From New York Times bestselling author, J. Daniels, book one in the Alabama Summer series.
When Mia Corelli returns to Alabama for a summer of fun with her childhood best friend, Tessa, there’s only one thing keeping her on edge. One person that she’d do anything to avoid.
Benjamin Kelly. World’s biggest dickhead.
Mia hates him with a fury and has no desire to ever see him again. When she … no desire to ever see him again. When she decides to start her summer off with a bang and finally give away her v-card, she unknowingly hands it over to the one guy that excelled at making her life miserable, learning a valuable lesson in the process.
Always get the name of the guy you’re going home with.
Ben can’t get the girl he spent one night with out of his head. When she leaves him the next morning, he thinks he’ll never see her again. Until he sees her lounging by the pool with his sister.
Mia is determined to hate Ben, even though she can’t forget him.
Ben is determined to prove he’s not the same guy he used to be.
What happens when the one person you wish never existed becomes the one person you can’t imagine being without?
**Warning: This book is recommended for readers over the age of 18 due to strong language and explicit sexual content.
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Gaaah … This is the sweetest second-chance-slash-enemies-to-lovers romance ever.
Mia and Ben are such warm and loving characters, so down to earth, that I can literally picture them standing in front of me. Their way to each other is enchanting and captivating. Reading their story made me feel all warm and fuzzy and had me smiling the whole time …. Until fate struck …
A great series starter and a fantastic read! I loved every single word of this sweet love story.
When the past collides with the present. I LOVED this book from the very beginning to the last page!
Mia and Ben- the start of the series. He is hot but he was so mean to her when they were kids…now they are hot and steamy Amazing love story
I am so glad that I finally took the advice of a friend and finally started this series. Started this morning and could not put it down. It was hilarious, sexy, emotional – such a great story! The only one thing I was confused about was how Mia didn’t recognize Ben in the bar. Since her appearance had obviously changed over the years, I didn’t question how he didn’t know who he was hitting on……but I would think that Mia would remember the face of her tormentor. Just a thought. I still loved them together and their chemistry was off the charts, even when Mia was trying to resist Ben. I enjoyed the secondary characters and cannot wait to see what is in store for them! Especially Tessa & Luke!!
So cute.
I really enjoyed this book. It’s the book I ‘ve read from this author and it won’t be the last. This story was really good. It’s the first book in the Alabama series, It’s Mia and Ben’s story. I really like enemies to lovers stories I luv it when the guy is a butt and the woman makes him work for it. Will this was a lil different but Mia still made him work. I really enjoyed how this book started it really did start with bang.
Mia had moved from Ruxton nearly 9 years ago. But was goin back to spend the summer with her best friend who she has seen in a while. There was one thing she wanted to do before she got to have a wild summer with her bestie. She wanted to spend the nite with a hot sexy guy but there was a lil thing she wanted to get rid off of her v card. So when a gorgeous guy at the bar gets her attention she is all for a bite of fun and she got. She just didn’t know she was giving it up to the guy that had made her life hell.
Ben was a bit of a butt when she was younger. He would give his sister and her best friend hell. He just wasn’t a great guy at all he was cocky and arrogant. But Ben wasn’t like that anyone he was a totally different guy. He had response abilities and he took them very serious but he did still liked to let loose a lil. So once he has met this gorgeous perfect woman at a bar and had one of the best nights of his life it was a lil shocked when she legged it out of his place. He didn’t get a name or a number he just knew he was goin to find it hard to get this woman out of his head. Well until he found this hot woman sitting with his sister by the pool looking just has hot has she did in his bed a few hours before. But now he knew who this woman was it was his sisters best friend Mia. The girl he had given hell to all those years ago.
These were just meant to be together. Even with the crappy things Ben had said and done to Mia they were just so cute together and really hot. The sexual tension throughout this book was crazy. They were so hot together. I really liked the characters in this book. Mia and Ben were so good but I really liked Tessa Mia’s best friend and Ben’s sister. She is so funny she has no filter at all and I luvd that about her. I m really looking forward to reading more about her. I m dying to know what happens to her after this book. I would highly recommend this book. I really enjoyed it, I couldn’t put it down. I got stuck into the story straight away I was looking forward to seeing how things were goin to go with them and I wasn’t disappointed at all. It’s a great book.
