Everyone knows appearances can be deceiving, and in my case, even I’ve been fooled. The last thing I need is immature man-child, Alexander Bennet, trying to smile his way into my pants. I hate everything about him; his stupid smirk, his rumbling chuckle, and the way butterflies riot in my stomach when he aims them at me. Our sparring matches go from maddening to stimulating and suddenly my mind … suddenly my mind and body are at war.
Unfortunately for me, my life is nothing but lies. Twisted secrets keep throwing us together then pulling us apart as we try to unravel it.
Will the one person I want nothing to do with, be my salvation? Or are we doomed to tear each other apart?
If you have triggers, please proceed with caution
more
2nd Andi Jaxon Book in 24 Hours!
Yes that is correct. I read the first book in the Bennet Family Novel Series, Rescue Me. I loved it so much I came and reviewed right away and when I was posting, I discovered a 2nd book to be read in the Bennet family. Of course after a WHOOP and scaring my cats I grabbed it up right away and started reading. Let me tell you, Andi did NOT disappoint. The repartee between Alex and Kristen was as exciting as the sex they had! (and believe you/me… that what freaking HOT. Oh Andi can write a great sex scene!) But there was sooo much more, you find out who Alex really is, not just a hot smart sex talking Cop. He has a heart as big as the moon. He takes care of his neighborhood in a very special way. It had my heart melting. Andi, finds Alex just in time because she is in need of saving too, in a very big way. – Man I want to tell you but I won’t spoil it for you. Go read it and come back and let’s talk all about it.
I’m off to see what other gems Andi has written. Awesomesauce!
Julia
Very early on we see what a good man Alex is, so it’s interesting, and confusing, to see Kristen’s dislike of him. I thought this story was going to be an enemies-to-lovers story with a little mystery to solve, but it was so much more. It took you on such a crazy ride. I loved the tie in with the pair, and the little community that Alex belongs to was a nice touch.
This is the 2nd book in this stand alone series. this story will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride. the characters are well written and engaging.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Another amazing story from this author
—>>> When I read Alex’s lines in this author’s previous book, Learning Curve, I was not sure I was much of a fan, considering he was one of Seattle PD’s finest. But he did come through in the end with Ben and Alister, to contribute to and support their perfect HEA. Now it is Alex Bennet’s turn with Ben’s best friend Kristen, pitted as verbal enemies…who would like to rip each other’s clothes off but cannot bring themselves to. As Kristen’s world intertwines with Ben’s, she cannot help but be curious about Alex’s life, and it is that journalist in her which leads to the startling revelation that appearances can be deceptive, that behind his lewd and crude jokes and heckling hides a man with the hugest heart and capacity for caring, as evident in the neighborhood he has adopted and turned around for the good of all the families who live there. Alex cannot help but notice Kristen’s apparent trigger reaction to a fellow uniformed officer, a man who has already set off red flags in his own head. So starts the unraveling of a very twisted and depraved secret which affects the woman he is starting very much to care for.
The amazing story will pull you into its hidden depths as we follow along with this couple, experiencing their sexy budding romance until they get dragged into the darkness, which was just biding its time until it could sweep out over them. The author has a way out for them, however, and leaves behind as well at least a couple of interesting questions which hopefully will be answered in the stories to come in this series.
Opposites attract…and repel (at least for a while…)
This is the story of Kristen and Alex that we’ve been waiting for after reading Ben and Alister’s tale in book 1 of the series. Overall, I really liked it. I loved what Alex has been doing as part of the neighborhood he lives in. Kristen is a more complex character than she seemed from book 1. There’s lots to like here!
Well written, interesting and dramatic story, two very different main characters, fabulous chemistry, great supporting characters that we already love. The main thing that I didn’t like was that there was a section toward the end that I thought was a little over the top in graphic horror.
Good story 4 ½ stars – The author is a good story teller. This book kept my interest from start to finish. The banter between Kristen and Alex is amusing. Sex is steamy. There’s a hint of a mystery. The conflict deals with a heavy topic. The only thing I can’t wrap my mind to is Kristen’s behavior after the incident. I don’t want to expound on it but it seems like not typical behavior. Instead, she still stayed at her parent’s house which made the last 15% of the book possible. But all in all, still a very good story. [I received an advanced copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.]
