RATTLED: She enters the tattoo shop with an envelope full of memories and a heart filled with longing. What she leaves with is more than she dreamed of, and it just might be the first step to healing the wounds of the past. STILL RATTLED:Only three things matter to Kelsey Fry: an envelope full of memories, a pink box full of hope, and a well-planned future, soon to be realized.Alex Dosek … realized.
Alex Dosek knows that Kelsey needs more than the tattoo he gave her. She hoped to ink the memory of the daughter she gave up for adoption into her soul, but that wasn’t necessary. The memories were already there.
Who would have thought a house full of boys would be a refuge for Kelsey? The Baxter boys come to Kelsey’s rescue and all is well, but the past has a way of catching up with you, and sometimes the fates intervene. Or friends do. Call it what you will.
Karma and balance. Prices are paid.
The only thing left for Kelsey is Alex.
The only thing Alex wants is Kelsey
THE RATTLE BOX:
Two things stand in the way of Madison Cross realizing her dream of studying music performance and composition at a prestigious college:
1) Her parents, who don’t understand or get her, and want her to attend a community college and settle on a career that will actually support her one day; and
2) A private instructor.
No music school is going to take her seriously with only middle and high school instruction, but she has never been given the opportunity for private instructions (see #1 above). Her one shot is convincing Mrs. Dosek, a well-respected pianist who teaches for free, but the woman won’t return an email, let alone talk to her.
When Madison discovers a pink box of letters hidden in her parents’ attic, she’s consumed with wanting to know more about the woman who wrote them. Through reading the heartbreaking letters, Madison comes to learn more than she ever dreamed of about herself, but now she has to face her biggest fear, and it has nothing to do with college. She must learn where she came from in order to find out where she’s going.
***Recommended for adult readers due to language, sexual content and adult situations***
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Rattled is only a short novella but certainly packs a punch, very intense & moving. Kelsey & Alex both attended Baxter’s Academy of Art where they didn’t like each other.
Kelsey finally has the money to have a special tattoo but only if she’s a model for a tattoo artist auditioning for the Reed brothers & their reality show, as the price is reduced by half. Alex is the tattoo artist who’s auditioning.
At first the antagonism is still there but as the pair open up to each other whilst Alex is doing the tattoo their perception of each other is dramatically changed. The novella ends with them going for a coffee, this leaves the way open for them in
Still Rattled Kelsey Fry & Alex Dosek go for a coffee after Alex has finished Kelsey’s tattoo but its Thanksgiving so the diner is full as it’s offering a great deal on a Thanksgiving meal. Alex invites Kelsey back to dinner at the brownstone he rents along with five other guys who also went to Baxters.
When they learn that she has an interview for a teaching job at Baxters Academy they all want to go with her
Who would have thought a house full of boys would become a refuge for Kelsey? The Baxter boys come to Kelsey’s rescue and all is well, but the past has a way of catching up with you, and Kelsey’s past reaches out with a phone call. The daughter she gave up for adoption is sick, and she needs something only Kelsey can give her.
Alex & Kelsey find they are rapidly falling for each other & both relish not being alone.
However things don’t go smoothly, one of Kelsey’s flatmates is a complete snob but her comeuppance is so apt, her daughter becomes ill, her student teaching placement is withdrawn. All of these she takes in her stride until Alex tries to help.
Things also don’t go smoothly for Alex, when one of the joint owners of the tattoo parlour suffers a stroke.
This is a heart warming story & the other five guys in the house are wonderful, especially Dylan. I loved the chemistry between Alex & Kelsey & the way the chapters were written from each ones perspective, something the author does really well. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.
The Rattle Box
Two things stand in the way of Madison Cross realizing her dream of studying music performance and composition at a prestigious college:
1) Her parents, who don’t understand or get her, and want her to attend a community college and settle on a career that will actually support her one day; and
2) A private instructor.
No music school is going to take her seriously with only middle and high school instruction, but she has never been given the opportunity for private instructions. Her one shot is convincing Mrs. Dosek, a well-respected pianist who teaches for free, but the woman won’t return an email, let alone talk to her. Every time Madison is about to play Mrs Dosek leaves. Madison does manage to speak to her but she says it’s not the right time of Madison’s life.
Whilst cleaning the attic Madison discovers a pink box of letters, with ‘the rattle box’ written on the outside. Madison can’t resist & starts to read the letters. She’s consumed with wanting to know more about the woman who wrote them. Through reading the heartbreaking letters, Madison comes to learn more than she ever dreamed of about herself
The letters are heart wrenching & you really feel for Kelsey. A real tear jerker of a book, particularly the last few pages – have the tissues handy!
I’m a die-hard regency lover & thoroughly enjoyed the author’s regency books especially the Trent series. I received a copy of one of her Baxter books & I was hooked. This box set is unputtadownable, I loved each of the stories individually & to have them together is a bonus. The Baxter boys series just gets better & better & I can’t wait for more
I read these stories individually when they first came out, so it’s great to have them all together in one collection. These first three Rattled stories follow Kelsey, the musician, and Alex, the tattoo artist. They both graduated from the Baxter Acadamy, which gives troubled kids who have artistic talent a place where they can get help and turn their lives around. Rattled picks up several years after they have left Baxter and are moving on with their lives.
Kelsey and Alex never got along when they were at Baxter, so when Kelsey finally decides to get a very person tattoo done, she’s not real pleased to see that Alex will be the one doing the work. However, in the course of trying to explain to Alex what the tattoo means to her, Kelsey pours her heart out about what happened during her teen years. Unfortunately, it’s all caught on tape because Alex was auditioning to be on a reality show based at the tattoo parlor. Now Kelsey’s future career may be jeopardized and Alex feels rotten about messing up her plans. Maybe they have more to talk about than they realized?
Rattled is a novella, Still Rattled is a full-length book, and The Rattle Box is a shorter book. This New Adult series does have some steamy scenes. What I love about all the Rattled/Baxter books is that these young people and their friends really care about each other and do whatever they can to help each out. Even when they may not be getting along, someone from the group is always there for them.