violetteh65's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
hollyannebrady's review
5.0
Blurred Red Lines is the first book in the Carrera Cartel series. This book is told from Valentin and Eden's main points of view. Valentin is part of the cartel. Eden and her brother work at her father's hardware store, because he's having a hard time.
Something happens to Eden's brother and Eden finds out it has something to do with her father. Eden saw everything that happened to her brother and wanted revenge for it. Valentin ended up kidnapping her because she was in danger after what happened to her brother.
As her time in captivity went on she starts to have feelings for Val, however she still wants revenge for her brother.
So many secrets and lies came out. Eden found things out about her father. She mourned her brother. Valentin went after a rival gang. Can Eden and Valentin survive everything that is thrown at them?
I really enjoyed this book, and can't wait to listen to the next book in the series!
Something happens to Eden's brother and Eden finds out it has something to do with her father. Eden saw everything that happened to her brother and wanted revenge for it. Valentin ended up kidnapping her because she was in danger after what happened to her brother.
As her time in captivity went on she starts to have feelings for Val, however she still wants revenge for her brother.
So many secrets and lies came out. Eden found things out about her father. She mourned her brother. Valentin went after a rival gang. Can Eden and Valentin survive everything that is thrown at them?
I really enjoyed this book, and can't wait to listen to the next book in the series!
cait96's review
2.0
I didn't particularly like either of the characters. I'll probably DNF the series. 3☆
bookdragonheart's review
4.0
She called me Danger. If I was dangerous…. she was deadly. - Valentin
There’s a fine line between love and hate. -Eden
Her fiery red hair, and her ability to pour the perfect glass of tequila, told Val that she was everything he wanted, and everything he should avoid. His dangerous vibe and sexy charm had Eden curious for more. But even after trying to avoid his attraction, fate steps in (her father’s betrayal and her brother’s murder) and puts Eden directly in his path, and in the middle of a Cartel war. And when they’re fiery passion ignites, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to protect her.
Eden and Val’s relationship is volatile right from the start. She’s working at a bar that is owned by one of Val’s lieutenants (she’s not aware of this or of his association). All she wants is to live her life, never expecting that a chance encounter and then witnessing a murder will forever change her world. As events unfold, they succumb to their desires, and together, they face the battles that come at them, including her friend (with benefits) Brody, who works with the DA but is also involved with Val and his organization. It’s a tangled spiders web of secrets and surprises. Eden’s evolution from sidelines to vengeful fighter is subtle, but it’s definitely something that happens relatively quickly. And the passion between Eden and Val is
There’s a fine line between love and hate. -Eden
Her fiery red hair, and her ability to pour the perfect glass of tequila, told Val that she was everything he wanted, and everything he should avoid. His dangerous vibe and sexy charm had Eden curious for more. But even after trying to avoid his attraction, fate steps in (her father’s betrayal and her brother’s murder) and puts Eden directly in his path, and in the middle of a Cartel war. And when they’re fiery passion ignites, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to protect her.
Eden and Val’s relationship is volatile right from the start. She’s working at a bar that is owned by one of Val’s lieutenants (she’s not aware of this or of his association). All she wants is to live her life, never expecting that a chance encounter and then witnessing a murder will forever change her world. As events unfold, they succumb to their desires, and together, they face the battles that come at them, including her friend (with benefits) Brody, who works with the DA but is also involved with Val and his organization. It’s a tangled spiders web of secrets and surprises. Eden’s evolution from sidelines to vengeful fighter is subtle, but it’s definitely something that happens relatively quickly. And the passion between Eden and Val is
syndi3's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Welcome to Carrera family! Since I read El Diablo by Miss Robinson, I longing to read a good mafia romance. Blurred Red Lines is far cry from El Diablo.
The story that Miss Kenborn brings is mucb tamer and milder. This is a romance story between Valentin and Eden. I wish there is more plot/ twist and nuch darker story. Instead I got more romance.
Valentin is bit disappointment. He is not menacing as promised. More like cinfuse and conflicted hero. Eden stole the show. Instead of damsel in distress, she is sassy and brave.
Overall I do enjoy the story OK.
The story that Miss Kenborn brings is mucb tamer and milder. This is a romance story between Valentin and Eden. I wish there is more plot/ twist and nuch darker story. Instead I got more romance.
Valentin is bit disappointment. He is not menacing as promised. More like cinfuse and conflicted hero. Eden stole the show. Instead of damsel in distress, she is sassy and brave.
Overall I do enjoy the story OK.
starsbooksandtea's review
4.0
When I first started this book, I was worried that it would get way too dark for me. I can't lie. I was really leery of it. One of my favorite narrators narrates this books though. She made it easier to get through. I'm so glad that I was able to ignore it and get through it anyway. I actually wound up listening to it twice. Not back to back. But within a couple hours of each other. It's a really good story.
gypsystar's review
3.0
This was ok, I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it either. Cartel books are a whole different breed and I don’t know how much I like them.
The book takes forever to really kick off the ground. At least the entire first quarter of the book is solely focused on world building and getting to know our main players. That’s nice and all but I’m here for the romance. Get to the point. Weave in world building and character introduction into our budding relationship.
