Review: 4 stars! Enlightened, book 2 of 2.  The conclusion of hot, possessive & bossy Jason's story of secrets, deceit, lies, villains!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 13, 2013
"That's only because what we have is deep. Its pain and pleasure mixed into one."~ Jason (Book 1)Hero: Jason Bradley/26 years/Texan/CEO-heir to an oil fortune/dark brown hair/brown eyesHeroine: Cara Pinkston, aka Cars aka Pinks/22 years/Californian/Caucasian-Latin/marketing manager/brown hair/hazel eyesThis is the conclusion of Jason's and Cara's story. We met and followed them on a roller-coaster ride of villains, secrets and deceit in book 1, Red Flags.  Coming back from the absolute chocker of the cliffhanger at end of book 1, I was quick to open up book 2 only to find myself with yet another chocker.Once everything calmed down, for a big part of the first third of this book we get to follow Cara as she is growing a backbone, embarking on a new life and a new career. All this, while Jason is MIA. There is an undercurrent stirring, new characters are entering and taking their positions, staking their claims. New villains are surfacing.  And I was (im)patiently waiting, longing for Jason to come back and also I getting anxious, because there were news filtering through of big changes in his life as well.Jason in book 1 was so many things I love in a hero. First off he was sinfully handsome, sexy, rich, entitled and an heir to an oil fortune.  He was also jealous, possessive and domineering with a temper.  But as his secrets were revealed we learned that there were layers to him and under the facade he had endured much in his upbringing being the "black sheep" of his family."My family is all sorts of f~ k~ d up.  Money is just a way to hide the problems..."In book 2 we will see some maturity on Jason's part. We will also see him making big changes working to control his behavior and temper, which was not necessarily something I welcomed as I like the over-the-top jealous, entitled and bossy heroes. But attempting to change and succeeding are two separate matters as Jason will soon learn. You are going to have to read the story to learn if he succeeds."Please, Cara. I'm not above begging..."As for Cara; in book 1 we met a likable a sweet and sometimes annoying heroine who pretty much let everyone around dictate her life. Jason was no exception. And Cara loved the domineering and controlling side of him. It was Jason's secrets and not opening up that frustrated her. In this book Cara is showing strength, having graduated and started her new career. It may come as chocker, but I think I preferred the old Cara. I am all about strong woman in life (and in books providing I get a good hero) and I welcome Cara feeling empowered. That said, she may have taken it too far at times. For example in her job situation she came across as immature, unprofessional and out-right improper.I don't want to reveal too much as I want you to enjoy the story. But I will say this: Once Jason and Cara get together it's electrifying and the story is once again a roller-coaster of secrets and lies, villains and foes as Jason and Cara tries to navigate and work through only to have everything unraveling and coming to a huge blow-out towards the end of the story.The Red Flag series has been a very enjoyable read for me, much thanks to Jason.  I might have preferred book 1 just a little more, but only because I am partial to the volatile Jason:"Necessity f~ k?" I asked, half amused by his lingo."Yes, it was necessary that I enjoyed what I've been missing, while you learned that I only f~ k one body at a time..." (Book 1)Book 2 depicted a more mature Jason and Cara and though it was also a bumpy ride, it ended up being a feel good conclusion to their story; "Red flags" to "Enlightened".C.C. Brown is an excellent story-teller.  An outstanding debut series with a memorable hero, Jason Bradley! Kudos Ms. Brown!***Hero rating: 5 starsHeroine rating: 3.5 starsSex scenes rating: 4.5 starsSex scenes frequency: 3.5 starsStoryline concept rating: 4 starsStoryline execution rating: 4 starsStorytelling skills rating: 5 starsStory ending rating: 4.5 starsBook editing rating (5 = no edits spotted): 4.5 stars****************************************Overall rating: 4 starsWould I recommend this series: Yes.Would I re-read this series: Maybe later.Would I read future books by this author: Yes.A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.