sarareadsromance's review against another edition
3.0
This is my first ever read by Sophie Oak and I was very surprised. After seeing Dirt Girl Romance talk about this Book on her Instagram and shared a little sneak peek of what was in the novella, I just had to read it. This short read really packed a large punch. There was so much emotion and lots of feels while reading this one. I truly didn’t think or even expected to affect me as much as it did. I’ll definitely reading this author again!
⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭐️⭐️⭐️
becbeach's review against another edition
4.0
Cal and Gaby were a long term couple that ran into a huge problem when Cal refused to acknowledge his love for her, his slave. The true issue wasn't only his rejection of her love it was also the fact Gaby was playing a part trying to win his love. When confronted with a disease that took her mother from her, Gaby gave Cal an ultimatum, either admit he loved her or she would need to leave him. She couldn't keep investing herself in a man who wouldn't see a future with her. He finds out months later after seeing her at a party and finds out the reason for her physical changes... and is FURIOUS that they all kept something that important from her. He follows her to her new job out on a island and they confront their problems. Short but heated read. He was a bit of a jerk at the beginning but finally stopped leading with his mouth and opened his heart up to her.
arickman's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a good job. This was a great love story between Callum and Gaby. I really enjoyed the story and it was very emotional.
thesassybookworm's review against another edition
5.0
So funnily enough I JUST read this one for the first time a few months back. It had been sitting on my tablet for a LONG time and I just hadn't gotten around to reading it. It turned out to be one of my all-time favorite Lexi books. So saying I was super excited to get my hands on this "new" re-released version would be an understatement. I loved it then and I still think it is one of Lexi's best books.
~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~
As always with this author the writing in this one was fantastic. The pace was perfect. The plot was engaging and kept me turning the pages. It's a quick read. Longer than a novella but not as long as a full-length book. That said, it packs a lot of angst and feels within those limited pages. Also, do be aware that it does have a dead ex in it, but I never felt Gabrielle was second best. But I am not bothered by that scenario so that is just MY interpretation. This is the type of angst filled plot I ADORE. The hero's an a$$. The heroine gets hurt by his behavior. They separate. The hero gets his head out of his a$$ and goes after the heroine. There is some angsty back and forth and they live HEA. Or HFN in this case. I do wish there had been an epilogue BUT I believe we will be seeing this couple pop up in others books as the author re-releases them and goes about connecting them through the added material.
~FAVORITE QUOTE~
"Such a nice man wouldn’t do anything bad." "You should be glad you live on an island, Jackie. You would be horribly murdered by the first serial killer to come along."
~HERO~
Cal (Callum)...So Cal is a bit of an a$$ to begin with. He doesn't want to love again. He doesn't want to marry again. He doesn't want kids. Gabrielle and Cal have lived together for three years they have a D/s relationship complete with a contract, but Gabrielle is in love. She rocks the boat. Cal doesn't respond well and acts like a complete a$$hole. Fast forward ten months later they meet again. He AGAIN pulls a douche move. So yea, he is a dickhead. That said, I LOVED him. He made up for his behavior by groveling and winning back Gabrielle. He was also a smokin' hot Dom AND he wasn't a manwhore at all. In fact, he had only slept with TWO women his whole life. His deceased wife and Gabrielle.
~HEROINE~
Gabrielle was a very likable heroine. My heart broke for her at the beginning of this book and for all she went through the months they were apart. I like that she didn't immediately fall right back into Cal's arms (though the book is short so she didn't hold out too long). I like that she was moving on and standing on her own two feet. She was pining for Cal but was making plans to move on. She was a strong heroine.
~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
This one is a little light on secondary characters. I loved Cody though. I would love to see him get a book of his own. I also loved the tiny little Liam cameo that we got!
~HEAT LEVEL~
Medium. There are some hot sex scenes in this one. Bondage. Spanking. Anal play. The frequency felt right for the length of the story.
~ANGST LEVEL~
Medium to High. This one is fairly angsty but all that angst comes from the couple themselves. There isn't anything or anyone outside of their relationship that causes issues. There is no OW drama or OM drama. As I mentioned Cal has only been with two women his entire life and he was celibate for the ten months, they were apart. Gabi wasn't a virgin, and she was also celibate during their separation.
~IN THE END~
I LOVED it. Like I said this is one of my all time favorites by this author. Well written and paced. Full of the type of angst I love. Tons of feels and hot sex. With characters that are extremely likable and who you will be rooting for to get a happily ever after. Two HUGE thumbs up from yours truly.
lenoreo's review against another edition
4.0
OK, this was way more heartwarming (yes, I said heartwarming) than I was expecting. For some reason when I read the synopsis I totally figured she was pregnant....probably from reading too many Harlequin novels. I did have another theory that turned out to be correct, but it was still nice to have it not be the obvious plot twist. I really liked the way Ms. Oak dealt with Gaby's struggles. It was real, and effective. I ended up really enjoying this novella as a result. I loved the backgrounds of Gaby and Cal, and loved watching them come back to each other. I especially love how Gaby ran with Cal's offering to her....laughed so hard, what a spunky girl. Now I just want my own Gay murse....I think Chris needs his own story. :)
schomj's review against another edition
4.0
Kind of reminds me of old-school Linda Howard, only with more (light) BDSM and less espionage.
