From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills comes a new standalone romance about a flawed hero and the woman he can’t forget.“She crossed my path and changed my whole direction.”He called himself Spider. I just knew him as the sinfully gorgeous guy with eyes of fire that fate sat next to me on the airplane. I didn’t know who he really was…British rock star…my stepbrother. He … who he really was…British rock star…my stepbrother.
He kissed me because he thought we’d never see each other again. We would.
Everyone warned me about him.
They told me he was ruthless and cold and screwed up.
They said he’d leave me with a hole in my heart.
Maybe I should have listened.
Maybe I should have built up a fortress to keep him out.
But I crumbled instead.
They say an unbreakable thread connects those who are destined to meet. If that’s true, then the moment he sat next to me, we were bound together forever.
He just had to figure it out before it’s too late…
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I loved this book. It wasn’t just one thing that kept me interested. It was a whole package.
I REALLY liked this one! Spider really grew on me throughout this one. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Spider and Rose. It was sweet and lovely. Surprisingly sweet and lovely, actually!
There is a lot of angst in this story. There is so much time spend apart. And yet the ending has you saying oh. Ok. I get it now. A very smiley ending.
One of my favorite IMM books. Forbidden rockstar step sibling, a second chance, and some good plot twists. Love it!
Watching Spider and Rose deal with their relationship as step-siblings was so rough. There was that sweet puppy-love and that bad-boy acting out. And all along, strings are being pulled in the background. Hearts are crushed, and time gets away from these two would-be star-crossed lovers.
Fast forward to the two of them as adults who are thrown together after Rose is jilted, and the sparks fly once again. Only this time, both of them are wary of each other… cautious and protective of those splintered hearts. But with each turn they take, they can’t help but run into each other, and perhaps there’s still hope.
I think I was looking forward to Spider’s story from the first time we meet him in the earlier books. There’s a part of every woman who wants to help repair a bad-boy’s heart, and I was looking forward to seeing if he would get his happily-ever-after. Once again, Madden-Mills did not disappoint. I will definitely be reading more of this author’s books in the future.
With all the formulaic NA romace I read, it’s nice when a story actually sucks you in. And this really did. I ate this up. Fast. (Was my first book by this author and for a long time it was my favourite book of hers)
Well finally, Spider- you’ve been dangling in front of me in other Ilsa reads, so I knew I wanted more of you and that I’d probably love you. Thank you for the full length story!
Spider and Rose paths cross by fate on a plane ride- Rose is nervous about flying, and then she’s next to our bad boy rocker with the dreamy eyes. They share a special moment that they think is just that- a passing moment with someone they’d never see again, but alas, fate had other plans, serendipitously they are actually step-siblings.
After meeting Rose, spider questions if there is more to life- and he starts to think about what it would mean to be worthy of her. Rose is drawn to him but he knows he could definitely smash her heart. And so begins our journey of their paths to each other, over time, from one chance meeting that leads to a beautiful romance.
So much that I love- rock star, stepbrother taboo, sexy British guy, fated meetings, and fun side characters and friends. Spider is the charming bad boy that we all know and love- he’s unapologetic about his bad boy ways, but he’s also charming and magnetic.There are laughs here and tons of angst, and some explosive and magnetic chemistry between two souls who have endured hard times whose souls intertwine.
This story is angsty and steamy, but it also has a ton of heart. We get a dual POV and there are some time hops, and if stepbrother stuff isn’t your thing, this one isn’t creepy or uncomfortable- just a great, angsty love story.
I read this book a while back and enjoyed it. If I’m putting my feelings into this review, I have to say I really do not like cheaters but for some reason I let it go. These two characters needed to grow before they could be together, they had to go through a lot before they could do that.
This book is another that has been on my kindle for so long I can’t even remember when I one clicked it. What I do remember is how much I wanted to read it because I loved Spider as a secondary character. But I was scared I wouldn’t love this book and I didn’t want to not like it. I wanted to love Spider but I had this feeling that I wouldn’t after I read this so I put it off.
Sadly I was right. I really didn’t like Spider in this book. And I didn’t really connect to Rose either. I just didn’t feel it. Their very first meeting I loved and I had hoped that that was going to be significant to their story. Their second meeting basically clinched the story for me. I hated Spider and I wanted him to get sucked into the planes toilet and dropped to earth. From there he didn’t really redeem himself.