This is book two in the Bennet Family series. Hang on, here we go again. Another great tale in the series with Alexander and Kristen’s story. These two characters are so opposite and I believe, truly hate each other. However, time spent in each other’s company exposes a different outlook on who they are as a person and what they could mean to each other. Another amazing, well written story sure to capture you and pull you in so that you can picture and fell every detail of their journey. Enjoy!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
There are triggers in this story so you have to proceed with caution. Overall, I enjoyed Kristen and Alex’s story. They have amazing chemistry and the banter and back and forth is amazing. However, there are certain scenes that will leave you with your mouth wide open. I had a hard time understanding Kristen’s reaction to what happened to her and why no one was paying more attention. Some of that doesn’t make sense and made me even dislike Alex for leaving her in that situation, even after it happened. The resolution makes sense and may have answered some of the questions I originally had. The other characters are fun within the story and made it funny and lighthearted among the heavy stuff.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I laughed. I cried. I fell in love. The man whore twin, the perfect child falling in love, the unconventional way. The sadness, the tears, the emotional drama gutted me. I was sad until the Bennet family did what they do best. They rallied. They cared. They conquered.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Emotional Ride with All The Feels
First book by Andi Jaxon and I am hooked. This book slayed me. Have tissues ready and hold on tight for the ride. So many feels. I laughed, cried, swooned and fanned myself so many times during this book. I loved Alex and Kristen’s story. It was great watching them go from sarcastic enemies to friends to lovers. They were perfect for each other. I loved the Bennet Family. I loved the ending. Now I’m off to but Learning Curves (Book 1) since I am dying for Alister and Ben’s story.
Let’s start off by saying this is a brand new author for us.
We really enjoyed the main characters as we instantly loved Kristen and Alex also Ben and Alister but, we really loved Alex’s entire family too !
We thought the story was fun and made you laugh and it was also emotional and haunting as Kristen has nightmares that haunts her but, she can not make heads of tails of them.
The chemistry between this couple were super hot sometimes even fan worthy.
I really enjoyed the story because it had such a great cast of interesting characters that made you laugh and if I could base a review on just that it would be 5 stars but, I had issues with this story as well because I had so many unanswered questions and somethings just didn’t make sense I guess you can say.
Spoiler alert -Don’t read the next part if planning to read….
I realize this story is fiction but , situations in certain stories need to be plausible at least in my mind anyway and I hate the not knowing. For me this story could have been really great for me if the author shed light on some of the mystery surrounding this story.
Issue one- Kristen and her nightmares are connected in some way to a cop named Preston even if she has not idea how but, every time she is around this man she has panic attacks and the nightmares are back and memories start surfacing and memories flooding her mind even if she can’t make sense of them.
( this happens time and time again throughout the entire story) So when Kristen ends up at her horrible parents house for dinner and ends up in her bed the next day in her own bed at her parents house feeling like she been run over by a mack truck and no memory its clear as day she was misused ,abused and possibly raped she calls Alex and he comes with another cop to investigate the situation and they end up collecting and evidence kit but, Kristen refuses to go to the hospital to do a rape kit because it will embarrass her family.(Mind you these are the parents that treat her like shit and this happened in there home) .This whole situations points to a rape yet, this character only thinks she wasn’t raped? yet, all the evidence and the condition her body is in sure as heck points in that direction. I just can’t imagine not wanting to know for sure .Wouldn’t you want to know for sure if you were violated ? The last person you were around was Preston and you don’t put two and two together or at least he is a suspect in your now appearance and that he possibly drugged you but, through this whole entire process his name was never mentioned and you have no recall even talking to the man yet, accept the explanation the your parents gave to the maid for your current situation and not question it ? In the next breath you learn from Alex that you were indeed in a room with Preston because you sent pictures to him yet have no memory of doing it yet, here again you don’t put two and two together the nightmare,the panic attacks, how the man makes your skin crawl or even as an afterthought think he had something to do with your current situation ? Clearly he is suspect at least ? Mind boggling… Next what happens is Alex leaves with his cop friend leaving Kristen in the same house were she was just abused .Hello ? What’s up with that ? The guy who is protective of his entire neighborhood including kids and adults alike yet,he leaves is girlfriend who has no memory of what happened to her but, evidence clearly states she was abused and you just leave her? Not only that Kristen isn’t hysterical about this whole situation and is not wanting to get the hell out of there she wants a bath and is going back to bed and she will be fine because the maid is there. I am sorry just none of any of this makes sense. Omg ! Seriously! Hours later she is missing….
I am not going to say what happens next but, your probably thinking the same thing I am and what direction the story is going in.Let’s just say its disturbing and sick and leads to yet another victim.
Towards the end of the story things start adding up and making sense are staring to come together and evidence is all pointing to a dirty cop who is a possible rapist and so much more. Kristen learns that the other victim is a very young girl who is possibly her sister and her life has been one great big lie.Later on we learn they are indeed siblings.We understand how they ended up together and what brought the little girl to be where she was and why but,Who were their parents or parent ? If they are sisters how do you explain this huge age gap ? What happened to the parent or parents and how did that little girl end up in the system or where yourself had come from ? After learning your parents are not your parents you have no thoughts of who your real parents are ? Why did you never question your parents association with Preston especially since the guy made your skin crawl every time you were in the same room with the man ? Clearly something was not right ? The man was clearly and low life and your parents high society snobs who are all about image and connections ? The questions could go on.
