Book Blurb:
Gwen has lived a hard life. She has endured many situations that would have broken a weaker person. But she has found love in her life and it keeps her from completely losing it when things get rough. That is, until one day a man enters her life that changes everything.
Will this man help Gwen become a stronger woman or will he completely destroy her?
My Review: 5 stars. *****
I was lucky to receive and ARC for an honest review. This will contain spoilers...
Holy shit... That is what comes to mind when I think about this phenomenal book that I just finished! I laughed, I cried, and I got really turned on! This book is amazing and I loved it from the first sentence to the very last.
It starts with blood. Lots of blood. She was about to be attacked and her attacker had thought she had grown complacent, he left keys and his pocket knife on the kitchen counter. She hid the knife in her shorts and when he attacked her and slammed her face into a wall and broke her nose, she slid the knife out of the shorts and stabbed the guy in the neck and slid as hard as she could to his other ear. She dropped the knife, grabbed his keys and RAN!
10 Years Later...
We meet Gwen Black. Who takes the subway into the city with music in her ears. Music is her lifeline. She got her GED and was in her first semester in Fashion Design. While people watching on the subway she finds "Mr. Green Eyes".
As she made it to her stop, she gets off the subway and as she is walking and not paying attention, she trips over her own two feet. Before she hits the ground, she feels big hands on her arms and she was pulled up against a really hard chest. As her rescuer asks if she is ok, she turns to see who the deep voice belongs to and looks right at "Green Eyes". She gets a little lost in those amazing eyes of his. Then she realizes that she he spoke and she snaps out of her trance. He introduces himself as Cole Cressley. As she gained her confidence, she winked and gave him a smile thanking him and never giving her name.
The next morning, she sees him on the subway again, they talk for a but, she still never gave him her name. Later that day, on her way home, she ran into him again. Finally telling him her name, they start talking again, this time it kind of hits close to home for Gwen and she gets a little upset. Cole seeing that she was upset wouldn't let her go with out at least calming her down and invites to take her for some coffee. They sit and talk more getting to know each other with out really getting to know each other. As she realized she was there a while, she says she needs to leave and he kisses her good bye.
Gwen has an internal freak out and runs to a cab and leaves without saying anything. As soon as she is in the cab, she pulls out her phone and calls her girlfriend McKayla. As she reaches McKaylas apartment, she goes inside and McKayla knows just what she needs. McKayla helps her relax by giving her an amazing orgasm in the shower. After the shower, they talk about Gwen's day.
Gwen tells McKayla about the kiss and realizes she has liked it. Which scares her cause she didn't think she could ever have feelings for a man and she doesn't know what to do with it. The next morning Gwen is on the subway again and drawing a new design in her sketchbook. Cole comes and sits close and they talk, he asks about her drawings and she shows him one that she isn't to embarrassed to show people. He thinks that they are fabulous.
After the subway, she heads to class then to her job, where we learn she works for Finest Companions which is a high end escort service. Gwen doesn't enjoy sex with a man cause after being held in captivity for 5yrs, she thinks its just something else you do. Her clients pay a little more for her services. She has a date with a 50+yr old man who takes her to a black tie party. Once they get there, She learns the party is hosted by Cole in his apartment. He doesn't know the reason she is there.
After Gwen makes it home from the party, she can't seem to get Cole out of her head, she changes out of her fancy gown and into a really tight dress and heads back to his apartment. Once there, she knocks and he doesn't answer. As she realizes she is being foolish, she goes to get on the elevator and doesn't realize he opened the door. As he says something to her and she turns around. He asks why she is there and she doesn't really know why and says that. She looks him over and realizes his chest is bare and he is only wearing basketball shorts. HOT!!! He invites her in and makes her left over food. After feeding her, he takes her to bed and they have great sex. Afterwards they are so tired, she decides to stay the night.
Waking up to a crash the next morning, she hears a woman screech... asking Cole who this woman is, the lady says she is his wife. Gwen is taken by surprise, she looks to Cole who is looking at her lap. She slaps him hard and grabs her dress and leave. Completely heart broken, she goes to McKaylas and looses it. Cries in her cheerios. Completely devastated. She ends up depressed and drinking a lot.
She realizes after a while she needs to fully open up to McKayla and tells her all about being held from the time she was 12 to the time she was 17 and raped, beaten, and starved repeatedly. She miscarried 3 babies and the final straw that made her get up her resolve and kill one of the bastards that where holding her was the fact that she was pregnant with her 4th baby. So she escaped and became homeless. The fact that she was so malnourished, she lost baby number four.
After fully opening up, she felt so much better that she decided it was time to quit at the Escort agency and get her life back on track. She remembers she was given a card for a top design company in the city. So she calls and found out if she quits school and takes the job, she will learn a lot more and it is only contracted for a year and after that year if she wants to leave she is welcome to stay on as an assistant or she can start her own line and they will help her with that.
After a year goes by, she is at fashion week about to show off her new line, she gets nervous. McKayla who is now a model, helps her calm down. As her show went great, she goes out to bow and sees familiar green eyes in the audience. After pulling it together, she finishes out the show. While at dinner to celebrate, McKayla takes Gwen out to celebrate the success. At dinner, McKayla sees Cole and tries to warn Gwen but he is already in pursuit. Coming up to the table, Gwen wouldn't let him explain and walks past him.
Over the next few days, she keeps seeing him everywhere. Finally, as she is leaving the bathroom at the gym, she runs into another guy. He tried hitting on her and after she kindly tried to say no thanks, he wouldn't let up. Before she knew it, he was up against a wall and the man holding him there was Cole. Cole explained he needed to talk to her Gwen, but she didn't want to hear it.
Gwen got offers for jobs by a few companies after the success of her show. Even the company she worked at as an assistant. She showed up for her appointment and found out that the lady who was to interview her was out sick so that woman's boss was going to do the interview. As she is escorted back, she enters a huge office and waits for the interviewer to turn around. It turns out to be Cole. He is the CEO and Owner for MHKR. She sees the look in his eyes, he has a flat look and he is sooo cold towards her like he never met her before.
As the interview progresses, it doesn't get any better. As she realizes she is fed up with his attitude she gets her composure about her and decides to grab her portfolio and leave. As she is about to get to the door, she feels arms wrap around her and she freezes. He explains that he doesn't know if he can work with her and not touch her. After he explains the situation with his now ex wife and where he has been for the last year, she realizes cant resist him anymore and they have hot passionate sex against the wall of windows.
He tells her he is picking her up for dinner that night and she was going to explain everything to him so there were no secrets between them. At dinner that night she told him all about her past. He accepts her cause he realized that he fell in love with her a long time ago. That night he stays at her apartment with her and McKayla.
The next day he goes to work and Gwen gets a call about the job she interviewed with Cole and was offered a position with his company. She happily accepts. After that call she gets another really chilling call from the brother of the man she killed 10yrs prior. He threatened her. As a few days go by she hasn't heard anything more and assuming he moved on she never tells Cole about the call.
To celebrate her new job, Cole took her out to dinner. As they pulled up to the restaurant, she gets outta the car and freezes instantly. Cole realizes the problem and looks up, in front of them stands a man from Gwens past. Cole asks if she knows him. All she can say is....
"YES".
This book was phenomenal. Its been a long time since I have found a book that gets me all hot and bothered. I had to put it down and jump my husband a few times... to me that is one damn fine book!!!! I really can't wait for book 2... all I can say is Chapter 9 is worth reading this book alone!!!! That is one hot and steamy chapter!!!! I hope y'all enjoy this book as much as I did!!!
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