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Dream Man #3
Law Man
Love is just around the corner . . .
Sweet, shy Mara Hanover is in love with her neighbor. For four years, she has secretly watched her dream man from afar. Handsome police detective Mitch Lawson is way out of her league. She's a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and there's no way a guy like Mitch would want anything to do with her. But when Mara has a leaky faucet that she can't fix, it's Mitch who comes to her rescue.
Mitch has been eyeing his beautiful neighbor for a long time. He jumps at the chance to help her, and soon their formerly platonic relationship gets very hot and heavy. But when Mara gets a disturbing phone call from her cousin's kids, she gets pulled back into the life she's tried so hard to leave behind. Can the hot law man convince Mara to let go of her past-and build a future with him?
Sweet, shy Mara Hanover is in love with her neighbor. For four years, she has secretly watched her dream man from afar. Handsome police detective Mitch Lawson is way out of her league. She's a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and there's no way a guy like Mitch would want anything to do with her. But when Mara has a leaky faucet that she can't fix, it's Mitch who comes to her rescue.
Mitch has been eyeing his beautiful neighbor for a long time. He jumps at the chance to help her, and soon their formerly platonic relationship gets very hot and heavy. But when Mara gets a disturbing phone call from her cousin's kids, she gets pulled back into the life she's tried so hard to leave behind. Can the hot law man convince Mara to let go of her past-and build a future with him?
535 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
821 people are currently reading
13.4k people want to read
About the author
Kristen Ashley
127 books39.2k followersKristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).
Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.
Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).
Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.
And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.
Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.
Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).
Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.
And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,936 reviews
May 13, 2023
🎧 7th Read, Oct. 2021 — 5 Stars
🎧 6th Read, June 2021 — 5 Stars
🎧 5th Read, May 2021 — 5 Stars
🎧 4th Read, March 2021 — 5 Stars
[3rd Read]
Dec. 2020 — 5 Stars
Best fictional family (in romance) everrr! Love them to the moon and back.
Mitch, there a way you’d adopt me into the family? I don’t mind the role I’d play.
(Read as an Audiobook)
[2nd Read]
Oct. 2020 — 5 Stars
YES I RE-READ IT FRONT TO BACK TOP TO BOTTOM. FORGET EVERYTHING I SAID, ANY CRITICISM AND WHATNOT, CUZ I . . . LIKE IT, LOVE IT, LICK IT, DO IT LIKE LA LA LA OH YEAH. (Whoops that’s Blackpink, Ice Cream. Please ignore me cause that’s lame and you know it. 🙈)
(Read as an Audiobook)
[1st Read]
Aug. 2020 — 4.25 Stars
What is it about KA’s books that you can’t help but love? I’ve only read two of her books. It could be my luck (if so, I hope it never runs out), and it might be too early to generalise her brilliance, but Law Man was a win. It wasn’t smooth sailing, but I ended up loving it nonetheless.
(✗) Theawful writing
I didn’t notice it the first time because I was too busy drooling over Kah Lahn ( The Golden Dynasty ), but I caught on to KA’s HIGH tendency to repeat words, phrases, and use run on sentences. I mean, Idk if this style was intentional or not, but it certainly grated on my nerves. Like, she’s written dozens of books each with 500+ pages. Yet her vocabulary seems to have never improved.
(✗) The thick skulled h
Lemme tell you straight, Mara is one of the most frustrating heroines I’ve ever met and she didn’t deserve Mitch for the first 2/3 of the book. She constantly beats herself up and truly believes she’s unattractive even when her friends tell her otherwise. She also doesn’t know how to speak, except to utter the words “what?” and “pardon?” Her cluelessness was cute for a while, but it got old when she couldn’t get her head out of her ass fast enough. IT WASF*CKING EXHAUSTING!
It’s like she’s been brainwashed or was a victim of some cults or something. (Actually, it’s because of her traumatic childhood.) She badly needs therapy, but all I wanted to do was shake her and slap her into next week. HOWEVER, (thank goodness for character development!) when she finally opens her eyes and stands up to her horrible mother, she’s AMAZING. I was cheering her on like a proud mama. Apart from all that, I loved how nice and kind she was with her friends, neighbors, and coworkers.
(✓) The dreamy H
I think the answer to my initial question earlier is MITCHELL JAMES LAWSON. Idk if writing the perfect H is KA’s specialty, but so far two of her Hs have completely swept me off my feet . . .
God, I LOVE Mitch so much I wanna weep. 😭 He’s so attentive, accomodating, patient, sexy, sweet, caring, protective, and reliable. He says and do the right things. Also, have I told you that I have a thing for law enforcement officers or men in uniforms (e.g. PILOTS, cops, etc.)?
We met other Hs from the rest of the series in this book, and from those cameos, let’s just say that KA got it right when she named them Dream Men. I’m not sure I’ll pick up their books anytime soon, but I’m all ears if you wanna try to convince me.
(✓) Billy and Billie
Need I say more? These kids are wonderful. Sometimes I couldn’t tell them apart cause their names were pronounced the same and I was listening on audio. Regardless, every single moment with them was precious. The Men Don’t Have Moments chapter is one of my favorites. 😭
(✓) The romance & suspense
I was baffled by what a nut Mara was. She’s freaking unbelievable. I thought, what is a man like Mitch doing with her?! On the other hand, I loved that Mitch never gave up on Mara despite her stubborness and low self esteem. He’s always so understanding and persistent but never forceful.
