Damian took a bullet for me when I was seventeen.He didn’t ask for my heart in return, but it’s been his ever since. We are as different as night and day. He’s fun-loving and outgoing while I’m skeptical of new people and prefer to avoid social events. So, why did I agree to be handcuffed to him for a full week in the name of science? It’s not because he dared me to do it, or because I need the … because I need the money that comes with it. I’m the CFO of Solver Industries, after all.
It’s because I’m turning twenty-nine, and I’m sick and tired of my heart comparing every man to Damian when my brain knows full well that he’s far from perfect.
If my plan works, an overdose of the large Irishman should kill my crush on him and finally set me free.
Lumi is the third installment in Elin Peer’s psychological drama series, Cultivated. Readers rave about Elin Peer’s ability to make the characters jump off the page and stay in your thoughts for a long time after you close the book. If you love romance with depth, a fast pace, a bit of steam, and some great dialogue, then you’ve found your next read.
If you’ve already read the first two books in the series, Charlie and Atlas, then this is a no brainer. Buy Lumi on pre-sale and have it delivered straight to your Kindle App the moment it goes live on Amazon on Valentine’ day February 14th.
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Lumi is a survivor. She’s done well with building a wall around her of protection which has kept her cold and standoffish to those who don’t know her. While she has loved Damien with all she’s had for years their rocky history has also been the main reason her heart is not open to the love she craves. While Damien has always loved her he has allowed or used various excuses to keep her at bay. Their story is one of pain and heartbreak each being apart of the problem and the solution. Breaking through their past and their personal blockades can only be done with complete honesty. But getting through those blockades will take intervention of the best, by the best and that wont be easy.
This series is so different from what we have become used to by this author at the same time being a perfect example of what she does best. It’s clinical while being invasive to the mind and soul. She breaks it all down with flashbacks as they go through the experiment. It’s hard to continue to love Damien when you know the story but also easy to see the how and why. You can’t help but get wrapped up in their story while sharing in their heartbreak. It’s an amazing story of love, support, family and life. Absolutely ripped my emotions to shreds and gently put them back together. Their story doesn’t end here, it’s only their beginning. With this series you do need to read each book as the author reveals just how intertwined these survivors forever will be.
Have you read the first two books in Elin Peer’s “Cultivated” series yet? If not, then you REALLY need to do yourself a favor and find the time to fit them into your schedule. You won’t be disappointed! If you have and if you’re like me, she has already trained you to set the bar high for what to expect from one of her books and this one is no exception. Lumi and Damian both have such flawed personalities they become totally relatable and pulled me into the story almost immediately. And the storyline? So amazing. It’s an emotional rollercoaster full of psychological intrigue and self-discovery. I see the wrinkle in your forehead. Did I mean self-discovery for the characters or the reader? That seems to be the light bulb moment because I don’t think I could’ve gone down that rabbit hole with our characters and NOT come out untouched, so I’d have to say both. But isn’t that the mark of an outstanding author? When they can somehow tell their story and have it make some type of impact on you personally? Another great read!
Holy kraps.
Elin Peer does it again. But this time, with a scientific experiment of being handcuffed for a week.
Yep. She went there. And it works. On so many levels. Physically, mentally and emotionally.
Lumi is almost thirty and has a fascination with Damian, who literally took a bullet for her.
What I loved?
Pretty much everything.
And Damian? Yeah, he’s a keeper.
Highly recommend.
~~ Lumi’s conundrum … can she move on?
She’s been in love with the man who saved her life all those years ago and it’s time to let go of the tie that has bound Lumi to Damian. No more! But what can she do to move on with her life and find that special man who will care for and love her, yet not be intimidated by her? Jolene, Atlas’ girlfriend has some ideas to help Lumi get over this man and open herself up to a new love. Of course it won’t be easy but Lumi is determined to get over Damian. Will Jolene’s experiment work for Lumi?
Great storytelling by Elin Peer, another awesome book in this series!
