There You Stand by Christina Lee ♡♡♡.5

There You Stand by Christina Lee is the 5th book in the Between Breaths series, and in this story we get to know tattoo artist Cory better, and we meet the mysterious Jude. This is a M/M book, so if you're not ready to read that then this book is not for you.

We met Cory in previous books since he works at RawInk, but Jude is new to us, and he's a mystery to Cory. Cory doesn't think Jude could ever be interested in him, and he's had his heart broken before. But it turns out Jude likes Cory, but Jude has to keep so much of himself hidden, that Cory's not sure if Jude is worth all the work he has to put in.

We watch Jude open up to Cory, and we see Cory deal with the horrible details of Jude's past.

I really enjoyed getting to know these two characters. But I didn't feel much of a connection to either one of them. I'm not sure why, but there was something missing for me. More tension, maybe?

But the story was beautifully written, and I love a good story whether I feel the connection or not. I can't wait to read more of the series.

There You Stand on Goodreads

Promise Me This by Christina Lee ♥♥♥.5

Promise Me This by Christina Lee is the fourth book in the Between Breaths series, a series which I have really enjoyed. There will be no spoilers in this review, but the books should be read in order, because you see other characters from previous books, but if you really wanted to you could read this as a stand-alone since there isn’t much crossover.

Promise Me This tells Nate and Jessie’s story. Jessie is tattooed, blue haired, and can’t afford to go to school full time. Nate is clean cut and has everything in his life paid for by his family. The two of them seem pretty different, and are having a hard time fighting their sudden feeling for each other. To make matters worse, Nate has a troubled past, making it difficult for him to get close to anyone, no matter how much he wants to. But Jessie is willing to wait him out.

Like the other books in the series, I really enjoyed reading this. Watching Nate and Jessie struggle with their feelings turned out to be a really great story. And we also watch Nate deal with plenty of family problems.

This book did feel different than the others. Sex took more of a front seat in the story, and there was much more sexual tension and talk about sex than the previous books. It was part of the story line so I thought it made sense that sex played more of a role. I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t love it either.

This story was a real page turner; I stayed up all night reading it. Read the whole series, and then read Promise Me This. Let me know what you think!

Promise Me This on Goodreads

Promise Me This by Christina Lee Cover Reveal ♥ Pre-order Now ♥ Available October 7th

A new love will test the boundaries of passion between a privileged boy next door and the tattooed, blue-haired girl who helps him embrace his wild side...

Nate has developed quite a playboy reputation around campus. It's not that he doesn't respect or trust women; he doesn't trust himself. The men in Nate’s family are prone to abusive behavior—a dirty secret that Nate’s been running from his entire life—so Nate doesn't do relationships. But he can’t help himself around one girl…

Jessie is strong, independent, and works at a tattoo parlor. Nate can’t resist getting close to her, even if it’s strictly a friendship. But it doesn't take long for Nate to admit that what he wants with Jessie is more than just friendly.

With Jessie, he can be himself and explore what he’s always felt was a terrifying darkness inside him. Even when Nate begins to crave her in a way that both shocks and horrifies him, Jessie still wants to know every part of him. Testing their boundaries together will take a trust that could render them inseparable… or tear them apart.

Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys. She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.

Author of the Between Breaths series from Penguin. ALL OF YOU, BEFORE YOU BREAK and WHISPER TO ME available now, PROMISE ME THIS on October 7th, 2014.

Also the creator of Tags-n-Stones (dot com) jewelry.

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Whisper to Me by Christina Lee ♥♥♥♥.5

Whisper to Me is the third book in Christina Lee’s Between Breaths series. I really enjoyed the other books in this series, and Rachel and Kai’s story was no exception.

Kai was with Rachel all through Rachel’s recovery after a motorcycle accident in high school. They were close until they went separate ways for college. But now they’re back in each others' lives, living at Kai’s sister’s apartment for the summer. And the two decide to hook up for the summer. But neither knows what the other really wants, and Rachel’s not even sure what she wants for herself.

The story is beautiful and heart wrenching. I never was really sure where the story was going to end up. I was never sure if Kai and Rachel would work out. The story really kept me guessing about the summer was going to end.

All in all I really enjoyed the story, just like I have the previous stories, and hopefully the way I will enjoy the stories to come. It was great to see some diversity too. Kai is Dutch and Native American, and I know we don’t see many multicultural characters in books. I was really happy to see that. And he was super hot.

So, start with the first if you haven’t read the series. But give it a go. The books are great.

*Note: Some of the intimate moments were a bit intense. You have been warned :)

Whisper to Me on Goodreads

Whisper to Me by Christina Lee out Tuesday May 20th

The book is sure to be a great one. Check out what it's about, where you can get it, and how to connect with the author. Enter the raffle to win a free copy, and be sure to check back next week for my review!

What it's all about:

Hot and consuming, this is a New Adult romance about a wayward musician and the one girl who keeps him grounded…

At college, Rachel has a reputation for being a sarcastic flirt with a thing for ripped athletes. No one at college knows her heart was ripped to shreds by her high school boyfriend, who’d driven them both off the side of the road on a borrowed motorcycle. And then subsequently abandoned her. No one really knows Rachel Mattson at all, with one exception…

Ever since he helped nurse his sister’s feisty best friend back to health, pierced bass player Kai Nakos has been head over heels in love. But the supposed bad boy can’t risk letting Rachel know the truth—especially now that the two of them are back in their hometown for the summer, together for the first time since the months following that horrible night. Never mind that Rachel’s ex is also back, groveling for her forgiveness.

Shaken by her ex’s return, Rachel finds herself turning to the one guy she knows she can trust. Now that Kai has had a taste of Rachel, he’s willing to do anything just to have her touch him again, even hiding his true feelings. After all, she only wants a temporary fling. Until it becomes something more. But perhaps it had been more all along.

About Christina:

Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys. She's addicted to lip gloss, salted caramel everything, and believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.

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Before You Break by Christina Lee ♥♥♥♥

Before You Break is the second book in Christina Lee’s Between Breaths series. I recommend reading them in order to avoid spoilers. But Ella and Quinn’s story was just as great as Avery and Bennett’s (All of You).

Ella is in a relationship with a lame frat guy whose connection with Ella’s dead brother seems to be keeping them together. And Ella has never really noticed her boyfriend’s fellow frat brother, Quinn, until he takes care of her one night while her boyfriend is passed out drunk. Ella and Quinn grow close in the time after they take notice of each other, but Quinn’s closed off nature and silence about his past is keeping them from becoming as close as Ella hoped.

We get to see the story from both Quinn and Ella’s perspectives, so while we know the secrets both characters have kept bottled up, we watch Quinn come to terms with what he should ne telling Ella. And we see what happens when we see their lives upended in a way neither of them could have expected.

I found this story to be a very enjoyable read (and I was glad to be back to good books). Seeing the story from both perspectives was nice, and add to that was the drama of how the characters would react when they found out how their lives are connected in unexpected ways. Both Ella and Quinn are great characters who felt exceptionally real. Their issues, and Quinn’s guilt in particular, were very well written.

While reading, I did think the ending would go on a bit longer. When all the problems come to a head, they were solved fairly quickly. While I was glad to see the characters get back on track so quickly, I expected there to be more.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. I have been really enjoying reading Christina Lee’s books. And I preordered Whisper to Me, the third book in the series and Rachel’s story, yesterday. May 20^th is too far away, but I will be glad when I finally get my hands on it!

Before You Break on Goodreads