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mike_bolter's review against another edition
4.0
Find this review and many more at http://fabulousandfun.com
This is one of those books that’s really going to be hit or miss in some spots with people, myself included. I always shoot for a spoiler free review so my apologies if it’s too vague.
“Well that started with a bang.” That was my first thought after I finished the prologue. Probably not the most PC of puns, but that’s where my weird brain went. But what that really means is that it starts off really strong, short, to the point, and didn’t drag out a bad situation.
Almost all of the rest of the story I enjoyed, it was well written, with what I thought was a good balance of funny, sad, sexy, and dramatic. Although, wow that escalated quickly! (You’ll know what I mean when you get there) And I Iiked that Clementine was a pretty moderate character, not too wishy-washy and not too domineering, a little insecure but not ridiculously so like some characters can be. Sure she’s stubborn, but that’s kind of the point of the story! See it’s in the title! The other characters were pretty enjoyable too. Well not those two, but Colin, Christian, and Paige. I would love to have had some more time with Clementine’s Mom and Colin, I have a feeling they would be a hoot together. And I hope Christian and Paige get their own story, it seems like there’s a lot to be told with them.
The ending though, not that I didn’t like it, but it felt somehow unfinished to me. It seems like there’s some loose story threads dangling around that haven’t been tied up enough to really have a finish? It’s tough to describe but there it is.
(I just noticed that there is another novel “Only In Dreams” which is Paige’s story! Now if only my hopes for winning lottery numbers worked so quickly)
This is one of those books that’s really going to be hit or miss in some spots with people, myself included. I always shoot for a spoiler free review so my apologies if it’s too vague.
“Well that started with a bang.” That was my first thought after I finished the prologue. Probably not the most PC of puns, but that’s where my weird brain went. But what that really means is that it starts off really strong, short, to the point, and didn’t drag out a bad situation.
Almost all of the rest of the story I enjoyed, it was well written, with what I thought was a good balance of funny, sad, sexy, and dramatic. Although, wow that escalated quickly! (You’ll know what I mean when you get there) And I Iiked that Clementine was a pretty moderate character, not too wishy-washy and not too domineering, a little insecure but not ridiculously so like some characters can be. Sure she’s stubborn, but that’s kind of the point of the story! See it’s in the title! The other characters were pretty enjoyable too. Well not those two, but Colin, Christian, and Paige. I would love to have had some more time with Clementine’s Mom and Colin, I have a feeling they would be a hoot together. And I hope Christian and Paige get their own story, it seems like there’s a lot to be told with them.
The ending though, not that I didn’t like it, but it felt somehow unfinished to me. It seems like there’s some loose story threads dangling around that haven’t been tied up enough to really have a finish? It’s tough to describe but there it is.
(I just noticed that there is another novel “Only In Dreams” which is Paige’s story! Now if only my hopes for winning lottery numbers worked so quickly)
pattyfgd's review against another edition
4.0
--I was given a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
This was a highly charged, emotional book as I was listening to it. Emmy, a very young widow is plagued with the guilt of her husband's suicide. She moves to NYC to continue her education which had been put on hold and finds a roommate and a hot new landlord. Initially their meeting is very cold, but as Em gets to know Colin, she finds him to be compassionate, warm and loving. She just cannot tell him about her past. She is stalked, and later finds out why this man is following her...it's a little creepy! Colin finally wins her over, but they have to go through many obstacles to get to their HEA. The supporting cast of characters in this book is brilliant. Emmy's roommate, Paige and her boyfriend(and Colin's brother) Christian both add their flavor to the book, leaving it wide open for book two and what will happen with Christian.
I have to say, I love Caitlyn Kelly. Her narrations are spot on, always have the exact inflection to bring the scene to life and her voices are good and distinguishable. She is a pleasure to listen to.
This was a highly charged, emotional book as I was listening to it. Emmy, a very young widow is plagued with the guilt of her husband's suicide. She moves to NYC to continue her education which had been put on hold and finds a roommate and a hot new landlord. Initially their meeting is very cold, but as Em gets to know Colin, she finds him to be compassionate, warm and loving. She just cannot tell him about her past. She is stalked, and later finds out why this man is following her...it's a little creepy! Colin finally wins her over, but they have to go through many obstacles to get to their HEA. The supporting cast of characters in this book is brilliant. Emmy's roommate, Paige and her boyfriend(and Colin's brother) Christian both add their flavor to the book, leaving it wide open for book two and what will happen with Christian.
