I have to admit that going into this series I was all about Cole and Rachel’s (Edible) because they were the ones who I’d come to know the most about due to reading (and loving) the Temptation series and I could have simply bounced directly to their book, but I have this thing where I prefer to read the books in order, especially when it comes to ones that revolve around friends/family/coworkers, and I wasn’t disappointed in any way. I may not have absolutely adored all three couple but still enjoyed the each of them and had a blast hanging getting to know them all (as well as getting a bit of Logan tossed into the mix). These books were full of the humor and heart and were OMG smexy (especially Edible) times I’ve come to know and love when it comes to Ms. Frank’s words and while there was a good bit of angsty-ness, especially in the first two, it didn’t turn me off in any way. And in the end I really enjoyed having the opportunity to read these books and did end up absolutely adoring Cole and Rachel like I hoped I would!
***4 ‘Peaches’ Stars***
Hello, Whiplash!
I honestly don’t remember the last time a couple gave this bad of a case of whiplash, but Mason and Lena, (mostly Lena in all honesty but Mason got a few good twists in there) most definitely are that list of couples who should be paying for my next massage. But, despite the pain (or maybe because of it???) I couldn’t put this book down. The need to see these two make it was imperative and thank god for that ending because it made the pain worth it.
I have to be honest and say that I was #TeamMason throughout the entire book. Even when he slipped, I was #TeamMason. I’m not sure if it was his charm or his stubborn determination that did it for me, or maybe just a combo of the two, but talk about a good man. Lena on the other hand...she tried my patience. H#^l, I think she broke my patience because even I, a self proclaimed bitch, had a difficult time with her b%tchin@ss. I empathized with the reason behind it, but I just couldn’t find a way to be okay with her outbursts of meanness. What saved her, even before she got her sh^t@ together, was the knowledge of how bruised her heart was over the incident that basically shut her spirit down and getting those little glimpses of the woman she could be if she found a way to, not get over what happened, but come to terms with it.
Their journey was filled with emotional landmines, some good, some not so good, but regardless it was addicting. The chemistry between them was intense and even when they were not at their finest, it was clear there was something brewing between them that could be amazing if they simply let it happen. The sinkholes in their journey were huge, but through sheer stubborn determination they both made it out alive, thanks to a lot of help from their family and friends, and I was very happy with there they ended up.
I know for some having a character, or characters, drive them b@tsh%t crazy would more than likely downgrade their enjoyment of the story as well as the rating, and I’ll admit that has happened for me in the past, but Ms. Frank pulled off that...thing...where you get an understanding of not only what made them that way, but also what they could be if only they could come to terms with whatever demons are riding them and peaked my interest in wanting to see them evolve. But outside of that (and the intense frustration) I enjoyed the book as a whole, especially meeting the characters I’ve already met in the Temptation series (Yeah, I’m going backwards, but at least I’m getting there) and I cannot wait to delve into Entice and Edible (especially Edible because Cole…).
~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~
Tormented by self-imposed guilt, Dr. Lena O’Donnell has spent the last nine years in survival mode. Struggling through days that seem to blend together and battling her way through each horrifying night, she’s determined that this is what she deserves…
Until he tore down the walls…
Mason Langley’s life is going exactly the way he planned it, until her. A confirmed bachelor and the successful owner of the hottest restaurant to hit Chicago, he never expects to be blindsided by an angry woman in a pair of scrubs. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to shake the doctor, and he finds himself liking the way she makes him feel.
Almost overnight Lena finds her world turned upside down by Mason and the sexual desire they discover together. Slowly, she lowers her guard and invites him inside but when tragedy strikes she begins to believe that sometimes it’s better to be alone and safe than to love and lose.
***3.5 Stars***
Now. I thought Lena and Mason gave me a good case of whiplash, and they did...dear lord did they ever, but they just got beat out by Shelly and Josh. I liked them both, I did, but did they put me through the wringer. Their journey was all kinds of up, down and sideways, but there was something about it that kept me turning the pages until the very end.
As batshit crazy both Josh and Shelly made, I couldn’t help but like them. Josh is a compassionate man with a good heart and just enough alphaness in him to give him a smexy edge and once he figures out just what he wants, he won’t stop until he gets it. Shelly is sassy, outspoken and daring...but has a tendency to tamp it down in certain situations. I’ll admit that she drove me a little more crazy than Josh, but part of that was because she was struggling with the whole who she wanted to be vs. who she thought she should be based on issues in her personal life.
As I’ve already said, Josh and Shelly’s journey made me all kinds of crazy. Sometimes it was in a good way, sometimes not so good, but they always kept me on my toes. They were addicting because when they stopped fighting each other and themselves, they had a kind of chemistry that burned bright and showed that if they dropped their walls and took a leap of faith they’d find that holy grail of relationships.