Not your everyday love story.
Just finished reading Lumi on Kindle Unlimited. I’m such a sucker for a great love story, especially one written by Elin Peer. This book blends Lumi and Damian’s history seamlessly with their present reality. Their story is a believable one which is easy to insert yourself in. I found myself pulling for them as they worked through their insecurities and fought off her antagonist. And the handcuff experiment is proof of Elin Peer’s creativity. Good book ladies.
This is an enjoyable read!!
Lumi agrees to participate in this experiment in the hopes she would finally get over her crush on Damian. They are both in for the wake-up call they were not expecting.
Although I love Lumi and Damian’s characters. I just have to mention that Jolene plays a wonderful deep part in this story even though she is not in it that often.
An absolutely great read!
No spoilers of any kind included!
I thought Lumi was absolutely amazing!
Elin Peer weaving skills are plain addicting I just can’t get enough of her books!
So it’s definitely going to be a big HECK YEAH I do recommend this book but if you haven’t read the first two books then I highly suggest that you do that way you’ll experience everything from the very beginning.
OMG! This book was a masterpiece. This was Book Three in the Cultivated Series and told Lumi’s story. This book and series had an original storyline. I read this book in one sitting and lost sleep but it was well worth it! Damien and Lumi were great characters. The book was so well written the characters seemed to jump off of the pages and take their own life. I highly recommend this book and recommend reading the series in the order in which they were written.
This is book three of the Cultivated series. This book is fantastic! It has everything I love in a book. Characters with depth and real emotions, action, steam and a plot that keeps you on edge. It is a definite must have. I read this book in one sitting. I could not get enough! I had to know what was happening. I am voluntarily leaving my review after reading an advance reader copy from the author and I bought it for my library!
Outstanding lesson in life and love…
Once again, Elin Peer’s background in life coaching lends itself beautifully to a unique plot centered around two very different personas, Lumi and Damian, coming to terms with their relationship spanning twelve plus years. What repeatedly draws them together but then pushes them apart? Can a one week long experiment reveal thoughts and feelings that have been suppressed or ignored? None of us are perfect. We all have experienced times when we have acted upon our own assumptions and didn’t bother to check them out beforehand. What happens when we are restrained by old habits to avoid getting hurt? These circumstances are all too common in many people’s lives which is why it is so refreshing to see how Elin Peer sheds creative light on this couple and what develops between them when there is little or no room for escape.
The idea of being handcuffed together not only helps to resolve their issues but keeps us entertained and focussed on their relationship and others involved in this captivating story. So far, this has been a wonderful series – each book is its own expression of another couple’s search for love and acceptance. However, there is no redundancy, each story is special and the characters really come to life on the page. I do recommend reading these books in order since it is a family affair linking them back to a critical incident that each has been coping with differently thus bringing unique challenges to each of their relationships. The books are very well written and highly recommended for pleasure and perhaps a little gentle therapy.
Wanting each other for years but not saying anything.
This is Lumi and Damien’s story and was perfect! She has compared all men to Damien and found them all lacking. She is to be handcuffed to him for a week and hopes these tests will make her get over him. He’s wanted her it seems forever but doesn’t say anything. But will this test will he finally say something and see where it all goes? This was a wonderful story of two people who has to talk to each other as they had wanted each other for a long time. But will they? I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
Brilliant 5 stars – In between what is happening with Lumi and Damien in the present, the author is little by little revealing the history of their relationship. It was a brilliant approach to narrating the background story without jarring the current narrative. It was smoothly interspersed which I thought was brilliant. Another brilliant move by the author is the use of a social experiment. It engages a reader’s mind as well as showcase the leashed steam between Damien and Lumi. This book is another intriguing and enjoyable read in the Captivated series.
