{"id":57247,"date":"2021-02-01T08:30:55","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T13:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=57247"},"modified":"2024-04-11T03:59:40","modified_gmt":"2024-04-11T07:59:40","slug":"release-arc-review-dont-kiss-the-bride-by-carian-cole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=57247","title":{"rendered":"Release & ARC Review: Don’t Kiss the Bride by Carian Cole"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don’t Kiss the Bride by Carian Cole is now live!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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An irresistibly beautiful, chemistry-filled friends-to-lovers, age-gap romance, I love this book so much!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Buy now – Amazon <\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Free in KU<\/h4>\n

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\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I guess you could say I was a damsel in distress, and he was my knight in shining armor.<\/p>\n

But more accurately, I was a girl with a lot of bad luck, and he was a guy with a lot of muscles and tattoos.<\/p>\n

Jude \u201cLucky\u201d Lucketti wasn\u2019t just a sexy, brooding construction worker. He was my own personal hero who seemed to be in all the right places at the right times. Like when my car broke down and I needed a ride home, and when I face planted on the sidewalk right in front of him and had to be taken to the emergency room.<\/p>\n

Those weren\u2019t exactly my best moments, but they were his.<\/p>\n

We became friends, and it didn\u2019t matter that he was sixteen years older than me. We had a lot in common\u2014like our love of old rock music and vintage fast cars, and our aversion to relationships.<\/p>\n

When he approached me with a crazy idea to help me out, I couldn\u2019t say no.<\/p>\n

The arrangement was supposed to be temporary. A marriage on paper and nothing else.<\/p>\n

It should\u2019ve been easy, but it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Because here I am, eighteen years-old, still in high school, and married to a man I was never supposed to fall in love with.<\/p>\n

We had just one rule\u2014no kissing the bride.<\/p>\n

But we broke that rule, and it sealed our fate forever.<\/p>\n

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Add to Goodreads<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Review<\/b><\/h4>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re the only one I ever want to stay.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

5 stars!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carian Cole writes the best angsty, emotional, real and raw love stories, and this book is another example of why she\u2019s an auto-buy author for me. An irresistibly beautiful, chemistry-filled friends-to-lovers, age-gap romance that had me glued to my kindle for almost 500 pages. I adored every moment!<\/p>\n

Skylar is an 18-year-old girl living in unimaginable circumstances that have left her emotionally scarred yet mature beyond her years. Neglected by her parents since childhood, and with serious health issues, she has big dreams and is desperate to escape the hell of that is her life, but she\u2019s without a lot of options and has no way to make her situation better.<\/p>\n

Jude \u2018Lucky\u2019 Lucketti is a 34-year-old construction worker with his own set of issues. His difficult family situation has left its mark on him and though he looks like a tatted-up badass, he\u2019s actually a gorgeous yet vulnerable guy with a heart of gold, who has built a wall around himself to prevent him from getting hurt again.<\/p>\n

When Jude sees Skylar in trouble, he leaps to her rescue like the hero that he is. Time and again, he comes to her aid, and they become friends. And when he learns the depth of her problems, he comes up with a bold plan to help her \u2013 a marriage of convenience until she\u2019s in a position to get on her own feet and start living the life of her dreams.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is crazy, right?\u201d
\n\u201cIt is. Not gonna lie. But it\u2019ll only be as crazy as we make it. If we\u2019re cool about it, it\u2019ll be fine. Just two people living together, married on paper so you can see a doctor and get out of hell house. No big deal.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It seems crazy, but it works\u2026 for a little while at least. Until their insane chemistry makes things all kinds of complicated.<\/p>\n

Jude has a no-getting-attached rule. I recognize all the signs because I also have that rule. However, it doesn\u2019t seem to be working for us. Our rules are breaking themselves.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

God, I love this relationship! It\u2019s sweet, funny and so realistic as these two people who are so damaged and lonely find something truly beautiful together. At first it\u2019s a friendship, and it\u2019s easy, natural and everything<\/i> to the two of them. They become such an important part of each other\u2019s lives, and it\u2019s gorgeous to see them together. They both quietly acknowledge that there is an underlying attraction there, but there\u2019s something more<\/i> building as well \u2013 a connection that is completely unexpected and absolutely undeniable.<\/p>\n