I couldn’t even get up any sympathy for Rose as she went into it all eyes wide open. And I am a firm believer that if someone repeatedly shows you they don’t care about your feelings you need to believe them and never look back. But she just kept begging for scraps and taking everything on his terms. And she made herself into a person I just couldn’t even feel sorry for.
So while the writing was good and I still love the author I really wish I had just gone with my gut and not read this book but oh well fingers crossed the next one is a great one.
I have been on a binge of Ilsa books for a while, and I feel like I was bound to not love one. I found it. While I understand what she tried to do with Spider and Rose in this book, it just wasn’t for me. Spider did too many things to Rose and I find it hard to believably come back from that. I will say, I do love how he loved her and how the book ended up, but there were too many things for me personally that I couldn’t get past in the story to make it believable.
Loved the characters in this book.
What a roller coaster story. This book shows us that the long road to find your true love is a tricky one. And even though one’s actions look like one thing, they can be something totally different. My favorite line is, “Attraction is magic, and you can’t find it in a book.”
Spider
This was every bit as perfect as I had hoped it could be. I’ve always wanted to know Spider’s story and it came with the added bonus of a step-brother romance, which is my favorite guilty pleasure. I feel like Spider’s story was perfectly told, and I’m glad the poor tortured soul was able to find peace and be truly happy.
This book was impossible to put down. It’s a poignant, fast paced sexy romance between two star crossed lovers with chemistry that is off the charts. Spider and Rose are two broken spirts that meet when Rose is eleven and Spider is sixteen. They are drawn together at there first chance meeting then when they meet again four years later the chemistry is even more intense and they learn they at newly related as step brother and sister. This book very effectively addressed child abuse, drug and alcohol addiction and bullying. I felt every emotion as I followed their journey love, laughter, hate, hope, faith, and family. This story is unforgettable as these two souls navigate their relationship five stars plus plus…
Spider is a stand-alone based on a short story written in 2013. “Spider” is a lot of things. British rock star, bad boy, and…..stepbrother. Spider and Rose have not one but two chance encounters. A connection is made but life gets in the way. Life has dealt them both a few blows that leaves them with a lot of emotional baggage and issues that need to be fixed.
For Spider it is the death of his sister followed by his family falling apart. His version of coping…sex, drugs, music & art. He is on a destructive path.
“He’s sex with a side of hard music. And it makes my heart hammer.”
Rose has had a rough start in life but ends up in a better place. Adopted by a wealthy single mom, she strives to be more. Rose is focused on achieving her goals despite her difficult beginnings.
“It doesn’t matter where I’m from. All that matters is where I’m going.”
A chance encounter on an airplane and fear of flying lead Spider to take drastic measures and gives Rose a panty melting, passionate kiss. But all good things must end and theirs come at baggage claim when they realize that Spider’s dad is engaged to Rose’s adoptive mother. Oh, and Rose is only 17!
They both experience growing pains and heart ache. The story takes us through Spider’s success as a musician while conquering his addictions and follows Rose’s dream of attending NYU and living in NYC.
The “feels” and the angst were laced throughout the book. I loved Rose’s strength and ability to bounce back. She never let her circumstances dictate who she was or where she was going. Spider’s sacrifices are not experienced until the end. He really had a tough journey to get through. The prologue had me gasping and the epilogue had me swooning.
“Love wins if you let it.”
4 stars
Is destiny written in the stars? Are we fated to meet the people closest in our lives or is everything just chance?
At age eleven Rose met a teenage Spider for the very first time, although neither one introduces themselves by name given the circumstances under which they meet. Six years go by and once more the two meet, thrust together by fate on a flight to Dallas.
Rose, a high school senior, is flying home to see her mother. Spider, an up and coming rock star, is flying home to see his father. The two feel an instant pull towards the other, but do not recognize the other from their chance encounter from years before.
During the flight the chemistry between them is undeniable. Rose knows she shouldn’t get involved, yet can’t seem to help herself. Spider knows he’s not the kind of man to ever make a commitment and right away he knows Rose deserves better than him, yet he can’t help drawing her in. Before the flight ends Spider shows his true colors by fooling around with the flight attendant right after kissing Rose. As much as Rose wants to hate Spider she can’t. His loneliness impacted her, but she didn’t let it bother her for long as she disembarked the plane. As she went in search of her mother, who was recently married, she recognized the “sex on a stick” man talking to her new step-dad.
