My thoughts on the book BLUE LINES by Toni Aleo

This is not a play-by-play synopsis of Blue Lines and does contain spoilers.

I am a huge Toni Aleo fan, I love her fanaticism for hockey and her detailed knowledge of the sport makes the Assassins series believable.

I eagerly awaited Blue Lines as I had completed the other books in the series and I was not disappointed. Piper has been in love with Erik, her sister’s brother-in-law, and a hockey player for the Nashville Assassins forever. On one lucky night, Erik only sees Piper and they end up making love all night in her apartment. Next day Erik explains how their tryst was a mistake and they should try to remain friends because they are ‘family.” Piper is devastated and tries to move forward, only to discover that her one night of bliss has resulted in a pregnancy. Piper prolongs the inevitable for six months, when she can no longer hide her baby bump. After calling several times, only to have some female answer the phone, she bravely stops by his apartment to tell him the news in person. Understandably Erik is off the charts pissed; one because she waited so long to tell him and now his choices are quite limited and two because he hasn't been able to get her out of his mind since the night they shared. (Don’t get all warm and fuzzy, he may think about her, but he is still chasing anything with a V!)

The story progresses to a marriage of convenience, not so much for Piper, but for Erik who has incurred the wrath of the team's owner for acting like a "man-whore." The marriage allows him to appear settled down and respectable to his family and teammates and shows that he is “doing the right thing” by Piper and his baby. Piper attempts to assuage her guilt for not telling him right away by agreeing to marry him. This after he yells at her Marrying me is the least you can do after what you've done to me!" She agrees secretly hoping that Erik will grow to love her as much as she loves him. Sadly, Erik continues to behave badly and says horrible things to Piper in hopes of killing the feelings she has for him.

I was secretly hoping that she would kick him out on his backside weeks before she actually did. Luckily they work things out in the end and will live happily ever after.... Highly recommend the book, could be read as a stand-alone novella, but if you enjoy smokin' hot athletes and even hotter sex, I'd suggest you read all of the Assassin's series. You can thank me via email.

But this smokin;' hot cover, uh book, here.

THIS IS NOT A SYNOPSIS OF ESCAPING REALITY: THE SECRET LIFE OF AMY BENSEN, THESE ARE MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK, SPOILERS MAY BE INCLUDED.

Began reading Escaping Reality: The Secret Life of Amy Bensen last night and was immediately engaged, so much so I completed it within a few hours, as my iPad reading related tennis elbow can attest. With each page turn I felt the palpable fear, dread and anxiety that follow every minute of Amy’s day. I also experienced her hope and joy as she falls in love. Author Lisa Renee Jones has an amazing gift of bringing the reader in and never letting them go.

I love the intrigue that surrounds each character and trying to figure out how each one plays a role in Amy’s past and her future.  There is sex in the book, but nothing past an R rating, and while main male character Liam does have a dark side when sex in involved it is not 50 shades of bondage and toys. You can definitely read this on an iPad with large letters on an airplane and not inspire shocking looks from your seat mates.

As you know I am not a fan of series books, I like the immediate gratification of an ending without a proverbial cliffhanger, but I may have to make an exception with this specific series.

 Buy it here.

*****