AN AMAZON TOP 50 BESTSELLERStephen Hastings is a control freak. He’s arrogant. He’s smart as a whip and sexy AF.He has too much money. He’s bossy, and he’s usually right. All I saw were his clear blue eyes, tight butt, and ripped torso. I gladly handed him my V-card that night, ten years ago. I was so stupid. I swore I’d never be that stupid again… again…
Emmy Barton works for a dry cleaner?
Yes, that Emmy Barton—long, blonde hair, bright blue eyes, pretty smile…
Sexy little body. Smart mouth.
She was the only girl who interested me, but I was leaving to be an officer in the Navy.
Now I’m home, running my business. My life is perfectly ordered until I bump into her, divorced and struggling to make ends meet.
I hate seeing her like this. I hate that she married Burt “The Dick” Dickerson. What an a–hole.
She says she hates me, but when we fight, it’s all heat and lust.
I won’t leave her this way.
She will let me help her and her son. She will stay…
It’s a thin line between love and hate, and this line is on fire.
(STAY is a STAND-ALONE enemies-to-lovers, second-chance, marriage of convenience romance. No cheating. No cliffhangers.)
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Enemies to lovers, second chance romance story! This story touch my heart as a Mom of a special needs son I wish I had a someone like Stephen to come help me. My son was born with a lot of medical conditions his main problem is a immune deficiencey he also has petite mal seizures that certain things set them off and my ex could not handle what my son has and I have been taking care of him by myself since he was born. I love the storyline and recommedn this book!!!!!
Tia Louise is an amazing author! Stay is probably my newest favorite by her! GAH! Second Chance, Marriage of Convenience, and Enemies to Lovers – ALL IN ONE BOOK!!! This book is epic! Emmy and Stephen are everything! WOW!! Whew! FIVE STARS!!
Powerfully emotional, intensely passionate, unputdownable story that will leave you breathless.
4.5 stars
Absolutely loved it! I can’t say enough about this story, it has everything:
Frenemies to Lovers
Brooding Millionaire
Single Mother
Adorable Kid
Asshole Ex
Quirky Friends
Humor
I’ve never read a story before that embodied it’s title so well. I’ll literally think of Stephen and Emmy whenever I hear the word “Stay” from now on.
OMG, this is such a great story!
This is the story of Stephen & Emmy. Stephen is in the tech business. Emmy had a crush on Stephen ten years ago. She made sure they hooked up at a party back then. She now has a seven year old boy who is sick with a seizures disorder. She has a full-time job in a cleaners. Stephen is back and has been for about six years and never looked her up. He walks in the cleaners, and that’s when it all begins. This story is so emotional. It just draws you in with all that happens. It is also very informative, especially where Emmy’s son is concerned. Emmy’s is a piece of work; his attitude, his personality, and his views of what his son should be doing. There is also a lot of love to go around, but is unrealized until it’s almost too late. All is well in the end, and I was so happy about that. This is a must read! Looking forward to more of Tia Louise’s books.
Excellent fun read!
It was just ok for me. I am not sure why I continue to read her work. She is a three star average for me. Not bad but nothing great either.
This was a decent read though shorter than I would have liked. I did like the characters.
This is a hard rating for me and I really hated to do it. I thought I was really going to love Stay because I really got into it at first and Stephen Hastings was amazing. I loved him from start to finish. Hell I wanted to marry him. The hot tension and sexy smirks he shoots Emmy’s way had me breezing through this book. Don’t even get me started on the oh so cute Eli. I am definitely watching Blue Planet now, especially so I can fall asleep. Lulabell, Emmy’s boss is also a hoot who was so funny and wonderful.
