peggyemi's review
3.0
This is the third in Pushing Limits series and perhaps my least favorite of the three. It was a quick and easy read, but I didn't connect with these two as I had with the previous characters. Perhaps it is because I didn't really care for Mason in this book. His story line was a bit predictable with the rocks star and rehab. Nicole is not a bad character but I wasn't able to see in Mason what she did. I have enjoyed the other books in the series so I really wanted this one to be as good as the others. For me, this one was a miss.
That said, I enjoy this author's books and will be back to see what she has in store next.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley.
That said, I enjoy this author's books and will be back to see what she has in store next.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley.
susanatwestofmars's review
4.0
I've been reading Stina Lindenblatt's Pushing Limits series without reviewing them, but now I get my chance, with I Need You Tonight, the third and what looks like the final book. I have mixed feelings about this.
For one, it's been a good ride, and I'm not sure I want it to end. But the band members who haven't gotten their own book are mostly background noise, not terribly distinctive or memorable. So maybe it's the right time to end this series and check out the rest of Lindenblatt's backlist, while keeping an eye on her future works, as well.
I Need You Tonight is the story of potty-mouthed Mason, who is actually a very nice guy underneath the bad boy façade. When his best friend asks him to check on the friend's baby sister, he drops everything and goes. That's a trait you've got to like in a romance hero, and he's even harder to dislike when he hangs around and is helpful to our heroine, Nicole. Her life isn't quite a hot mess, but it's close, and he helps soften some of the edges that are falling into disrepair. I get where Nicole is, and I can respect her—and the idea of having like someone like Mason, who just shows up and gets busy, is truly romance-worthy.
Too bad men like this exist only in romances.
But then things get weird, or too convenient, or what have you. Nicole's business burns down, so it of course makes sense for her to take a job with the band on the road. Nevermind that she's not truly the social media specialist she is hired to be, and nevermind that putting a burned business back on its feet probably isn't something that can be done from afar. But we needed a reason for Mason and Nicole to be on the road together, and for Mason to hit rock bottom – which he does, in grand style that's nicely handled.
In Mason's case, though, the fix is too easy. He goes to rehab and boom! Just like that, he's cured. I know others have complaints about similar easy insta-fixes, and in this one, I have to agree. But I also had issues with the set-up, as well. Someone set Mason up to fail, and while authors are told to torture their darlings, when you take a step away from the author manipulation and think that a character in the story went and did this, it comes off as cold. Maybe that's part of the author's intent; the music business is, indeed, cold and uncaring. But it is also full of people smart enough to know that musicians may be your underlying income, and so you gotta take care of them. Here, someone didn't.
The flip side of that, though, is a resolution that you kinda hope for and kinda are sorry to see when it arrives. And at the same time, you don't see it coming, because what rock star actually goes and does what Mason does for the love of a woman? Okay, his self-preservation is in there, as well, and there's one thing that Lindenblatt does that I absolutely love: Mason's potty mouth only exists when he's around his band. As soon as he shows up on Nicole's doorstep, we see a different side of him and while we don't think too much about it, looking back from the ending, Mason's actions that resolve the romance are exactly right.
Overall, this has been a super fun series to read. It's light, it's young feeling, and it's optimistic. The editor in me wants to see a better proofreader, as there are some past/passed misuses and other errors that should have been caught in production, but they aren't enough to say a poor job was done. Just that this author wasn't allowed to shine as brightly as she should.
Because I think Lindenblatt is a talent worth following, and I'll certainly be following her from here on out.
For one, it's been a good ride, and I'm not sure I want it to end. But the band members who haven't gotten their own book are mostly background noise, not terribly distinctive or memorable. So maybe it's the right time to end this series and check out the rest of Lindenblatt's backlist, while keeping an eye on her future works, as well.
I Need You Tonight is the story of potty-mouthed Mason, who is actually a very nice guy underneath the bad boy façade. When his best friend asks him to check on the friend's baby sister, he drops everything and goes. That's a trait you've got to like in a romance hero, and he's even harder to dislike when he hangs around and is helpful to our heroine, Nicole. Her life isn't quite a hot mess, but it's close, and he helps soften some of the edges that are falling into disrepair. I get where Nicole is, and I can respect her—and the idea of having like someone like Mason, who just shows up and gets busy, is truly romance-worthy.