Spoiler ends…
From the moment we met Kristen she was and bright and beautiful and funny and she surrounded herself around friends who she loved whole-heartily loved and who her parents felt were beneath her but, she never cared what they thought.Kristen had this great big heart was kind and caring and was strong and determined women who was embracing her independence . So you can imagine for me even though she has some issues that needed to be dealt with I can’t imagine Kristen taking any crap from her parents and putting up with it and how she handled the whole entire situation she found herself in and how she handled it. This is not the Kristen we got to know throughout the entire story so none of what happened next made any sense to us.
Alex on the other hand we loved him from the onset of the story .We found him to be funny,cocky,had a sense of humor,fan worthy and had the largest heart and one who was protective of those people big and small and spread goodness to an entire neighbor hood who loved him just as much and he in return.
Overall we really enjoyed the story and enjoyed the characters especially with the love hate friendship that Alex and Kristen had going on in the very beginning because they gave us tons of laughs. The plot itself was a good one overall because the outcome was surprising and had some twists and turns but, for my personal issues with the story it was a good story not a great one for us.
I would definitely read more from this author and would like to go back to read Ben’s story as it is connected to this current story.And we have to say we really loved the ending as it was perfect ending to a dark and twisted tale.
3 stars form us
This book is suspenseful and deals with a heavy subject matter but I promise you if you take a chance on this book it will take you on an unforgettable journey. Alexander appears to not take life seriously and is all about having fun times and not getting serious with anyone. Kristen is plagued by haunting nightmares and stuck in a past that she doesn’t fully understand. The two couldn’t be more opposite but due to their connection with Ben and Alister from the first book, they have no choice but to find a way to get along. As the story builds and Kristen and Alexander spend more time together, they end up breaking down each others walls and seeing a side to one another that they never knew existed. However, this book is not all about love and happily ever afters. There is a darkness to it that will leave you speechless. I never saw the twists and turns coming in this book. I had my suspicions about what was going on but I never thought the book would take the turn that it did. This book is so well written and has so much heart and soul poured into it. I promise if you are brave enough to read this book you won’t regret it. I still think about Kristen and Alexander’s story and I finished the book a couple weeks ago. I didn’t want their story to end!!!
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Kristen Collins needs to stand up against family pressure. Alex Bennet is a man with a big heart. After first meeting these two characters I knew I was going to love where this author was going to take both her characters and us.
There were times where I couldn’t help it – I had to laugh. There were times where my heart gets involved. We have a secondary character that Ms. Jaxon took the time to create and I fell in love with him at the same time Kristen did. Then there were times where I couldn’t do anything but shiver. The author creates something that seems so real – the boogeyman come to life. It was a great way to show how something that’s happened in our childhood doesn’t always disappear once we become an adult.
Having characters that aren’t perfect make this story seem more realistic. The heat she creates between Kristen and Alex is believable and a natural progression of their budding relationship. I almost felt like a voyeur. It’s been a few months since I read any of this author’s work and this is a reminder of what I’ve loved about her writing style. I love getting caught up in the suspense of the piece – the romance is just the icing on the cake. Also loved how the ending is where the mystery ends. No hint of what’s coming up next so I’ll just have to be patient.
I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and after reading the reviews I was intrigued. It’s an interesting story. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes. The darkness of the plot could be a trigger for many, but it was well thought out and managed to show light on a terrible subject. Loving Alex and Kristen battling it out with humour and sass, they were a perfect couple trying to make a go of things and battling against corruption and evil in the world. A truly wonderful read.
Started out confusing but ended up invested! After years of feeling that she didn’t fit in with her family and sick of meeting their expectations, Kristen decides to move out and start living her life for herself and follow her dreams and passions. With the move, she starts to see an increase in her recurring nightmares and as she starts to dig into them, the revelation that comes is shocking. Alex is her best friend’s brother in law and known as a total ladies man. Due to his past, he focuses on no relationships and works to not get close to anyone. As Alex and Kristen get to know each other, they realize there is much more to each of them than the façade and reputation they put on, and they go from enemies of sorts to lovers. Everything combusts at once when Kristen’s nightmares and Alex’s job and past intersect and we find out the explosive answers to all the questions! I was so thrown by this revelation and did not see if coming at all, but it’s what made the book for me. The combination of the suspense and the culmination of the answers that while I started the book really confused ended up so involved and unable to get enough! I definitely advise reading the book previous to this (Alex’s brother’s book) because while this isn’t classified as a duet, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the beginning of this book because of it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.