Keeping You Away (Tyler & Gemma #1)

OMG you ladies never seize to amaze Tyler and Gemma’s story had me hooked from the start. Jam packed with all the feels. The chemistry between these two is OFF THE CHARTS!!! I can’t wait to see how this all plays out! That cliffy left me utterly SPEECHLESS

This is the first book in this duet. It does end in a cliffhanger.

Now, if you’ve read Liam and Maddie’s books, you know who Tyler is and why exactly he was in prison for 5 years. Cough cough, freaking Victoria.

I absolutely love Tyler. He loves hard and fights just as hard. He will do anything to help his friends out. Even risking his own life.

Gemma, I am on the fence about. I like her, but when she’s with Robert, I don’t.

Robert is a douche to the max! Gemma makes excuses for his behavior. She lets him treat her like a doormat.

There’s more I want to say, but it will give things away.

I did have a feeling that something like how this book ends, would happen though. Can’t wait to see where it goes.

Tyler is strong and conflicted, but extremely loyal to his family and friends. He is trying to overcome difficult situations in his life and maybe make a new beginning and hope for a better future.
Gemma is sure about the path her life is going, until Tyler comes back to town, and she begins to question her choices.
Throughout the book the story evolves from hopes of second chances to angst and suspense.
This is the first book of Tyler and Gemma’s duet. Can’t be read as a standalone.
I read a lot of Kennedy Fox’s book, and their books are getting better and better. I strongly recommend this book.

We first meet Tyler in Maddie and Liam’s story and I fell in love with him. He put his life on the line to help Liam and Maddie and spent 5 years in jail.

Now he is home in Alabama trying to start over. Back to the girl whose heart he broke when he left. He tries to stay away from Gemma, especially since she is engaged to someone else. He tries to stay distant from his time before Vegas but when he gets the opportunity to put Victoria behind bars he does. Only Victoria has other plans

Tyler was Gemma’s first love and once he left, she waited for him to come back. Now that she is finally moved on and is engaged he returns. She realizes that her relationship isn’t what it seems and she starts to question everything. Having Tyler isn’t helping. She still has feelings for him and is confused. She is confused about her feelings for Tyler and her relationship with her fiancee. As time goes by she starts noticing her fiancee’s true colors.

I need book 2 already, I need to know what happens to Tyler and Gemma. Does Tyler get revenge on Victoria? Does Gemma get married? I don’t want to wait anymore.

Kennedy Fox fans rejoice- the much beloved Tyler Blackwood from Liam and Maddie’s duet at long last has his own story, and he is even more of a dream up close and personal. KF brings us a sweet and charming second chance romance love story, full of small town charm and their characteristic interesting menagerie of side characters, tons of romantic tension, and a dash of danger and mystery to top it all off. This is the first half of a duet- so expect non closure- and in this first half, a lot of longing and resistance.

Those who read Always Yours know a bit about Tyler- and this book explores his attempt at resetting his life after his heroic acts relative to Liam and Maddie’s story. He’s returning home to small town Alabama after five years in prison- both excited to see his family, including his baby sister, and return to a more tame way of life working in a garage. But this also means he’s going to cross paths with Gemma, his sister’s best friend and the one that got away TWELVE years ago. Ouch- yes, over a decade ago, when Gemma has just graduated from high school, these two had a brief but beautiful romance the summer before Tyler left for the military and never came back.

Their romance began innocently- with Gemma writing him letters while he was in active duty, her only being 14. As she aged, the letters became more emotional, more vulnerable, and the two pen pals formed a soulful and intimate connection by bleeding their hearts on the page to each other. Her final letter confessed her feelings- her desire to be with Tyler- and when Tyler comes to graduation, the feeling is mutual. Now, neither of them are the person they were when they first fell in love- obviously much has happened to Tyler, and Gemma has stayed put in Alabama but is now a grown woman, engaged to marry another man. She’s also working in her family’s garage- the very garage where Tyler is now working- and from the first moment they lay eyes on each other, we know this romance is far from over- feelings, buried and repressed, quickly rise to the surface. As their daily lives continue to intersect, Tyler’s regret for letting her get away grows, and Gemma’s broken heart reopens, causing her to doubt her long time engagement to her fiance.

