cassire's review against another edition
4.0
Spider is a rock star, stepbrother romance. It is definitely a little different than my typical read. It was a fun ride. This book takes place over many years. I really enjoyed seeing the main characters develop as time goes on. Neither of the main characters have had an easy life. They had to work for their happy. Timing wasn't always right. They both had something to prove to the world individually. It all just makes the journey even sweeter.
kfriend's review against another edition
4.0
Well finally, Spider- you’ve been dangling in front of me in other Ilsa reads, so I knew I wanted more of you and that I’d probably love you. Thank you for the full length story!
Spider and Rose paths cross by fate on a plane ride- Rose is nervous about flying, and then she’s next to our bad boy rocker with the dreamy eyes. They share a special moment that they think is just that- a passing moment with someone they’d never see again, but alas, fate had other plans, serendipitously they are actually step-siblings.
After meeting Rose, spider questions if there is more to life- and he starts to think about what it would mean to be worthy of her. Rose is drawn to him but he knows he could definitely smash her heart. And so begins our journey of their paths to each other, over time, from one chance meeting that leads to a beautiful romance.
So much that I love- rock star, stepbrother taboo, sexy British guy, fated meetings, and fun side characters and friends. Spider is the charming bad boy that we all know and love- he’s unapologetic about his bad boy ways, but he’s also charming and magnetic.There are laughs here and tons of angst, and some explosive and magnetic chemistry between two souls who have endured hard times whose souls intertwine.
This story is angsty and steamy, but it also has a ton of heart. We get a dual POV and there are some time hops, and if stepbrother stuff isn’t your thing, this one isn’t creepy or uncomfortable- just a great, angsty love story.
Spider and Rose paths cross by fate on a plane ride- Rose is nervous about flying, and then she’s next to our bad boy rocker with the dreamy eyes. They share a special moment that they think is just that- a passing moment with someone they’d never see again, but alas, fate had other plans, serendipitously they are actually step-siblings.
After meeting Rose, spider questions if there is more to life- and he starts to think about what it would mean to be worthy of her. Rose is drawn to him but he knows he could definitely smash her heart. And so begins our journey of their paths to each other, over time, from one chance meeting that leads to a beautiful romance.
So much that I love- rock star, stepbrother taboo, sexy British guy, fated meetings, and fun side characters and friends. Spider is the charming bad boy that we all know and love- he’s unapologetic about his bad boy ways, but he’s also charming and magnetic.There are laughs here and tons of angst, and some explosive and magnetic chemistry between two souls who have endured hard times whose souls intertwine.
This story is angsty and steamy, but it also has a ton of heart. We get a dual POV and there are some time hops, and if stepbrother stuff isn’t your thing, this one isn’t creepy or uncomfortable- just a great, angsty love story.
mrose21's review against another edition
3.0
So this romance is nice but I don't like cheating and at no point does he improve from his douche bag start...
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16th June
I've reread this for a challenge and I still feel the same about this as I did previously.
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16th June
I've reread this for a challenge and I still feel the same about this as I did previously.
lisamh68's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book.. She came from a crappy life and then into a wealthy family where she didn't belong. She had a best friend who was awesome. There were ups and downs but I loved it...
kidisitor's review against another edition
4.0
A second (or really a third) chance romance featuring a young girl who falls for a boy she meets briefly one dark night (which is kinda a sweet story itself,) only to meet again several years later. They have an instant connection, except they soon find out they are step siblings. You can guess how well that goes. Lots of up and downs.
This story has a lot of heart, but there is a lot of breaking going on with all that heart. You feel bad for both characters as they reluctantly part ways and try to move on. All the characters are believable and play a part in bringing the story to life. I liked Spider, the male lead a little better then Rose, the female lead. She was smart and all that, but I felt like she acted like she was older than she actually was. (She was only 17 at the time and he was 22.) Whereas, he knew his weakness and even though it killed him, he did what he had to do for her best interests, knowing she deserved someone better than him. There were a few situations that I felt were lacking, or could have been better played out, thus the 4 stars instead of 5, but they were all dealing with the side characters and not the main couple. Otherwise it was well written and easy to read. The sexual content is minimal. There is some mention of drug use, but I'd say this is ok for ages 17+.
This story has a lot of heart, but there is a lot of breaking going on with all that heart. You feel bad for both characters as they reluctantly part ways and try to move on. All the characters are believable and play a part in bringing the story to life. I liked Spider, the male lead a little better then Rose, the female lead. She was smart and all that, but I felt like she acted like she was older than she actually was. (She was only 17 at the time and he was 22.) Whereas, he knew his weakness and even though it killed him, he did what he had to do for her best interests, knowing she deserved someone better than him. There were a few situations that I felt were lacking, or could have been better played out, thus the 4 stars instead of 5, but they were all dealing with the side characters and not the main couple. Otherwise it was well written and easy to read. The sexual content is minimal. There is some mention of drug use, but I'd say this is ok for ages 17+.
seffra's review against another edition
1.0
1 star
Spoilers abound!
THIS BOOK HAS CHEATING (I wish I knew so this is why it's the first thing I'm saying since you deserve to know too).
Okay well this book was not for me..... comment above can say why....
I was prepared for some portrayal of how difficult it can be to overcome drugs but I was okay with not getting it.
I was prepared for some serious angst because of the set-up but I was semi-okay with not getting it.
I was prepared for character growth and some serious "epic love" and I was not OKAY with not getting this.
In fact people... I could not for the life of me see why these two were put together. They would not last in real life. They were polar opposites who never talked about their problems nor did they try to work on them...EVER. It was just physical and some wooing words thrown in.
