“This is a great idea.” Aiden had jumped up, fist punched the air, and yelled, “That’s how we do it! BAM!”It stuck. Our initials, our ideas, our brand. My brothers.Three young men meet in university and form a lifelong friendship. Their pasts dictate the men they are, but their present shapes their future. What happens when these men meet the one person they are destined to be with? Can they … to be with? Can they fight their feelings and walk away? Or will they each succumb and learn the sweet agony of love?
Aiden
Haunted by memories of his past, Aiden plays the part of the happy-go-lucky friend. Always ready with a teasing smile or a joke, he is good at hiding his pain.
Using his impressive physique as a shield, he keeps his past buried beneath his rugged exterior.
Except, one woman sees through his façade.
Her green eyes see too much, even as her body tempts him.
Even as his heart yearns for her.
Cami is determined to make him realize that he is worthy of being loved.
He pushes her away at every turn, yet finds himself unable to keep her at arm’s length.
Who will win this battle of love?
more
My entire Monday was spent on devour this book by Melanie Moreland. When the first chapter of Bentley was read, I said “I need to know more about this friend of his.” He is funny, and charming. That friend who is always there to lend a hand and help you out. I love a man who can make you laugh and laugh at himself. He is protective of those around him so all the boxes for my ‘book boyfriend’ were checked off.
But this man has layers.
So many layers.
I didn’t expect Aiden to take me on the emotional journey of learning to open your heart and acceptance. We all find our space in life. Carve out the protective moat and allow only a few in. Aiden not only doesn’t desire a long term relationship, he deems himself unworthy. But he wiggles under your skin where you can’t help but want him to find his happy.
Cami is the perfect heroine. She’s out to save the hero from himself, but not at the cost of losing herself. After a personal wake up call, she realizes that sometimes showing love is by setting it free. Each character struggles with their personal demons, but it’s Cami’s strength that pulls them through.
This has been an unexpected but wholly delightful journey in watching the men of BAM tell their stories. Next up is the final letter. I do not doubt Melanie Moreland will disappoint but grow stronger as we get to know Maddox. 5 out of 5 everyone deserves to be loved stars.
What is there not to love in Aiden’s story? He is a strong, caring alpha who is fiercely loyal to those he considers his closest friend. Aiden is a fun loving guy when he is with all his friends, but deep down he is broken beyond repair, or so he thinks. Sometimes you need the love of a good woman who stands by you through thick and thin to show you might be able to heal your heart. Cami is a woman who knows what she wants and can see how amazing Aiden is on the inside and out. Their story will tug at all your heart strings and keep you on the edge of your seat till the very end. I love Aiden and Cami’s story and can’t wait to finish out the BAM group with Maddox.
What can I say about Aiden? One could say that he is a troubled man given the way his childhood was… He may be that. but with the help of some very special people in his life he gets through life until Cami stormed her way into his life and heart. One minute he thought he was content in his life I guess one could even though he still had nightmares of his childhood and then BAM, Cami turned his life upside down and had him fighting his feelings, his heart and his head. I am so happy that he allowed Cami to engulf him and that he does find his happy ever after with her by his side. Melanie does take us on a ride on this one with the feelings, but to get to the end is worth it and I cannot wait to see where she takes us with Maddox.
There’s something about the scarred bad boy who learns to trust again that gets me every single time. Aiden may hide his emotional scars from others behind his happy-go-lucky persona, amazing body, and beautiful ink, but he can’t hide from Cami. I knew I was going to fall hard for Aiden, but I think I fell even harder for Cami. Moreland does an astounding job of creating not just a relationship between the two main characters, but a solid relationship between the reader and her characters. Building on BAM- The Beginning and Bentley: Vested Interest #1, Moreland gives the reader a powerful look into the minds, hearts, and souls of Aiden and Cami, including their fears, hopes, and emotional scars. This book is pretty high on the angst meter, bringing some amazing heat as well. I definitely recommend having tissues handy, and making sure you have time to recover after reading. This is one serious book-hangover-producing read.
I just realized I never left a review for this book. Aiden and Cami had me enthralled. This series has been like my personal drug of choice and I have become addicted to the romance with that little bit of drama. They had a winding road of a journey but made it to the end with so much love! I absolutely adored it and them.
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW:
And just like that I have fallen for Aiden and Cami all over again. John and Maxine once again never ceases to surprise me with their performance. Their ability to take on any character and have me feel so much adoration for the story and characters is mind-boggling. It is such a fantastic book.