While Tyler has swirled around in a world of mafia danger, this first duet is really focused on their reconnection and their own individual growth- with Tyler figuring out who he is after years in prison, and trying to figure out who he wants to be and with Gemma grappling with the life she’s made for herself, as Tyler brings back old feelings and old passions that she didn’t even realize aren’t part of her current relationship. These two have an unparalleled connection- but they have to learn each other anew, even though neither have aspirations for romance between them at the start. Both are incredibly interesting- KF gives each of them a lot of emotional layers for us to unravel, and I have a feeling book 1 is only scratching the surface of their depth.

The chemistry is so endearing- there is a charming intimacy between these two, a sweet and soulful connection that is electric. I especially appreciated how KF uses snippets from their older letters to help us get to know them as characters and give us a window into how their relationship has evolved- it adds a new dimension to their relational depth. The LONGING is just so palpable here, anytime they are together you can feel their souls yearning. This is a SUPER slow burn romance- and Gemma is engaged, so the steam is lighter, and for much of the story these two are just trying to figure out how to be friends, not lovers. There is also a lot of context/world building and some awesome side characters to get to know/reconnect with- which also means the romantic time between these two is more limited than other KF books- but this is also part one of the duet, so I know book 2 will ramp this up. Everleigh, Tyler’s sister, in particular was a standout- she added some much needed sass and energy when our characters were in their feels. And, we also get some great Maddie/Liam content early on. I do wish we’d gotten more of a window into Tyler and Gemma’s early romance, though- we are told they loved one another, I FEEL the yearning in the present, but I don’t yet fully feel privy to their emotional connection post-letters- in the past or the present- at least not yet. I felt like I was missing that key piece of understanding just how they feel in love in the past, so I could really sink into the tension in the present. We don’t ever actually get to SEE them together-together in the entire story- they aren’t there yet in the present, and we have a limited window into those 3 months in the past, and I’m really yearning for that- to understand them not just as individuals but as a pair. Gemma’s complacency in what is clearly a doomed relationship with someone not good for her is a bit frustrating- she’s so smart and compassionate, it’s hard to understand how she’s so resigned there, but Tyler is clearly the wake-up call she needed.

And, like most duets, just when we start to see some story progression, just as Gemma has a major break through and Tyler stops waiting in the wings, we spiral into a shocking cliffhanger ending that I personally did not anticipate- what an epic twist that could really change the nature of this story, which up until that moment seemed mostly relational, small town connection focused. No idea what this means for the tone and nature of Book 2, but the door has been opened for more twists and action to come. Either way, I yearn for these two to make their way back together, and I’m excited to see what path they take to get there!

Jaw dropping ending – bring on Book #2!!

This is a second chance story that sucked me right in. The way Tyler and Gemma wrote to each other while Tyler was stationed overseas was so sweet – it started out as innocent and grew to so much more. You think they are going to have a fairy tale romance, but that was not meant to be.

Fast forward TWELVE YEARS and Gemma has moved on and is now engaged. Tyler was set-up and betrayed and is now out of prison and ready to start over in his hometown. But he never truly got over Gemma.

Their back and forth was annoying but showed the struggle of never getting closure. Gemma’s fiance is a d****e, IMHO. I did enjoy the connection between Tyler with Liam and Maddie and it will bring a smile to your face if you’ve read any of the previous duet series with the sisters. I was a little confused on Noah (Gemma’s brother) and his story – I felt like I should be more familiar about him, but I wasn’t.

There is steam, friendships, the struggles of starting over, but being given a true chance to do so, and of course, drama and angst. This was an enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to how this will end. I’m really not sure what to expect, but I know it will be a rollercoaster of a ride.

I voluntarily requested and read an uncorrected advance reader copy.

5 Tyler & Gemma Filled Stars!!!

I’ve loved EVERY book Kennedy Fox has released. One of my FAVORITE characters in The the Roommate Duet Series was Tyler!! When I read what was all done with him I was crying. He didn’t deserve what was done to him and I was praying he’d get his own book and here we are.

Things haven’t been easy for Tyler. His childhood wasn’t the best and he joined the military straight after high school. During his 4yrs in the military he spent writing back and forth with Gemma, his younger sister Everleigh’s best friend.

Tyler fell in love with Gemma while writing letters back and forth. When he came home he fell harder.

Tyler was Gemma’s first and they spent the summer together but he knew he had to get outta Alabama and begged for her to come but she wouldn’t but he left anyway.