Too bad men like this exist only in romances.
But then things get weird, or too convenient, or what have you. Nicole's business burns down, so it of course makes sense for her to take a job with the band on the road. Nevermind that she's not truly the social media specialist she is hired to be, and nevermind that putting a burned business back on its feet probably isn't something that can be done from afar. But we needed a reason for Mason and Nicole to be on the road together, and for Mason to hit rock bottom – which he does, in grand style that's nicely handled.
In Mason's case, though, the fix is too easy. He goes to rehab and boom! Just like that, he's cured. I know others have complaints about similar easy insta-fixes, and in this one, I have to agree. But I also had issues with the set-up, as well. Someone set Mason up to fail, and while authors are told to torture their darlings, when you take a step away from the author manipulation and think that a character in the story went and did this, it comes off as cold. Maybe that's part of the author's intent; the music business is, indeed, cold and uncaring. But it is also full of people smart enough to know that musicians may be your underlying income, and so you gotta take care of them. Here, someone didn't.
The flip side of that, though, is a resolution that you kinda hope for and kinda are sorry to see when it arrives. And at the same time, you don't see it coming, because what rock star actually goes and does what Mason does for the love of a woman? Okay, his self-preservation is in there, as well, and there's one thing that Lindenblatt does that I absolutely love: Mason's potty mouth only exists when he's around his band. As soon as he shows up on Nicole's doorstep, we see a different side of him and while we don't think too much about it, looking back from the ending, Mason's actions that resolve the romance are exactly right.
Overall, this has been a super fun series to read. It's light, it's young feeling, and it's optimistic. The editor in me wants to see a better proofreader, as there are some past/passed misuses and other errors that should have been caught in production, but they aren't enough to say a poor job was done. Just that this author wasn't allowed to shine as brightly as she should.
Because I think Lindenblatt is a talent worth following, and I'll certainly be following her from here on out.
capa105's review
4.0
Read full review HERE
This was my third book by Stina Lindenblatt, so I enjoyed the writing a lot. She has an abrupt way of writing some scenes, but I think I’m used to it by now, because it didn’t bother me on this book as it had done on the previous ones. I have to say though, that this was my first book of the series, and while I really liked it, I think I would have been move involved in the story if I had known the band for longer.
With that said, I really liked both main characters, especially Nicole, I liked that she knew what she wanted out of life, even if she needed to relax a bit about it. I liked how normal she felt. I liked Mason too, but he got on my nerve in the middle bit of the book there. I wish he had been more open to Nicole, even if I understood his fears. And I do feel like they should have talked more about the future.
For me, the first portion of the book, and the last one, were definitly the highlights. I loved the normal and simple life that Mason and Nicole built in such a short time back home, and how their relationship progressed at first. I also liked the resolution, though I found it a bit predictable, but I liked that the author gave the right amount of time that the issues deserved.
I wish the gambling issue had been dealt with in a slightly different matter though. Given Mason’s previous issues 3 years before, I thought that it was a bit weird that his bandmates and friends didn’t pay a little more attention. And I absolutely hated the way his family treated him… I thought maybe I was missing something, but by the end of the book, I couldn’t quite figure out their behaviour. You don’t stop loving your son or brother because of an addiction, even if you decide to cut him off of your life.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one, and I found the story deep and well developed. The romance was cute and the relationship between Nicole and Mason was well constructed and developed over time. I found it enjoyable with some serious and import themes, so I would recommend it for sure.
This was my third book by Stina Lindenblatt, so I enjoyed the writing a lot. She has an abrupt way of writing some scenes, but I think I’m used to it by now, because it didn’t bother me on this book as it had done on the previous ones. I have to say though, that this was my first book of the series, and while I really liked it, I think I would have been move involved in the story if I had known the band for longer.
With that said, I really liked both main characters, especially Nicole, I liked that she knew what she wanted out of life, even if she needed to relax a bit about it. I liked how normal she felt. I liked Mason too, but he got on my nerve in the middle bit of the book there. I wish he had been more open to Nicole, even if I understood his fears. And I do feel like they should have talked more about the future.
For me, the first portion of the book, and the last one, were definitly the highlights. I loved the normal and simple life that Mason and Nicole built in such a short time back home, and how their relationship progressed at first. I also liked the resolution, though I found it a bit predictable, but I liked that the author gave the right amount of time that the issues deserved.