Oh Aiden! Just as good the second time round! This is my original review.
Aiden has been pulling at my heartstrings since I was introduced to him in Bentley’s book. The cheeky grin, the twinkling in his eyes, trying hard to hide the pain underneath.
Cami sees him, Cami sees ALL of him, even the broken pieces he tries so hard to camouflage. He feels undeserving of her but can’t seem to stay away. It seems inevitable that somebody is going to get hurt.
When sinister things start happening around Cami, Aiden’s alpha protectiveness goes into overdrive, but will he be too late?
This couple totally melted my heart, although there were times I wanted to give Aiden a ruddy good shake, I wanted to hold him close and tell him all was going to be okay.
Oh my GIDDY AUNT but what did Aiden and Cami do to me? They left me a wreck in the best possible way, that’s what!
I’d loved seeing snippets of Aiden in Bentley and Emmy’s story, but getting to see his story, experience it, feel it, well, it left me SHOOKETH!
Aiden is a tree trunk of a man, and his emotions run deep even as he tries to deny and ignore them.
And Cami? Dear, sweet, loveable Cami! I felt for her so much with everything she was experiencing and everything she was feeling. Her love is one of a kind and I LOVED witnessing it on the page!
Aiden and Cami took me on one HECK of an emotional rollercoaster ride of a journey and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Now…I NEED me some Maddox and Dee because holy smokes!
Melanie, you are so talented, and I cannot wait to read and reread in this world!
Aiden completely broke my heart with his inability to believe he deserved his “sunshine.” Cami was absolutely perfect for him and the one person who can convince him he not only deserves happiness but would be miserable without it! (And her!) With danger suddenly following Cami and threatening her, Aiden is forced to confront the possibility that he can’t live without her. I absolutely adored this story!!
This is the 2nd book in this amazing series and is Aiden and Cami’s story. Aiden is head of security at BAM and is haunted by his past which have left him with damaged and with secrets. Cami is Emmy’s best friends and is a fashion design student, who also has a past which she is upfront about it, and she can see through Aiden’s façade of being the happy go lucky man and everyone protector, and she knows he has so much more to give than he thinks. This is a wonderful story which is intriguing, and with secrets, suspense, undeniable chemistry, and love. I was totally enthralled throughout this amazing story, and I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend for all readers.
This is the second book in the Vested Interest Series, a Romantic Suspense. You have to listen to this Series in order, and believe me, you don’t want to miss one book. This is a serie of interconnected stories, and intertwined characters. This series is amazing! I loved to follow Aiden and Cami on their journey to love. Aiden is handsome, and caring. He had a horrible past, and we learn more about him. Cami is strong, caring, and supportive. The storyline is well written, fun, sexy, and suspenseful, filled with mystery, and twists and turns. The supporting characters are great, and they have an important part in this story. The BAM (Bentley, Aiden, and Maddox) are such handsome gentlemen! I loved to see again Emmy. Dee, Cami’s sister, is supportive and caring. I like the brotherhood, and the friendship in this Series. The narration is excellent! John Lane and Maxine Mitchell are perfect as Aiden and Cami. They have a great voice, very pleasant to listen to. Now, I am looking forward to listen to the next book in the Series, Maddox and Dee’s story. This Series is already one of my favorite Series, and I HIGHLY recommend it.
I listened to the audio book. I thought the narrators did a great job narrating the book. I was so frustrated. I liked Aiden, but hated the way he treated Cami. The back and forth, the indecision was too much, and was kind of cruel.
I could even understand Aiden’s fear of being close to someone. My issue is that Aiden recognized he suffered from trauma, and did nothing about it all of these years. It’s not like he couldn’t afford it. It wasn’t enough to tell someone “I only have so much to give” and waffle back and forth with your behavior.
Cami also needed some additional help based on her background. I even understood that she saw something in Aiden, and felt like he needed her. I just wanted to tell her to back off, protect yourself, and let him try to figure out what he wants. Cami really needed to stop being Aiden’s yoyo.
Now, on to the mystery that wasn’t a mystery. I couldn’t figure out why Cami gave no thoughts to someone being responsible for all the things happening to her. Not ONE moment of hesitation. Not ONE doubt. Not even when Emmy saw what she saw on her way to meet Cami for coffee.