Tyler has been gone for twelve years and has never once been back and never planned on it. But, five years ago Tyler made a decision to help his best friend Liam with he got mixed up with the O’Leary mob. It ended up costing him the last five years in prison but he’d do it again to help Liam and save Maddie’s life.

Tyler is back in Alabama living with his sister and starting his new job. Working for Gemma’s dad. Who also works for her dad. She’s also engaged and looks different and isn’t happy he’s back. Tyler’s starting to think he made the wrong decision coming back.

Gemma has loved Tyler for her entire life. She was shocked he wrote her back the first time but loved writing him back and forth for those four years. They enjoyed their summer together and Gemma was devastated when he left.

Gemma waited years for him to comeback. She went on dates here and there but nothing panned out. Then few years ago she gave up hope Tyler would ever return.

Gemma felt terrible when he went to prison. When she heard what he was charged with she knew that wasn’t Tyler. He’d never mess with guns or drugs.

Gemma started dating Robert and they got engaged after six months but have been engaged awhile. He’s been pushing her to move in with him and to set a date. He’s hoping she’ll move up her timeline and marry him within a few months from now.

Gemma was questioning marrying Robert. The last thing she was expecting or needing was Tyler coming back and working with her everyday.

Tyler’s not the same guy he was when he left. She sees a hardness and sadness in his eyes that weren’t there when he left. What is still there is their connection. It’s still sizzling hot.

Gemma’s starting to see a different side to Robert as well. He’s becoming pushier on them moving in and getting married now rather then later. They hardly spend time together unless she’s having to dress to impress his work clients. He’s also become super jealous and possessive of her and he isn’t liking her working with Tyler. She can never tell him he’s anything more then Everleigh’s older brother.

Gemma is getting more and more unsure about marrying Robert. It’s obvious she still has feelings for Tyler. Even without seeing him for twelve years he makes her feels things Robert never has. Not even in the beginning. But, it’s what Robert’s been hiding that has her over it.

In my book Tyler never needs redemption. He’s the best guy ever!! What he needs is a HEA. In order to get that he needs to finish a big part of him. The one thing he can’t get past.

I’m dying for the last part of this duet to release. I called exactly who Gemma was going to meet and I’m not surprised. I’m going to continue rooting for Tyler & Gemma.

I’m also excited Katie and Everleigh are going to get their HEA but these three friends remind me of Maddie & her two sisters.

What a phenomenal read from Kennedy Fox!!

At this point, this author duo could write absolutely anything, and I would still read it. I always read the blurbs; however, I don’t even know why. No matter what I am still going to read the book, and fall completely in love. This book was no exception.

Tyler and Gemma will take your breath away. It will hit you right in the feels, and quickly establish a very strong connection to the characters, and their relationship. Tyler is an incredibly loyal friend, and will always protect, and look after those who are close to him that he loves. I felt this strong bond with him and Gemma. He cared about her on a whole other level. Despite everything that these two have gone through (I won’t spoil it all) they have found a connection, and become reunited on an intimate, and emotionally charged relationship. I can’t see where it goes from here.

I cannot believe how much I loved this novel. It has quickly become one of my favourite reads of the year. I cannot wait to read book 2 in the duet.

5/5 Stars!

Tyler & Gemma were everything!!! The first part of their story was every single thing I wanted it to be. Slow build to an epic cliffhanger which sets up book 2 perfectly!! I loved Tyler when I met him in Liam & Maddie’s duet, and he made me love him even more in Keeping You Away. Kennedy Fox gives us another beautiful and dramatic romance. I cannot wait for the next book!!!

I couldn’t wait for Tyler’s story since we got to know him more in Always Yours. In true Kennedy Fox fashion, they bring the slow-burn angsty romance that we love. I couldn’t read it fast enough! You will totally be rooting for Tyler. That hunk of a man deserves a HEA. He is trying to get his life back on track after being framed for a crime he didn’t commit and spending five years behind bars. Plus, he has to watch the one he let get away be engaged to a giant prick. Gemma drove me a bit nuts with her back and forth but I can totally understand why. It took her a very long time to move on from Tyler and once she does, he’s suddenly back in her life. I love how Liam and Maddie are still involved and that we might see them all get their justice. I can’t wait for their conclusion!!