I ate up their budding romance! From being across the breezeway neighbors, to “always notice you” crushes, to reluctant co-parents, to living in harmony roomates, and passionate lovers. It’s not exactly the slowburn with sexually charged tension, but it’s the deep, beautiful, and emotional kind.
The suspense plotline eventually kicks in during the last 1/3. I was instantly HOOKED. I loved the twists and turns, the danger and action sequences. It gives the book more spice. Honestly, for most of the first half, I was ready to hand in a three stars, but it ultimately got better and even made me cry a few tears.
In short, Law Man was addictive. It left me hungover and overwhelmed with feelings. And this quote, “you were made in a way that it would always be worth the effort,” also applied to me and this book cause despite my reservations about the writing and the h; Mitch, the kids, and everything else made all the fuss worth it.
(Read as an Audiobook)
🎧 6th Read, June 2021 — 5 Stars
🎧 5th Read, May 2021 — 5 Stars
🎧 4th Read, March 2021 — 5 Stars
[3rd Read]
Dec. 2020 — 5 Stars
Best fictional family (in romance) everrr! Love them to the moon and back.
↠ This book gets me e v e r y t i m e.
↠ The Goddess of Audiobook should give the narrator a gold medal for her performance because it is ✧ outstanding ✧. I think her voice and the way she narrates the story FITS the heroine character PERFECTLY.
↠ She also assigns different voices for the characters so you can tell who’s speaking what. There are two children in this book, and she doesn’t sound like an adult who’s mimicking baby or children voices. It’s that convincing.
↠ I recommend the audiobook for anyone who wants to read this book!
↠ With Mara I realized, I need to be in the mood to deal with her stick-up-her-ass-ness. Otherwise, there’s no stopping me from wanting to smack her upside the head 59.99% of the time. Detective Mitch Lawson, Billy, and Billie, each owns a piece of my heart.
↠ Don’t think I’ve ever read the same book this many times in the span of five months or a year for that matter. It’s only three times, but still it’s a new record for me. That’s how much I adore the Lawson family.
↠ This book is my s u n s h i n e.
Mitch, there a way you’d adopt me into the family? I don’t mind the role I’d play.
(Read as an Audiobook)
[2nd Read]
Oct. 2020 — 5 Stars
YES I RE-READ IT FRONT TO BACK TOP TO BOTTOM. FORGET EVERYTHING I SAID, ANY CRITICISM AND WHATNOT, CUZ I . . . LIKE IT, LOVE IT, LICK IT, DO IT LIKE LA LA LA OH YEAH. (Whoops that’s Blackpink, Ice Cream. Please ignore me cause that’s lame and you know it. 🙈)
(Read as an Audiobook)
[1st Read]
Aug. 2020 — 4.25 Stars
What is it about KA’s books that you can’t help but love? I’ve only read two of her books. It could be my luck (if so, I hope it never runs out), and it might be too early to generalise her brilliance, but Law Man was a win. It wasn’t smooth sailing, but I ended up loving it nonetheless.
Mara is shy and in love with her 10.5 neighbor. For some f*cked up reason, she got it branded in her brain that she’s a 2.5; and thus, WAY out of his league. Unbeknownst to her, detective Mitch has been harboring a crush of his own. So when a chance at encounter in the form of Mara’s leaky faucet greets him, he quickly jumps at the opportunity.
(✗) The
1. Hot, hot, hot
2. Belly whoosh, another belly whoosh
3. Nice, great, beautiful, gorgeous
4. Something about Mitch’s eyes.
5. Shoot, I should’ve made a list to give you more proof!
I didn’t notice it the first time because I was too busy drooling over Kah Lahn ( The Golden Dynasty ), but I caught on to KA’s HIGH tendency to repeat words, phrases, and use run on sentences. I mean, Idk if this style was intentional or not, but it certainly grated on my nerves. Like, she’s written dozens of books each with 500+ pages. Yet her vocabulary seems to have never improved.
(✗) The thick skulled h
Ones to Threes gravitated to each other. If you were of my zone, only the foolish aimed higher than a Three. Higher than a Three equaled heartache.
Lemme tell you straight, Mara is one of the most frustrating heroines I’ve ever met and she didn’t deserve Mitch for the first 2/3 of the book. She constantly beats herself up and truly believes she’s unattractive even when her friends tell her otherwise. She also doesn’t know how to speak, except to utter the words “what?” and “pardon?” Her cluelessness was cute for a while, but it got old when she couldn’t get her head out of her ass fast enough. IT WAS
I didn’t need it. Because I wasn’t a Two Point Five. I wasn’t an Eight. I wasn’t a Ten. Mitch was right. My classification system was bullshit. Bottom line, what I was is a decent person.
It’s like she’s been brainwashed or was a victim of some cults or something. (Actually, it’s because of her traumatic childhood.) She badly needs therapy, but all I wanted to do was shake her and slap her into next week. HOWEVER, (thank goodness for character development!) when she finally opens her eyes and stands up to her horrible mother, she’s AMAZING. I was cheering her on like a proud mama. Apart from all that, I loved how nice and kind she was with her friends, neighbors, and coworkers.
(✓) The dreamy H
“I’ll go gentle, baby,” he whispered against my lips. “I promise. You’ll always be safe with me.”
I think the answer to my initial question earlier is MITCHELL JAMES LAWSON. Idk if writing the perfect H is KA’s specialty, but so far two of her Hs have completely swept me off my feet . . .
