Carian Cole brings readers a new twist on arranged marriage with this heartfelt romance that’s full of witty banter, tantalizing slow-burn chemistry, and two people finding love where they least expect it.My best friend has a habit of trying to fix all my problems—whether I want her to or not. But when she approaches me with an application to join a marriage experiment, I think she’s finally gone … she’s finally gone too far.
She’s right, though—my heart (and other body parts)—have been woefully neglected during my three years of singlehood and endless bad dates. I love my cat, but at twenty-five years old, I’d like to settle down with a great guy and start a family.
After some serious soul-searching, I take the biggest leap of faith in my life and agree to marry a total stranger.
I asked for a stable, funny, smart, clean-cut, caring, family-oriented man. But when I get to the altar, I find a guy covered in tattoos with wild hair and a sexy, panty-melting grin waiting for me.
Talon Valentine. A rock star. A famous rock star.
I wanted to run. So did he.
But we stayed and said our vows, determined to commit to the experiment.
We fought. We laughed. We cried. We went from not being able to stand each other to not being able to keep our hands off each other. To our surprise, we fell in love.
But then tragedy struck, cracking our fragile foundation, leaving us wondering how this six-month marriage experiment would end.
Will one—or both of us—choose to get divorced, or will we finally get the happily ever after we both dreamed of?
* Talon can be read as a single stand-alone book.
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One of the best books I’ve ever read. I would give it more than 5*’s if I could
TALON Ashes & Ember’s Book 4 by Carian Cole
I absolutely was enthralled with this story! Talon and Asia are such a great couple who do go through so much in their quest to be together. There is so much witty banter, heartbreak, great family moments with the other members. This is my favorite of this series! Wish I could give it more than 5 stars!
I loved this! I haven’t read many experimental marriage romances before and the ones I have, fell flat! But not Talon, ohhh no!
Talon was pure passion, I was so excited to read it after Carian Cole had said Talon was one of her favourites and I can bloody see why!
That book was the definition of sexy and sweet!
Asia was such a cute character who made me giggle throughout the book with all her little quirks which reminded me of myself so much!
I need a Talon in my life, and his set you on fire kisses and teddy bear hugs!
Another 5* read for me by Carian Cole! What trope can’t this woman do!!
#cariancole #talon #cariancole_author #cariancolegroupies #cariancolebooks #ashesandembers #ashesandembersseries #romancebooks
I read this via ku and am leaving my review voluntarily. this is part of a series and other characters appear throughout the story so it’s best read in order.
Triggers: remembering childhood traumas incl domestic violence, talk of depression/suicide
**spoikers**
this is Talon and Asia’s story. Talon, a rock star and Asia a young woman with fears of abandonment take part in an experiment. They both have trouble expressing their real emotions to each other.
I don’t want to give any details. This author writes gut wrenching stories that feel real and are best experienced from a cold read. Alot of misunderstandings, emotional stuff, sexy times.
You get some insight into the other characters too. HEA
Forget 5 stars! I rate this book 5 moons!! You’ll understand once you read it.
Ugh. So many feelings. I almost didn’t finish this book. I’ll admit it. But then I sucked it up, got on my big girl panties and contacted my friend Korrie who told me to push through. I’m glad I did. In the end I really liked it. It would have been a 5 star for me if there wasn’t a few issues. The issues might not be issues for you so, you will probably love this book.
The plot of this book drew me in. It reminded me of one of my favorite guilty pleasures, Married at First Sight and also reminded me of my favorite couple on there. The girl basically ran away crying after she married her husband, but the whole 6 months i rooted for their love on the show. They are still together and i still follow them on social media because of their story. Talon and Asia reminded me so much of them and I rooted for them the whole time.
The beginning was rough for me to stomach. Not with the way that Talon treated Asia, but that was hard to get past even if I see his side is the story, but because manwhore. The book opened with him banging a groupie. Like the opening sentence was mid thrust. But I digress. I didn’t love the way that Talon treated Asia in regards to her looks, but I realize Asia also wasn’t openly warm about his. As the book went on though, the reasons they were put together became super apparent. Watching them grow together and fall in love gave me all of the feels. I liked the twist of the book, but I also didn’t love the amount of time they were apart at the end. While I understand there was a miscommunication, the end felt completely rushed when they did finally work things out. I would have loved an epilogue. I will most likely read more of this series because I am interested in the other family members in the book. This was a first for my by this author!
