Review: Really liked Kyle and Lily! Can't wait to read more in this series, this was a great start!!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 7, 2014
Review for Ramblings From This Chick. ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.comBeautiful Chances is the debut novel of Alicia Rae, and is also the first book in her Beautiful series. With this being her first book, I had no idea what to expect with this story. I am so glad that I took a chance based on the blurb and beautiful cover though. I really enjoyed this story and thought that it was a wonderful start to this series. I really liked the characters and the author's writing style flowed well and was easy to get into. I found myself becoming invested in these characters rather quickly and didn't want to put this one down until I was completely finished.Lily lost her entire family in a horrible accident in which she was driving. She felt like she needed to leave town and be away from her aunt, uncle, and cousins in order to heal and move forward. So she got in her car and left Colorado without stopping until she settled in Florida. Three years later, she is a writer working on her second novel and enjoys photography as a hobby. She has made a few friends in her editor Brooke and a guy named Luke who is also dealing with some family issues. One day while writing on the beach, she meets a hot guy who she instantly feels a connection to. Lily finds Kyle to be hard to stay away from even though she knows that she isn't in the best place to be thinking about a relationship. Kyle is determined to get to know Lily better and refuses to let her push him away. Soon, Lily and Kyle are exploring their connection and Kyle is taking Lily on a series of dates that leaves them wanting more. Lily knows that she should get to know Kyle better and that things are moving quickly, but she finds herself beginning to move forward with Kyle's help. Kyle and Lily have developed a strong bond, but there are still the obstacles of their pasts to move past as well as a stalker that is determined to get to Lily. Can the possibly move forward together and take a chance on love, or will there be too much standing in their way?I really liked Kyle. He was sexy and sweet, charming and funny. I loved what a great guy he was, always encouraging and supporting Lily. He really seemed to be patient with her and understood that she had to deal with things in her own time. I also thought that it was great how upfront and honest he was. It was so refreshing to read about a guy that was exactly who he said he was. There was no angst and drama when it came to these two being together, and I really enjoyed reading about a couple who dealt with things together. I also really liked the fact that Kyle was protective of Lily and would at times be alpha with her, but yet he was also so sweet and gentle with her. Lily was vulnerable and a bit broken, but she was honest and open to possibilities. Even though she would think that things were moving too fast and that she shouldn't be feeling as much for Kyle as she did, she was also willing to see where things took her. I loved that she didn't try to run from him or push him too far away. She would have moments where she needed to deal with things, but she didn't react as most heroines would by turning it into a push and pull situation. I liked that she was passionate about writing and photography, and I thought that it was great the way that the author showed exactly how much each meant to her by explaining her process and thoughts along the way. Kyle and Lily were such a great couple right from the start, and I thought they were exactly what the other needed. Kyle really brought Lily out of her misery and seemed to be so genuine in helping her heal. These two not only had a strong emotional bond and undeniable connection, but they had a ton of chemistry. Their steamy scenes were extremely hot and very well written.Overall, I really liked this book and can't wait to get more Kyle and Lily. I can't wait to see what happens from here and how they continue to move forward. I am also really looking forward to not only getting more of Lily's growth, but also Kyle's. There is so much more beneath the surface of his character and I can't wait to see what else makes him who he is. I also really loved the introduction of Lily's cousins and I found them all really interesting. I love the connection that she has with them, and I can tell that they are going to be fun to get to know better also. The few things that I had criticism for was Luke's character for one. Besides being her friend and offering a bit of drama, he really seemed to not have much impact on this story at all. In fact, there are only a few times that he is really around and as soon as he is gone, his character is easily forgotten. I thought he acted way to ridiculously when it came to Kyle and Lily's relationship considering that he had only ever been Lily's friend and had never even told her he had feelings for her. My other criticism was that even though the sex scenes were extremely hot and well written, there were quite a few of them. At times it just seemed as though that was the majority of the story with little else going on. Because of the length of time that they had been seeing each other was so short, it just seemed to be kind of rushed and a bit much. This story is one that will stick with me though, and I thought that it was a great start to this series. This story is about love and finding your way, but also about dealing with grief and pain and moving on after tragedy. I look forward to reading more about Lily and Kyle and seeing where Alicia Rae takes them in the future.**Review copy provided by Literati Author Services**