God, I LOVE Mitch so much I wanna weep. 😭 He’s so attentive, accomodating, patient, sexy, sweet, caring, protective, and reliable. He says and do the right things. Also, have I told you that I have a thing for law enforcement officers or men in uniforms (e.g. PILOTS, cops, etc.)?
The huddle included Slim, Tack, Delgado and a local private investigator, Hank Nightingale’s brother, Lee Nightingale and Lee’s second in command, Luke Stark.
We met other Hs from the rest of the series in this book, and from those cameos, let’s just say that KA got it right when she named them Dream Men. I’m not sure I’ll pick up their books anytime soon, but I’m all ears if you wanna try to convince me.
(✓) Billy and Billie
Need I say more? These kids are wonderful. Sometimes I couldn’t tell them apart cause their names were pronounced the same and I was listening on audio. Regardless, every single moment with them was precious. The Men Don’t Have Moments chapter is one of my favorites. 😭
(✓) The romance & suspense
“Let’s see if I can tear that cocoon wide open and let my Mara fly.”
I was baffled by what a nut Mara was. She’s freaking unbelievable. I thought, what is a man like Mitch doing with her?! On the other hand, I loved that Mitch never gave up on Mara despite her stubborness and low self esteem. He’s always so understanding and persistent but never forceful.
I ate up their budding romance! From being across the breezeway neighbors, to “always notice you” crushes, to reluctant co-parents, to living in harmony roomates, and passionate lovers. It’s not exactly the slowburn with sexually charged tension, but it’s the deep, beautiful, and emotional kind.
“That’s me,” Tack answered. “Full of surprises. Now, you gonna give Lawson his assurances and make your call or are we gonna get out our knitting needles and chat while we make scarves.”
The suspense plotline eventually kicks in during the last 1/3. I was instantly HOOKED. I loved the twists and turns, the danger and action sequences. It gives the book more spice. Honestly, for most of the first half, I was ready to hand in a three stars, but it ultimately got better and even made me cry a few tears.
“No, I was made to protect you, and you were made in a way that it would always be worth the effort.”
In short, Law Man was addictive. It left me hungover and overwhelmed with feelings. And this quote, “you were made in a way that it would always be worth the effort,” also applied to me and this book cause despite my reservations about the writing and the h; Mitch, the kids, and everything else made all the fuss worth it.
(Read as an Audiobook)
May 25, 2017
Just as good, every time.
When on a reading "lull...?" Re-read: 12/5/15
LAW MAN
MITCH
MARA
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Re-read 2/12/15:
Awwwwww, man. I forgot how much I enjoyed this book. Mitch is such an awesome hero. He's one of KA's "lesser" assholes.
Don't get me wrong, I love the assholes.
But sometimes it's nice to have a nice guy.
Also, in light of how...disappointing I have found some of KA's more recent endeavors, I LOVE going back and reading these books from the KA Golden Age.
When on a reading "lull...?" Re-read: 12/5/15
LAW MAN
MITCH
MARA
“Best thing that ever happened to me, that shredded washer," he whispered.
"Too bad I didn't know what a washer was or I would have shredded it myself," I whispered back.”
“I'll go gentle, baby," he whispered against my lips. "I promise. You'll always be safe with me."
Oh. My.
"Mitch," I breathed.
His soulful eyes held mine captive as he repeated firmly, "Always.”
“Let's see if I can tear that cocoon wide open and let my Mara fly.”
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Re-read 2/12/15:
Awwwwww, man. I forgot how much I enjoyed this book. Mitch is such an awesome hero. He's one of KA's "lesser" assholes.
Don't get me wrong, I love the assholes.
But sometimes it's nice to have a nice guy.
Also, in light of how...disappointing I have found some of KA's more recent endeavors, I LOVE going back and reading these books from the KA Golden Age.
July 16, 2014
3.5 stars
Dear Ms. Ashley
You probably don't know who I am, but pretty soon you will. Why, you ask yourself. Because I am going to kidnap Mitch Lawson and make him a part of my harem, of course. Now, I know nowadays harems aren't trendy, but as I was reading this book I realized I had a problem. There are just too many men I had already pledged to (including your fabulous heroes Brock and Ty), so I needed to think outside of the box. I realize having all those alpha men at the ready will be very challenging and a lifetime obligation. That's all right, I'm ready to work very, very hard at it. The moment I decided this was the only option was this...
“The man who gets Mara gets you and Billie. I’m that man. What you gotta get is, while fallin’ in love with Mara, I fell in love with you and your sister. Straight up, Bud, no lie. The feelings I feel for Mara are hers, the feelings I feel for Billie are hers and the feelings I feel for you are yours. You all have my love, not collectively, individually. Do you understand me?”
"Mitch nodded. “Right. What I mean is, I didn’t fall in love with you all as a whole. I fell in love with each of you because of who you are. I don’t care about you because you come with Mara. I care about you because you’re a good kid. You’re smart. You’re loyal. And you love and look out for your sister and Mara. I know grown men who do not have a character as fine as yours. Those are the reasons I love you. There are different reasons I love Billie. And there are different reasons I love Mara. Today, what we had together was good. But the feelings I feel for you aren’t feelings I have to have in order to have Mara. They’re feelings you earned. Now, you with me?”
If this letter fell accidentally, in hands of someone who doesn't know who Billy, Billie and Mara are, let me explain.