Talon and Asia might just be my favorite couple so far. They both had to be trusting of someone else deciding who would be their perfect partner. Talon and Asia made me laugh. These characters are so relatable in the sense that everyone has these insecurities about finding the perfect person for life. Love that all the previous characters continue to carry through with each new couple. Love Carian Cole’s story telling. Loved every book so far and can’t wait for more.
This book was AMAZING!! Carian Cole is one of my favorite authors! She is so creative in her stories and the way she writes them and I get so caught up in the book I can feel EVERYTHING!! I cried so many times through this book ugh!! I loved every second of every page of every chapter and I didn’t want it to end! Talon and Asia’s story was such a roller coaster of feelings. The story was very unique, not something I’ve read before and it had the best HEA! She did such a phenomenal job.
Talon and Asia’s story is everything! WOW! I could not put this book down! From the very beginning, I fell in love! This story was just so amazing! LOVED!!
OMG! I felt so much emotion reading this book. There was a ton of laughter at the beginning, some water works in the middle until the end and just the biggest feeling of hope and love interwoven throughout it all!
Talon and Asia are probably two of my favorites because this story was just so wonderfully unique in its entirety. They both have issues as all couples do within themselves and the ability to find love out in the world. Then they both agree to take part in an experiment that throws them together and it is so well written that I really had trouble putting it down to actually get some work done!
The greatest thing within all the Ashes & Embers stories is their realness and the depth of emotion you experience right along with the characters. That takes true talent!
Loved this book!!
…the witty banter, the sizzling chemistry between the characters!!!
Their initial meeting was priceless!!!
…watching them grow together as a couple, #truelovestory ~wtmo
**Top 10 Recommended**
I love it when love and experiments get together and with Carian Cole it is beyond good. The idea of listing what you want in a guy sounds simple yet when it comes to Asia it can be well safe. Problem is and what I liked the most is Talon is someone that does not speak of safe. He is sexy, adventurous, so unlike what she is looking for but most of all when he loves he loves deeply. Sure it is backwards with them when it comes to well marriage but definitely something worth to talk about how they began. Loved it, Carian Cole shows when it comes to love and passion love will always win.
“I received an eBook copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own.”
A heartwarming Ass-Backwards story of fateful love that starts as an experiment….going awry in the most hideous way in the end
Talon Valentine is the youngest Valentine brother and seeing all the “grinning like fools”, “totally in love” brothers around him, he quietly longs for his own HEA. His mother prods him into joining a relationship experiment
“In sickness and in health, through good and bad. This isn’t about commitment to an experiment with the hope that it works; this is about commitment for a lifetime.”
it seems like a ready made garment just waiting to fit him
But as is with all clothes, it needs some nips and ticks, before it’s tailored to perfection
Asia Jenson is the cupcake & Vanilla girl waiting to get her own home and life.
But they’re the unlikeliest of match cause they’re opposite in every way possible. They don’t even like each other!!
He thinks she’s “puppyfuck charity case with zero bang factor.”
She thinks he’s “rock star hippie Tarzan.”
Somebody, somewhere screwed up their order of a perfect Bride-Groom
This girl has been through a lot in life. Been depressed, has severe abandonment issues and has dealt with depression all by herself and the words like Un-put-together. Puppyfuck. Charity case. Bug-eyes. Ghettogirl. Trailer trash. act as triggers.
“This is just a pause.
I’ll be okay.
Not today.
Maybe not tomorrow.
But I will be. Someday.
It won’t always be this bad.
This pain isn’t my forever.
This is just a pause.
There’s more waiting for me, somewhere, down the road of my life.”
Kudos to this girl who’s been at the receiving end of these lashes and still stands with her spine erect.
I was very impressed with Carian’s characterisation of this heroine.
