Review: Oh Casey! He left me with a book hangover for days!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 10, 2014
As I sit here trying to write my review all I can think is HOLY CRAP! Where to start?! What a wild ride! I have been waiting for Casey's book since Give Me Love. As excited as I was for his book, I was also a bit nervous to see if it would meet my high expectations and honestly...it completely did!Casey Daniels has made promises in his past that have shaped his decisions. One he failed to keep that has f***ed him up. One he made to his friend Travis that helped him get on with his life and find direction. And one that time is fast ticking away on that he vows to resolve asap. He is surrounded by friends that are his family, but is still lonely and unfulfilled. He hides behind smirks, sarcasm, and casual sex. But he is determined to settle some demons from his past once and for all even if he has to use some people to do it.(Quote)Promises were made to be broken, right? Wrong. Not when breaking them meant you failed so f***ing bad, you lost your entire world in the blink of an eye...It was like you were somehow still breathing even though your heart wasn't beating anymore.Grace Paterson is called to Sydney by her older brother Henry, the lead guitarist for the band Jamieson. They need a fill in for an injured bassist and she agrees to help. She is a model, living a life she never wanted and dealing with her own demons nipping at her heels. She has armor that is strong and a plenty of attitude."You've just gotta lose the cold armour, Grace....He won't be able to bust down your castle walls if you don't....You need someone who's going to push your buttons, and not just the ones in your panties." (John)Put these two people together who are already walking the edge and having a really bad day and Kaboom! It equals anger, sparks, sparring, temptation, tricks, taunting, a**holery, and a bi**hfest. But the more they end up in each other's presence, the more their interactions fluctuate. Casey and Grace fall into this flirty, feisty rapport and it is hard to resist despite Casey being warned off by overprotective family. But they both have issues swirling around them, affecting their present and their ability to consider a relationship. And Casey places great emphasis on keeping promises so when making new promises it is a scary prospect. The test will be if they can satisfy their itch without getting emotionally involved because they both have situations in their lives making "them" a bad idea.I have loved Casey since the beginning and fell even harder for him while getting his point of view and seeing his hurt, pain, fear and insecurities under his tough, cocky facade. He is sexy, charismatic, funny, and also conflicted, damaged, and lost. And he will do whatever he has to for those that he cares about. And when he cares, he loves hard and deep. His past is eating him up and he needs answers in order to move on.And Grace is pretty bad ass herself. She gives back as good as she gets. She is sassy and tough and a bit edgy, but also sweet. She is responsible and cares about those important to her and sacrifices herself if needed. We also get her point of view and see how complicated her own world and feelings are. She has secrets that she is reluctant to share.I loved them together no matter if they were fighting, teasing, kissing, loving or pushing each other. They make each other crazy, but they are alike in many ways. They are independent, stubborn, passionate people with deep hurts but big hearts. But they have so many obstacles internally and externally. And just when one thing would go their way, it seems like another issue would come up. She and Casey are both tough with hard shells, but are vulnerable and soft underneath. They want a connection but are afraid to grasp it. And Holy H*ll their chemistry is hot! Like sizzling hot! Not only their verbal interactions, but the passion of their physical reactions are intense. But their time together has a built in expiration date adding more stress to the situation.(Quote)Be careful what you wish for, Casey, because once you get it, giving it back is gonna hurt like a motherf***er."People come and go, Casey. Some crash into your life and leave in the blink of an eye, others stay with you for years, but it doesn't matter how long you have them for....because the way they make you feel stays with you forever, and you've made me feel so much."This installment is full of sexual tension, fiery interactions, secrets, lies, mystery, intrigue and underlying danger. Things always seem to get this messy, complicated, dangerous and explosive when the bad ass brigade, their friends, or women are involved. And it is not always the men's fault or their jobs since the women often are in the middle of it all too. It is a race to stay safe and get answers with many variables in play. It kept me thinking, guessing, shocked, surprised, and totally enthralled. I loved trying to piece all the little details together to try to figure out where the story was going and was was really going on. There were several twists I never saw coming and lots of situations that made me think and and try hard to figure out before they were fully revealed. But it was such a journey getting there. It had me laughing, gasping, sad, scared, angry, frustrated, happy, swooning, and worried all at various times. These characters(and I) were literally put through the wringer. *Side note: I admit I actually messaged Kate McCarthy and called her out as being mean to my poor Casey. She just kind of laughed at me. Evil? Perhaps.(Quote)The Jamieson and Valentine clan might have been may family, and don't get me wrong, when everything was good with them, it was like the stars aligned and shimmery fairy dust fell from the heavens, but when it went to sh*t, it went there via the seventh circle of hell.This book packed in a lot of story, but seemed perfectly paced. Some of the slower parts were funny or sweet, and then others were suspenseful, dramatic, sexy or revealing that pushed the story faster. But at no time was I bored. In fact in ways I did not want to see it end. She began giving hints at some potential upcoming stories with Mac, Jake, Mitch, and Coby. And I would have been happy to just continue right on into one of their stories.I love all of the characters in this series. They are all so unique, strong, dynamic, and quirky. They play hard, love hard, and stand up for each other. But also torture, terrorize, tease, and bust each other as needed. We got to see more of Coby, Mitch, Henry, and Tim in this one who have always been more in the background, along with the other couples Travis and Quinn, Jared and Evie, and the rest of the gang from the other books. We also met a couple of new guys who really interested me and another kick ass woman too. And more of Grace's family and friends. Oh and even a dog from hell that was quite a character himself.Fans of this series will totally fall for Casey and Grace. This series just keeps getting better and I am excited for more. But I can honestly say I feel that Kate did Casey proud and exceeded my high expectations. It was humorous, emotional, powerful, surprising, and intense. She took the story to places I never even considered, threw in some big twists, shook things up, and brought it all back together. And I devoured every page of it and was left emotionally spent when I was done.I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.