Val is definitely not going to make my list of book boyfriends. As I mentioned above I’m here for the romance. In the beginning it’s clear there’s some chemistry between Val and Eden but he’s trying to fight his attraction for whatever blah blah blah unimportant reasons. He lets us know he’s banged a host of redheads trying to get the one he actually wants to bang off his mind. Nice, right?
Eden feels the spark but is only interested in ANY man including lover boy as a fuck buddy. Her douchebag ex cheated on her with her whorish friend. So she just bangs randoms that know it’s just sex. Nice, right?
I appreciate the author not having some sweet virginal h pining for the cold, unfeeling douchebag H while he whores it up trying to resist her BUT seriously is any of that necessary? Do you read romance for it’s realistic take on relationships. If you do I’d like to visit your world and see what it’s like. I don’t want either party whoring it up. So the author wants to ramp up the tension before they inevitably bang? Why not just let them NOT have sex with anyone else? Seriously ridiculous to have them both banging other people. None of the sex with others happens on page but it didn’t need to happen at all. What exactly is the point??
When we finally get to the romance I’m almost checked out. The sex scenes are *very* mild and uninspired. I don’t even know when the relationship started to build. It was like she wanted to throttle him for kidnapping her and his part in her brother’s demise and then suddenly she loved him. Okay then.
Then more crap and blah blah blah. Ultimately, she walks away when all the action is played out and he just lets her. This is a romance with an HEA so they do end up together but it’s not because she was lost without him or he decided he wasn’t going to let her go. It was other plot related crap, six weeks have passed and she went to talk to him about the plot things and suddenly they were just back together. Just like that. It was a bit like whiplash.
The book takes forever to really kick off the ground. At least the entire first quarter of the book is solely focused on world building and getting to know our main players. That’s nice and all but I’m here for the romance. Get to the point. Weave in world building and character introduction into our budding relationship.
Val is definitely not going to make my list of book boyfriends. As I mentioned above I’m here for the romance. In the beginning it’s clear there’s some chemistry between Val and Eden but he’s trying to fight his attraction for whatever blah blah blah unimportant reasons. He lets us know he’s banged a host of redheads trying to get the one he actually wants to bang off his mind. Nice, right?
Eden feels the spark but is only interested in ANY man including lover boy as a fuck buddy. Her douchebag ex cheated on her with her whorish friend. So she just bangs randoms that know it’s just sex. Nice, right?
I appreciate the author not having some sweet virginal h pining for the cold, unfeeling douchebag H while he whores it up trying to resist her BUT seriously is any of that necessary? Do you read romance for it’s realistic take on relationships. If you do I’d like to visit your world and see what it’s like. I don’t want either party whoring it up. So the author wants to ramp up the tension before they inevitably bang? Why not just let them NOT have sex with anyone else? Seriously ridiculous to have them both banging other people. None of the sex with others happens on page but it didn’t need to happen at all. What exactly is the point??
When we finally get to the romance I’m almost checked out. The sex scenes are *very* mild and uninspired. I don’t even know when the relationship started to build. It was like she wanted to throttle him for kidnapping her and his part in her brother’s demise and then suddenly she loved him. Okay then.
Then more crap and blah blah blah. Ultimately, she walks away when all the action is played out and he just lets her. This is a romance with an HEA so they do end up together but it’s not because she was lost without him or he decided he wasn’t going to let her go. It was other plot related crap, six weeks have passed and she went to talk to him about the plot things and suddenly they were just back together. Just like that. It was a bit like whiplash.
the_novel_reader's review
4.0
This was my first book by this author and I absolutely loved this book. It has just the right amount of darkness and grit. I loved Eden, she is foul mouthed and feisty. She takes not crap and is blunt. I thought the characters were well developed and complex. I liked the relationship progression between Val and Eden. It didn’t feel rushed nor did it take a while to develop. The chemistry was just there from day one. The story moved at a pace that was consistent with the characters. There was just enough backstory to keep your guessing and interested. I could not put this story down, I was hooked from the first page. There is a little bit of everything in this book: intrigue, angst, drama, mystery and lots of hot scenes. “Blurred Red Lines” is an excellent organized crime book and I will definitely read more from this author.
fsmeurinne's review
5.0
I liked this book, it hooked me up from the start and pulled an all-nighter with it. The mystery, suspense, and angst in a perfect balance. The characters and world-building fantastic. I couldn't turn it off. Very well written, the pacing was perfect, the storyline plot was interesting. Valentin and Eden's story is full of romance, thought it was going to be much darker, to be honest, and the chemistry to be more riveting, but it might be all me as I have been reading pretty dark stories recently. The audiobook narrators were good, Brian Pallino, Sarah Puckett, and Alan Carlson. I have heard them all before multiple times and I do love them, so for me, they hit their mark. The editing was good as well.
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sympetal's review
Unless you're a big fan of this genre, don't bother. I can see why fans would like it, and I wanted to give it a shot since I see myself as someone who is not elitist when it comes to genres. But this is so tropey, so stereotypical, so utterly boring in its heterosexuality that I cannot stomach it. Worse even, the book itself is just not good in terms of pacing, its first person narration and the way it lays out and develops relationships. Everything felt rushed, the stakes (although high) fell flat, and I simply couldn't start caring about anyone at all. So, as I said, unless this genre is your bread and butter, go find something better to read.