Story is full of poignant, soft, sweet, tender moments between a couple who’re tied together and are forced to discover each other. It’s a twisted cart before the horse situation but they both make an effort to make it work, Till they can’t……..
“How long does it take for a broken heart to unbreak? Does it ever go back together again? Or is it just forever damaged, eternally weakened, shivering in the dark among our bones?”
This girl who had 20$ to her name and hand me down clothes, gives the greatest of gift to this successful & rich rockstar – Motivation!!
“In a sky full of stars, Be The Moon”
I shed my share of tears and bore more than my share of heartache, and this story was more personal for me than anybody could understand.
I come from a culture which has been based on arranged marriage tradition for centuries. In fact start of time maybe, and this has been successfully kept my Hindu culture and society strong.
Generations of my ancestors down to my brother, in-laws and close friends have had successful married lives and they were arranged by third parties. It’s all a matter of belief in family-unit and following the principle of falling in love after marriage. It may seem strange for westerners to grasp this and feel primitive but it actually works!!
“When you love someone, what happens to them, happens to you. You either fight it together, or you let it tear you apart.”
And it did in Tally and Aze scenario too!!
I loved this book for personal reasons more than anything else and then the beautiful writing added to the charm.
So I’m done falling on and falling in love with all the Ashes & Embers hunks, Be the Moon talents, now to wait for Asher. He’s like the omnipresent narrator in the series. Just drops in at the right place at the right time. I’m getting more and more intrigued by him.
#WriteCarianWrite
5 stars for Gardner belts, lace teddy bears and magic lip balm
4.25 stars–TALON is the fourth instalment in Carian Cole’s contemporary, adult ASHES AND EMBERS erotic, rock romance series focusing on the rock band Ashes and Embers. This is twenty-six year old, guitarist and music writer Talon Valentine, and twenty-five year old, small business owner Asia’s story line. TALON can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Talon and Asia) TALON follows the social experiment that is the marriage between strangers- twenty-six year old, guitarist and music writer Talon Valentine, and twenty-five year old, small business owner Asia. Asia’s social life is virtually non-existent when her friends suggests signing up for a social experiment where couple’s are matched based on similarities, likes and dislikes, and meet as strangers the days of their wedding. Desperate for the fifty thousand dollar payout, Asia is about to have her life turned upside down. But things don’t go according to plan when Asia finds herself married to rock star Talon Valentine, the complete opposite of everything she asked for in a mate or lover.
Talon Valentine believes there has got to be a mistake. Asia is nothing like the women he needs and wants, and makes his disapproval known from the very start. But like most sociological experiments, Talon and Asia will soon discover that their match make knew exactly what she was doing. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Talon and Asia, and the potential fall-out as Talon’s world comes crashing down, and miscommunication and misunderstanding push Asia out of his life.
TALON is a story focusing on a social experiment, of sorts, wherein couples are matched based on questions and answers but not all is as it seems to be. From the outset, Talon and Asia are complete opposites including their like and dislikes, and what it is they want in a relationship and lover. As our couple traverse the minefield of married life, their journey will take a few detours from which recovery may not be possible. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense, without the use of over the top,sexually graphic language and text.
Most of the previous story line characters play secondary and supporting roles including Storm and Evie, Vandal, Lukas, Gram, Aria Valentine as well as Lukas’ friend Finn, and researcher Dr. Hollister. We are introduced to Asia’s best friend Katrina, as well as Asia’s cat Princess Pixie.
TALON is a story of family, friendship, struggle and loss. Although the author claims the story is not based on the reality television show similar in context and premise, there are too many similarities not to go unnoticed. The premise is entertaining, engaging and thought provoking; the characters are sassy, sensitive and energetic; the romance is captivating and tragic. TALON is my favorite Ashes and Embers story line, so far. I hope you enjoy as much as I do.
MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT
I read this book as part of the Ashes & Embers Boxed Set…..
Talon Valentine is another member of the family rock group, Ashes & Embers….Talon, (with his 11), is tired of the groupies and the “rock star lifestyle” and is ready to settle down with a woman who wants him for him, and he allows his mother to convince him to apply for a “Married At First Sight” type social experiment to help him find his perfect match….
