Holiday romances are supposed to be fun…..and quick…….not burned into your damn brain.

My skin is branded with her name, my heart is branded with her betrayal and now seven years later I have been forced to return to find that she is just as fucking perfect as ever, the ultimate temptation.

I don't want her and I definitely can’t have her.
I just need to get my cock to keep up with my brain.

As you may or may not know, Denise and I are traveling to Europe in late March to visit Lexxie and to attend RAREParis. In an attempt to prepare, at least for RARE, the three of us decided to buddy read books from RARE authors. This is the second of our chat reviews for this amazing list of authors!

Stanton Adore completely hooked me. There was just something about the story, the pace, and the characters that was very compelling.

I got hooked quickly, too, Brandee. The beginning of the story just grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go.

Young love, young choices and all that go with that had me hooked.

Swan did an excellent job in creating a forbidden romance between Natasha and Joshua. I liked how it was handled all around. And I loved the second chance element – y’all know I’m partial to that trope. 😉 What did y’all think about the forbidden aspect and them having a second chance?

Yeah, the forbidden part (that wasn’t all that taboo in my opinion…) definitely brought some spice. And of course, the second chance element was just so good. Second chance romances are my favorite as well, and in Stanton Adore, I just wanted them to get together and have a long chat about things, and get back together.

I sometimes have trouble with some forbidden loves and this one would have been difficult had Swan not put that little hit in the first book. I am so happy that they do get a second chance. They had such a attraction at a young age it would have been sad not to give them a second chance.

I liked the fact Natasha was a psychologist. It gave her an interesting perspective on her relationship with Josh. But she also proved true the adage about doctors/nurses/etc., making the worst patients. Did you think her profession affected their relationship at all?

I think Natasha’s profession made a negative impact on their relationship – because she couldn’t be objective. And she only saw the bad parts on many occasions. I understand why she thought what she did, but I also kind of wanted her to try to not analyze everything the way she did.

Yes, I think it did affect the relationship. She was able to give advice to her clients but could never “take her own advice” but as you said Brandee, we make the worst patients.

Josh is an interesting guy…millionaire software developer, player, and cage fighter. He dealt with his emotions in…well, I guess very “male” ways over the last seven years. I could tell he still harbored feelings for Natasha and I was shocked several times at her he lashed out at her. What did y’all think of how Josh handled things?

Josh was an enigma for a long time in this story! He was not exactly open with his feelings – and I really thought he kind of hated Natasha. I kind of wished he would have just asked her point blank why she did what she did in the past. The way he just assumed (and was wrong!) made for so much drama I had to roll my eyes at times.

I don’t think he knew how to deal with his feelings. He knew in his mind that it was wrong but he was having to difficult time fighting those feelings and he used cage fighting as well as the lashing to try and deal. Not the best way but the only way he knew how.

Okay, I can’t pick on Josh and not point out Natasha’s drama. There were times when I wished I could shake her. Not that I wouldn’t have been upset when she was but it seemed like most of the time a simple, if emotional, chat would have gotten her point across. How did y’all feel about her dramatic antics?

Yeah, she acted like a two-year-old with a tantrum at times, and I wanted to shake her, too! Nothing good comes from screaming at the top of your lungs, then running away to sulk.

I think at times they were over the top and it was like I was on repeat over and over again. For being a psychologist sometimes her “reactions” were like she was 15 again.

And then there was Amalie. What did y’all think about how Natasha handled things there? I admired her strength – and show of maturity in realizing she needed to know Josh would pick her so that she could be more confident in their relationship.

Ugh! I never liked Amalie. But for once, Natasha was acting like an adult. And I don’t understand how Josh thought Amalie was such a great person when none of his friends or brothers liked her at all.

At this point I think she was trying to understand Josh more which is why she really tried to understand why her. I did not like her front he beginning, she made my hair on my neck stand up and that is all I am saying.

What about that ending? Josh certainly didn’t deal with things in a healthy way. And the bombshell his mom dropped on Natasha? Wow! So much went down in the last quarter of the book! What did y’all think of Stanton Adore all?

I had guessed the bombshell his mom dropped on Natasha fairly early on… That didn’t make things any easier for her, though. And with everything that happened towards the end of the book, for once, I actually got Natasha’s drama.

It was an ending that I am glad I had the trilogy because I just kept going. The bombshell gave me hope.

Denise

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 18 COYER Winter

About Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

Brandee is a mom of 3 and a soon-to-be empty nester. She is also an avid reader, a genre omnivore, and a compulsive one-clicker - but she's in recovery. Besides being a reader, she's also a writer and hopes to divide the vast quantities of spare time she'll soon have between reading and finally publishing her first book.

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