I enjoyed the look into Lumi’s life and how she learned to cope in such a short time after years of keeping everything close to the vest and finding out her and Damian through the years had gone through their own trials. Liv and Charles think of them as their kids and try to make sure that they listen and try to encourage them all. Jolene is definitely a boost in helping all of the siblings go out into the world with their best foot forward even though the pack between them might hinder recovery a bit in some ways they are not quite aware of but time will tell. A Really beautiful story of how what happen did something different and damagaing to each child now adult in different ways. Romantic suspense.
I was given an ARC as a gift from author without obligation. I am providing an honest review.
This is a fantastic series and I love the fact that it deals with a cult. Even though these are stand alones technically they are interlocking characters so you should start from book 1 to get the complete feel of who everyone is, and this one is my favorite of the series so far. Lumi has been through so much in her life that she is beyond jaded but one thing she knows she’s in love with Damien and wants to try to get over the problems that still plague her the next she can so when her experiment is to be handcuffed to him for a week he happily agrees cause he’s been in love with her for a very long time also. Damien is literally Lumis hero on every level and it was intriguing reading about them deal with the trauma of there past
Book 3 of the “Cultivated” series was such an outstanding read that I was lured in right from the very beginning! The storyline was so great and the characters were so strongly created that I was totally captivated until the turn of the very last page!
This is a fun book about two people who have loved each other for years but have had various reasons for staying apart, including things like social anxiety and other psychological problems resulting from past trauma. There is a lot of psychological information in the book which was fun to learn but the biggest learning experience came from reading about the challenge that was given to them to help solve the psychological problems. They must be handcuffed to each other for a week while completing various exercises, like answering personal questions. Another great learning experience came from reading about all the body language cues that helped people figure out their real feelings. I wish there had been a little more suspenseful action in the book, maybe increasing the problems with the CEO of the company. I wonder what it would have been like to have to run or fight while handcuffed! But in the end, it is the HEA that made it all worth reading through their emotional struggles.
I loved Lumi and Damien’s story. Their story was so well told and developed. This book was full of laughter with great dialogue, some steaminess and showed the progression from a young girl with hero worship first love to mature true love. Lumi and Damien didn’t have an easy or straight road to travel and at times it seemed like they were not going to get it right. Definitely my favorite in the series so far.
A difficult and heart breaking path to a truly beautiful love story.
I adored Lumi and Damien’s story, which is told both in present day along with clearly defined flashbacks to the past. This allows a well paced reveal of many untold and unknown events that have shaped the people they are today. Once started I didn’t want to put this down, the excellent writing and engaging storyline kept me hooked. The emotions pour of the page and this was definitely a “box of tissues” read.
There were times when I would have liked to have felt more emotion from Damien, mainly in the past and particularly when (view spoiler). His decision, which I understood, didn’t come with enough angst and soul searching to convince me of the depth of his feelings at that time. He seemingly made his decision too easily . However in the whole scheme of things it was a minor wrinkle in an otherwise amazing story.
Lumi and Damien are both well written, rounded characters. Neither was perfect and Lumi in particular had issues to work through. The concept of the forced physical (but not sexual) intimacy was a really interesting plot device, providing drama and tension alongside some truly thought provoking moments. The story never felt cliched or predictable.
Elin Peer ‘s flawless storytelling is a joy to experience, her finely crafted characters are both believable and likeable. She totally convinced me of the strong connection between Lumi and Damien, as well as the depth of their feelings. She also teased us with both Nathan and River’s struggles, leaving me desperate for more of this family.
Lumi Robertson is a one of the survivors of a cult, is rich and successful in business, but in her private life she has issues with closeness and being in a committed relationship. Then she is given a chance to cure her issues in an experiment with Damien O’Rourke, the man she loved since she was seventeen. This book combines complex, likable characters with personal issues, family drama, emotions, a second chance at romance, written so well I felt like I was living through it myself. Lumi is a story of old hurts and new love. The Cultivated series is worth the read!
Crazy good story. Grabbed my interest from the first page to the last. Characters were multi layered and well written. Just the right amount of drama and suspense to keep me glued to the story.