Asia Jensen, a clothing designer and candle and lotions maker, is poor and alone, abandoned by everyone in her life and fresh off a REALLY bad blind date and 3 years of unintended celibacy, allows her best friend, Kat, to talk her into applying for a marriage experiment being run by Kat’s boss, Dr. Hollister, the relationship expert….After some debate, Asia decides to go for it….
Talon and Asia are matched by the experts, and they get married and move in together….Of course, they fall in love (although it takes FOREVER for them to actually say the words…), but the words “in sickness and in health” are literally put to the test ….Can this couple last the 6 months necessary for the experiment??? And, after that 6 months, will they stay together or cut their losses?? These two seem perfect for each other….LOTS of chemistry…But they have a lot of baggage to unpack……I really love this series…..
What a change of pace from the previous book and a unique concept for a story. Although this initially had a lighter feel to it as the story progressed it became quite emotional. Talon is a typical tattooed rocker so the idea of him in an arranged marriage scenario made me giggle. Asia is not someone you would pick for him at all. To say they were disappointed with their matches is an understatement. The reader is there every step of the way as they learn about each other. It was quite sweet reading then take those first steps but how well do they know each other really. When obstacles are thrown at them can two strangers really come out together at the other side.
Reviewed by United Indie Book Blog
Talon is book 4 in the Ashes & Embers series and my favorite so far in the series. I absolutely adored this book from beginning to end. I laughed and I cried, I wanted to shake Talon and Asia while giving them hugs that was the rollercoaster of feelings this book brought out. This couple definitely started off on the wrong foot but watching them try to make their marriage work and falling in love was a beautiful journey. It wasn’t always easy but in the end they were a perfect match. Now for some final thoughts, I can’t wait to meet the woman who is going to bring Mikah to his knees and Asher’s book is going to destroy me. I can’t wait for more.
Imagine being part of a social experiment where you agree to meet your spouse, for the first time, at the alter on your wedding day? And …! You must commit to staying married for six months, living as husband and wife, under the same roof, and even consummating the marriage in order to receive $50000 at the end of that time period.
Talon Valentine, the sexy and crazy youngest brother who makes up the band Ashes & Embers, finds himself in that exact situation at the suggestion of his own mother, who happens to be a famous romance novelist and is on the panel of relationship experts.
Asia lives a quiet life, barely making ends meet, in a run-down apartment in the ghetto. Her best friend, Kat, suggests that she enter the same experiment, because Asia’s prior dating experiences have been horrible, and maybe she really could find the man of her dreams.
From this point on, there’s no way I could possibly cover every single part of this story. This book is filled with chapter after chapter of situations that are hysterically funny, heartwrenchingly painful, sweet and tender, and sheer madness. At the same time, we’re watching two of the most unlikeliest people try to navigate and flounder their “relationship” in such unchartered territory.
I’ve said this before, and I mean it probably more now than any other time—Carian Cole is such a talented writer who adds so much passion into each one of her characters that you can’t help but become so invested in their lives and their welfare. I was rooting for them constantly, thinking “they’ll make it, they’ll definitely make it.” But keeping it real, it doesn’t always turn out the way you think it will. This story is so unique, as are all the books in this entire series. Carian Cole is brilliant. I can’t recommend this book enough. Everything is spot on—the storyline, the characters, the attention to detail, editing, sentence structure—you name it—AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ!!!
I never laughed so hard as I laughed reading a book. This one was the best in the Ashes & Embers Series. Carian Cole is an auto-bye for me.
Another great read from this author. Talon has quickly become my favourite (each time I read the next book in the series I fall in love with that character)! Talon just had me laughing out loud and his witty , boyish banter.
Entering into the ultimate blind date with a person whom he doesn’t get to see or know anything of until their wedding day was always going to have disaster written all over it. But as the character develops you start to realise that Talon is just as emotionally insecure as Asia. They are both too scared to show the other how they truly feel for fear of rejection.its a beautiful but heartbreaking story and I think one that had to happen for the story to evolve into an HEA.
Great writing and characters, I was just a little disappointed with the epilogue as I felt it just sane to a sudden stop like it was missing the insight afterwards that we all look forward too.