{"id":2735,"date":"2014-07-21T11:26:28","date_gmt":"2014-07-21T18:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=2735"},"modified":"2016-03-31T17:09:50","modified_gmt":"2016-04-01T00:09:50","slug":"review-lovelines-the-wilmington-saga-1-by-s-walden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=2735","title":{"rendered":"Review: LoveLines (The Wilmington Saga, #1) by S. Walden"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buy: Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0| \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

4.5 Deliciously \u201cPhablous<\/em>\u201d stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

OMG, I have so much love for this book!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a fantastically sharp, fun and hilarious romance with lots of heart and heaps of banter and sizzling chemistry between two beautifully flawed but incredible characters that I LOVE! And all of that love translates into a whole lot of quote whoriness, so consider yourself warned.<\/p>\n

Bailey is 31 years old. Single, but desperately wanting to find somebody and get married, her love life has been a bit of a disaster up until this point because the men in her life struggle to deal with her OCD. Not the \u2018my bookshelves are all lined up in order because I\u2019m sooooo OCD\u2019, but the actual disorder. Bailey has little tics and routines that get her through her day, but she\u2019s not delicate, disabled or fragile. She\u2019s an ordinary girl \u2013 a hilariously sarcastic, instantly likeable, quirky girl who just happens to have an issue that she is managing to the best of her ability.<\/p>\n

When the new guy at work, Reece, catches his first glimpse of Bailey, he is instantly smitten. Sexy, cocky, and also hilariously sarcastic, Reece is all kinds of awesome. Of course Bailey has noticed him too, and a brief but unintentionally comical attempt at flirting on Reece\u2019s part sparks a strong attraction. As they develop a sort-of friendship, Reece watches Bailey and starts to put the pieces together, but it doesn\u2019t put him off, it only drives him on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in love with a coworker,\u201d Reece confessed\u2026
\n\u201cNot wise,\u201d Camden replied, and chugged his beer.
\n\u201cAnd I\u2019m pretty sure she\u2019s OCD,\u201d Reece went on.
\nCamden stared at his friend. \u201cDude. No.\u201d
\n\u201cI find it uncomfortably sexy,\u201d Reece admitted.
\n\u201cThat you like a coworker or that she\u2019s OCD?\u201d
\n\u201cThe second one. There\u2019s something strangely erotic about it. What the hell is wrong with me?\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

God, I love Reece! His candid manner and his unquestioning acceptance of Bailey just the way she is is absolutely beautiful. He doesn\u2019t want her to change, but instead works hard to earn her trust, and his pursuit of her is gorgeous.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll run away,\u201d I said softly.
\n\u201cI\u2019m a man. I don\u2019t run,\u201d Reece replied.
\nI smiled. \u201cIt\u2019s made all the others run away.\u201d
\n\u201cBecause they weren\u2019t men.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

*dreamy sigh*<\/p>\n

The two of them fall into a very natural relationship, and together, they are absolutely sensational! They tease and banter, they have fun, and they had me laughing out loud at their antics.<\/p>\n

\u201cBailey . . .\u201d he said. Like I\u2019m some fucking kid. Like, \u201cBailey, I\u2019m warning you.\u201d
\nI fucking tapped that fucking pen all over my fucking desk.
\nHe snatched it.
\n\u201cWhat the fuck!\u201d I yelled.
\nAnd then he scooped up all my pens and walked off.
\n\u201cMotherfucker,\u201d I spat, and went after him.
\nHe glanced behind his shoulder and saw me coming. He quickened his pace. I marched right along, ready to catch up to him and give him an earful about the proper way to cope with my urges. He rounded the corner and disappeared into the copy room. I burst in and let fly.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re not supposed to take my pens!\u201d I shouted.
\nHe came at me, slamming me up against the door, and kissing me hard.
\n\u201cGod, you\u2019re so fucking hot,\u201d he said into my mouth.
\nWell, this was confusing.
\n\u201cYou and your fucking pens and the tapping and . . . oh my God . . .\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They are so open and honest with each other\u2013 not only about her illness \u2013 but about how they are feeling, and the things they want from each other, and Reece makes it clear to her that he doesn\u2019t love in her spite of her illness, he loves her because of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I\u2019m not the easiest person to love . . .\u201d
\n\u201cAre you kidding me ?\u201d Reece hopped up from the desk and took hold of Bailey\u2019s shoulders. \u201cYou\u2019re too easy to love. That\u2019s your real problem. You know how I know that? Because I can\u2019t stay away from you. I just wanna be with you all the time. You\u2019re my favorite person, Bailey. That\u2019s not hard. That\u2019s a cakewalk.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And it\u2019s not all one sided. Reece hasn\u2019t had the easiest life, and Bailey gives to him just as much as he gives to her, and the love story is absolutely beautiful.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to love you for the rest of my life. Will you let me?\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And, of course, there\u2019s the sexy time. Holy hell, I wasn\u2019t expecting this book to be as hot as it was, but Goddamn!!! Bailey and Reece\u2019s sexy time is scorching hot and explicit! I was surprised at the level of kink and Reece\u2019s domination in the bedroom, but it\u2019s a great reflection of where they are at and what they are feeling and once again, something they are completely honest with each other about.<\/p>\n