After all of that was finally acknowledged and resolved, the book went on for a couple more chapters. I was trying to figure out what else they were going to do. I got to the end of the book and was mildly surprised. It wasn’t necessarily a cliffhanger, but it was open ended.
I still liked all of the characters, just not some of their behaviors. I will definitely be moving on to listen to Maddox and Dee’s story. I can’t exactly explain why, but I love Bentley’s proper, almost snobbish tone of voice, even when he is being witty or funny. I don’t know how that would translate in the ebook. I like the camaraderie and brotherhood between Bentley, Aiden, and Maddox as well the friendship and sisterhood between Emmy, Cami, and Dee. I am looking forward to Reid’s book as well.
I would have to go with 3.5 stars because of the way Aiden treated Cami, the way Cami LET Aiden treat her, and because NO ONE would have had any real suspicion of the magnitude of Cami’s problem had it not been for Emmy. Once again, Emmy provides the vital clues.
Aiden: Vested Interest #2
Aiden and Cami’s story is the natural progression of the BAM boys stories and picks up where Bentley and Emmy’s story leaves us in book 1.
Aiden, Maddox and Bentley have been friends since university and they are all partners in BAM Development. Cami and Dee are sisters and best friends of Emmy and they consider themselves their own little family as do the guys. Now the family is expanding because Bentley and Emmy are engaged and as usually happens, friends hang with friends.
Aiden and Cami have been drawn to each other since they met in book one, and when I say drawn I mean there is a lot of sexual tension between them and they aren’t afraid to let that tension out now an again. Although they have this chemistry there are personal issues that each have in their past, Aiden who had an abusive childhood, which lead him to not believe in love as being a good thing, along with other issues. Then there is Cami, who came from a very broken family, raised by her sister Dee. They are very close which one would expect sisters to be, but they still have secrets they keep from each other.
This is a very difficult relationship when one of them (Aiden) is holding back and will never let himself get attached and the other (Cami) allows herself to love, full on with intensity yet she has been promised absolutely nothing other than a friendship with benefits.
Add to the situation a number of small events that happen to Cami and eventually lead her to believe she is showing signs of the manic depressive disorder that her mother had.
There is a real sense of suspense and danger facing Cami and eventually there could be physical danger that she will face.
Melanie Moreland again, gives us a story of hurt, despair and angst, mixed in with sexual tension and hawt love scenes and suspense which leads to a unexpected and dangerous encounter for one of the characters. She builds this story and keeps you turning the pages and at some points holding your breath!
Lastly, I love that this series is set in Toronto!
I was excited to get to Aiden’s story as his character intrigued me since first meeting him in Bentley. However, I was a bit disappointed at all the times he pushed Cami away. I understand why his character would react as he did, but it’s something that I’m not a fan of. What I did enjoy was his drive to protect Cami at all cost. And there’s never a doubt to the reader that he cares for her.
This is a relatively fast read/listen with mild angst that for me revolved around Aiden’s treatment of Cami. The mystery wasn’t really mysterious, but the process it took within the story kept me engaged. The steam factor is quite high and very realistic and I loved it when this couple were actually together. It probably isn’t a surprise to anyone who has read this series, but the bromance between Bentley, Aiden and Maddox is one of the highlights as they are just so freaking good together.
KU. This was just good. I didn’t enjoy it as much as Bentley, but it wasn’t terrible.
Aiden was honest, repeatedly, with Cami about not wanting more, but it was still painful to watch their mismatched feelings.
The stalker storyline was presented as sort of a “mystery”, except it wasn’t because there was only one tertiary character. So it had to be her. It was a decent plot driver, I just think it could have been executed better.
Aiden’s “big reveal” felt like a repetitive and overly lengthy info dump. We get his whole growing up drama and repeated spurns by his family in page after page of a single convo with Cami. I think some of this might have been better revealed in a prologue or over a few conversations. &/or trimmed a bit.
Spoiler-ish ~ The ending. Aiden (correctly) says he knows he has to give Cami time to trust he isn’t going to throw up walls again and then asks her to same-minute marry him a day later???? This wasn’t a romantic/sappy wrap up, it’s was a WTF that definitely impacted how I felt about the story overall.
I still like this crew though and am looking forward to Maddox’s book. And Reid’s too!
So emotional!
I’m loving this series more than I can say! Aiden and Cami’s story was so intense, so emotional, so satisfying. I loved every word!
Aiden who was so broken he never thought he could love sweet Cami but love and the threat of losing it is powerful and can even make the strongest fall.