Mara is the totally undeserving girlfriend of Mitch. I know, I know-I shouldn't say something like that, especially after the hard life she had, but as Mitch said...
"I was right. Your head is right up your ass."
That girl needs therapy. The point system idea is so whacked. Who lives their life by devising a point system where every person has a certain value, based on their looks, and upon further knowledge, attitude and is then judged by that? Don't understand, here's an example...
"His mother was probably a Ten Point Five too and Ten Point Fives didn’t help out Two Point Fives."
That's so wrong, it's not even funny. What, now an attractive person can't help out a person who isn't as attractive? Ms. Ashley, why on Earth did you write something like that? I know, later I was supposed to see how she got over that with the help of Mitch and the kids, but she never redeemed herself completely for me. That's why this Mitch-napping is also for his own good. He'll be happier this way.
While we're here exchanging words, I have a request to make. Would you please consider writing a kick-ass, strong, confident heroine for a change. Not a clumsy, self conscious, low self esteem one. Because, no matter how much I like Tack, I don't want to be forced to take him in for his own good, too. Plus, I'd like to see a woman like that with him. It would definitely take him down a peg or two. Maybe she could be a detective? Now that's a storyline that would totally rock.
Now, where was I....Oh, yeah. Billy and Billie. I'm still incredulous about those names. I think even you mixed them up from time to time. Billy's the boy and Billie's the girl which Mara and Mitch took in, after their father (you've guessed it) Bill (who is Mara's cousin, the scumbag) gets himself in jail. Billy and Billie are like the cutest kids ever. Don't worry about them. I'll totally adopt them when I get Mitch.
"I decided to shift the subject and asked gently, “You sleep okay, sweetie?”
“Miss my teddy,” Billie replied.
Personally, I thought Detective Mitch Lawson was far superior to a tiny pink teddy bear but I wasn’t six years old."
Far superior, but the kids are cute. That speech at the beginning, those are Mitch's words to Billy, explaining his love for them. Didn't I say he was perfect.
That was all I meant to say, but I thought it was fair to mention the good stuff about their relationship, as well. Even though it totally defies my purpose...
Her infatuation...
"I was in love with him and I didn’t know him and he definitely didn’t know me. This was not in a sick-stalker-type way because I was too shy to be a stalker and I liked him too much to put him through something like that. This was in an ohmigod he’s got the perfect body, perfect bone structure, perfect smile, most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen way. It was totally benign, admiring from afar except that we lived across and one down the breezeway from each other so it wasn’t that far."
Their arguments...
…my eyes slid to Mitch whereupon I engaged my retinal laser beam to target Mitch who was not supposed to be sprawled on my couch eating donuts with the kids before nine o’clock. In fact, he was not supposed to be in my house at all until eleven o’clock. Unfortunately, my retinal laser beam malfunctioned and Mitch wasn’t incinerated.
Him explaining she has to see the light...
“Mara,” his arms gave me a squeeze, “baby, you’ve got to live in the now. Not in your head. Not controlled by your fears. You can’t live for what might happen five months in the future. You got issues you gotta face today. You gotta deal with them now. You got two kids who count on you and their lives aren’t gonna go perfect every day because you weigh every decision you make and tread cautiously. Those options are no longer available to you. You’re gonna have to live day to day and make decisions on the fly. And I’m tellin’ you I’m here to help. You need it and they need it. Are you honestly gonna say no?”
And her FINALLY seeing it...
"I didn’t need it.
Because I wasn’t a Two Point Five. I wasn’t an Eight. I wasn’t a Ten.
Mitch was right. My classification system was bullshit.
Bottom line, what I was is a decent person."
I hate being fair. I totally feel like pouting right now...
All in all, I'm just telling you to be prepared for imminent events. If you want to bribe me to stop, write me in with Tack. WITH Tack, you know? *waggles eyebrows*
Love Mimi
P.S. If my plans are derailed, please do put Mara in therapy. At least for a while. Those kind of delusions don't just go away. Thanks!
My review for book 1 in the series
My review for book 2 in the series
My review for book 4 in the series
August 19, 2022
4 Stars (Originally Read 7/23/2016)
3.5 Stars* (Re-Read 5/31/2018)
3.5 Stars** (Re-Read 4/4/2020)
3.5 Stars*** (Re-Read 1/3/2021)
Overall Opinion: This was pretty much cookie cutter Kristen Ashley. It had the typical type of characters, formatting, and even some of the dialogue that some people hate was here as well (the h saying things like "pardon", "um", "what" when being bulldozed by the H). Did that bother me at all? No! I like cookie cutter KA! I don't mind that it was similar to some of her other books because of those things, because it works for me. I enjoy these books. I like books with mcs that have interactions with kids, and KA is a go-to author when I'm wanting that type of storyline. Did I love it? No. But I did like it. It made me smile and feel good at the end. :)
*Re-Read note:. It was still an enjoyable read. I loved the H with the kids again, and the epilogue was awesome! However, the h getting bulldozed by the H so easily bugged me in this for some reason this time reading it. Yes, that's typical KA interactions -- BUT it made me want to scream "quit interrupting her, and listen!!" a few times. Her insecurities also bugged. Hence, the reason for my drop in rating after the re-read.
**Re-Read note: Not much to add here. I'm keeping my rating the same. I still enjoyed the interactions with the kids, found the h's insecurities a little annoying, and enjoyed their HEA. Overall, still good for a re-read!
