Review: Great collection of stories!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 23, 2013
Try Me ~ 3.75 starsJeremy had a rough night and by the looks of his surroundings it seems he is bound to have even a rougher day. Taking a chance that a stranger might help him out, he tries to hitch a ride. Even in his dazed state he recognizes the voice of the woman who stopped to help -- Erica, the woman he never forgot.I enjoyed the emotions brought to the page by the Diane Alberts. Each emotion that was portrayed by both Jeremy and Erica felt real and revealed a lot about their personalities, struggles and hesitations. It was what truly helped me relate to the characters in a more personal level.Jeremy and Erica's interactions were honest and emotional and their chemistry was easily palpable throughout the book. This was what truly sold me the story. I appreciated the way the time the author spent bringing their stories to the front so that there couldn't be any more misunderstandings between them so that they could move forward once and for all.Try Me, the first story in the Take a Chance series is a touching story about second chances with great mix of drama and romance.I look forward to reading more about Erica's brother, Thomas, in Love Me . I want to get to the bottom of the conflict between Jeremy and Thomas and maybe see him moving on in his life now that he had the chance to make amends with Jeremy.Love Me ~ 4.5 stars rounded up because of that HOT office sex scene!Thomas is not looking for a relationship. In fact, he loves them and leaves them ever since he was betrayed by his wife years ago. So when he finds himself admiring the lovely lady who gives as good as she gets before a business meeting, he thinks nothing of it. That is until he finds that Brianna, the woman he was instantly attracted to, is the business associate he will be dealing with to land the account he needs to acquire the promotion he wants at work.Thrown for a loop, fighting his attraction and working on the job he needs to complete, Thomas decides to have his cake and eat it too. The problem comes when Brianna fights him every step of the way. Never one to back down from a challenge, Thomas sets his sights on having an affair with Brianna for however long he is in town. The only problem -- Brianna comes to mean more to him than he ever expected to. All of a sudden he finds himself entertaining notions of marriage and family. Now if only he could convince Brianna to take a chance on him and love him.Holy cow, I was NOT expecting this!!! Emotions, sexual tension, sizzling-hot chemistry all wrapped up in an intense story of second chances and letting go, Love Me took me by surprise. After reading Try Me , where Thomas appears and makes amends with Jeremy after a huge misunderstanding that tore apart their friendship, I was curious to read Thomas' story and see him find his happily-ever-after. However, I was not expecting him to be such a complex character.I loved him! His intensity, his determination and his sexiness. Once he made up his mind he was not to be deterred, even when at times he struggled to come to grips with his new-found feelings of starting a family and remarrying. Especially since his view of marriage had forever been altered by his previous experience. Having been weary of commitment for years, he finally learns to let go so that he could pursue Brianna.I enjoyed the way Brianna and Thomas were brought together and how they each put their emotions out there on the page for me to truly connect with them and cheer them on to come together. I liked Brianna right away. She was strong and independent and not easily persuaded by a handsome face. She was all proper and business-like but when she let go and opened up to Thomas their connection could not be denied. It was explosive! Damn, that scene in her office? Phew!!! HOT!Play Me ~ 3.5 starsGarrett has wanted Kiersten since high school. Although she's his best friend's sister, that hasn't stopped his heart from developing deep feelings for her. He knows that Kiersten has had a couple of rough years and doesn't want to add to her troubles by admitting his feelings for her. But when Kiersten, in a moment of weakness, offers herself to him he can't help himself and gives in. Even after they engage in a 'friends with benefits' relationship, he still wants more but is scared of how to approach her with his plan. So he hold on and spends time with her hoping one day she may come to feel for him what he feels for her.Kiersten can't deny that she's attracted to Garrett but his reputation as a player precedes him and she's not in no position to get her heart broken. But now that circumstances have changed for them both, how can she kept her heart out of the equation when the handsome man does everything in his power to win her over?I liked this story very much but contrary to the previous one, I didn't feel Kiersten and Garrett's emotions or chemistry jump off the page as much. I did enjoy their interactions. Their flirtatious banter and honest dialogue lent itself to reveal a side of them they mostly kept hidden. Their emotions, although somewhat tame, still were in present, especially towards the end when everything came to a close.Even though their chemistry was not as strong as I thought it would be it still was hot to see them together. Especially since Garrett added his emotions to the mix. It was hard to see how affected he was by their situation, but with his sense of humor and care-free attitude he kept the story light and entertaining.Of course, the introduction of the secondary characters added to the story. I especially enjoyed Mike, although it was a treat to see Thomas and Brianna again.Although this story might not have been everything I was expecting it still had that romantic quality I've enjoyed from the other stories. With interesting and complex characters, humor and some sexy scenes, Play Me was a great read.Take Me ~ 4.25 starsMike doesn't do relationships, so when he meets the gorgeous Morgan he wants to get with her. She has something that draws him in, especially the fact that she appears unaffected by his charming ways.Morgan doesn't have time for a relationship and is not in the lookout for one. She wants to get her career as a dancer on track while she's young. Of course, she wasn't planning on meeting the handsome Mike. With his sexy charm and his determination to pursue her, she is slowly but surely letting her walls down. But when she finds herself second guessing her plans, she decides to do what's best for her, regardless of her feelings for Mike.I loved this story! It's not often that I enjoy a story based on the 'waking up married after a drunken night' concept. But Diane Alberts outdid herself on this one by portraying each and every one of both Morgan and Mike's emotions as they made their journey from mistake to true love. I enjoyed watching them fight their feelings for each other and their reluctance to give into the other. Their banter was hilarious and their flirtatious dialogue entertaining as well. However, I mostly enjoyed the moments where they let their guard down enough to be honest with each other regardless of past mistakes.Needless to say that their chemistry was amazing. The first kiss alone was scorching HOT and had me anticipating what was to come. Every touch, look and moan was perfectly placed. And when emotions came into play? The hotness factor of their sex sky-rocketed!Once again, I enjoyed visiting with the secondary characters. I enjoyed how Brianna gave Mike a hard time and loved seeing Garrett and Kristen finally have their happily ever after.All in all, a hot little read with emotional undertones, lots of flirting and off the charts HOT chemistry between two complex and interesting characters.