This is my first read from J. Daniels and I am in love. In. Love. Some of my friends had suggested her books and I was at the fence about starting a new to me author. I’m glad they pushed this recommendation, but with this book, it’s official. Hook. Line. Sinker. I need more.
Where I Belong is the first in the Alabama Summer series and it starts with Ben and Mia. Two people who could not stand each other when kids. He teased and picked on her turning her feelings to hate for him. But that was years ago. People change, right? Feelings do too, right?
I love Ben and Mia so much. The opening was HOT as heck and it continues throughout the book. I also love the supporting characters that are already creating a scene for upcoming books. I love the easy and accepting relationships between friends and siblings. This series has caught my attention so well that midway in this book I was anxious to start the next one to see what happens.
As my friends recommended this author, I feel compelled to say the same as them, “Read and you’ll thank me later.” I mean, who doesn’t love a alpha, inked, dirty talking cop? Do I have your attention now?
Good.
Read. It.
Fun read. Steamy summer romance!
This story captivated me from the very beginning when I read Ben’s relentless teasing on Mia. Since Mia couldn’t handle Ben’s teasing, Tessa (her bestfriend also Ben’ sister) was always to the rescue, throwing every insult she could think of back at Ben. The story was really entertaining. The big changes of Ben and Mia’s lives over the past years was quite a surprise. When their paths crossed again as two grown ups, that’s when the romance begins. This story has a whole lot of hot, amazing sex. With the teasing and the dirty talking all throughout the story, plus the extra little surprises, I couldn’t help but fall in love with this Ben and Mia’s hate-to-love story. You’ll definitely fall in love with Ben ‘Fucking’ Kelly’s character here. Well, who wouldn’t? He got the confidence and he excels in the dirty talking department. He really had a smart and fun way with words that certainly won’t bore you.
Such a fun, sweet and incredibly sexy story. Loved Ben and Mia and their beautiful story.
Who doesn’t want to be loved like Ben loves Mia???
Audiobook Review:
“Ben + Mia = HEA”
Ugh, if only there was a real life man to love me like Ben loves Mia.
I originally read this book 3 years ago and loved it- and nothing has changed since. Although I did foget just how much Ben loved his Angel, good lord that man is swoony.
I loved listening to the audio, the narrators did a fabulous job bringing one of my favorite fictional couples to life.
And seriously, how freaking adorable is Sir Nolan??? Love that kid!
This was good. What held it back from being more than that for me was a mix of some immature behavior by the heroine and her inconsistency with the hero. Also, while I do love a hero who chases after what he wants, the insta-love from Ben felt unrealistic due to his behavior towards Mia when they were kids. I think the flashbacks to his horrible treatment of her ruined the genuineness of him fallen so fast for her after seeing her 8/9 years later. So good but not great.
What was great were the narrators. I listened to the audiobook version and I’m a fan of Stella Bloom!
Mia is headed to spend the summer with her childhood best friend. Before the party starts she stops at a bar for a hook up to rid herself of her v card. The handsome stranger is more than she could have ever expected for her first time. No names exchanged just pleasant memories. Imagine his surprise when he finds her sitting by the pool with his sister. Will their one night of passion be enough to make her forget their past?
Ben is absolutely swoon worthy while trying to win Mia’s favor. Love that she has become a take charge kind of girl. And sweet little Nolan steals the show. This book had such an amazing cast of characters and I’m sure that the rest of the series is going to be just as fun. From laughter to tears Where I Belong has it all. What a sweet second chance story. Looking forward to my next J Daniels read.
This book was pretty cute. I adored Ben and Mia, but there was one point with the ex I wasn’t real fond of. Ben hated Mia when she was younger. Mia was best friends with his sister and Ben relentlessly teased her. Mia swore to hate Ben forever, but when they meet again one night and don’t exchange names, they both realize that they could be meant for each other. There was a lot of drama, but it didn’t make me really upset, so it was written in a way that it could be a light read.
Absolutely love this series
I liked this book overall but I had a rough start with the beginning of the story. There were a few things that got under my skin that almost made me DNF the book completely but I am glad that I stayed with it and finished since I enjoyed it overall. I’ll start off with the things that I didn’t care for.
