Author: Lexi BlakeSeries: Nights in Bliss, Colorado #2
Audience: +18
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher:DLZ Entertainment, LLC
Release Date: May 1st 2018
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):
Re-released in a second edition with new content.*Disclaimer: I received an eARC from InkSligner PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.
Three lost souls
Growing up in the eclectic, small town of Bliss was wonderful for Callie Sheppard. She loved everything about it, except for the lack of potential romantic partners. She only went wild once in her life, sharing a perfect weekend in Dallas with two incredible men she never thought she would see again. When they parted, she was left with a hole in her heart she feared would never be filled.
One romantic weekend
DEA agents Nathan Wright and Zane Hollister were thrilled when Callie agreed to spend the weekend with them. Just days away from a long, undercover assignment, they considered this passionate affair to be an ideal way to spend their last days of freedom. They never expected to fall in love. Leaving her behind was the hardest decision of their lives.
An unexpected reunion
Six years later, Callie is preparing to break in a new sheriff after Rye Harper walked out on the job. Her heart skips a few beats when the man walking through the door is none other than Nate Wright. Nate and Zane have come to Bliss, but their time undercover has left them broken and scarred. The boys are determined to win back Callie’s heart. But when the criminals they took down come seeking revenge, Nate and Zane may have to save the strange little town of Bliss before they can reclaim the woman they love.
**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.
With each Sophie Oak a.k.a Lexi Blake re-release that I read, I have to kick myself a little bit more because how the hell did I manage to miss them the first time around??? I absolutely love these books and I am so happy I finally get to read them.
Callie, Nate and Zane have a very interesting story. They had weekend romance six years ago, and while nobody really wanted for it to end, it had to. They each needed some growing up to do, in their own way. Callie was too innocent, Nate was too focused on going places, and Zane was too willing to follow Nate. It was interesting to see how each of the main characters managed to grow and to become better versions of themselves.
I've loved Callie ever since I read the first book in this series. She was sweet, innocent, and really funny. She was also slightly scary. She knows just how to handle broody, moody men, and I had a lot of fun watching her handle these men. She still has an air of innocence of her by the end of the book, but she found the strength to stand up for herself. She didn't allow Nate or Zane to leave her again on their terms, nor did she allow them to make her into something she was not. I was really proud of her, because not only did she need to get to a place where she would stand up for herself, but she also said the things that she really needed to say. I liked the scene where she puts her men in their places.
Nate carries a lot of guilt on his shoulders, mostly because of the way his and Zane's last op ended. I had a little bit of a hard time understanding his narrow view of the world at first. He's a very "black or white" kind of guy, with no room for error or exceptions, and it was hard to see him having to deal with the unique style Bliss has. Bliss is a fun town, a town full of unique individuals, and Nate is the kind of guy who is used to order, country clubs and money. It's not that he's a bad guy, he's not, he was just raised by an overly ambitious man. I was sad for him, because it's not always easy to rebel against the things that have been a part of your education and your daily life from the day you were born. Eventually, he manages to choose to be his own man, rather than the man his father wants him to be. That was his journey throughout this book, and it was interesting to see him cope with that aspect of his life.
Zane on the other hand was a fun character to read about. He's a guy who realizes early on what he wants, and he's going to hold on to it: Callie. Sure, he wants to give her up if it means she'll be alive and that the bad men he had to deal with in his last op will leave her alone, but he loves her and he's willing to fight for her. His journey in this book is a little bit different. He was badly injured in the last op, and he has to find it in himself to want to live. I will admit that there were a few things I wished were explored more in depth, like the issues he struggled with after his injuries and his coma, but all in all I enjoyed seeing how he went from the guy who barely left the cabin he and Nate lived in to the man wanting to have a life in Bliss and making plans for the future.
As always with a Lexi Blake book, the heat was off the charts in this novel. The pace was also great and I read it pretty fast. I enjoyed this book and I am very excited for the next book in this series.
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Callie Sheppard was startled by the sound of the door opening. She sat straight up in bed and wondered what the hell she was doing. It had seemed like a great idea at the time, but now a tremor of trepidation ran through her system. She was naked in a notorious BDSM club, waiting for two men to walk in and take her virginity.
It wasn’t that she minded losing her virginity. She wasn’t doing anything interesting with it in the first place. It needed to go, but now she worried this wasn’t the way to do it. She wanted some affection and kindness. Would they give that to her? Oh, god, Stef had found her two guys for her birthday. She’d made him a loaf of zucchini bread and shared a bottle of cheap wine for his. What was she doing?
Could she run? She was naked. That didn’t really bother her, but it could confound a lot of people.
“Hello.” The deepest voice she’d ever heard pulled her from her panic.
She turned and hoped there wasn’t a line of drool running out of her mouth as she caught sight of them. Best birthday present ever. Stef might be straight, but he knew how to pick gorgeous men.
She climbed as gracefully as she could off the big bed and faced them. They were perfect. The one who had spoken was tall. She doubted she would reach his shoulders when she stood against him. He was at least six and a half feet, and his body was corded with muscle. Every piece of him seemed chiseled out of granite. He was male model perfection, with a strong jaw and piercing green eyes. His hair was inky black and curled sweetly over his ears.
His partner wasn’t quite as tall but still was no small man. He was a few inches shorter than the gorgeous monster, and his body held a lean strength. If the black-haired devil was a linebacker, this man was a swimmer. His eyes were a stark blue. His skin was sun kissed and smooth. Callie was fascinated with the idea of soft skin covering steel. His hair was cut in a military style. It was a rich brown. The intimate light of the room caught the gold and red streaks. He looked like a man who laughed often.
Everything inside her heated up at the sight of them, and she wasn’t so scared anymore. Why the hell would she run from all that hotness? And they were handpicked by a man who would never, ever hurt her. She was safe with them.
“Hello.” It seemed like a dumb thing to say to two glorious men when she was naked as the day she was born, but it was all she could think of.
“Hello, Callie.” The other man’s voice was deep, too, but there was an inherent friendliness to his Texas accent. It looked like Stef had found her a couple of cowboys. The blue-eyed man watched her. He gave her a small, calm smile, like he didn’t want to scare her. “Are you nervous, sweetheart? We don’t want you to be. Nothing happens here that you don’t want. All you have to do is say the word and everything stops.”
Their eyes were on her body. Callie had never thought much about her body before. It was a natural thing. She’d grown up in a household where nudity wasn’t frowned on. She was comfortable in her skin, only now she wasn’t. Now she was starting to feel hot and restless. They weren’t avoiding her private parts the way the nudists politely did back in Bliss. These men stared boldly at her breasts, and her breasts seemed to be staring right back. Her nipples were hard nubs.
“Do I get a safe word?” The question came out on a breathy sigh. She’d always wanted to know what it felt like to truly submit. Stefan’s subs always seemed satisfied.
The blue-eyed man’s mouth turned down. “Your safe word is no. We don’t have to play games. All you have to do is say no and we stop.”
“But we can play games if you want to.” That came from the big guy. His husky voice did all sorts of things to her libido. He walked boldly up to her and placed his hands on her hips. His touch lit up her skin. “Do you want to play, darlin’?”
Oh, yeah, she wanted to play.
