You gets a recommended read from me, especially for those HP fans looking for a similar story structure without the cookie cutter HQN style.
Always You was a fun, sweet romance about secrets, betrayal, truth and moving on. Our heroine Lyla suffered when she lost her late love Andrew in a car accident involving Andrew's friend Alex. Lyla has harbored anger at Alex ever since she found he was in the car and was the lone survivor. Things are complicated when Alex and Lyla are thrown together in work, years after their breakup. Lyla has been angry with Alex ever since, but he, knowing the truth behind the accident, also knows the embers are still alive between them.
This reminded me of a classic Harlequin Presents novel only with a more likeable hero than the overzealous, sometimes brute-like HP heroes. Lyla was like a classic HP heroine going back and forth between her feelings while trying to keep in mind the sorrow she has held toward Alex. Exotic locations and glamorous jobs added to the romantic feel of the story, and there was also a sense of dramatic mystery throughout the book. One that hints to the reader of the tragic accident known between the hero and heroine but not to the reader.
Alex knows the truth of the accident and although he doesn't reveal it until later, there is a lot of internal conflict where he suffers survivor's guilt. The accident is not done deliberately by his doing (for anyone wondering ahead of time) but the reasons behind it are believable and tie the story (as well some of secondary characters) together.
I must admit, it's Alex's character who really brought me into the book. Thank you Ms. Mudiganti for this wonderful hero! While Lyla ran a bit hot and cold with her changing feelings (which made it hard to identify completely with her), Alex was a sexy, confident, complex character. He has a reputation for being a Lothario but inside he holds a candle for one woman: Lyla. While it was hard to identify with Lyla's ever changing attitude and quick changing thought process, I found Alex attractive in his smooth reasoning and calm confidence. I imagine much of his Casanova-ing took place off screen where we only hear Lyla mention it to reason herself into not falling for him again. This works because I wouldn't want to see Alex hanging all over another woman other than the heroine but I would have also liked to have been shown some things that were talked about later. Comparing the characters, it was a nice juxtaposition to have such two different personalities. I like to think that there were many a times Alex had to be the calm one to Lyla's passionate personality when they were dating before the novel opened.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the whimsical romance of Always You. There were a few times when I as pulled out of the story due to some errors (grammar and such) and when I had to re-read some passages where it seemed like characters would be in one place one minute and then transport to another place with no transition, but I'm pretty sure that's only in the case for the ARC and the final books will be clean reads.
Always You gets a recommended read from me, especially for those HP fans looking for a similar story structure without the cookie cutter HQN style.
heatherhy01's review
4.0
This book was the perfect set up for a passionate romance.
Alex and Lyla once shared a past. Due to a huge secret that Alex had kept from Lyla, their love affair quickly ended with Lyla walking out on him and never turning back again. When Lyla goes to a work meeting and walks into the room, she comes face to face with Alex after so many years and she is not sure if she can keep herself from falling in love again.
This was a very quick read for me and I am not sure if the reason is because I loved the book so much or because it was only 112 pages? The reader is quickly swept into the life of Lyla, she is involved with Nick and is not sure if she can truly love him and then Alex walks back into her life. I understand Lyla’s feeling of betrayal, the secret that was kept was really big! I enjoyed that the setting for the book took place in two of the most romantic cities in the world, NYC and Paris!
Alex was DEFINITELY swoonworthy! He made me giggle a few times with his snarky comments. We also got to see a little from his POV. The book was mostly from Lyla’s POV, but luckily got a glimpse here and there into Alex.
I would recommend this read for anyone whom would like a short romance. This book will captivate you until the end, which was steamy!
Alex and Lyla once shared a past. Due to a huge secret that Alex had kept from Lyla, their love affair quickly ended with Lyla walking out on him and never turning back again. When Lyla goes to a work meeting and walks into the room, she comes face to face with Alex after so many years and she is not sure if she can keep herself from falling in love again.
This was a very quick read for me and I am not sure if the reason is because I loved the book so much or because it was only 112 pages? The reader is quickly swept into the life of Lyla, she is involved with Nick and is not sure if she can truly love him and then Alex walks back into her life. I understand Lyla’s feeling of betrayal, the secret that was kept was really big! I enjoyed that the setting for the book took place in two of the most romantic cities in the world, NYC and Paris!
Alex was DEFINITELY swoonworthy! He made me giggle a few times with his snarky comments. We also got to see a little from his POV. The book was mostly from Lyla’s POV, but luckily got a glimpse here and there into Alex.
I would recommend this read for anyone whom would like a short romance. This book will captivate you until the end, which was steamy!
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