I wish the gambling issue had been dealt with in a slightly different matter though. Given Mason’s previous issues 3 years before, I thought that it was a bit weird that his bandmates and friends didn’t pay a little more attention. And I absolutely hated the way his family treated him… I thought maybe I was missing something, but by the end of the book, I couldn’t quite figure out their behaviour. You don’t stop loving your son or brother because of an addiction, even if you decide to cut him off of your life.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one, and I found the story deep and well developed. The romance was cute and the relationship between Nicole and Mason was well constructed and developed over time. I found it enjoyable with some serious and import themes, so I would recommend it for sure.
chymerra's review
4.0
I Need You Tonight is one of those books that you go into thinking one thing and end up getting your mind blown because you were not expecting the emotion that this made you feel. Honestly, this had to have been the best book of the series because of that.
What I really liked is that the author chose gambling as an addiction for Mason….instead of drugs or alcohol. Which was refreshing because most of the books that I have read, it is drugs or alcohol that is mentioned. People tend to forget that gambling (along with sex) is also a bad addiction that costs people their lives and family. The author didn’t magically cure Mason of his addiction and I will talk about that later in the review.
I loved Mason. He was such a down to earth guy who would do anything for his friends. So when his friend called and asked if he could go and check on his sister, he didn’t even hesitate….he did. His friend had saved Mason’s life years before and Mason thought nothing of making the drive to where Nicole lived to check on her. I loved how Mason’s addiction wasn’t downplayed or magically cured by the end of the book. Actually, him relapsing after his father’s funeral (which I wanted smack all of his relatives except his uncle) was probably the most realistic thing I have read to date. I was impressed.
Nicole, I really liked too. She was a little surprised when Mason turned up at her house to check on her and even more surprised when she realized that she was attracted to him. She hated gambling with a passion because of her father. Her father had a bad gambling problem that ended with him committing suicide. She told Mason about it (which in turn made him not say anything to her about his problem). So she was a little surprised and a lot upset when it was revealed that he had a problem….after he relapsed. And I don’t blame her for taking off. I would have too.
The sex between Nicole and Mason was hot. I had to fan myself after each encounter. The fact that they had to be celibate because he was on the road and was technically her employer. But when they finally had sex after that….oh my.
I loved the ending and I loved the epilogue!!! I wish more series were ended like that. Everything was tied up and everyone was happy!!
How many stars will I give I Need You Tonight: 4
Why: Memorable storyline, relatable characters and a love story that will sweep you away.
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Adult
Why: Sex and language. Also, triggers for gambling addiction
**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**
What I really liked is that the author chose gambling as an addiction for Mason….instead of drugs or alcohol. Which was refreshing because most of the books that I have read, it is drugs or alcohol that is mentioned. People tend to forget that gambling (along with sex) is also a bad addiction that costs people their lives and family. The author didn’t magically cure Mason of his addiction and I will talk about that later in the review.
I loved Mason. He was such a down to earth guy who would do anything for his friends. So when his friend called and asked if he could go and check on his sister, he didn’t even hesitate….he did. His friend had saved Mason’s life years before and Mason thought nothing of making the drive to where Nicole lived to check on her. I loved how Mason’s addiction wasn’t downplayed or magically cured by the end of the book. Actually, him relapsing after his father’s funeral (which I wanted smack all of his relatives except his uncle) was probably the most realistic thing I have read to date. I was impressed.
Nicole, I really liked too. She was a little surprised when Mason turned up at her house to check on her and even more surprised when she realized that she was attracted to him. She hated gambling with a passion because of her father. Her father had a bad gambling problem that ended with him committing suicide. She told Mason about it (which in turn made him not say anything to her about his problem). So she was a little surprised and a lot upset when it was revealed that he had a problem….after he relapsed. And I don’t blame her for taking off. I would have too.
The sex between Nicole and Mason was hot. I had to fan myself after each encounter. The fact that they had to be celibate because he was on the road and was technically her employer. But when they finally had sex after that….oh my.
I loved the ending and I loved the epilogue!!! I wish more series were ended like that. Everything was tied up and everyone was happy!!
How many stars will I give I Need You Tonight: 4
Why: Memorable storyline, relatable characters and a love story that will sweep you away.
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Adult
Why: Sex and language. Also, triggers for gambling addiction
**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**
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