When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.
Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.
They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.
Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.
Thoughts:
Speechless. Heartbreaking. Breathtaking.
Colleen Hoover has delivered another spectacularly emotional and heart-wrenching novel that readers will rapidly devour in just one sitting. Each page leaves you hanging, anticipating for the next beautifully written line in Miles and Tate's epic love story. It is a story that appears doomed from the beginning, doomed by Miles' tragic past and Tate's unrequited love.
The characters are flawed and wrecked - Miles by his shattering inability to open himself up to love; Tate by her uncontrollable hope in Miles. This can be frustrating at times, perhaps even bordering on irritating when Tate seems to drop everything (including her self-respect) for a man who knowingly and repeatedly crushes her tattered heart. Miles has his moments of sweetness but the dramatic contrast between his past, when he loved Rachel deeply and unreservedly, and now, when he is conflictingly cold towards Tate, perhaps leaves some readers less than impressed with his behavior. While he is to some extent justified by his soul-crushing past experiences, there seems to be little time for complete redemption at the end. By forgiving Miles so quickly at the end, Tate also appears a little too easy to please, and perhaps a little foolish for being able to so rapidly open her heart up to the same man who left it broken many times before. Nevertheless, they constructed a beautiful love story from the ugly ruins.
Told in alternating chapters by Tate in the present day and Miles six years earlier, the reader is magnetically drawn to uncovering the explosive events of the past and to observing Miles' journey to rediscovering love with Tate. With so many twists and turns in the plot, the author cleverly leaves readers doubtful of whether a happily ever after is obtainable for the two. Of course as is with every romance novel, it does eventually come, albeit a little rushed.
Beautiful writing. Deeply emotional. Happy ending.
Another must-read for 2014.
Rating:
5/5
The wrong girl is sometimes The Right One.
Charlotte Samuels thought she’d be stuck waiting tables at Marlow’s until all her debts are paid off—in about ten thousand years or so.
She definitely didn’t expect a marriage proposal from the arrogant Brandon Maxfield who was mysteriously blackmailed by his father to make her his wife if he didn’t want his least favorite cousin to run Maxfield Industries.
Charlotte’s instinct was to say HELL NO! but she’s stumped by a few obstacles:
1. His old man Martin Maxfield is dear to her heart and has been recently deteriorating in health.
2. She gets a million dollars if she stays married to Brandon for a year.
3. She rather likes the opportunity to teach the attractive but awfully rude man a few lessons he didn’t think he needed from a ‘teenage gold-digger’—his term of endearment for her on their first date—er, business meeting.
So what’s a girl got to do, right?
Sure, she’s young and a little rough around the edges but there’s something her would-be husband didn’t know about her yet—she’s nothing like he ever expected.
Thrust into the glitzy world a standard-issue Mrs. Maxfield would fit perfectly and rule with impeccable social grace, Charlotte will either have to force herself into the mold or break free of it, risking what little she has left for everything that she can gain.
*Currently free to read in Wattpad
Thoughts:
Wow. Wow. Wow. I am speechless. What can I say?! Aside from being perhaps a little lengthy, this is one of the best novels I have read all year, and I don't say that lightly for just any plain old book. This amazingly refreshing read by Ninya Tippett is yet to published as print but I don't think it will stay that way for too long given how heartwarming her romance plot is, how beautifully inspiring her prose is and how enriching her characters are.
From the very first line of the book, I immediately warmed to Charlotte, whose outlook on life is inspiring and heart breaking for a girl who has endured so much suffering at the hands of an abusive alcoholic father and an abandoning mother in the past. Despite a few shortcomings in her character, such as her inability to fully trust those she loves, she nevertheless gives a whole new definition to making lemonade when life gives you lemons. Her personality is absolutely adorable and empowering to others and the advice she gives is invaluable. After starting off as a handsome but arrogant playboy who immediately assumed the worst of Charlotte, Brandon developed into a devoted and loving husband who couldn't let Charlotte go even if she tried to escape. Many times throughout this novel, I was swooning at the realistically adorable romance between these two wonderful characters. Their journey to love after a rather difficult start is enough to restore the belief in fairytales of even the most cynical of readers.
A recurring motif of hero and villain was seamlessly blended into this well-planned storyline and reflected through the drama of the secondary characters. These other characters added realism and complexity to a story that mainly followed Charlotte's personal growth and discovery as she marries into socialite life. They all had their own downfalls, conflicts and personal journeys, all of which were cleverly conveyed to the reader through an exciting and consistent plot. The author's fluidity throughout the entire novel reflects an incredible talent in crafting a whole new world from words. A gripping must-read!
Rating:
5/5
