Buy: Kindle Ebook | Paperback
Review
“You think I need to be loved calmly and carefully,” she says slowly … “You want to know what I think?” … “I think I need to be loved… completely.”
OMG, I love this series! I love these brothers! I want to become a part of this family – and I don’t even care which brother I end up with. I love them all!!!!
4.5 quote-whorey stars
Pete is the youngest of the Reed brothers, and after making one stupid decision (even if it was for the right reasons), he has spent the last two years in prison. As part of his release program, he is asked to work at a camp for kids with special needs, and it is there that he runs into Reagan.
Reagan and Pete met two years ago when he helped her after a vicious attack. The retelling of this scene is absolutely amazing, and Pete blew my mind with how incredible he was! Since that night, neither of them have been able to forget about each other – Pete even asking his brothers to check in on Reagan to make sure she is ok, while Reagan has always thought of Pete as a bit of a hero, and wants nothing more than to see him again to thank him for what he did for her.
From the moment they see each other, they both feel a strong connection to each other, but Raegan has some serious issues stemming from her attack. She doesn’t like to be touched. By anyone. But that doesn’t stop her from feeling drawn to Pete, and it doesn’t stop him from doing his best to try to break down her walls.
“I would give just about anything to kiss you right now,” I say softly. Shit. Did I say that out loud, too?
She smiles, but she still doesn’t look at me. She seems almost… regretful? “I would give just about anything for you not to,” she says quietly.
OMG, this relationship is absolutely SENSATIONAL! From the very beginning they are open and honest about EVERYTHING, and their dialogue is a fantastic mix of banter, teasing, and opening up about the past, and all that they are feeling in the present.
“I’m further gone than you are,” I blurt out. She stops walking and looks me in the eye.
“Gone?” Her green eyes blink slowly.
“Gone. Done. Head over heels. Can’t stop thinking about you. Want to be with you all the time. Can feel you against my skin even when you’re not with me. Gone.”
Pete is absolutely incredible! He’s covered in tattoos, and pierced, and he looks like a total badass. But he’s such a nice guy! Of course he’s a total guy with a dirty mind, a dirty mouth and all of the same urges as any 21 year old, but he’s also respectful and kind with a huge heart, and he is so sweet and gentle with Raegan, he absolutely melted my heart.
“When I finally kiss you, it’s going to be because you want to kiss me, Pete, the man, the one who looks at you with wonder in his eyes, the one who is so fucking scared of these brand-new feelings for you that he sometimes can’t breathe, the one who is dying to taste you. I have thought about you almost every day since I met you, princess, and I don’t want to get you off my mind.” He kisses the tip of my nose quickly and pulls back. “But when I kiss you, it’s going to be because you have a thing for me that’s as big as the thing I have for you.”
And Raegan is just as amazing. The trauma that she carries from her attack has had a massive impact on her life, and I could absolutely understand why she protects herself, but the way that she opens up to Pete and lets herself experience all that he is offering her is absolutely gorgeous! And not only that, but she proves her strength over and over, and I love the way she starts to come out of her shell and take what she wants. And it’s not all gentle tenderness, Pete and Raegan have hormones just like everybody else, and as they find their way forward together and break down Raegan’s walls, things get really steamy!
“Was that an orgasm?” she whispers. I imagine she’s smiling against my chest because I can hear it in her voice. She turns her head and hides her face in my shirt.
“A big one,” I say with a laugh. “Fucking huge.” I am the man. Yes, I am.
I could gush on and on about how much I love these two together, but I’ll just get even more quote-whorey instead…
“I want you, Reagan. I want every piece of you.”
“Even the shattered pieces?” she asks. I bracket her face with my hands and pull her face up to mine. “I’ll be the glue that puts you back together”“What do you want?” she whispers.
I palm the side of her face and stare at her. She’s so fucking beautiful that I can barely think when I’m this close to her. “I want you to love me back,” I admit.
“Done,” she says …
“You’re inside me, Pete. And I want to keep you there.”“I love you completely, princess”
Aaaahh! Perfection!
A lot of this book takes place away from the rest of Pete’s family, but they do eventually make it back home and his brothers are all there waiting for him in all of their awesomeness, and the love, banter and ribbing between them was just as epic as I was expecting.
“You need a lesson on the birds and the bees?” Paul asks. “You put tab A into slot B.” He makes a crude gesture with his fingers. “Or tab A into slot C.” He grins. “Or Tab A into slot D. But some girls don’t like that, so don’t start there. You might even save that for a birthday or special occasion. Yours. Not hers.”
There is even a nice set up for Matt’s story up next, I can’t wait for that one!
Oh, and a quick shout out to Raegan’s family – especially her hatchet-wielding father – they absolutely brilliant!
“Dad,” I call out. He stops and looks up at me. “Is it okay that I might be falling in love with him?”
Dad’s eyes open wide, and he blows out a breath. “Reagan,” he says quietly. “You should go and talk to your mother about this.”
“Okay…” I say.
“If you want to talk about the best way to knee him in the nuts,” he says, pointing to his chest, “then I’m your guy. But if you want to talk about feelings and emotions and birth control and stuff, go talk to your mother.”
“How did you just jump from feelings to birth control?” I have to ask.
“Because that’s what happens, Reagan. You jump from strong feelings to birth control. It’s the natural order of things for men.”
I love this book! It’s sweet, it’s funny, it’s romantic, and it’s got a lot of heart. Pete’s and Raegan’s story is completely functional with no angst, and it’s absolutely beautiful from start to finish, I can’t possibly gush enough.
4.5 stars!
For full series info, see our Reed Brothers series page.