The first thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the instalove. Yes, two main characters sleep with each other and then are completely enamored with each other after that point. There was no build-up of feeling at all. They just existed all of a sudden for no other reason than having spent an amazing night together in bed. Honestly, I don’t think that there is any more to be said about it. Instalove is instalove. The second thing that bothered me is the fact that the two main characters knew each other nine years prior but for some unknown reason, neither one of them recognized the other in the slightest when they meet up in a bar for a one night stand. Mia’s character moved away with her mother when she was 14 years old and Ben’s character is only three years older than Mia. People’s facial features don’t typically change that drastically in the decade following high school. It seems so outlandish and improbable that neither of them recognized the other nine years later. It blows my mind. Especially because Ben’s sister is Mia’s best friend and Mia was constantly at their house when they were kids. That’s not the type of person that you would forget. Adding to that, Ben bullied Mia so badly that she was afraid to visit her friend. That’s someone that you remember. I just…gah…I can’t even put into words how absurd that part of the story is. Almost infuriatingly so, at least for me. -sigh- Anyway, there’s that. I was also bothered by the fact that, as mentioned previously, Ben bullied Mia mercilessly when they were kids and it really impacted her life. What bothered me is that is was hardly addressed and the author didn’t even provide a good reason for it in the story. It was simply written off as being young and dumb. That didn’t sit well with me. The last thing that I didn’t care for was that Mia was a virgin when Ben and Mia have their one night stand. She all of a sudden feels the need to lose her virginity and decides to hook up with some random guy in a bar to do it. It just felt off. It didn’t really mesh with her character as the reader gets to know her. It felt unnecessary and forced. If you can suspend belief and the improbability of these things then this book could work really well for you.
With all that said, keep in mind that I liked the book overall.
The characters were likable but could have used a little more development. The author does a great job of making the reader care about the characters but at the same time, the characters fell kind of flat. The reader certainly gets their motivations but their personalities are a little lacking. It feels like the bare bones of character development. Basically the reader can enjoy the story with what is presented but still yearns for more. With that said, I have to say that I did enjoy the side characters in this. They are involved with the story and the setup for the characters that star in the second book of the series was done well in this book.
The plot was okay. There were certainly parts of the story that felt unnecessary but as a whole, I enjoyed the story. I just felt like Mia and Ben needed more time together to get to know each other before the feeling sprang up. The romance was far too forced and I could have done without the instalove.
Overall, this was a story that I generally liked even though I had a love and hate relationship with certain aspects in the story. I don’t regret reading it and I am actually looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
I just want to start by saying I hate myself so much right now. I’ve had this book sat waiting for me for over two year and I’ve only just started it..I feel like kicking myself repeatedly because this book was amazing!
I started on this beauty this morning and devoured it. It completely consumed me and took over everything I had planned for the day and do I care? No, no I don’t because Ben and Mia were everything, Absolutely everything and I’m so so sad that their book is finished but also excited to see what comes from the other characters in the series.
Ben and Mia have hated each other for as long as they can remember. He’d pick on her and say the meanest things to hurt her. She’s get on his nerves without meaning to rile him up like no other could.
After 9 years apart both of them have changed and they’re about to realise just how much during the summer when Mia comes to stay with her best friend, his sister and boy, I was totally living for their reactions DAMN.
Everything about this book was amazing except one tiny little part and this part is a *SPOILER* so don’t read if you don’t want it to be spoiled lol…
So her mum dies and that, that is absolutely heart breaking, the thought alone makes me want to break down into tears and cry into my pillow, I’d be nothing without the woman that gave me life but Mia, yes she’s sad but as soon as she hears about everything else that happened it was like, f my pain, f that my mum just died and let’s just focus on a man. I really really disliked that part because no, I wouldn’t want to think that was anyone’s reaction to their mom dying, it’s horrible. She cried and didn’t have a another thought about it, damn.
So apart from that tiny little thing I absolutely enjoyed this book so much, I will DEFINITELY be reading another book from this author in the future, incredible.
Where I Belong is a enemies to lovers romance, one that’ll have your panties melting and your skin scorching hot.
Sweet book with great characters. Very entertaining and believable. Loved the interaction and can’t wait to read the entire series!
Love this author. Everything written by them is awesome read.
Great read, steamy details and good storyline
Had a hard time putting it down
It was a good twist with the lead female being sought after by her childhood nemesis.