Reviews

Faded Gray Lines by Cora Kenborn

hollyannebrady's review

5.0

Faded Gray Lines is the second book in the Carrera Cartel series. This book is told from dual points of view from Matty (Mateo) and Star (Leighton). These two met when they were young and were going to run away together but something happened, and they ended up losing touch.

Now years later something happens in Leighton's life. She goes to her brother for help not realizing he's part of the cartel. While she is with him he brings another person into the equation whom ends up being Mateo. They both have feelings for each other still, but are both having problems with what happened with the past.

As they work together, so many secrets and lies came out. Leighton has a secret from Mateo. She also learns more about Mateo and what happened in the past. She also finds out secrets and lies about her family. We also learn why she wanted to run away.

This book had so much action packed into it, and I really enjoyed the story. Especially all the different plot twists.

bookdragonheart's review

5.0

Leighton and Matteo had a really sweet, young love. But circumstances, and outside forces, came between them with lies and deceit, each ultimately blaming the other for their separation and lost love. But new circumstances put them unexpectedly back in each other’s lives, and now they have to decide if a second chance is worth the upheaval it will cause both their lives. They both have their secrets, and the pain and hurt is difficult to overcome. Ultimately, there is an HEA, but getting there is emotional, and very steamy. There are some intriguing twists, and the cartel world that was built in the first book carries over well here, as responsibilities have shifted a bit, and expectations have changed, especially for Matteo. And the more they learn about the past, as well as their present secrets, the more twisted their lives become. I liked how they pulled everything together in the end, it was a good comeuppance for those who deserved it, and a good setup for the next book.

The narration was excellent. Aaron Shedlock and Sarah Puckett never disappoint, and this was no exception.

syndi3's review

dark medium-paced

2.0

 Faded Gray Lines is bad. I barely can put interest in the story. Miss Kenborn fills the book with cheesy, choppy and immature story line. The characters have no chemisyry at all. Matty is playing a possesive hero but with sexist tendency.

In short, not a good book 

beckiebookworm1974's review

4.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 STARS
ARC BOOK REVIEW
Release Date-28/6/18

So unlike a lot of other readers, I haven't read the previous book in this particular series and Know I managed to follow along fairly easily here there were still some instances where I was left feeling a bit out of the loop overall.
So I am going to go out on a limb here and say; though this can be read as a standalone as all the necessary components are present; reading the two books as a series makes more sense to me and would probably make the whole experience here much better overall.
So much did I enjoy this I also will definitely be back-tracking and reading book one in this series at a later date.
So without having anything to measure this against I just really went with my gut for this one and I have got to say "Faded Gray Lines" is one book that I liked a hell of a lot.
I'm not usually a big fan of second chance romances but this one had so much going on that it was exceptionally easy to get sucked right in and lost within its excellent narrative.
This is Leighton and Mateo's story and almost instantly upon starting I was unable to put it down such addictive reading was this; I was in a surefire race till that finish line
So Leighton has come rushing home to her big brother after events have spiralled out of her hands culminating in an epic fuck up out of all her control.
Big Brother Brody along with the Carrera Cartel is there to assist in cleaning up her mess.
Mateo or Matty as Leighton refers to him is a high up member of said Cartel.
When Mateo and Leighton reconnect its a big ole shock to both parties as neither was expecting the other and this is where our story takes off.
So I really liked Mateo as a character and once he got over his initial spit your dummy out tantrum it wasn't hard to completely warm to his over the top protective alpha vibe.
He was so understanding of Leighton's actions even without knowing the reasoning behind it.
And although I did think he was way out of order to be so pissed at Leighton for A not waiting for him and B lieing about her identity; Considering the complete lack of honesty on his part also it was a tad hypocritical and unreasonable in my opinion.
For that matter; How was she even meant to know he had been arrested anyway is the question that should have been on her lips.
But despite the above, I still really liked the fact that once he had gotten over himself he was all about Leighton; totally wearing his heart on his sleeve for all and sundry to see.
Leighton, I liked also but she was a bit dim at times and seemed to be an expert in creating drama that just wasn't necessary out of sheer pig-headed stubbornness and unnecessary pride.
She also was a bit lone-wolf at times instead of trusting in Mateos care for her.
I did find that aspect of her personality a tad annoying.
But I really liked how eventually she embraced her inner monster accepting it for what it was; that I found was so refreshing.
Despite the above, I did really enjoy the dynamic between these two an awful lot.
"Faded Gray Lines" was a fascinating book that managed to hold my attention throughout.
All in all, this turned out to be a pretty good read for me that I'm happy to recommend.
Thank You to the Author for providing me with an ARC copy of "Faded Gray Lines (Carrera Cartel #2)" of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own

Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

bookgramsaga's review

4.0

4.5

the_novel_reader's review

5.0

This is the second book in the Carrera Cartel series and can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading in order.