***Re-Read Note: Again, I don’t have much to add. I needed an enjoyable re-read and this is in my cycle of good ones. I did skim some of the suspenseful drama that I didn’t feel was all that necessary to revisit. But! This epilogue is right up there with Lady Luck for one of my all time favorites!
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Mara and Mitch's story. They have been neighbors for ~4 years when Mitch offers to help Mara with a faulty faucet. Some unfortunate events occur, and Mara finds herself responsible for her cousin's 2 children. At this point, Mitch has planted himself into Mara's life and is insistent that he will help her with her big life change. There is some family drama, some sexy and sweet times, and some suspenseful moments...but they get a HEA ending.
POV: This was mostly told in Mara's POV, but a few sections were in Mitch's.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. Typical KA formatting (long, lots of details, and dramatic conflict at end to be resolved with a HEA). It flowed well, and I never skimmed.
Instalove: No. They both had been acquaintances for ~4 years, and both had been attracted to each other and never did anything about it. They started with some feelings already there, but I wouldn't call it instalove.
H rating: 4 stars. Mitch. He was an alpha, pushy, sometime a jerk, but also really sweet...a typical KA hero.
h rating: 4 stars. Mara. She was a super sweet, loving, insecure but shouldn't be...a typical KA heroine.
Sadness level: Low. No tissues required.
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Moderate. They have some good chemistry and scenes.
Descriptive sex: Yes
Safe sex:Yes. Condoms and birth control are mentioned. I don't remember any mention of past practices.
OW/OM drama: Very minimal.
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: No
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This had good closure with a cute jump ahead epilogue and a HEA.
How I got it: I started out listening to the audiobook that was included with my scribed subscription, but ended up paying the $5.99 for the ebook on Amazon.
Safety: I'd say that this is Safe for most readers.
3.5 Stars* (Re-Read 5/31/2018)
3.5 Stars** (Re-Read 4/4/2020)
3.5 Stars*** (Re-Read 1/3/2021)
Overall Opinion: This was pretty much cookie cutter Kristen Ashley. It had the typical type of characters, formatting, and even some of the dialogue that some people hate was here as well (the h saying things like "pardon", "um", "what" when being bulldozed by the H). Did that bother me at all? No! I like cookie cutter KA! I don't mind that it was similar to some of her other books because of those things, because it works for me. I enjoy these books. I like books with mcs that have interactions with kids, and KA is a go-to author when I'm wanting that type of storyline. Did I love it? No. But I did like it. It made me smile and feel good at the end. :)
*Re-Read note:. It was still an enjoyable read. I loved the H with the kids again, and the epilogue was awesome! However, the h getting bulldozed by the H so easily bugged me in this for some reason this time reading it. Yes, that's typical KA interactions -- BUT it made me want to scream "quit interrupting her, and listen!!" a few times. Her insecurities also bugged. Hence, the reason for my drop in rating after the re-read.
**Re-Read note: Not much to add here. I'm keeping my rating the same. I still enjoyed the interactions with the kids, found the h's insecurities a little annoying, and enjoyed their HEA. Overall, still good for a re-read!
***Re-Read Note: Again, I don’t have much to add. I needed an enjoyable re-read and this is in my cycle of good ones. I did skim some of the suspenseful drama that I didn’t feel was all that necessary to revisit. But! This epilogue is right up there with Lady Luck for one of my all time favorites!
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Mara and Mitch's story. They have been neighbors for ~4 years when Mitch offers to help Mara with a faulty faucet. Some unfortunate events occur, and Mara finds herself responsible for her cousin's 2 children. At this point, Mitch has planted himself into Mara's life and is insistent that he will help her with her big life change. There is some family drama, some sexy and sweet times, and some suspenseful moments...but they get a HEA ending.
POV: This was mostly told in Mara's POV, but a few sections were in Mitch's.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. Typical KA formatting (long, lots of details, and dramatic conflict at end to be resolved with a HEA). It flowed well, and I never skimmed.
Instalove: No. They both had been acquaintances for ~4 years, and both had been attracted to each other and never did anything about it. They started with some feelings already there, but I wouldn't call it instalove.
H rating: 4 stars. Mitch. He was an alpha, pushy, sometime a jerk, but also really sweet...a typical KA hero.
h rating: 4 stars. Mara. She was a super sweet, loving, insecure but shouldn't be...a typical KA heroine.
Sadness level: Low. No tissues required.
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Moderate. They have some good chemistry and scenes.
Descriptive sex: Yes
Safe sex:Yes. Condoms and birth control are mentioned. I don't remember any mention of past practices.
OW/OM drama: Very minimal.
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: No
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This had good closure with a cute jump ahead epilogue and a HEA.
How I got it: I started out listening to the audiobook that was included with my scribed subscription, but ended up paying the $5.99 for the ebook on Amazon.
Safety: I'd say that this is Safe for most readers.
April 20, 2015
5 Stars!!!
Mitch Lawson may be the dreamiest of the dream men! He wasn’t quite as alpha as Hawk, Tack, or Brock, but he was so damn sweet, loving and kind and that made him super sexy!
Mara comes from trash. She doesn’t communicate with most of her family, except her cousin Bill and his two kids. She left that life 13 years ago and she’s never going back. But the life she grew up living took its toll. She has low self esteem, and even though she’s made something of herself, has great friends, a good job, and a nice place, she never feels good enough.