I have to say, I love Caitlyn Kelly. Her narrations are spot on, always have the exact inflection to bring the scene to life and her voices are good and distinguishable. She is a pleasure to listen to.
charms1976's review against another edition
3.0
Clementine “Emmie” Hayes has a terrible secret. She used to be married and had told her husband she was going to leave him. Her husband commits suicide as she walks out the door and she leaves town after the funeral to live her life and bury the past. She rents an apartment with a young woman she meets in a taxi who happens to be dating the landlords brother. The landlord is Colin Bennett. Emmie tries to resist him romantically and they build a friendship. While the friendship slowly grows into something more, her past comes back to haunt her.
This story ended up being just an okay read for me. I liked the character of Colin. He was a great guy who was financially well off, worked with his hands, sexy good looks, and all around good guy. Emmie is led to believe that he is player, but he didn’t really come off as one to me. Emmie wasn’t a character that I really enjoyed. Yes, she had a tragic past, but it felt like it was forced on the reader to feel sorry for her. The so called bad guys weren’t too much of surprise and in all honesty, I can’t even remember much about this book hours after finishing it. It just didn’t stand out to me.
I would have to say that the only real thing I liked about this book was the characters of Colin and his brother Christian. I will more than likely end up reading the next book in the series, but it isn’t something I would rush out to buy.
This story ended up being just an okay read for me. I liked the character of Colin. He was a great guy who was financially well off, worked with his hands, sexy good looks, and all around good guy. Emmie is led to believe that he is player, but he didn’t really come off as one to me. Emmie wasn’t a character that I really enjoyed. Yes, she had a tragic past, but it felt like it was forced on the reader to feel sorry for her. The so called bad guys weren’t too much of surprise and in all honesty, I can’t even remember much about this book hours after finishing it. It just didn’t stand out to me.
I would have to say that the only real thing I liked about this book was the characters of Colin and his brother Christian. I will more than likely end up reading the next book in the series, but it isn’t something I would rush out to buy.
greylandreviews's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very good NA novel. It kept my attention and never got boring. Touches your feels a little bit, like a Jessica Sorensen novel. I'll write a review later
ptorrens's review against another edition
1.0
Ew.
This book was a struggle to get through. If it hadn't been so short I wouldn't have finished. The story was predictable, characters were boring, storyline had no depth. Nothing was fleshed out. Just skip it.
This book was a struggle to get through. If it hadn't been so short I wouldn't have finished. The story was predictable, characters were boring, storyline had no depth. Nothing was fleshed out. Just skip it.
abartley73's review against another edition
3.0
I've been looking for a good NA book, and this definitely was not it. It seems like all NA books are the same. Girl suffers a trauma in her life, boy swoops in to save her. The end.
I will say the trauma she went through in this book was a bit more creative, and kind of shocking. It was nice seeing an author actually portray a typical, realistic reaction to something that happened to a character. Not some off the wall reaction that makes no sense. With that being said, some of the other reactions were very unrealistic.
Maybe I'm too logical when I read books. But to me, a guy that supposedly loves you would probably be more brutal to someone that hits you as opposed to someone that doesn't. Not when it comes to Colin, though. I don't want to say much more than that to avoid spoilers, but Colin's character didn't make any sense at times. Clementine was an okay protagonist, but she wasn't even close to being memorable.
The book itself wasn't memorable either, except for the random ass sex scene that came out of left field. I'm still laughing about it. These two denied their attraction for each other and neither one of them wanted to be with anyone, and then out of nowhere, "Let's have sex." I'm not really interested in reading sex scenes in books, especially ones that are unneeded. And this one was definitely a scene that the author randomly throws in there like, "SURPRISE! SEX!"
Overall, this book is just a typical NA. It wasn't bad enough to DNF, but it doesn't have the wow factor. I won't be reading anything else by this author because I prefer books with excitement. Not just a typical 3 star book.