Aiden is book two in the Vested Interest series by Melanie Moreland. In the first book, we got to know Bentley, the leader of the company, BAM. And the woman who won his heart, Emmy. Now it’s Bentley’s best friend, Aiden’s turn.
Aiden Callaghan is Bentley’s best friend. Like Bentley, we know Aiden has secrets, all three of these men do. As soon as I opened this book, the prologue ripped my heart right out. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a reaction like that. I literally wanted to jump into the book. I then understood why Aiden was the way he was.
Cami Wilson is Emmy’s best friend. She is a fashion design student at the same school that Emmy attends. She lives with her older sister, Dee. Cami is a lot more open with her past. She shares it freely, as she does her feelings. There is nothing closed off about Cami. Her heart is huge as is her capacity to love.
The previous book hinted at something starting between these two. But they kept it quiet. It was more of a friends with benefits type of thing. Because Aiden wasn’t capable of anything more. The chemistry between them was crazy strong. Neither of them could deny that. But he let Cami know right up front that he had nothing else to give.
“She was like a sunbeam. My own sunshine.”
Cami can see right through the façade that Aiden shows everyone else. She can see the pain he tries to hide. She knows he is capable of so much more than he is willing to believe. But he refuses to let her in. He keeps himself bottled up. None the less, Cami can’t help but to fall. The question is, can she continue on according to Aiden’s rules? Or does she walk away?
With all the chaos of Cami’s life, things start happening, things that make her question her own mind. With her busy life and her emotional turmoil, perhaps she is just getting forgetful? Or could it be something else?
First of all, I dearly loved spending more time with Bentley and Emmy. They are so adorable and I loved keeping up with what is happening with them. We also get to know Reid better in this book. He is a character most definitely! I have to say that I spent part of this book pretty frustrated with Aiden. Even though I understood why he was feeling the way we was, he still made me want to give him a shake and tell him to smarten up and open his eyes. Because Cami was perfect.
I have to admit that I am hurrying through this review because I want to get started on the next book, Maddox. Just know that Aiden will frustrate you, but you will also fall in love with him. All a man who has a damaged heart needs is the right woman to show him how to open himself up to love. A woman with so much love to offer that she can’t help but to heal him. You’ll have to read this book to see if Cami can be that woman.
This was another win for me. Yes, I wanted to hit Tree Trunk over the head about four times but he eventually came around and it made that epic fall so much sweeter. The bigger they are the harder they fall right?
I loved Cami, she was such a sweetheart and my heart just broke for her time and time again. I didn’t think it made her weak to hope that big lunk head would eventually SEE her. She saw something in him and I admire her for taking a big risk for a potentially great love.
Once again a romantic suspense light on the suspense and heavy on the romantic. Yes please!
This one was a HEA and I got my HEA from book 1 I grumbled about so I was extra double happy, 2 HEA’s in one! I’m already onto book three and have warned everyone to leave me alone while I continue my glorious Moreland-binge.
Not a broken man, just a bruised one in nedd of healing!
4,5 stars
Aiden and Cami were so beautifully bittersweet together. They make you beliee, hope, root for them. They brought hope, dread, fear and corage.
Aiden, at many times, drove me crazy when he pushed Cami away again and again, and she kept being her selfless, giving and nurturing self. But when you understand more about them, about their lives, specially Aiden past, you can understand his insecurities and fears when it comes to love.
He needed healing, he needed love, he needed someone to fight for him, believe in him, love him.
“‘Don’t cry for me’
‘Someone has to. You deserve to have someone who loves you enough to cry for you'”
Love was exploding between them, but Aiden still needed to learn how to feel it, how to allow himself to love and to be loved. And Cami was the right person for that, with all her acceptance, patience and undenying love.
Their feelings were strong and all over the place, even if Aiden fought against them so hard. But when Cami is faced with danger, Aiden is obliged to aknowledge his feelings and act on them.
In this book, you see Cami and Aiden’s story, but you also have a glimpse of Bentley and Emmy’s HEA, and you even get a taste of Maddox, Dee and Reid.
This series is so sweet and adorable. I’m loving to read it!
This story!!! Damn I love Aiden and how he overcomes his past to move to his future. He is strong but thick headed, he knows he has feelings for Cami, he just doesn’t know what to do. Cami is fierce, she is determined to show Aiden what love is.
What a beautiful couple.
See more of my review.
https://youtu.be/93boD0atXDU