Review: Romance + Suspense = One Hot Book
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 17, 2013
Rating: 4.5 starsI've been curious as to how this author was going to be able to write a follow up book that matches the first one, which I absolutely loved, yet is different in its own right. But, Kate has once again been able to give us the perfect blend of romance, suspense, action and a swoon worthy hero.If you've read the first book, you will know that this series is not all romance. Yes, there is romance and sex and steam, but there is also always something more to make Kate's books stand out. In this story, we meet Quinn Salisbury, the new assistant manager of Jamieson, an up and coming rock band that is little by little taking over Australia. And Quinn has a past, a very horrible one, but one that she is working to let go and overcome. She is focused on working hard and after getting her dream job, things start going her way. What she didn't count on was meeting someone like Travis Valentine.Quinn is a great character. She isn't defined by her past, yet she is hesitant to let herself trust and love again. You find out her past in the Prologue, and let me just tell you - prepare for tears. After reading that, I knew that I didn't need to worry about this book and that it was going to be good - and I was right. Quinn may be guarded with her feelings, but I understood why. As much as I got just as frustrated as Travis did with their back and forth, it made sense, it was necessary for Quinn.Travis Valentine works as a consultant with his brother and friends. They deal with hostage negotiations, kidnapping and child custody situations. Jamieson & Valentine Consulting has a reputation for being the go-to-guys when things get out of hand. Travis sees something in Quinn - something that he has been looking for and didn't even know it. Oh and did I mention he is pretty much perfect. I loved Jared, Travis' brother, the hero from the first book, but I am going to go as far as saying that I love Travis more. He is just the perfect blend of man - sexy, sweet, compassionate, protective and confident. He knows he wants Quinn and doesn't let anything get in his way of that.Just when everything seems to be going right for Quinn, not only her past comes back to slap her in the face, but a secret emerges that could have a devastating effect on her relationship with Travis.The romance part of this book was spot on. It was the perfect amount of angst and passion. Travis and Quinn played the back and forth game but it was not dragged out and it just made you impatient for them to finally get together. What I loved was that their story was completely different from Jared and Evie's story from the first book. Even though I am still in the same world, what I got was a new story - one that didn't seem similar at all.The suspense/action part of this book had my heart pounding. There was a bit more of it in this book and I loved it. Kate found a way to weave it in throughout the book and it was done pretty seamlessly. Although the story may be a little far fetched at first, it really does come together and make sense. Was it 100% authentic and believable? Probably not, but this is fiction so who cares? It had me entertained and on the edge of my seat, which in my mind is all that counts.The world that Kate has created is this amazing place that has rock stars and badass negotiators where in order to be part of this world, you need to be smoking hot. I love the characters that Kate created. There is just an abundance of hot men, everywhere you turn, and the girls, although only a few, are sassy and fierce. These characters are probably my favorite part of this series.I liked this book for different reasons that I liked the first one. I loved Travis and I really couldn't' get enough of that man. I loved Quinn's backstory and how Kate wove it into her present. I loved that there was more suspense in this book, since it was something I wanted more of in the first book. All in all, I highly recommend you read this book, especially if you enjoyed the first book. And if you haven't read the first book yet, then you'll want to read that one as well. This is the second book in the Give Me series, but can be read as a stand alone.This review was originally post on Book Reader Chronicles. I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.