All that time I thought I was the one on display \u2014 open and vulnerable to my boyfriend. In reality, he was baring himself just as honestly to me, hoping I would accept the love he was so desperate to give.
\nAnd I did.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While Reece\u2019s OCD is definitely a big part of the book, it\u2019s handled really well, and it\u2019s not depressing or overly deep. We certainly see the way it affects the characters, and the impact it has on Bailey\u2019s life, but it doesn\u2019t have the \u2018woe is me\u2019 feel to it that you might expect. In fact it\u2019s quite the opposite, as Reece\u2019s love for Bailey and his presence in her life makes a huge impact on her. Reece pushes her, but he also respects her. It\u2019s a delicate mix which he manages really well.<\/p>\n

But just when things seem to be going smoothly, Bailey\u2019s life is thrown into turmoil and it puts the two of them, and what they have found together, to the test. And OMG \u2013 the feeeeeels!!!!! *sniff*<\/p>\n

S. Walden has done an amazing job with these characters. They are so real, and their interactions are real \u2013 even the stupid little moments that may not have a lot of impact on the story, but just make up their everyday lives \u00a0

<\/span>Spoiler <\/div>
\u00a0The \u2018swallow\u2019 scene had me in stitches, even though it was kinda gross!<\/div><\/div><\/span>. I highlighted entire pages of dialogue!<\/p>\n

\u201cBailey. I\u2019m gonna make you live a little.\u201d
\n\u201cHey! Now wait just a minute, buster! I\u00a0<\/em>do\u00a0live. I recall being the surfer in this relationship. Not you.\u201d
\n\u201cOh my God ,\u201d Reece replied, his face lighting up. \u201cThat\u2019s perfect! Let\u2019s fuck on your surfboard!\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cSeriously. Let\u2019s just\u2014\u201d He thrust his hips forward a few times. \u201c\u2014 just fucking go at it on your surfboard.\u201d
\n\u201cOh my God,\u201d I mumbled.
\n\u201cWhat? It\u2019s totally hot.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And a huge shout out to the side characters! Bailey\u2019s BFF, Erica is an absolute riot! Sarcastic, crude and with pretty much no filter, she had me constantly laughing. Reece\u2019s friends Camden and Christopher were also great. Bailey\u2019s Dad is beautiful, and even the rest of her family \u2013 although they needed to be smacked HARD – still brought a lot to the story.<\/p>\n

I loved Bailey\u2019s journey. Watching her open up to Reece and respond to him was gorgeous, and even though my heart broke seeing her hit bottom, and the impact that it had on both of them. Watching her climb her way back up to reclaim her life was fantastic!<\/p>\n

The book was really well written but I found aspects of the writing to be a little strange at times, with the tense switching between first and third, and the POV frequently shifting. The timeline also skips a little bit, but I didn\u2019t mind it, because we get the complete picture, and we don\u2019t just get this couple falling in love and then leave them to their HEA \u2013 they fall in love, and the story continues for some time after that point so we get to see each little progression for them, and I loved every minute of it!<\/p>\n

This is an absolutely delightful read! I laughed, I cried, I squeed and I swooned. It looks like it\u2019s the first of a series, and I can’t wait to get my hands on more from this fantastic bunch of characters.<\/p>\n

I loved it \u2013 4.5 stars.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buy: Kindle Ebook\u00a0\u00a0| \u00a0Paperback Review 4.5 Deliciously \u201cPhablous\u201d stars OMG, I have so much love for this book! It\u2019s a fantastically sharp, fun and hilarious romance with lots of heart and heaps of banter and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[173,49,65,9,29],"tags":[48,148],"class_list":["post-2735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-epic-romance","category-feeeeeeels","category-lol-funny","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-review","tag-s-walden"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/LoveLines.jpg?fit=150%2C224&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-I7","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2735"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2735\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}