Her neighbor and crush, Detective Mitch Lawson is a solid 10.5 and way out of her league. That hasn’t stopped her from wanting him the last few years. One day, Mara’s faucet is running and she asks her neighbors to help her fix it. Mitch over hears and offers his services. They click. It appears Mitch is into Mara just as she is into him, but she has trouble believing this.
Mara has a lot going on in her life. When her cousin gets into trouble, and she becomes guardian to his precious children, Billy and Billie, Mitch is there every step of the way to help her out. He wants to be there for her, for the kids. He’s all in. It just takes Mara a long time to realize this. To make her realize she is good enough, and Mitch does want her, he has his work cut out for him.
Mitch was AMAZING! The kids were AMAZING! Mara was a little annoying, but amazing at times (she doesn’t get the caps). Mitch won me over with his talk with Billy. I’ve never swooned so hard...
Law Man was awesome! Mitch and Mara were great. It was nice to catch up with Hawk, Tack, Brock and the rest of the gang. How much did I like this book? In true Kristen Ashley fashion, I’ll say a fuckovalot!
Mitch Lawson may be the dreamiest of the dream men! He wasn’t quite as alpha as Hawk, Tack, or Brock, but he was so damn sweet, loving and kind and that made him super sexy!
Mara comes from trash. She doesn’t communicate with most of her family, except her cousin Bill and his two kids. She left that life 13 years ago and she’s never going back. But the life she grew up living took its toll. She has low self esteem, and even though she’s made something of herself, has great friends, a good job, and a nice place, she never feels good enough.
Her neighbor and crush, Detective Mitch Lawson is a solid 10.5 and way out of her league. That hasn’t stopped her from wanting him the last few years. One day, Mara’s faucet is running and she asks her neighbors to help her fix it. Mitch over hears and offers his services. They click. It appears Mitch is into Mara just as she is into him, but she has trouble believing this.
Mara has a lot going on in her life. When her cousin gets into trouble, and she becomes guardian to his precious children, Billy and Billie, Mitch is there every step of the way to help her out. He wants to be there for her, for the kids. He’s all in. It just takes Mara a long time to realize this. To make her realize she is good enough, and Mitch does want her, he has his work cut out for him.
Mitch was AMAZING! The kids were AMAZING! Mara was a little annoying, but amazing at times (she doesn’t get the caps). Mitch won me over with his talk with Billy. I’ve never swooned so hard...
“What I mean is, I didn't fall in love with you all as a whole. I fell in love with each of you because of who you are. I don't care about you because you come with Mara. I care about you because you're a good kid. You're smart. You're loyal. And you love and look out for your sister and Mara. I know grown men who do not have a character as fine as yours. Those are the reasons I love you. There are different reasons I love Billie. And there are different reasons I love Mara. Today, what we had together was good. But the feelings I feel for you aren't feelings I have to have in order to have Mara. They're feelings you earned. Now, you with me?”Then he also says stuff like this... How can you not love this man???
“I'll go gentle, baby," he whispered against my lips. "I promise. You'll always be safe with me."Just a random- I listened to this audiobook and I’m just going to note that the Billy/Billie thing was really confusing for me. When you can’t see how it’s spelled and they are randomly saying Billy/Billie all the time it throws you off. I was never so happy then when Mitch started calling Billy, Bud!
Oh. My.
"Mitch," I breathed.
His soulful eyes held mine captive as he repeated firmly, "Always.”
“That's another thing that doesn't turn me off, sweetheart, knowin' that you come with those kids and you need to know that. You also need to know I want kids of my own, two of them. But I don't care, if this works out between me and you, that the kids we have will have an older brother and sister that don't have my blood, just my heart.”
“You're Mara, you're sweet, you're beautiful and I will not forget until the day I die how beautiful it felt to slide inside you with you wrapped around me, see your eyes get wet and know straight in my gut that you felt how beautiful it was too.”
Law Man was awesome! Mitch and Mara were great. It was nice to catch up with Hawk, Tack, Brock and the rest of the gang. How much did I like this book? In true Kristen Ashley fashion, I’ll say a fuckovalot!
May 30, 2017
It kills me to write this review because after being on a roll with KA books and loving all of them, this is the first one that didn't impress me. Don't get me wrong, the story was good, Mitch Lawson was KA's usual badass, the other characters were great too, and I was glad to see the ones from other books make an appearance. But when the highlight of the book is when my man Hawk or my dearest biker Tack shows up, then there's definitely something wrong with the book for me.
The main reason would be the heroine Mara, who was simply getting on my nerves with her "two point five" evaluation system. The phrases she used the most were: "I...", "Uhm...", "Mitch...". At some point I was surprised she was able to utter something more than this. She finally grew some balls but it was too little too late for me.
I'm just sad because I'm sure if Mitch was paired with a stronger heroine, his story could have been so much better. That being said, it was the least favourite in the series for me, with Hawk and Tack's books staying my top favourites.
The main reason would be the heroine Mara, who was simply getting on my nerves with her "two point five" evaluation system. The phrases she used the most were: "I...", "Uhm...", "Mitch...". At some point I was surprised she was able to utter something more than this. She finally grew some balls but it was too little too late for me.
I'm just sad because I'm sure if Mitch was paired with a stronger heroine, his story could have been so much better. That being said, it was the least favourite in the series for me, with Hawk and Tack's books staying my top favourites.
September 24, 2020
4.0 HAWT Alpha Good Guy stars
I love Mitch.
