Review: Great series all together!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 11, 2013
I really was surprised on how much I enjoyed the Take a Chance Bundle. The stories deal with characters that are family and/or friends. Though different characters show up in various books, there is no need to have read the other books to read each one of these individually. However, I truly liked having them all together. It made it much more enjoyable and really felt much more connect to the characters. And then there was the book cover and all I can say is WELL DONE! :-)- Try Me (Jeremy and Erica) - RATING: BJeremy is an active Marine who ends up on leave in Las Vegas. He had a night of too much drinking and fighting woke up by the side of some deserted road. Someone stops to help him and it is none other than the girl he has been in love with since he was a boy! Her name is Erica. Through a series of flash backs we find out that Jeremy and Erica's brother, Thomas, were best friends growing up. Jeremy had a very rough childhood and he considered Thomas (aka Tommy) and Erica to be his family. An event happened that drew a wedge between Jeremy and Thomas and therefore Erica. It has been seven years since Jeremy and Erica have seen each other. There is so much heartfelt angst and tenderness between these two characters. We find out what has happened to Erica since Jeremy last saw her and it hasn't been all nice. I really wanted to read more about these characters with each page. I felt the story moved well and wasn't over the top. I could see how the situations that kept these two apart could have really happened. The only quibble I have is that in the beginning Jeremy kept telling himself that he was going to stay away from Erica because she deserved better. However shortly after he was going after her with everything he had with no real explanation as to why he changed his mind. But even then, I said 'Oh well!' because I liked the story so much.- Love Me (Thomas and Brianna) - RATING: A-If I really liked Try Me, I loved LOVE ME. This is the story of Thomas (Erica's brother and Jeremy's best friend from Try Me) and Brianna. Thomas works for a company that is bidding to revamp a casino in Las Vegas. Brianna is the manager of the casino. When they meet, Thomas is attracted to Brianna right away. Brianna though is more aloof but is interested. The chemistry between these two comes off the page. The story that enfolds is beautifully written and had me intrigued the entire way. I liked it so much because there was nothing easy about it. There were hard situations and Brianna and Thomas had to deal with them. They both made mistakes and it never felt like the mistakes were there only as a plot point. Both of these characters grew and changed and it was so engaging to read. Some of these scenes had me teary eyed, while others had me laughing out loud. And the steamy scenes, let's just say HOT AND INTENSE barely scratch the surface in describing them. I could not put this story down until I finished the whole thing in one sitting. I would definitely recommend this and plan to re-read it again soon.- Play Me (Garrett and Kiersten) - RATING: BPlay Me's main characters are Garrett and Kiersten. Kiersten is Brianna's sister from Love Me. Garrett is best friends with Kiersten's brother, Mike. Garrett has had a thing for Kiersten since high school but has never made a move because she was Mike's sister. Kiersten adopted her nephew when she was very young because her eldest sister had died in a car crash. Her nephew is now a middle schooler and Garrett is his basketball coach and teacher. Kiersten and Garrett have always maintained a friendship though Garrett always wanted more but did not pursue it. Kiersten had a rough childhood and went through a nasty breakup with her fiancé about a year before. To say Kiersten is gun shy is an understatement. However, on the what would have been her wedding day, Kiersten wants to do something to erase the bad memories of her breakup. She invited Garrett over and she makes a move on him. Garrett thinks this means they are going to move forward and try to be together. After Garrett and Kiersten hit the sheets, that is when the true complications start. Garrett wants more and Kiersten doesn't. They decide to go their separate ways until Kiersten tells Garrett she is pregnant. I LOVED Garrett. He was steadfast and true all the way through. He also wasn't going to allow himself to be used but he took his responsibilities on the shoulders with no complaints. Though Kiersten was a bit wishy-washy for me, I found her endearing at times and could understand her angst. I liked how the story started once the baby was in the picture. I also was impressed on how much dealt with Chris, Kiersten's nephew/adopted son. Chris wasn't just a side note. He was a big part of the story, as he should have been. All the bedroom scenes were smoking. This was a good story with a lot of heart.- Take Me (Mike and Morgan) - RATING: B+Mike is Brianna and Kiersten's brother. He is a confirmed bachelor and does not want to get married. Mike's sister, Kiersten, is marrying his best friend, Garrett from PLAY ME. At Garrett's bachelor party, Mike meets a dancer named Morgan. There are sparks from the moment they see each other. Morgan is female version of Mike. She does NOT want to get married. She is dedicated to being a dancer and does not want to have to sacrifice in order to achieve her goals. Morgan is extremely attracted to Mike. They end up at her place and burn up the sheets. Definitely read this when you won't be disturbed! HOT! Afterwards, Morgan sends Mike on his way without giving him her phone number. Mike is stunned because that is generally his move and he would definitely want to see Morgan again. The two main characters run into each other again (this is a romance after all) and spend a drunken night together where they end up getting married. It was interesting to see Mike and Morgan navigate getting to know each other and deciding to stay married or not. The story is definitely lust filled (thank you!) but also made you want to root for these characters. You could see why they were both against marriage but the story delved into why they got married in the first place, which actually turned out to be an extremely touching and tortured scene. This was a great cap on these four stories.* Received ARC for honest review