When we\u2019re together, she\u2019s not eighteen, and I\u2019m not thirty-four. We\u2019re just two people who get along great, make each other laugh, take care of each other, and have insane chemistry. <\/i><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not about sex\u2014I can get that anywhere. It\u2019s a magnetic pull to get closer. Emotionally. Physically. Every time I\u2019m with her I get this feeling of indescribable contentment that I can\u2019t even wrap my head around.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And as their feelings for each other deepen, the sexual tension is sensational! It builds right alongside all of that emotion, and I could feel every sizzling moment of it. I wanted them to cross that line so badly, and when it finally comes, I was a mess of excited, blissed-out romance reader!<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I kiss you, I\u2019m not going to stop.\u201d
\nShe stares up at me. Her eyes are full of everything that draws me to her. Mischief. Fire. Desire. Honesty.
\n\u201cThen don\u2019t stop,\u201d she says.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I mean, just read this for an example of an epically passionate, chemistry-filled moment\u2026<\/p>\n

<\/span>Spoiler<\/div>
Grabbing her waist with my free hand, I pull her hard against my body and crush my lips down on hers. Her gasp of surprise fuels the fire she\u2019s already stoked with her inviting touches and perfect words. I move my hand over the curve of her ass and down to the back of her bare thigh, lifting her until she hops up and wraps her legs around my waist.
\nKissing wildly, I kick the bedroom door shut with my foot, then push her back up against it. Breathless, she snakes her arms around my neck. Her nails graze over the back of my head as she shoves her fingers through my hair. Our tongues wrestle and caress hungrily.
\nI grab her hands in mine and pin them against the door above her head. Her thighs tighten around me and her eyes go wide as she meets my gaze. She\u2019s already breathless and I\u2019ve barely touched her.<\/em><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote>\n

Oh. My. Godddddd!!! These are the moments that romance readers live for, and this book absolutely delivers!<\/p>\n

But of course, their path is not an easy one. Their situation is difficult, and the age gap \u2013 and people\u2019s perception of it – proves to be a lot for them to overcome. They also both have family drama and personal issues that they are wrestling with, and it\u2019s a lot for them to deal with. It\u2019s angsty (good angst – believable and that builds the story) and there is a lot of back and forth as they figure it all, but through it all, I was completely captivated, understanding all that they were going through, feeling their pain and wanting so badly for them to find their happy \u2013 even if it looks impossible.<\/p>\n

Life just had to fuck with me by throwing the perfect girl in my life and then twisting the knife by making her only eighteen years old.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I have so much love for these characters. Skylar is brave, honest and quirky, and the strength she shows in dealing with her situation and working to create a better life for herself is just amazing. And just like every other Carian Cole hero before him, Jude completely stole my heart! He\u2019s such a good guy! He\u2019s been through hard times, but he\u2019s pulled himself through and he\u2019s the sweetest man with just the right amount of dark humour and raw, dirty sexuality, and I couldn\u2019t get enough of him. They are absolutely magic together \u2013 I love the way they joke around, the way they care for each other, and their honesty about all they are feeling. It’s so clear that they belong together, and they truly want nothing but the best for each other, and watching them find that in each other was a beautiful journey.<\/p>\n

She looks magical and beautiful and she\u2019s looking at me like she\u2019s making a thousand wishes and every single one of them includes me.
\nHer hope completely shatters me.
\nI\u2019m so tired of putting walls up.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I freaking love this book. Fans of Cole\u2019s work will recognise a key scene with another of her amazing heroes, Asher Valentine, and I love how his cameo played into the story, but otherwise this book stands strongly on its own, and I know it\u2019s going to be one that stays with me for a long time.<\/p>\n

5 stars!<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Meet Carian Cole<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"Carian Cole has a passion for the bad boys, those covered in tattoos, sexy smirks, ripped jeans, fast cars, motorcycles and of course, the sweet girls who try to tame them and win their hearts.<\/p>\n

Born and raised a Jersey girl, Carian now resides in beautiful New Hampshire with her husband and their multitude of furry pets. She spends most of her time writing, reading, and vacuuming.<\/p>\n

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Website\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Facebook Profile<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Facebook Page<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Ashes & Embers Facebook Group<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Twitter\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Pinterest\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Newsletter<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Check out our Carian Cole Author Spotlight<\/a> for more amazing reads!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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

Don’t Kiss the Bride by Carian Cole is now live!     An irresistibly beautiful, chemistry-filled friends-to-lovers, age-gap romance, I love this book so much!   Buy now – Amazon Free in KU   Blurb […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1548,297,52,50,49,9,29],"tags":[59,842,48,76],"class_list":["post-57247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-age-gap","category-angsty","category-drama","category-favourite","category-feeeeeeels","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-carian-cole","tag-review","tag-standalone"],"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\/2020\/11\/Dont-Kiss-the-Bride.png?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-eTl","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57247","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=57247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/55829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=57247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=57247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=57247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}