I will say the trauma she went through in this book was a bit more creative, and kind of shocking. It was nice seeing an author actually portray a typical, realistic reaction to something that happened to a character. Not some off the wall reaction that makes no sense. With that being said, some of the other reactions were very unrealistic.
Maybe I'm too logical when I read books. But to me, a guy that supposedly loves you would probably be more brutal to someone that hits you as opposed to someone that doesn't. Not when it comes to Colin, though. I don't want to say much more than that to avoid spoilers, but Colin's character didn't make any sense at times. Clementine was an okay protagonist, but she wasn't even close to being memorable.
The book itself wasn't memorable either, except for the random ass sex scene that came out of left field. I'm still laughing about it. These two denied their attraction for each other and neither one of them wanted to be with anyone, and then out of nowhere, "Let's have sex." I'm not really interested in reading sex scenes in books, especially ones that are unneeded. And this one was definitely a scene that the author randomly throws in there like, "SURPRISE! SEX!"
Overall, this book is just a typical NA. It wasn't bad enough to DNF, but it doesn't have the wow factor. I won't be reading anything else by this author because I prefer books with excitement. Not just a typical 3 star book.
caslater83's review against another edition
3.0
This is a book that tugs at your emotions. I feel for this woman. All the abuse she endured during her marriage and now the guilt after her husband's death. She still beats herself up (mentally) over it. Colin is the best thing that ever happened to her. He has shown her far more love, trust, and generosity than she could ever dream of receiving from her moronic husband.
Special Note: This book does contain some sexual content, but you'll be pleased to know that it's not saturated with it from page to page.
Special Note: This book does contain some sexual content, but you'll be pleased to know that it's not saturated with it from page to page.
greylandreviews's review
4.0
This was a very good NA novel. It kept my attention and never got boring. Touches your feels a little bit, like a Jessica Sorensen novel. I'll write a review later
xoxotawnydee's review
3.0
Stubborn Love is the story of Clementine "Emmie" Hayes. Not so much a story of the main guy. It is almost a coming of age story despite the fact that she is twenty-six years old.
Emmie had pretty much been a nobody in high school. One of those "artsy" kids who only had one friend and no prospects as far as boyfriends went. Until Ashton Stirling made his way into her life. She was crazy about him. So crazy that she actually chose him over her best friend. They married right out of high school and stayed together for years. The problem with Ashton is that he had.. problems. A manipulative jerk who wouldn't let her leave because he couldn't stand the thought of being alone. And he had a bit of a drinking problem, so some of those problems turned a little physical. Until finally Emmie had had enough. And she told him she was leaving.
But he couldn't live without her.
Three years later Emmie is starting anew in New York, finally following her dream of getting a Fine Arts degree. New York is expensive though, so when a random Rainbow Brite she meets by a taxi one day offers to let her take a look at her apartment to be roommated, Emmie goes for it. And they become best friends. Which is great. Because Paige is awesome. She is the girl that every girl wants as a best friend. Fun, and out-spoken, not to mention extremely protective.
And finally everything is going right in Emmie's life. No more abuse. Following her dream. New best friend. Enter Colin Bennett, Paige's boyfriend's brother, and their landlord. Neither Emmie nor Colin is looking for love, but Colin's found it finally, and he's not going down without a fight. He will do whatever it takes to get Emmie to give him a chance once he figures out that she likes him too.
I read a review on goodreads that complained abotu the story having nothing memorable about it, so of course I wanted to read it to get a taste myself. I'm strange that way. But I have to disagree. Which is exactly what I was expecting to happen.
I think Colin was an extremely memorable main guy. I think he was perfect and exactly what Emmie needed to try and get over the horror that Ashton had brought into her life. And what made him perfect was that he wasn't the rich little boy that she thought he was at first. He was hard-working and loving and protective of so many people. He was just a beautiful character.
I've already sung Paige's prescence in the book.
