Release Date: January 26, 2014
He never wanted to be a hero…until she needed him to be.
Strength…
It took Kennedy Moore years to put her life back together after Reese Spencer shattered it. But she did. Now, years later, strong and independent, she is in pursuit of a single dream—to dance with the Altman American Dance Theater. Unfortunately, Kennedy is learning that a girl from nowhere with no money and no contacts might never be able to reach her goal.
That is, until Reese reappears, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Kennedy just can’t refuse. In exchange for working on his yacht for a few short weeks, he’ll get her an audition with the famous dance troupe. All Kennedy has to do is keep her head down, work hard and resist Reese. That sounds easy enough, right?
Weakness…
Reese doesn’t want to make it easy for Kennedy. Seeing her again has started a fire in his blood—an unwelcome one. It took him years to forget about her before, so this time he has a plan. It’s simple: Get Kennedy on his yacht, seduce her, get her out of his system, move on with his life. That sounds easy enough, right?
But the one thing Reese didn’t plan for was Kennedy herself—a girl so strong yet so broken, she makes him want to rescue her, to take care of her. To save her. Even if he has to save her from himself.
Have you read All The Pretty Lies, Book 1 in the Pretty Series? I absolutely adored Hemi and Sloane – check out my review!
Title: All The Pretty Lies (Pretty #1)
Author: M. Leighton
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 12, 2013
Her…
Sloane Locke has led a sheltered life. However, with a history like hers, she can understand why her brothers and her father want so much to protect her. She has gone along with it for twenty long years, but those days are over. For the girl who never makes promises, Sloane has made a pact with herself that things will change on her twenty-first birthday. So when the clock strikes midnight, Sloane strikes out to spread her wings and break a few rules.
Him…
In addition to inking skin, Hemi Spencer possesses many talents. Controlling himself has never been one of them. It’s never had to be. He’s lived a life of indulgence for as long as he can remember. Right up until tragedy struck. Now, he’s nothing but controlled. He’s a man on a mission, one who will let nothing and no one stand in his way.
Them…
Nothing in their lives could’ve prepared Sloane and Hemi for what they’d find in each other—distraction and obsession, love and possession. But the one thing they can’t find is a future. Neither one has been totally honest. And they’ll soon learn that the devil is in the details. In the details and in the lies.
How far will two people go to live in the now when the now is all they’ve got?
All the Pretty Poses by M. Leighton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*
4 “Bellano” “Then. Now. Forever.” ‘”happy as hell” tears’ Kisses
Oh my wow…that was…just wow. Like…wow. Okay, now that I’ve said wow way too many times maybe I can form a coherent thought about my feelings. I’m so in love with this series and these characters! First of all, All the Pretty Poses is the second book in the Pretty series…the first book All the Pretty Lies…you totally have to read…mainly because I loved it but also because you meet Reese in AtPL and the books kind of build off each other. You could read AtPP as a standalone and it wouldn’t hurt…but where’s the fun in that? Alright…let’s do this!
Harrison Ronaldo Spencer…oh Reese…alright there is no easy way to say this so I’ll just bite the bullet and say it…Reese is a dick. He’s cocky and arrogant and the product of his fathers control. He’s been raised to know what money and privilege can get you and unfortunately he went the ass hole route. That’s not to say he flushed all of the goodness and positivity out of his system…but he definitely buried it deep. I know…that sounds a little harsh but seriously, at the beginning of the book…I didn’t like Reese. Was he hot? Yes…of course he was. He’s just as droolworthy as Hemi is and damn it if I can resist any of those Spencer men. I’m a weak woman – sue me! Did some of his behavior attract me…a little. There is something to be said for a good ass hole and believe me, Reese has that down pat. But for the most part he was a douche up until the little human switch got flicked back on by a brunette with gorgeous green eyes…and thank God she came around – she saved that poor boy.
‘I’ve spent the last dozen or so years perfecting the art of never being wrong and never feeling guilty. In a way, both of those are as much a mindset as they are a fact. At least to Spencer men they are. And Spencer men are never wrong Which means we never have to feel guilty.
Until today. When I’m making my first trip back to Bellano in over a decade. I never came back. Because my father raised the perfect replica of a perfect bastard.
Me.’
Kennedy Moore…now here is someone I didn’t have any problem falling in love with – she’s a gem. Kennedy is the kind of girl I can see being good friends with even though…she really doesn’t have many friends to speak of. She’s actually a very private person and for very good reasons. And…for whatever reason (most likely because I’m a dork) I loved that she had a cat named Bozey. Kennedy is…strong and resilient…beautiful and talented…kind and sincere. And she has a dream…something to focus on…and that’s becoming a dancer. Kennedy has been through hell and had her heart crushed 14 years ago by one Reese Spencer…and thru a turn of events she finds herself faced with the possibility of achieving her dream but at the price of having to tolerate the person who broke her heart. I admired Kennedy’s determination to not let her past come back to haunt her or let it crush her desire or her possibility at the future she has always wanted.