Now onto my 2 star rating and what ultimately brought this book down from my blissful high. Emmy is dumb. I did not like her as a heroine. The reason she hated Stephen was ridiculous. Ya’ll hooked up and he left afterwards so what. Emmy also marries her ex husband who is a known douchebag in the epilogue and he walks all over her and treats their son terribly and puts him at danger due to his health issues. The man is an asshole and Emmy lets him talk to her crazy. While I love Eli, Emmy is a helicopter mom to the max so much so that I feel like an evil person for getting annoyed that the story rambles on about her overprotective attitude due to his seizures. I was not with that at all.
Another thing that I didn’t like had to do with some of the writing. I’m pretty sure the heroine’s name is Emmy and one point she is referred to as Emily. Another scene cuts from being in a doctors office to like the next morning with Stephen in pajama pants. There is no break in the changing of scenes. There were other instances where Stephen had on a different colored suit than before and stuff like that. I didn’t necessarily care, but I noticed and once I took note of it I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
I just think that by the end things got super dramatic. It was clear Emmy was in love with Stephen but refused to share anything emotional with Stephen that didn’t involve her son. I understand Stephen’s hesitance about love and he shared those reasons with Emmy. But it was wonderful to see how his mind and behavior were changing as he spent more time with the two of them. He was falling in love with them both from the start. Emmy really needed to get slapped.
So as you can see I was very disappointed and was hoping for so much more for Stephen and Emmy. It could have done without the dick of an ex husband and the son with medical problems. Eli was a great kid all on his own. My high hopes were dashed, but I still hold a special place just for Mr. Hastings.
This book is an emotional rollercoaster that’s well worth the ticket to ride. Tissues & wine required! You’ll fall hard for the devilish Stephen Hastings & wrestle every single one of Emmy’s emotions as if they’re your own. Life comes at you fast so dig in your heels they say. When life starts to throw punches like a knockout fight, will Emmy choose to stay or is the damage done?
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Is true love together even possible for someone who doesn’t believe in love & another who doesn’t believe in marriage? Can an act of kindness really change your whole life? These questions and their remarkable answers can be found in Stay by Tia Louise.
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BREAKDOWN OF RATINGS
Plot: 5/5
Main Characters (hero/heroine): 4/5 -Stephen Hastings & Emmy Barton
He is: -Bossy with a capital B -Arrogant -Sexy -Devilish
She is: -Sweet -Would do anything for her son
Angst: 5/5 – So. Much. Angst!
The Feels: 5/5 – Tissues & wine required!
Addictiveness: 5/5 – Steam/Hotness/Chemistry: 5/5 Enemies to lovers
Ending: 5/5 – HEA! Super sweet!
Book Cover: A dark temptation!
Trope: Enemies to lovers, second chance romance
Romance Sub genre: New Adult Romance, Contemporary Romance
Source: Kindle Unlimited eBook
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Would I recommend this book? Yes, 18+. Mature audience.
Would I read more from this author? Yes.
This was the first book that I read by Tia Louise, and I couldn’t put it down. This was such an amazing, emotional and steamy love story about second chance at love. Learning how to forgive, and move forward. Elijah was a precious little boy, he will make his way straight into your heart .
Now I can’t wait to read the books about a couple of the other characters in Stay, they are Remington and Paton.
I now have a new author to add to my list
Wow Stephen is very alpha but Emmy is just as tough and spunky. They have such a great chemistry together. And what can I say about little man Eli! Such a great story You can’t go wrong reading this story.
The best kind of people are the ones who Stay…
Let’s see your dream guy deflowers you in a most unusual way and then leaves on those words…yeah, I would hate him too!
Stephen has definitely made at least one bad choice in his life and it’s really biting him in the butt now. Emmy Barton wants nothing to do with him. NOTHING. She looks like she rather gouge his eyes out. (#truth)
But chemistry and kindness are going to take these two for a ride they never saw coming! Oh and there’s lots of that too!
Tia Louise gave us a hero. His name is Eli, he just doesn’t know it yet!
