Until Joe: Happily Ever Alpha

Instant attraction, good storyline

I read this via my ku subscription and am leaving my review voluntarily. This is part of a spinoff of Aurora Rose Reynolds Until series. It may mention characters from other books but can be read as a standalone. This features a couple in their early 50’s.

**Triggers**
some mild violence

**Spoilers**
Joe, uncle of November (Until November b1 in the Until series), divorced father of 2 grown sons, owns a strip club with his brother. He is lonely but doesn’t think he will find a woman to spend the rest of his life with.

Bernice, single, never married. grew up in a wealthy home with a father who was controlling and a mom who was disinterested. She and her sister left home and started a business. Their brother died and the 2 sisters raised their niece.

On a family vacation, Joe see’s Bernice and is instantly attracted but he thinks she is involved with someone else.

A year later, things happen and Joe meets Bernice in person. A bit of family drama, a trip, alot of sexy time, chaos, and HEA.

Joe 4 Bernice 4 Story 4

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Until Joe by CP Smith is a DELICIOUSLY ADDICTIVE, PASSION FILLED, BLAZING HOT, 5 STAR insta-love MUST READ that will melt your panties, steal your breath, curl your toes and grab hold of every single one of your senses and throw you into a FEELS FRENZY!
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Sometimes the greatest love comes in the middle of your life.
What do I love more than a great romance? How about a great romance featuring a scrumptious hot alpha male silver fox looking for love. Yep count me in!!!! I’m super pumped and fully joyed to have read, “Until Joe-Happily Ever Alpha” by author CP Smith.

When I saw the dreamy cover, my first reaction was YES! My second reaction was YUMMY because, well, duh, just look at that cover!!! But most importantly to me was how refreshing it is to have a romance featuring a couple over 50. And trust me when I say, this couple will prove that love after 50 can be just as sweet, just as loving and even hotter than if they were in their 20’s.

Until Joe by CP Smith is a DELICIOUSLY ADDICTIVE, PASSION FILLED, BLAZING HOT, 5 STAR insta-love MUST READ that will melt your panties, steal your breath, curl your toes and grab hold of every single one of your senses and throw you into a FEELS FRENZY!

There are so many incredibly swoon-worthy moments in this book that I kept daydreaming. Wishing my name was Bernice Armstrong and that I lived in Savannah, GA and that there was a tall, hot sexy guy named Joe Rouger across the street from me who rides a Harley and who decided he wanted to make me his. His soul mate. Someone he could live and die for.

The end all be all for two people destined for the happiness the so richly deserved after missing out on love their whole lives because they were taking care of others. It was their turn now. If it were only that easy.

Southern belle’s Bernice Armstrong and her sister Eunice were raised by her mother Margaret and their father Preston. They struggled their whole
lives with an overbearing, meddling, millionaire father, Preston Armstrong who can buy anyone or anything. He’s stuck living in past traditions and excuses his behavior as protecting the family. Part of protecting his family is running off all suitors that either sister met. This also included his granddaughter Calli.

Calli is Bernice & Eunice’s niece who they raised since she was a little girl after the death of her family. (Not giving too much away). To Bernice, Calli was in all sense of the word, her daughter. There is nothing she wouldn’t do to protect her. Preston went so far as to disown the sisters when they refused to conform to his iron fist. As it turns out, it was a blessing in disguise for each of them. There is seemingly not a line he wouldn’t cross to get his way. He is a ruthless man who thinks he’s never wrong, who lacks remorse and who bears no shame in what he does. Even if it hurts those he loves.

Enter Joe Rouger. The Harley riding badass and all around great guy and owner of Teasers, a strip club that he owns in Tennessee. The club is his way of giving people hard on their luck a chance at a better life by giving them a safe place to work. He has two grown sons and wants to find someone to enjoy his life with now. He’s sacrificed his own happiness for the sake of his sons when he married their mother. His marriage was a nightmare and they eventually divorced.

During the 4th of July holiday celebration in Savannah, while watching the fireworks on the beach Joe has a brief chance encounter from a distance. Joe hears a woman’s voice that raked over his body and not in a bad way. He makes it his mission to find out who the woman was with the honey, sultry voice that caressed his soul. He was bound and determined. BOUND AND DETERMINED!

Let’s just say things don’t work out as planned right away but things have a way of working out for him and they reconnect a year later after some misunderstandings and good luck.

The connection between these two people is extraordinary. It is so strong and powerful. So powerful that they would let no one stand in their way of happiness. But in every great romance there are the evil doers and let me tell you there are plenty. There are obstacles around every corner. But they hold their ground and power forward to forge this incredible bond and discover what real love is all about.

But when things take a dangerous turn and family gets hurt, villains from all directions rear their ugly heads and misunderstandings ensue that throw a monkey wrench into the mix. Will Joe and Bernice get the happily ever after they deserve or will the powers that be prove too much for even them that they go their separate ways, back to their loveless lives, always wondering what happened to “THE ONE” that got away?

