Review: ✨Brassy, quirky, intense, and blazing hot!!✨
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 10, 2014
[...][...]My rating: 4.5 of 5 ⭐️Since leaving her abusive marriage of over two decades just a few weeks ago, Lauren's life seems to have gone into fast forward. She has fallen head over ass for ten-years younger and ridiculously gorgeous Gabe, with whom she is having crazy monkey sex all over the place and at any moment. She has moved in with him and has met his slightly messed up family. She also has had the pleasure of having her faced rubbed into some of his 'pre-commitment' escapades, of which there were a great variety, with many.So despite the fact that her feelings for Gabe are all-consuming and unlike anything she has ever experienced before, when he asks her to marry him after only a few weeks and her not even properly divorced yet, Lauren turns him down flat. Of course that doesn't go over to well with Gabe and before proper explanations can be offered, tempers have taken the argument over the top.There is no doubt that what they feel for each other is real, but there are too many loose ends yet to clear up and still so many insecurities for each of them to come to terms with. For Gabe the newness of being in love and in a committed relationship of any kind requires some getting used to, and for Lauren the age difference and her 'aging' body image, plus Gabe's philandering history, does little for her self-esteem.And they are not done yet with the knocks. Lauren's ex will not quietly disappear and the mother of Gabe's daughter is also making herself known. There is a lot of hardship and pain yet to contend with and some happy and hopeful times as well, before life around Lauren and Gabe can finally settle down.****Again! I had to reset my brain a little to adjust to the writing style and the minimal slang differences, but once I was in a few pages......MAN!!!! It's good......it's painful......it's funny as s***..........it's freakin' HOT.......and at times it is so real, I could see myself in the story.Character development in these two books overall, but in particular in RESOLUTION is tremendous. To see two people solidly formed by decades of experience in necessary self-preservation, suddenly are challenged to leave behind all the insecurities and defenses that go with them and expose themselves completely to the other. A terrifying prospect, to put the kind of trust you've never really given before, out there.Gabe, is totally comfortable with himself driving Lauren to distraction in more than one way, which cracked me up because it made for some of the most hilarious and recognizable scenes. These types of 'real-life' inclusions in the story, endeared it to me even more. This is not some flowery scented set up, where the woman, in all her perky perfection, complains about a tiny little belly bump, and a 'real man' maybe has a scar on his face or something?..... No this is a middle-aged woman with stretch marks on a belly that has no tone left in it, who snores and farts in her sleep and a guy who needs to use the crapper in the morning!! But it will only make you love them MORE....A breath of 'fresh' air!!!!Lesley Jones has found a way to edge along the boundaries of the concept of "TOO".....it is almost (but not quite) too erotic...too dramatic.....too tragic.....too romantic, etcetera.......but instead of it being "too" anything, the book is simply fabulous. Expect extreme emotional and situational swings and be prepared to feel it when you close the book!✨Brassy, quirky, intense, and blazing hot!!✨**ARC provided in return for an honest review.**