This book was fantastic, absolutely fantastic from beginning to end. Ms. Kenborn has such a way with words, her writing style is fluid and captivating. I adore the way her words flow effortlessly, and the story keeps me engaged throughout. The characters are well written, complex and three dimensional. The chemistry between Mateo and Leighton was scorching and sizzling. Their story, as second chance lovers, is perfect in it’s flawed beauty. The twists and turns, secrets and betrayals, left me second guessing what was going on. Ms. Kenborn kept the cards close to the vest. I honestly didn’t think I would love this book as much as I loved Blurred Red Lines, but this book was exceptional. Ms. Kenborn does mafia like non-other, and this book is definitely high on my list of 2018 reads.

fsmeurinne's review

5.0

This is the second book on the Carrera Cartel series, and let me tell you is better than that first. We get Mateo and Leighton's story in this one, and their chemistry is off the charts. The storyline hooked me from the start, there is a lot of lies, deception, and revenge that kept me entertained. I got the audiobook version and let me tell you that Aaron Shedlock and Sarah Puckett did a fantastic job with this book, they are both extremely good narrators, and I love the way they portrayed Mateo and Leighton. Worth getting it in audio.




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nikitaxx's review

5.0

This is becoming one of my fave mafia series and each book just gets better!

Couldn’t get enough of this book and can’t wait to read the rest!

Highly recommend this series!

thesassybookworm's review

4.0

 
 
~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~
Fifteen months ago I read Blurred Red Lines and LOVED it. Ever since then I have been dying to get my hands on book two. So was it worth the wait? Very much so. Did I enjoy it as much as book one? Well, not quite, but it was still a very enjoyable and solid read. The writing was excellent. It was well paced. The plot was engaging and kept me turning the pages. So why not 5-Stars? I am not a huge fan of secrets, or rather, secrets that are stretched out for almost the entirety of the book. In this case it is 65% before we find out a huge one. That alone wouldn't have been an issue except that the heroine goes to tell the hero her secret at least four times (I think) when something interrupts them, and then she tells him to "forget it" or "it wasn't important." I'll be honest, I almost threw my tablet the third and fourth time this happened. I was left feeling annoyed and frustrated, and that lowered my enjoyment of the story some. Last, it was all wrapped up in a sweet HAPPY FOR NOW. 


~HERO~
MATEO...Mateo was the other reason this didn't quite reach 5-Stars. I liked him a lot, but he was no Val. Which sounds silly to say as he is a totally different character, but I wanted a bit more alpha bada$$. I found him just a bit too bland. I also didn't understand why he was so butthurt when he sees her again. She had NO idea what his real name was or that he was part of a cartel, so how in the world did he expect her to know he was in prison and wait around for him? That said, he was still a very likable hero. He was sweet. He was sexy. He was all about Leighton once he got his head out of his a$$.


~HEROINE~
LEIGHTON...Leighton, I enjoyed quite a lot, well apart from her inability to spit out her secret that is (lol). She was strong. She was feisty. I loved her interactions with Brody. She had a couple TOO STUPID TO LIVE moments, but overall she was a good solid heroine.


 

~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
There were quite a few secondary characters in this one. Some good...some bad. We see a tiny bit of Val and Eden (which I loved). The main secondary character was Brody, Leighton's brother, and the hero set to star in book three. I am super intrigued by Brody so I can't wait to see what this author has up her sleeve for his book.


~HEAT LEVEL~
Low to Medium. I wouldn't say this was overly high on the heat scale, but we do get a few suitably spicy sex scenes. The frequency felt organic to the story.


~ANGST LEVEL - SEXUAL HISTORIES~
Mediumish. This couple had some major communication issues to start with which I found vexing. Logically I know that if the author cleared up all the miscommunications right off the bat, there wouldn't be much of a story left to tell. But as a reader, it is often a bit frustrating when things are drug out that normal people would have discussed the minute they saw each other again. Moving on...neither were virgins. Both had slept with other people in the four years they were apart, and there was no OW or OM drama.


~IN THE END~
I enjoyed this one a lot. Like I said, it was a solidly written and well paced book. The plot was entertaining. There was some heat. Some murder. Some twists and turns. Some revenge. The characters both secondary and main were well developed and intriguing. This one gets a solid two thumbs up from yours truly, and I am looking forward to book three (which I hope doesn't take another fifteen months to release *lol*)

lisa01's review

5.0

This one really kept me on my toes! I have recently come to love the cartel genre. In here we have Mateo who is second in command. I loved how he could be so hard and unyielding but then a little glimmer of kindness would slip in! There are so many characters in her and the writing of them and their antics is crazy good! I can not imagine keeping a separate log of all these guys and gals so I could remember where I last left them and what they were doing. I did not listen to book 1 but I am game now to go look it up and find out about the first two characters.

I did listen to this on audio. While both narrators do a great job Aaron Shedlock does outstanding with his accent. I loved listening to the male characters.