Now, I’m a huge Ella Frank fan aka fangirl, but Entice is, at least at this point in time, not my fav of her books. The whiplash was real and that combined with a situation that happens later on in the book that had me going “WTF?!?”~ which I will admit was huge turning point for Josh and Shelly ~ had that enjoyment dropping a bit. But in the end I did enjoy it, just not as much as I want to.
~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~
What if everything you think you want isn't what you actually need...
Dr. Shelly Monroe is a woman who doesn't shy away from going after what she wants, but lately good sex has been hard to find. Shelly's become increasingly frustrated with the men she's been dating and the men she believes are the right choice.
Joshua Daniels is certainly not even close to the right choice. In fact he is exactly the wrong choice. For one thing, he's Mason Langley's best friend and best man. Second he's too much of a risky complication for Shelly to even consider.
Then why can't she stop thinking about how delicious he looked that first night she met him at Exquisite? Why is it so imperative to keep her lusty desire for a man that doesn’t meet her preconceived mold hidden from Lena and Mason, her trusted friends?
It seems unreasonable that being with a man completely wrong in theory could somehow feel so right. Then why is it the more she sees him the more enticing he becomes?
***5 ‘It Had to Be You’ Stars***
Cole and Rachel are EVERYTHING.
I swear I’m in a puddle of swoony, twitterpated, panty incinerating goodness thanks to these two. Edible pulled out every feel known to man and was absolutely phone app worthy in every way possible right up until the very end!
Cole. Proper, punctual, deliberate and oozes a kind of confidence that has a way of unsettling a person all while awakening the need to find out what lays underneath the well put together image...only to find out that it isn’t an image. It’s very much HIM. He is all KINDS of smexy, dominate Alpha AF male who is way to observant for his own good but has a heart so golden that you find you will do anything to bask in it’s glow.
Rachel. Unique, talented, sassy, a little crazy and a little lost. I loved how vibrant and strong Rachel was even while being vulnerable all at the same time. She had no problem with the whole giving as good as you get. She knew that if she was going to throw down, then she needed to be able to take it. She may waffle over certain things, but once her mind, and heart, make a decision she goes all in and doesn’t look back.
Now as I stated in my review for Exquisite, I’d already met and liked Cole and Rachel thanks to the Temptation series (Mmmmm Logan and Tate) but to finally experience their journey to their HEA made me adore both of them! I loved how on the surface they had the whole opposites attract thing going on, but on the inside they fit each other so well and though things started out on an interesting foot and progressed quickly, there was no doubt that they were destined to be together. Watching as they broke down each others walls and helped to put the pieces back together again to make them stronger was all kinds of heartbreaking and heartwarming. And then there was the sexual chemistry between them...it was simply nuclear.
I have to say that Edible may just be my favorite Ella Frank romance, which is saying a lot considering I’m a huge fangirl of all her works, but this one just hit every one of my ‘Yes! Give me more’ buttons. It was smexy as all get out, but more importantly there was a lot of heart throughout the story and while there was drama, it never hit that OTT angsty level. I could go on and on, but I’ll save you from that and simply say that Cole is the ultimate #BookBoyfriend and Rachel is on my #GirlCrush list and if you haven’t gotten up close and personal with these two...then you are truly missing out on an Epic romance!
~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~
Rachel Langley is more than familiar with those three words in her line of work. After all, she spends her afternoons and evenings creating desserts so divine that your mouth will water and your taste buds will tingle.
They aren’t, however, the words she would have ever expected to think of when she locks eyes with a certain lawyer she knows only as Cole.
With each encounter, the infuriatingly persistent man becomes more impossible to resist, and edible is the exact word that comes to mind.
Crave, demand, covet.
Cole Madison knows exactly what he wants, and Rachel Langley is it. From the moment he spotted her at Whipped, he knew he wanted to grab hold and take a bite.
However, the woman has enigmatic moves, avoiding him at every turn.
But not for much longer.
Rachel’s time is up, and as far as Cole is concerned, he’s waited too long for a taste of what he desires. Nothing, including the woman herself, will stop him from consuming what he hungers for.
The only question left is: Who will take the first bite?
A life-long fan of the romance genre, Ella writes contemporary and erotic fiction and lives with her husband in Portland, OR. You can reach her on the web at www.ellafrank.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ella.frank.author
Some of her favorite authors include Tiffany Reisz, Kresley Cole, Riley Hart, J.R. Ward, Erika Wilde, Gena Showalter, and Carly Philips.
Newsletter | Bookbub | Website | Twitter | FB |
Comments
Post a Comment