My least favorite character was Emmie though. Not because she wasn't a good character, but because I just got sick of hearing about Ashton. I know that ex's, especially horrible breakups, can have an outstanding impact on a person's life. And I know that one simple negative statement from somebody can stay with you forever. I've got a few of them stuck in my head too. But I hated that she just wouldn't let it go. Wouldn't let herself be happy. And fought anybody who tried to help her. Like she was a horrible person who deserved to go to hell and be tortured on the way. I just wanted to shake her and reiterate the fact that Ashton was obviously sick and she couldn't have done anything differently. At the end, when she finally starts coming to terms with it, she says that when she thinks back on it, she thinks Ashton was looking for a way out. Looking for permission, if you will. And I completely agree with that. I think that Ashton was extremely sick and he couldn't take it anymore and he wanted permission from the one person that probably mattered most to him.
In no way do I believe that what he did is a good thing, or that he should be "forgiven" just because of that, but I think in a way that he literally couldn't let her go.. but he knew that she couldn't stay. So he gave her a way out. He wouldn't have known that she would be hung up on it for as long as she was. So I give this book 3.5 stars because Ashton drove me crazy on a page to page basis. Now I'm off to go read Only In Dreams, the story of Paige. I can't wait. I'm so excited!
Emmie had pretty much been a nobody in high school. One of those "artsy" kids who only had one friend and no prospects as far as boyfriends went. Until Ashton Stirling made his way into her life. She was crazy about him. So crazy that she actually chose him over her best friend. They married right out of high school and stayed together for years. The problem with Ashton is that he had.. problems. A manipulative jerk who wouldn't let her leave because he couldn't stand the thought of being alone. And he had a bit of a drinking problem, so some of those problems turned a little physical. Until finally Emmie had had enough. And she told him she was leaving.
But he couldn't live without her.
Three years later Emmie is starting anew in New York, finally following her dream of getting a Fine Arts degree. New York is expensive though, so when a random Rainbow Brite she meets by a taxi one day offers to let her take a look at her apartment to be roommated, Emmie goes for it. And they become best friends. Which is great. Because Paige is awesome. She is the girl that every girl wants as a best friend. Fun, and out-spoken, not to mention extremely protective.
And finally everything is going right in Emmie's life. No more abuse. Following her dream. New best friend. Enter Colin Bennett, Paige's boyfriend's brother, and their landlord. Neither Emmie nor Colin is looking for love, but Colin's found it finally, and he's not going down without a fight. He will do whatever it takes to get Emmie to give him a chance once he figures out that she likes him too.
I read a review on goodreads that complained abotu the story having nothing memorable about it, so of course I wanted to read it to get a taste myself. I'm strange that way. But I have to disagree. Which is exactly what I was expecting to happen.
I think Colin was an extremely memorable main guy. I think he was perfect and exactly what Emmie needed to try and get over the horror that Ashton had brought into her life. And what made him perfect was that he wasn't the rich little boy that she thought he was at first. He was hard-working and loving and protective of so many people. He was just a beautiful character.
I've already sung Paige's prescence in the book.
My least favorite character was Emmie though. Not because she wasn't a good character, but because I just got sick of hearing about Ashton. I know that ex's, especially horrible breakups, can have an outstanding impact on a person's life. And I know that one simple negative statement from somebody can stay with you forever. I've got a few of them stuck in my head too. But I hated that she just wouldn't let it go. Wouldn't let herself be happy. And fought anybody who tried to help her. Like she was a horrible person who deserved to go to hell and be tortured on the way. I just wanted to shake her and reiterate the fact that Ashton was obviously sick and she couldn't have done anything differently. At the end, when she finally starts coming to terms with it, she says that when she thinks back on it, she thinks Ashton was looking for a way out. Looking for permission, if you will. And I completely agree with that. I think that Ashton was extremely sick and he couldn't take it anymore and he wanted permission from the one person that probably mattered most to him.
In no way do I believe that what he did is a good thing, or that he should be "forgiven" just because of that, but I think in a way that he literally couldn't let her go.. but he knew that she couldn't stay. So he gave her a way out. He wouldn't have known that she would be hung up on it for as long as she was. So I give this book 3.5 stars because Ashton drove me crazy on a page to page basis. Now I'm off to go read Only In Dreams, the story of Paige. I can't wait. I'm so excited!
jst1morechapter's review
3.0
2.5 - some of it was good, some of it not so much... okay for a freebie