‘Seeing Reese last night was like a bullet to the heart. Feeling those aqua eyes on me brought back everything in one mind-numbing rush.
The draw, like gravity.
The desire, like obsession.
The pain, like annihilation.
I thought I was over him, but seeing him again…even for three minutes…right out of the blue…God, it was like being hit by a car going ninety miles an hour. All over again. The instant I saw him, everything I ever felt for him came crashing back down on me, like an avalanche. One that it took me half my life to crawl out from under.’
Reese and Kennedy have my kryptonite…history…that little gem that nothing can replace. They know each other…grew up together…and granted while there is some heartbreak in their past, they did have a connection once and it’s impossible to deny it. The battle of wills between these two is fierce but yet has this understated tone of hotness. Okay, this is going to be a little hard because I try not to talk about the plot too much in my reviews because I don’t want to give anything away and unfortunately with AtPP that’s difficult to do because most of the plot circle’s around Reese and Kennedy…that’s not to say there aren’t other factors and things I didn’t expect or see coming that added to the plot…but without getting too bogged down…here I go. Reese and Kennedy are…electric, spicy and sexy as all hell. I loved them together. Loved their past and what we learn about it…love their banter…their connection…they are very addictive. I loved what Kennedy brought out in Reese and I loved the way Reese made Kennedy feel (once she got over all the negative stuff). Reese is very caveman/possessive over Kennedy and I cannot apologize for thinking that is the sexiest thing on the planet – especially when that is so out of character for what we know about him.
‘“Damn,” he says on a sigh, shaking his head. “You should probably be illegal in at least thirty countries. You’re addictive.”
I laugh. “Wanna come get your fix then?” I ask, leaning back on my elbows, an obvious invitation.
Reese doesn’t give me his usual cute comeback. He doesn’t jump my bones either. Instead, he walks slowly toward the bed and takes one strand of hair that’s lying over my heart. His eyes never leaving mine, he says, “One more fix will never be enough, I’m afraid.” His voice is quiet, sincere. A bit cryptic even.’
So the crux of the problem between these two is…Reese is used to getting what he wants and Kennedy is not going to let the past go…and so they are faced with an impasse. He wants her to give in and honestly, she wants to give in – of course she does, hello…he’s sex on a stick with wavy brown hair and gorgeous blue-green eyes…who can say no to that repeatedly? Not me! But I understood where Kennedy was coming from…not wanting to make the same mistakes of her past only to end up being left…again. Reese is a champ though…he woo’s her and he woo’d me along with Kennedy. All that distrust and uneasiness I had about him sailed away on the waters while we were cruisin’ on his gorgeous yacht, being wined and dined and pampered! It was a little surprising that underneath that playboy façade, Mr. Reese Spencer was actually quite the romantic. Oh…and that moment when Kennedy finally does give in to Reese…oh Lord. 72% baby is when I feel into lust with Reese. He’s got a special ‘accessory’ that surprised the heck out of me! Mr. Buttoned up Business man has a Prince Albert…yum! The first shocker of many!
‘I’ll love him until there’s nothing left. And then long after. It’s inevitable. He’s inevitable.’
Once again, I cannot stress how much I dig M. Leighton‘s writing. Her flow is so easy…it’s conversational and the pace is just really relaxed and I can’t get enough of it. Like my brain is like a vacuum to her words and I can’t suck them up fast enough…it’s such an enjoyable experience, I never come away from reading any of her books with anything less than a big ass dopey grin. I love the dual POV’s, each chapter is solely from one characters POV and it’s alternating one chapter Reese/one chapter Kennedy. There is no replaying events…so there is no redundancy…it’s clear, concise and works like a charm on me every time. Her style is like…sexy mixed with playful with a dash of cute, a big ole’ heaping of emotions and a side of drool worthy man candy. And I’ll be darned if she didn’t work a hell of a lot of surprises into this book…Reese’s P.A. just being one of many…and at least two of them caused me to cry a little bit!
“I couldn’t wait to get rid of every empty thing that might stand in our way so that I could chase you down and prove that I’d do anything for you. Anything. Just say it and it’s done. I don’t want a life away from you. You are my life. I want you to be my life. And I want to be yours.”
So…I have no idea who is up next but this cannot be the end of the series…I refuse to believe that! Especially with the little piece of news that we get about Hemi and Sloane – SQUEEEE – and I am still on the bandwagon for Sloane’s brothers getting their own books too – we get to see Sig in the begging of AtPP and he is just so cute and flirty and 6’5” and I need him to have a book so I can unashamedly drool over him. As usual when it comes to M. Leighton, I always want more!
M. Leighton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Wild Ones and The Bad Boys romance trilogies. She is a native of Ohio, relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she lets her mind wander to romantic settings with sexy Southern guys much like the one she married and the ones you’ll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren’t roaming in that direction, she’ll be riding horses, swimming in ponds and experiencing life on a ranch, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.