cherie_amor's review against another edition
2.0
Like a 2.5. Cal didn't deserve forgiveness and he needed his ass kicked. There were some forgiving ass ppl of his behaviour.
thebookdisciple's review against another edition
4.0
Wow-so emotional!!!! Blake brings some BDSM elements to this story, but its really about 2 broken, damaged people who will steal your heart! Gabrielle's story is sad and Callum's is downright heartbreaking! While this is just a novella, it will give you ALL THE FEELS!
malissac's review against another edition
4.0
This was an enjoyable quick read. It was also rather emotional, something I wasn't quite as prepared for as I should have been *wipes away tears*. This is only the 3rd book ( the first two being the Texas Siren series) from Sophie Oak (AKA Lexi Blake) that I have read and while it was more emotionally challenging to read it definitely has the feel of Lexi Blake to it. I especially loved that since she has brought these books back into print she has added some moments with our favorite Masters and Mercenaries characters or in places that we are familiar with from their stories.
Away From Me is a beautifully told story about learning to love again and finding your way back. It is about accepting your failings and discovering that you are more than your outside appearance. Because this is a short novella length story, I don't want to give to much away. I will say that there is a lot both of these main characters have to go through to learn how to accept, forgive, and love. There is one character in particular that I absolutely despised and one of my beef's with the book in general is that I never fully understand where she is coming from, this being Gaby's best friend. I love that we get the closure we do between our two main characters, as we should, but I felt really left hanging with the rest of the books characters.
Both Callum and Gaby have fault in how this story plays out. Callum for being quite the jerk and for simply being scared and Gaby for not being truthful, to either Callum or their friends. I was actually quite put out with how she allowed things to play out and had a little more trouble forgiving her never correcting false assumptions then I did Callum being a jerk, honestly to me most of his problem was plain thoughtlessness. Yes she had a lot going on, her would got turned completely upside down but to allow others to believe a falsehood such as that is a pretty huge deal. I loved seeing Callum grovel though, ha, and he deserved to need to. There was no excuse for quite a bit of his behavior and he did need to be 'brought to the light' so good on Gaby for forcing his hand.
Like I said this is a novella so it is a quick read but Lexi gives us a big punch in those pages. Bring your tissue, a good bottle of what ever your drinking choice is and settle in for a emotional, sometimes frustrating, but beautiful, and steamy read! If you are a fan of Lexi Blake you will totally enjoy this book, same if she's new to you but you are looking for a quick read with a lot fo heart and some *eyebrow waggle* sexy times. ;-)
~ HAPPY READING ~
http://www.readsallthebooks.com/2018/02/away-from-me-by-lexi-blake-writing-as.html
Away From Me is a beautifully told story about learning to love again and finding your way back. It is about accepting your failings and discovering that you are more than your outside appearance. Because this is a short novella length story, I don't want to give to much away. I will say that there is a lot both of these main characters have to go through to learn how to accept, forgive, and love. There is one character in particular that I absolutely despised and one of my beef's with the book in general is that I never fully understand where she is coming from, this being Gaby's best friend. I love that we get the closure we do between our two main characters, as we should, but I felt really left hanging with the rest of the books characters.
Both Callum and Gaby have fault in how this story plays out. Callum for being quite the jerk and for simply being scared and Gaby for not being truthful, to either Callum or their friends. I was actually quite put out with how she allowed things to play out and had a little more trouble forgiving her never correcting false assumptions then I did Callum being a jerk, honestly to me most of his problem was plain thoughtlessness. Yes she had a lot going on, her would got turned completely upside down but to allow others to believe a falsehood such as that is a pretty huge deal. I loved seeing Callum grovel though, ha, and he deserved to need to. There was no excuse for quite a bit of his behavior and he did need to be 'brought to the light' so good on Gaby for forcing his hand.
Like I said this is a novella so it is a quick read but Lexi gives us a big punch in those pages. Bring your tissue, a good bottle of what ever your drinking choice is and settle in for a emotional, sometimes frustrating, but beautiful, and steamy read! If you are a fan of Lexi Blake you will totally enjoy this book, same if she's new to you but you are looking for a quick read with a lot fo heart and some *eyebrow waggle* sexy times. ;-)
~ HAPPY READING ~
http://www.readsallthebooks.com/2018/02/away-from-me-by-lexi-blake-writing-as.html
pavi_fictionalworm's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: An eARC was provided via Inkslinger PR and the Author as part of the Blog Tour. The Thoughts, opinions & feelings expressed in the review are however my own.
Away From Me is another of Lexi Blake’s re – releases and another one that I absolutely enjoyed.
Callum Reed is a man who lost his wife and who compensated for human affection with a BDSM contract with the heroine – Gabrielle. Now, right from the start, you could see that he was struggling with his feelings; he was like a wild wounded animal cornered; when she gave him her ultimatum.
Gabrielle fell in love with Callum from the moment she met him- but she knew the only way to have a piece of him would be with the contract she signed with him. For 3 years, she has been the perfect submissive, but has finally reached her breaking point when she gave Cal the ultimatum; knowing that she was gambling with everything she had.
And she lost.
As with all Lexi’s books;this one was also the right combination of romance; sass and angst – a second chance romance that gave me the feels in all the right places.,/b>
Can’t wait to see where Lexi leads us with all her new re – releases!
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