Let me make myself perfectly clear. Absolutely no one will stand in Joe’s way or get in the middle of his relationship with Bernice. NO ONE!!! He’s as alpha as they come and believe you me, he’s no chump. He NEVER backs down. N.E.V.E.R. When I reflect back on the things he’s said or done, I end up daydreaming all over again. It’s just that swoony. He’s just that swoony.

“Whoever said passion was for the young got it wrong. Dead wrong. Passion was for anyone brave enough to experience it and smart enough to hold on to it.”

There was a lot of humor in this book which I absolutely loved. The one liners and off the cuff remarks by The Wallflower girls had me busting a gut laughing out loud.

My favorite line in the entire book (and there were plenty I loved) catapulted me into a fit of laughter which I thoroughly enjoyed. And for me, those added moments of hilarity was the icing….. on….. the….. cake!!!!! What was the line? Without giving any details or spoilers, it was:

“Kick his posterior baby! Grind his twiddle diddles into mince meat!”

Until Joe is a rock’m sock’m romance, southern style that shouldn’t be missed by any romance lover. One word to describe this book? “BOOM”. It’s the 4th of July after all. You’ll have to read the book to find out why.

Oh, and mark my words.. Sex on a stick, dirty talking Joe Rouger will no doubt set you ablaze like fireworks on the 4th of July. So, have a cold beer or a mint julep handy because you’ll need it to cool you down.

The bar is now set high for me for all future swoonilicious heroes to come I’ll tell you that. Joe’s shoes will be tough shoes to fill for sure.

If I haven’t made myself clear enough in this review, let me say this………….

READ THIS BOOK! IT HAS EVERYTHING THAT MAKES A GREAT ROMANCE!

I promise you this…. You’ll be daydreaming just like I did of a life with Joe, the badass Harley riding strip club owner with the biggest heart of any hero I’ve read about….. Hey, a woman can dream………………

The plot is not believable. You have a 50 yr old woman with daddy problem. Her dad is harsh, and she defends him. Not believable. Irky.

*“Joe, don’t!” I begged.
Daddy seemed shaken by Joe’s anger. Joe hadn’t hurt him, just moved into him so he’d had to back up, then held him there with the force of his will.

*Joe had said BOOM! meant he’d been washed clean of his sins. That I was an angel who’d saved him. But to me, BOOM! was more of a feeling.

BOOM! for me, means I am finished.

Joe Rouger always wondered if he would ever find the woman who would own his heart. After getting his ex pregnant, he married her and did right by his family. The moment the twins were out of the house he left his loveless marriage and tried finding a new path of happiness only to fall short. When he sees Bernice Armstrong the first time he is hooked, he knows he has found his BOOM. However he thinks she has a man and after some misunderstanding he gets his chance with Bernice. Bernice though has a powerful father who is determined to keep them apart and will stop at nothing to do it.

I am torn on this one. I loved Joe in Until November and always hoped he would get a story. This is an older couple story and I loved Joe, he was what I imagined. I did struggle with the Bernice-Father dynamic, it just did not make sense to me given Bernice’s age. Good story though..

Until Joe is my favorite Happily Ever Alpha book. I am a huge fan of this author and her writing. The fact that she got to cross over 2 of my favorites series was amazing. The Wallflowers Series and the Until Series both have special places on my bookshelves. I love Alpha heroes and kick butt heroines.

Until Joe is the story of Uncle Joe from the Until Series and Aunt Bernice of the Wallflowers Series. Both characters are amazing in their own respective books but throw these 2 families together and it is a recipe for sexiness, danger and of course the BOOM!

This story was written so well that you would think the crossover was all a part of the plan from the beginning. There weren’t any awkward space fillers or connections that didn’t just quite add up like you come across sometimes. Joe was always meant to be Bernice’s and Bernice was always meant to be Joe’s. This book was well written, the plot was great and of course the characters were as usual, fantastic.

I always enjoy CP’s writing and look forward to her next release.

I am so disappointed with how Joe’s story turned out. After being told we would finally get a story about November’s uncle (from Until November by ARR) I couldn’t wait to see what kind of woman would be able to catch his eye.

I feel like we didn’t know too much about Joe except that he ran the club with his brother Mike (November’s dad), rode a motorcycle, and had stayed in a love-less marriage for the sake of his sons. So Smith was pretty much given free reign on how she wanted him to come together as a character. That being said I liked how he was. He was a man who has gotten to see first hand what honest love looks like between his brother’s relationship and his niece’s. He knew that he was missing something in his life and was ready to settle down and find the one woman to complete him.

Bernice we have met in Smith’s Wallflowers series. She is Calla Lily’s aunt who gave up everything to get out from under her father’s thumb. She and her sister had settled and were making something good with their lives, but once again another wrench was thrown in their lives and they were left to raise their niece after her parents and brother were killed. She even gave up her opportunity to find herself a man to settle down with and start a family to give Calla the kind of stability she needed to recover and keep living.