Stephen and Emmy has a past together. He took her virginity not knowingly and left , Emmy was heartbroken. 10 years later they meet again she hates him and he’s intrigued by her and her son Eli. Emmy Ex husband is a jerk so Stephen wants to help her out. Can Emmy get past her hatred and see Stephen? Great characters and storyline. Highly recommended. Loved Emmy , Stephen, Eli, Bex , and Lou so good.
This is a great Enemies to Lovers book, I liked the story line of it spanning over a decade. Stephen is a great character, though a bit of a jerk in the beginning. Give it time, he grows up! Emmy and Eli are a great Mother Son duo who can’t help but love from the beginning. You’ll go through a myriad of emotions with this book. Anger at her ex-husband, tears with everything Eli, and laughter with Lou and her dry cleaning store. To say they do everything backwards is putting it mildly but what a great HEA.
STEPHEN HASTING IS A HERO
This second chance romance will give you all the feels. Emmy and Stephen are perfection together. Once you start reading you will definitely start rooting for Stephen and Emmy. Truly an amazing story that will tug on your heartstrings.
This was a beautiful love story. I loved it. The narrators were wonderful as well. I definitely recommend this book.
This sexy, second-chance romance was so breathtaking! There was so much to love about this romance! It had a sexy, bossy, alpha hero, an independent, devoted single mom, and an adorable little boy, Eli. Add in a marriage of convenience between enemies to lovers, and you have a sweet, sexy and emotional romance that I couldn’t stop listening to! This story started with Stephen about to leave for the service and saying goodbye to someone he loved dearly. Emmy has had a crush on Stephen for years, so when she sees him at a party later that evening, they have a passionate encounter that ended with Emmy in tears. Fast forward ten years and Stephen and Emmy meet again under very different circumstances. Stephen can’t understand the pull he has to this sexy single mom, but when he see’s her difficult struggles, he can’t help but want to fix them all. Emmy will do anything for her son, even put herself back in the path of the man who broke her heart. Stephen and Emmy’s story was a rollercoaster of emotions! It was so hot and sexy but it had me in tears at times as well! I wanted Emmy to be a bit stronger and not give in so easily to Stephen. But as a mother I can understand her wanting only the best for her son. She also had long suppressed feelings for him so the scorching chemistry they had between them couldn’t be denied!
I loved the narration by Lucy Rivers, Teddy Hamilton. They nailed these characters perfectly, including Eli. Their pacing, inflections, and dynamic voices brought out all the complex emotions, making me laugh, cry, and swoon. Their voices compliment each other so perfectly that I was completely lost in their storytelling!
The sweetest enemies to lovers. Emmie has decided Stephen is going to be the one to get her V-card and when she gives it to him he will fall in love with her and they will live happily ever after. Well it doesn’t quite go that way so when they see each other years later things have changed but those feeling she had long ago are still there.
This is such a sweet story with a fiery female and take charge male and lots of things in between. Loved everything about this story.
Lucy Rivers and Teddy Hamilton are amazing. I love listening to these two and they do a great job with this book.
I loved this and highly recommend it. Great story and great narration.
Get ready to clear your listening schedule because Stay is one of those audios you won’t be able to stop listening to. Tia Louise has gone and blown me completely away and I loved every single minute of it!
Enemies to lovers, second chance romance, marriage of convenience! Are you kidding me? I nearly died from giddiness at all my favorite tropes being in ONE audiobook! And OH MY GOD did I love Stephen! The man had me in a perpetual puddle of swoon the entire time. Seriously, he’s mine. Intense passion, electric chemistry, and delicious angst, a heroine with sass and strength for days, and an adorable kiddo are only SOME of the reasons Stay should be your next listen!
Narration by Lucy Rivers and Teddy Hamilton was perfection. Their chemistry was OFF THE CHARTS ELECTRIC! They bring the story to life beautifully. Seriously, I wanted to savor each minute of their performances, but ended up devouring this audiobook in one go and just listening again once I was done. It was so good! 10 stars.