There I said it. I love him, and I don't care if other KA fangirls think he's boring, I think he's awesome:
1. He's a COP. That's always hot.
2. He took on Mara despite her being a HEADCASE, and despite her suddenly deciding to take on guardianship for two small children.
Actually, that's why I love it right there.
Once upon a time, I was one of those kids, and I had my own Mitch.
Then I grew up to marry another Mitch.
Kind of. He's an engineer, not a cop, and I was sans children, but still, everyone who knows us agrees that I married a carbon copy of my dad (<------he gave my sister and me his name, too).
So there's really no way I wouldn't have loved this one.
Then there's Mara, and I'll admit, she takes a little getting used to. She's one of KA's more neurotic heroines, but the more time you spend with her, the more sympathetic you become, and by the end, you love her as much as Mitch, b/c dollface is STRONG.
And good. And determined. And she loves those kids so damn much.
What kids?
Billy and Billie, her second cousins by way of her cousin Bill (who, YES, is an assclown who named BOTH his kids after his assclown-self).
Not only did this cheesehead name his daughter Billerina, he also spends his questionably acquired income on drugs and alcohol, which he uses without regard to any tiny people who are present.
Not food. Not clothes. Not basic necessities for his two children.
So Mara(belle <------how pretty is that), steps up, making the decision she'd been grappling with for awhile, and starts pursuing custody of them.
And Mitch doesn't leave her side for a second. Well, okay, he does once, but only for a few days, and then he's comes back and refuses to be pushed out again.
I want all KA heroines and Alphas to get their HEAs, but these guys are up there with Joe, Violet, and her girls (from 'THE BURG #2).
ALSO, there are more cameos from ROCK CHICK than I remember seeing anywhere else, and that includes a scene with Lee Nightingale, Hank Nightingale, and LUKE STARK all in the same room together.
So yeah, LAW MAN . . . you should read it.
11/15/15: As Robin said, the KA Buddy (Re)Read madness continues with Joanita , Stephanie and Choko over at BB&B .
B/c KA. #cantstopwontstop
I love Mitch.
There I said it. I love him, and I don't care if other KA fangirls think he's boring, I think he's awesome:
1. He's a COP. That's always hot.
2. He took on Mara despite her being a HEADCASE, and despite her suddenly deciding to take on guardianship for two small children.
Actually, that's why I love it right there.
Once upon a time, I was one of those kids, and I had my own Mitch.
Then I grew up to marry another Mitch.
Kind of. He's an engineer, not a cop, and I was sans children, but still, everyone who knows us agrees that I married a carbon copy of my dad (<------he gave my sister and me his name, too).
So there's really no way I wouldn't have loved this one.
Then there's Mara, and I'll admit, she takes a little getting used to. She's one of KA's more neurotic heroines, but the more time you spend with her, the more sympathetic you become, and by the end, you love her as much as Mitch, b/c dollface is STRONG.
And good. And determined. And she loves those kids so damn much.
What kids?
Billy and Billie, her second cousins by way of her cousin Bill (who, YES, is an assclown who named BOTH his kids after his assclown-self).
Not only did this cheesehead name his daughter Billerina, he also spends his questionably acquired income on drugs and alcohol, which he uses without regard to any tiny people who are present.
Not food. Not clothes. Not basic necessities for his two children.
So Mara(belle <------how pretty is that), steps up, making the decision she'd been grappling with for awhile, and starts pursuing custody of them.
And Mitch doesn't leave her side for a second. Well, okay, he does once, but only for a few days, and then he's comes back and refuses to be pushed out again.
I want all KA heroines and Alphas to get their HEAs, but these guys are up there with Joe, Violet, and her girls (from 'THE BURG #2).
ALSO, there are more cameos from ROCK CHICK than I remember seeing anywhere else, and that includes a scene with Lee Nightingale, Hank Nightingale, and LUKE STARK all in the same room together.
So yeah, LAW MAN . . . you should read it.
11/15/15: As Robin said, the KA Buddy (Re)Read madness continues with Joanita , Stephanie and Choko over at BB&B .
B/c KA. #cantstopwontstop
January 8, 2015
5+ stars – Contemporary Romance
GAWD I loved this book so much! There are many things that make this a great read but the reasons can be easily summarized in three words repeated over and over again: Detective Mitch Lawson. A Law Man and Dream Man extraordinaire, he is without a doubt my favorite Kristen Ashley alpha hero and one of the most swoonalicious, studtastic, heart thud inducing, and sigh-worthy heroes in Romancelandia. Seriously, Mitch is yummy husband hero material and utterly amazing in every single way and then some.
I’ll be honest that I wanted to smack Mara silly for about the first 30+% of the book. Her constant judging and referring to people in terms of their zone number...“they’re a 7.5, I’m a 2.5, and he’s a 10.5”...really annoyed me. There were times when I wondered, why doesn’t Mitch ever let Mara talk or even finish a freaking sentence? (This is a common behavior with all of Kristen Ashley’s alpha heroes.) But then I was like, oh wait, maybe it’s because all she ever says is “uh...”, “um...”, “pardon me?”, and “sorry?”! And I found myself agreeing with Mitch’s harsh assessment that Mara seriously needed to . But once Mara’s past was revealed and her batsh*t crazy relatives came calling; I understood and liked her much better. And I was so proud of her along with Mitch when she finally recognized her own self worth, found some backbone, and stood up for herself and her kids.