Each of the characters were great. And once they finally overcome misunderstandings and come together their relationship is explosive and something that I think they both needed. So why am I disappointed in this book you may ask?
Well I just can’t get over the excusing Bernice does for everything her father had done to her, her sister, and Calla Lily. I mean, this is a man who shut his own daughters out because they wouldn’t toe the line and act how an Armstrong should. Then after losing his son, he blamed the deaths on Calla…a child I might add and causing so much psychological damage to his granddaughter. He then proceeds to kidnap, attempt to marry her off, and when she refuses he smacks her. YES HE HITS HIS OWN GRANDDAUGHTER! Oh, but for Bernice and her mother it’s all okay because he just loves them so much and then goes and drinks at night to ease his guilt.
OH BUT WE’RE NOT DONE YET FOLKS!
When Joe comes into the picture he proceeds to offer him 5 mil to leave Bernice…oh but he can use her like a common whore for the weekend. He also purposely pays off women who hold a grudge against Joe to paint a picture for Bernice that makes Joe seem like he’s a cheating man-whore who dips his wick in the women who work for him.
But again, this is all okay because daddy just loves Bernice so much he only wants the best for her…
Yeah, no not okay and I’m sorry to say this all just ruined what I was expecting for almost a half a year since Smith announced she’d be writing Joe’s book.

Nobody writes soul mates and HEA’s like CP Smith. I loved Until Joe. I was so happy for Bernice to find her man. Joe is a great character and there was no one more perfect than him for Bernice. It was great to see all the other wallflowers and their men!

I’ve been waiting for a while for this book, but remember the old saying, “Good things come to those who wait.” Well, the wait for Until Joe was sooooo worth it. CP Smith has outdone herself. Joe is the perfect mature alpha: caring, protective, and well-seasoned by life enough to know EXACTLY what and who he wants. Lucky for Berniece, he wants her, much to her father’s dismay.
A chance near meeting a year ago gave Joe and Berniece a small taste of each other, but cues were misread and each spent a year pining for the other. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, passions between the two are instantly ignited and all hell breaks loose, in the most delightful ways. No one, and I mean no one, does insta-love better than CP Smith. Joe and Berniece burn hotter than a match head and light up the story. I’ve read most of Ms. Smith’s books, but I truly believe Joe Rouger is my favorite alpha created by her. Maybe it’s the maturity of the character; the desire to find someone with life experience to share his life without playing games. To put the past behind them, grab the future by the horns and hang on tight while fighting anyone who gets in your way. And Lord knows, Preston Armstrong will put up a fight-all in the name of family-no matter who he hurts or how deeply.
Berniece has been a fixture in the Wallflowers series and I love how those characters worked themselves into Joe’s story. She more than deserves an HEA after giving up her world to raise her niece and putting up with her manipulative father. This book has it all: family in-fighting, lies, miscommunications, burning passion, humor, intrigue, and lots of sexy times for Joe and Berniece.
This story is well-paced and I adore the characters. I’m gonna have a hard time moving on to the next book because I think my heart now belongs to Joe.

This is a sweet and fun story with beloved characters, old and new. I loved the cross over, giving us more of the Wall flowers shenanigans and guest appearances from November! This book definitely can be read as a standalone. So don’t sweat it if this is your first read in the Until series.

Now for the good stuff… Joe… Joe is a strong, hunky man with determined conviction. Who needs words when you have a man of action! Wow! Completely and totally fanning myself. Bernice, well, she’s a strong southern gal. Soft to the eye, but packing a steely resolve when needed, like all true southern belles.
I absolutely loved when Joe walked up to Bernice for the first time and instead of introducing himself, he kissed her. Holy swoon balls!

“I’m not leaving until I find out if you’re a woman who’s worth living and dying for.”

Appreciate that with age comes the maturity and knowledge not to fall into drama. The author gave us drama for sure, but gave Bernice the wisdom not to fall into predictable traps youngsters typically do. She knew when to stand strong and when to appreciate the worthiness of something.

“I let go, allowing the beauty of the feelings he created in my body to fill me up until they were spilling over.”

Wowza!! C.P. Smith does good steam!! I had no doubt going into this book that I would really enjoy it. C.P. Smith is the perfect person to add to the Until series! Her writing style is in sync with Aurora Rose Reynolds. They both write with the perfect blend of snark and smut, keeping you laughing and fanning yourself. I knew C.P. Smith would give the Until Series the perfect addition and I was absolutely correct! This was a spectacular book start to finish! Swoon worthy and fun!

I read an ARC of this book. My fair and honest review is voluntary.

There are so many feelings that “Until Joe” demands from you and CP Smith really dug down deep for those emotions and she created this beautiful BOOM!! Meeting Joe in “Until November” you instantly fall in love with his alpha male ego and I’ve always wanted to see him get his own story; and here it is!!! I really think CP Smith went above and beyond bringing Joe to life and it was like an emotional roller coaster that just continued to climb and climb and climb and then all of a sudden you go plunging back down to the ground and it was a very exciting ride to say the least!! Well done on this Happily Ever After Alpha!!!