luciecamille's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
witandsin's review
4.0
My review cross-posted from Wit and Sin: http://witandsin.blogspot.com/2015/04/review-dont-walk-away-by-vivian-arend.html
Don’t Walk Away is the perfect mix of sweetness and spice. Emma and Dean’s story has all the raw passion I’ve come to expect from Elle Kennedy and Vivian Arend, and it’s wrapped up in a truly sweet reunion romance. Add in the incredibly fun supporting cast of characters and it’s easy to see why I devoured this book in one sitting.
They say the bigger they are the harder they fall, and that’s definitely true for “Manwhore of the Year” Dean. The final member of the original DreamMakers trio enjoys sleeping his way through San Francisco and claims he has no desire to change his naughty ways. Seeing Emma again changes all that. She’s his first and only love and though it’s been eleven years, Dean quickly falls head over heels for the woman Emma has become. But it’ll take more than charm and boatloads of sex appeal for Dean to regain Emma’s trust. He broke her heart when they were younger and though Emma can forgive him once she knows his reasons, trusting him with her heart again isn’t so easy. Dean has to put all his DreamMakers skills to use to win her over and it’s an absolute blast to watch. Emma and Dean have such bright chemistry and they’re both so genuinely likeable that it’s impossible not to be swept away by their love story. I do wish we’d gotten to see a bit more of their shared past, but as it stands Emma and Dean’s romance is a satisfying combination of dirty good fun and genuine emotion.
Don’t Walk Away is the final story in the DreamMakers trilogy, but I’ve got my fingers crossed so hard they hurt that there are related books to come. Mses. Arend and Kennedy leave some pretty big teasers for their awesome supporting characters, and I just might cry if Suz and Gillian don’t get books of their own. While I keep my hopes up, I’ll definitely enjoy re-reading all three DreamMakers books. All Fired Up, Love is a Battlefield, and Don’t Walk Away are a blast to read. Hot as hell former Army Rangers heroes who make dreams come true, smart, sassy heroines you’d love to have as friends, red-hot romances… What’s not to love?
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Don’t Walk Away is the perfect mix of sweetness and spice. Emma and Dean’s story has all the raw passion I’ve come to expect from Elle Kennedy and Vivian Arend, and it’s wrapped up in a truly sweet reunion romance. Add in the incredibly fun supporting cast of characters and it’s easy to see why I devoured this book in one sitting.
They say the bigger they are the harder they fall, and that’s definitely true for “Manwhore of the Year” Dean. The final member of the original DreamMakers trio enjoys sleeping his way through San Francisco and claims he has no desire to change his naughty ways. Seeing Emma again changes all that. She’s his first and only love and though it’s been eleven years, Dean quickly falls head over heels for the woman Emma has become. But it’ll take more than charm and boatloads of sex appeal for Dean to regain Emma’s trust. He broke her heart when they were younger and though Emma can forgive him once she knows his reasons, trusting him with her heart again isn’t so easy. Dean has to put all his DreamMakers skills to use to win her over and it’s an absolute blast to watch. Emma and Dean have such bright chemistry and they’re both so genuinely likeable that it’s impossible not to be swept away by their love story. I do wish we’d gotten to see a bit more of their shared past, but as it stands Emma and Dean’s romance is a satisfying combination of dirty good fun and genuine emotion.
Don’t Walk Away is the final story in the DreamMakers trilogy, but I’ve got my fingers crossed so hard they hurt that there are related books to come. Mses. Arend and Kennedy leave some pretty big teasers for their awesome supporting characters, and I just might cry if Suz and Gillian don’t get books of their own. While I keep my hopes up, I’ll definitely enjoy re-reading all three DreamMakers books. All Fired Up, Love is a Battlefield, and Don’t Walk Away are a blast to read. Hot as hell former Army Rangers heroes who make dreams come true, smart, sassy heroines you’d love to have as friends, red-hot romances… What’s not to love?
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
prgchrqltma's review
4.0
Characters: fashion designer, party planner/former ranger/player
World Building: (unconvincing) San Francisco, interiors
Plot: past love, nearly completely internal
Sex: medium
Read another: Yes
More internal than the first two. I'm glad we finally get Dean's story, but it could have been more fleshed out.
World Building: (unconvincing) San Francisco, interiors
Plot: past love, nearly completely internal
Sex: medium
Read another: Yes
More internal than the first two. I'm glad we finally get Dean's story, but it could have been more fleshed out.
crazychriss93's review
5.0
So yeah I was so sure Dean would end up with Suz when I was reading the other books and was then pretty disappointed when I found out that the third and final instalment would be about him but not Suz. Well, I can assure all of you who wanna find out more about Suz that reading this book will make all of this way clearer :D
I like the writing style and the plot. But all the interruptions (we’ve got multiple POVs, not just Dean’s and Em’s but also Colby’s, Gillian’s and Suz’s) were quite nerve-wrecking cause I wanted to know what had happened to Dean and Em. And I totally like the characters. Seriously, all of them.
The beginning is very Cinderella like and I LOVE it.
And then of course we find out that Dean and sweet Em already know each other. Well, who would have guessed.
And their past… wow… Dean, Dean, Dean. He told her they were soul mates, he crushed her dreams, he destroyed her. And yet his reason for leaving? Can’t say I can blame him. What I can blame him for, though, is the way he handled it all afterwards. He could have fought for her. I mean, eleven freaking years. Good god…
What I think was pretty disappointing was that Dean wants to prove that he isn’t just some jerk. I would have loved it if he had realized at once that he still loves her. So when that wasn’t the case… yeah, I nearly stopped reading.
