Review: Contemporary lovers, you CAN'T miss reading this book
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 8, 2013
Written by Dolce AmoreOriginally posted on  confessionsfromromaholics dot comLeighton Gray, Big L to his fans, had a crush on Frankie Cross, Damon's sister --his best friend-- since he was twelve years old and she went from being Damon's annoying older sister to an actual girl.She was small and dark; when he was fifteen he'd been taller than she was. He felt like a hulking brute next to her, but that was good; it fed his teenage ego to be taller. Like he could protect her from the world if necessary.And although he hadn't seen her in years, when he hears Damon trying to arrange a blind date for her, he knows he has to have her. So he tells Damon he is going to be her date. He soon discovers that the crush he had on her is still there and that it wouldn't take long to turn into something more; so he doesn't want just a night stand from her.He can't believe it when Damon tells him what a bastard Frankie's ex was; Frankie did all the work and Robby took all the credit while they worked together. Not just that, but Frankie caught him having sex with another woman, a model, too."So now Frankie's convinced that she's too old, and fat." He sighed, ran a hand through the short spikes of his dark hair. "You know what women are like, mate. Doesn't matter what you tell them; they'll still be convinced that they look like the back end of a bus."Frankie could kiss her brother when she sees the man he set her up with.He had muscles on his muscles. The sort of muscles that had her quivering with the need to explore them with her fingertips and lips. She liked her men well built, strong...big. And so far this guy was ticking allthe boxes.And she can't believe it when she recognizes him as little Leighton Gray, her brother's best friend and a man eight years younger that her. She shouldn't feel attraction for him, but she can't help it. Especially when he calls her his angel and gives her lines like:"Age is just a number, gorgeous. It doesn't matter to me."And he gives her a ride in an expensive limo.Gray need Frankie. And he needs to have her watching a match he is playing, because while playing he is at his best.He wasn't good-looking. His nose had been busted twice and probably would be again before long. He had scars aplenty and his left ear had to be syringed to remove the swelling on a regular basis or it began to resemble a cauliflower. He wasn't good with the words like some of the guys, and he couldn't sing. In fact, he sang like a duck with a cold, even making himself wince when he forgot and decided to belt out a tune in the shower.But rugby, that was something he could do. On the pitch just before a match, gum shield in hand and fingers taped together because he had a tendency to break them, he felt invincible. Like he could take on an army and win. He felt like a god, and he wanted her to see him that way.I loved that description as it gives a deep insight into Gray. It shows us that he is not a perfect and very fake character you can't stand, but he stands as real as a real person, with his good and bad moments, with faults and qualities. So I needed just that paragraph to realize that I was gonna love this book. In that key moment I decided to start to write my review. And this line I'm adding next, that made me ache with the desire to find my own Gray:Something about her called to the primal animal within. She was his. His to take, to love, to protect. And no one was taking her from him.Frankie thought she wouldn't see her ex, Robby, anymore, but she does. And he starts to insult her, Gray and his mother. I know perfectly well the moment I started to love Frankie and she became something real ... it was when, all by herself, she stopped Gray from punching her ex. I'd totally love to be able to do that ... isn't she great?"You're not. I am."Before he could utter a word she turned, wound her arm back, and let fly with a perfect right hook that should have gone down in history as one of the most beautifully executed punches, ever.Her fist connected with the side of Robby's face in slow motion. His head rolled to the side. Lips wobbled like a loose elastic band. Blood and spit flew as he staggered backward, so surprised he dropped on his ass right there in the middle of the corridor.Frankie stood over him, her chest heaving and her fists clenched. Gray had no doubt she'd happily clock the guy again if he even looked like getting up.But someone is trying to kill Frankie, first by setting a fire to her flat; later by cutting the brakes of Gray's car. In that accident, he saves Frankie's life and almost loses his; he survives albeit with a nonfunctional leg. I'll just say that that scene is full of feeling and intensity, and damn perfect.So, what can I say about the characters I haven't said yet? I don't know, just that they are deep, and very real. I already said I love them, right?The story took my breath away. It's one of the best stories of Mina Carter, that's for sure. Contemporary lovers, you CAN'T miss it. I loved everything about it, even the epilogue. It's almost magical.