While Spider did a big oopsie.... w/e our heroine's name didn't even let him fully apologize before jumping him like a person who was dead thirsty and never had a drop of water ever and he was the first glass in sight... He had so much he needed to do in order to win her again and we did not get it.
I wish we saw his struggle with drugs, I felt that Madden-Mills glorified it a bit and made it look so simple, being a drug addict. It clearly isn't and I wish we saw what Spider went through to be who he "thought" he became.
ALSO I WISH I KNEW THIS BOOK HAD CHEATING IN IT. IT HAD SOME SERIOUS CHEATING. H "seemingly" cheats on h and he did it for selfish reasons, trying to make it look like he did it for her to have a better life...what a load of cow crap.... WTF..you are not a good person...don't pretend you are.
ALSO...get this, our nasty h cheats on her man of like 4 years to be with our hero (I hate using this word to describe him). Yeah, she cheated on a great guy who loved her. Yeah they had problems but I cannot ever forgive a cheater. She didn't even really feel bad about it because she was alllll about Spider...
UGH. This book was not my cuppa and you can see why. I did enjoy the beginning and the set up of the story. The first 60 or 70 pages really was my shite and I was feeling some PHS (Phantom Heartache Syndrome) but it fell so quickly that it made my head hurt.
Spoilers abound!
THIS BOOK HAS CHEATING (I wish I knew so this is why it's the first thing I'm saying since you deserve to know too).
Okay well this book was not for me..... comment above can say why....
I was prepared for some portrayal of how difficult it can be to overcome drugs but I was okay with not getting it.
I was prepared for some serious angst because of the set-up but I was semi-okay with not getting it.
I was prepared for character growth and some serious "epic love" and I was not OKAY with not getting this.
In fact people... I could not for the life of me see why these two were put together. They would not last in real life. They were polar opposites who never talked about their problems nor did they try to work on them...EVER. It was just physical and some wooing words thrown in.
While Spider did a big oopsie.... w/e our heroine's name didn't even let him fully apologize before jumping him like a person who was dead thirsty and never had a drop of water ever and he was the first glass in sight... He had so much he needed to do in order to win her again and we did not get it.
I wish we saw his struggle with drugs, I felt that Madden-Mills glorified it a bit and made it look so simple, being a drug addict. It clearly isn't and I wish we saw what Spider went through to be who he "thought" he became.
ALSO I WISH I KNEW THIS BOOK HAD CHEATING IN IT. IT HAD SOME SERIOUS CHEATING. H "seemingly" cheats on h and he did it for selfish reasons, trying to make it look like he did it for her to have a better life...what a load of cow crap.... WTF..you are not a good person...don't pretend you are.
ALSO...get this, our nasty h cheats on her man of like 4 years to be with our hero (I hate using this word to describe him). Yeah, she cheated on a great guy who loved her. Yeah they had problems but I cannot ever forgive a cheater. She didn't even really feel bad about it because she was alllll about Spider...
UGH. This book was not my cuppa and you can see why. I did enjoy the beginning and the set up of the story. The first 60 or 70 pages really was my shite and I was feeling some PHS (Phantom Heartache Syndrome) but it fell so quickly that it made my head hurt.
luetta's review against another edition
5.0
Spider has been a character who has remained with me for a while. He has appeared in many of Ilsa's stories, but hasn't had his own until now. Spider had been this guy that is lurking (in a good way of course), and screaming to be seen and understood.
This book answers everything. Ilsa carried the story through the years flawlessly answering all the questions I think I could have ever wondered.
I'm only sad it's over, because I truly do want more. More Spider. More of our British men. Just more.
5☆ read for sure ❤
This book answers everything. Ilsa carried the story through the years flawlessly answering all the questions I think I could have ever wondered.
I'm only sad it's over, because I truly do want more. More Spider. More of our British men. Just more.
5☆ read for sure ❤
kara_hildebrand's review against another edition
5.0
Spider is Ilsa Madden Mills' newest work of art. Ilsa's heroes are some of my all-time favorites. She writes complicated, sexy, swoony, funny men who fall for sassy, beautiful strong women. Her writing is always fresh, witty and beyond entertaining. Spider is complex. He's sexy with his tattoos and his accent, but he's fighting demons. Women, booze, drugs. The total rock star life. He meets a sexy stranger on a plane and they share more than a kiss. Rose knows who he is. He's Spider and he's gorgeous and sexy and he kissed her. Fate is a funny little bitch. Turns out Spider is her stepbrother. They want each other, but that can't happen. He's no good for her and he won't lose another person he loves. She's young and she wants to go to college and make something of herself. Can Spider be strong enough to let her go? What happens when Fate steps in again? Can Spider become the man that Rose needs? I loved this story. It has heart, depth, love, sexiness and hope. Spider is beyond sexy. He has a way with words that gave me the chills. Rose is strong, independent and beautiful. They have a love that was just meant to be no matter what obstacles were put in their way. Overall, I laughed, cried, got tingles, laughed and cried more. I loved every word of this story!
He's sex with a side of hard music.
I thought she was simply pretty. She is fucking luminous.
"You know what Frank Sinatra says about people who don't drink…that when they wake up in the morning, it's sad, because that's as good as they're going to feel all day."
His chest is broad and sculpted, his biceps look like I could bounce a quarter off them, and the deep V at his waist is making me salivate. All hail, England.
He's sex with a side of hard music.
I thought she was simply pretty. She is fucking luminous.
"You know what Frank Sinatra says about people who don't drink…that when they wake up in the morning, it's sad, because that's as good as they're going to feel all day."
His chest is broad and sculpted, his biceps look like I could bounce a quarter off them, and the deep V at his waist is making me salivate. All hail, England.