Fate couldn’t be that crappy could it?
Happy after wedding surprise! Spider and Rose are new step-siblings. Whoa.
Destiny has quite a bit in store for Rose and Spider as their lives interweave throughout the next several years. Hurt, heartache, passion, and needs all conglomerate into a tangled web. Can it be untangled in time to lead them back to the beginning? Can it lead Rose and Spider back to love?
Only the stars know for sure.
I’ve personally known couples who’ve been together, then broken apart, then somehow managed to find one another and are happily living their ever after. I’ve also known others who were childhood friends, dated as teens, fell out of touch then didn’t find one another again until old age, yet somehow they felt that destiny brought them back together.
I love to believe that destiny has a plan for all of us and there is an invisible string binding us to those we love so we never lose them. Only the stars can see those strings for it is never dark in the heavens so they light the way to our one true love and if they are ever lost the stars guide them back home.
Spider and Rose’s story is a nonstop, can’t put it down, excellent read that will melt your heart.
I loved this book! I definitely recommend this book, and this author.
One of the Best books I’ve ever read hope to read more in the Future!! 5 stars all the way..
I was crazy excited to get my hands on this book. Ilsa Madden Mills is a one click author for me. I knew I was in for a great story & I was right.
The author captures the fragile and damaged emotional states of the young Rose and Spider perfectly. They are connected without even realising. That rawness of your first love … gah!! Then you get your dose of heartbreak. So many feelings. I was sooo angry with Spider in parts of the book I wanted to punch him and then he would do something that would make me want to hug him. Angsty goodness. I love how Ilsa’s male leads are slightly imperfect – always makes for a more interesting story.
I loved Rose as a character and enjoyed watching her grow and stand up for herself. Also have to say I adored her BFF Oscar – every girl needs an Oscar. She overcomes her terrible childhood without becoming hard and is someone I think I would be friends with. She definitely writes great female characters too.
If you’re looking for a book that’s a great slow burn, has plenty of chemistry & the perfect level of angst this is the book for you.
The story we’ve all been waiting for is here!!!! This story is filled with emotions, fire, heartbreak, passion and did I mention emotions? “She crossed my path and changed my whole direction.” I knew that line would destroy me. If you’ve read other Isla books, you’ll notice Spider has been mentioned a time or two. Hell he was the best friend of a certain someone but lets not go there. Spider is the definition of damage goods. I knew reading Spider’s story would be tough. There’s a darkness in him, a brokenness that just calls to me. So what is this story actually about? It’s about two people meeting each other right when they need each other but also about wrong timing. Rose and Spider go on this journey of love, heartbreak and redemption. Rose met Spider and a crucial moment in her life, a moment that saved her. While it would be years before she sees him again, she never forgot him. When they do get together again she feels she can’t have him. Spider is now her step brother. While the two of them do their best to fight their attraction, it just can’t be done. They are drawn to each other, like soulmates. No matter what one does, the one can’t be away. Spider is plagued by his past. He’s been addicted to drugs, has a bad relationship with his dad and hasn’t had anyone really care for him. “I realize that people always leave, even the ones you love the most. They weasel into your life and then slink away as if nothing happened. They leave you in the wake of their destruction and gamble your heart to pursue their own ambitions.” It takes a special kind of love to break through to him and that has been Rose. Rose loves in an all-consuming way. They both have been broken and haven’t had the most ideal upbringing but the two of them essentially save each other. But as all good books, problems arise. Spider pushes Rose away for her own good but ends up damaging their souls. The two of them are one. As the story progresses Spider realizes he needs to work on himself or his relationships won’t ever succeed. As time goes by, Spider gets the help he needs while Rose accomplishes her dreams. But as all true love stories go, you can’t survive long without your soulmate. He goes back and fights for her. “ I get a buzz from the connection that’s always been between us, that knowledge that she and I are two parts of a whole. I let out an exhale. I’m nothing without this. Without her.” **swooning** What I love about this book is that it doesn’t stick to one troupe; you have a second chance and step-siblings. As all of Isla’s books she leaves you completely satisfied. It was everything I could’ve wanted from Spider’s story and more. It will pull on all of your heart strings and more. You’ll feel like Olaf. Her epilogue was amazing. It’s 4.5 stars and told in a dual POV. This is a story you won’t want to miss.