But of course I continued :D Cause I wanted to know what will happen later on – especially because Emma’s not in San Fran to stay.
Yeah, Dean was gorgeous throughout, he’s really a cutie and a sunshine. Absolutely adorable.
I ABSOLUTELY ADORE the ending!! It was just soo sweet and so full of love, I was very, very satisfied.
The other POVs that we get to know in this book:
Colby – Good god he is so awesome. I love that he is so determined, that he doesn’t put up with less and doesn’t let Suz mess with him.
Suz – uhu, I’m seeing some potential in a story here. Some huge potential.
Gillian – Well, I guess even her POV chapters couldn’t really warm me up for her. Don’t know, she’s very badass and yeah… But I think I’m a Chase fan so I guess I have to read her book to.
All in all, fantastic reading material!
I like the writing style and the plot. But all the interruptions (we’ve got multiple POVs, not just Dean’s and Em’s but also Colby’s, Gillian’s and Suz’s) were quite nerve-wrecking cause I wanted to know what had happened to Dean and Em. And I totally like the characters. Seriously, all of them.
The beginning is very Cinderella like and I LOVE it.
And then of course we find out that Dean and sweet Em already know each other. Well, who would have guessed.
And their past… wow… Dean, Dean, Dean. He told her they were soul mates, he crushed her dreams, he destroyed her. And yet his reason for leaving? Can’t say I can blame him. What I can blame him for, though, is the way he handled it all afterwards. He could have fought for her. I mean, eleven freaking years. Good god…
What I think was pretty disappointing was that Dean wants to prove that he isn’t just some jerk. I would have loved it if he had realized at once that he still loves her. So when that wasn’t the case… yeah, I nearly stopped reading.
But of course I continued :D Cause I wanted to know what will happen later on – especially because Emma’s not in San Fran to stay.
Yeah, Dean was gorgeous throughout, he’s really a cutie and a sunshine. Absolutely adorable.
I ABSOLUTELY ADORE the ending!! It was just soo sweet and so full of love, I was very, very satisfied.
The other POVs that we get to know in this book:
Colby – Good god he is so awesome. I love that he is so determined, that he doesn’t put up with less and doesn’t let Suz mess with him.
Suz – uhu, I’m seeing some potential in a story here. Some huge potential.
Gillian – Well, I guess even her POV chapters couldn’t really warm me up for her. Don’t know, she’s very badass and yeah… But I think I’m a Chase fan so I guess I have to read her book to.
All in all, fantastic reading material!
gerireads's review
4.0
3.5 stars!
A very sexy and intense second chance story about two people who loved each other but because of shitty circumstances are forced apart.
Dean Colter is known as the ladies man. The one who can't commit to someone long term. What his partners didn't know was that Dean was committed before he even entered the army but he betrayed her, and they never saw each other again.
Emma has never forgotten how Dean left her either. So when they finally meet again after all these years, she vowed not to get involved with him again. But Dean is persuasive and determined to win her back and determined to prove Emma how much he has changed. But Emma has changed too. She was no longer the naive girl that Dean once knew. She's confident and has her own business.
I really enjoyed both Emma and Dean and how different they have become from their past persona. It's no secret that I love this trope. What made it more enjoyable watching Dean's single determination of winning Emma back. Plus their chemistry is insane. I love the writing. I am not familiar with Vivian Arend's work, an oversight that I need to rectify soon, but I am familiar with Elle and always, her writing is addicting.
This book was on the short side, which I am perfectly okay with but apart from Emma and Dean's POV, we also get a few secondary characters' POV which threw me off a bit. I assume, since I haven't read the previous books in the series, that this was normal and used to set up future story lines but I didn't care much for it. I don't really need their POV to make me invested in the character or their story because even without it, I would still love to read it based on how much I enjoyed this book. That and I wanted more Dean and Emma. I'm greedy like that.
But overall, multiple POVs notwithstanding, this was a very enjoyable read. I can't wait to read more and I'm pretty sure I have book one on my Kindle already.
ARC provided by the authors via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A very sexy and intense second chance story about two people who loved each other but because of shitty circumstances are forced apart.
Dean Colter is known as the ladies man. The one who can't commit to someone long term. What his partners didn't know was that Dean was committed before he even entered the army but he betrayed her, and they never saw each other again.
Emma has never forgotten how Dean left her either. So when they finally meet again after all these years, she vowed not to get involved with him again. But Dean is persuasive and determined to win her back and determined to prove Emma how much he has changed. But Emma has changed too. She was no longer the naive girl that Dean once knew. She's confident and has her own business.
I really enjoyed both Emma and Dean and how different they have become from their past persona. It's no secret that I love this trope. What made it more enjoyable watching Dean's single determination of winning Emma back. Plus their chemistry is insane. I love the writing. I am not familiar with Vivian Arend's work, an oversight that I need to rectify soon, but I am familiar with Elle and always, her writing is addicting.
This book was on the short side, which I am perfectly okay with but apart from Emma and Dean's POV, we also get a few secondary characters' POV which threw me off a bit. I assume, since I haven't read the previous books in the series, that this was normal and used to set up future story lines but I didn't care much for it. I don't really need their POV to make me invested in the character or their story because even without it, I would still love to read it based on how much I enjoyed this book. That and I wanted more Dean and Emma. I'm greedy like that.
But overall, multiple POVs notwithstanding, this was a very enjoyable read. I can't wait to read more and I'm pretty sure I have book one on my Kindle already.
ARC provided by the authors via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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