That brings me to another main reason I loved this book so much, which is the adorable, heartstring-tugging kids, Billy/Bud and Billie, and the cute, sweet, and emotional moments between them, Mara, and Mitch. There were several poignant scenes that choked me up and had tears streaming down my cheeks and others that brought a big smile to my face.
Like all of the previous Kristen Ashley books that I’ve read, this grabbed me from the very beginning, kept me engaged throughout, and had me anxiously yearning for a HEA finale. And once again, like all of KA’s stories, I was sad for it to end and grateful for the beautiful, touching epilogue that is in and of itself worthy of 5+ stars.
And the romance? Oh yeah! It’s intense, sexy, and smokin’ hot! Law Man is another Kristen Ashley winner! Big 5 stars!
Josh Duhamel is my Detective Mitch Lawson, and he definitely has the soulful brown eyes. *sigh*
GAWD I loved this book so much! There are many things that make this a great read but the reasons can be easily summarized in three words repeated over and over again: Detective Mitch Lawson. A Law Man and Dream Man extraordinaire, he is without a doubt my favorite Kristen Ashley alpha hero and one of the most swoonalicious, studtastic, heart thud inducing, and sigh-worthy heroes in Romancelandia. Seriously, Mitch is yummy husband hero material and utterly amazing in every single way and then some.
I’ll be honest that I wanted to smack Mara silly for about the first 30+% of the book. Her constant judging and referring to people in terms of their zone number...“they’re a 7.5, I’m a 2.5, and he’s a 10.5”...really annoyed me. There were times when I wondered, why doesn’t Mitch ever let Mara talk or even finish a freaking sentence? (This is a common behavior with all of Kristen Ashley’s alpha heroes.) But then I was like, oh wait, maybe it’s because all she ever says is “uh...”, “um...”, “pardon me?”, and “sorry?”! And I found myself agreeing with Mitch’s harsh assessment that Mara seriously needed to . But once Mara’s past was revealed and her batsh*t crazy relatives came calling; I understood and liked her much better. And I was so proud of her along with Mitch when she finally recognized her own self worth, found some backbone, and stood up for herself and her kids.
That brings me to another main reason I loved this book so much, which is the adorable, heartstring-tugging kids, Billy/Bud and Billie, and the cute, sweet, and emotional moments between them, Mara, and Mitch. There were several poignant scenes that choked me up and had tears streaming down my cheeks and others that brought a big smile to my face.
Like all of the previous Kristen Ashley books that I’ve read, this grabbed me from the very beginning, kept me engaged throughout, and had me anxiously yearning for a HEA finale. And once again, like all of KA’s stories, I was sad for it to end and grateful for the beautiful, touching epilogue that is in and of itself worthy of 5+ stars.
And the romance? Oh yeah! It’s intense, sexy, and smokin’ hot! Law Man is another Kristen Ashley winner! Big 5 stars!
Josh Duhamel is my Detective Mitch Lawson, and he definitely has the soulful brown eyes. *sigh*
November 2, 2020
Okay ,wow how did I write a review for this book months ago, but left it in my drafts without posting it...
– 4.5 stars
↬ MITCHELL JAMES LAWSON (H)
Mitch is MY man!
P: the perfect man doesn't exist
Kristen Ashley: wait hold my beer
Honestly I don't know what to say except that I feel like i'm cheating on Lahn with Mitchell. Mitchell must be in my TOP 5 fav heroes of 2020. He is no Law Man, he is THE Man. 😭
Mitch is the detective living in the same apartment complex as Mara and he had his eyes set on her for years. After an incident with a broken washer, Mitch is finally making a move and boy was it smooth. Mitch knew exactly what to say to get Mara out of her shell. Mitch knew her so well from years of watching her, he already knew that she has a crush on him but is too shy.
Every time Mara was trying to get out of spending time with Mitch, he was like "Naaah sorry baby, I can't hear you and I don't want to hear you, because the things that are stuck in your head are too whacked for your own good. I'm just going to force you to spend time with me whether you like it or not". It was comical how Mitch literally gave zero fucks what Mara wanted and not in a way that he doesn't care about her wants, but it was the only way to get her out of her own world.
When Mitch saw that Mara has problems with her cousin Bill and his two children, Mitch took charge without blinking an eye to help her with taking care of them. They both literally jumped into parenthood without any experience while not even be together. Mara doesn't even have a choice, cause she's the one who always took care about Billy and Billie when their father fucked up, but Mitch has a choice to walk away. Mitch and Mara are not even a couple yet, but Mitch took care of all of them without complain. I LOVE HIM!
His relationship with Billie: 🥺💕🥺💕🥺💕🥺
His relationship with Billy: 🥺💕🥺💕🥺💕🥺
Mitch and Mara acting like an old married couple: 🥺💕🥺💕🥺💕🥺💕🥺💕🥺💕🥺
Just give that man a medal on being the best. Bye.
This book is called Law Man, because Mitch is a detective, but I was wondering if the Law in Lawson is a coincidence or not. 🤔
↬ MARABELLE JOLENE HANOVER (h)
I wanted to smack this girl SO hard.
Mara got this whacked idea in her head where she categorized each person into a 1 to 10 scale depending on their attractivness and personality. And only the same categories can get involed with each other. That means if you're a 10, you can only be together with 9s or 10s or sometimes even a 8 but that's already slumming and will not last longterm.
For some reasons, her background is an important factor here, Mara thinks she is a two, maybe a three, so she's a Two Point Five. Mitchell in her eyes is a Ten, maybe Eleven that means a Ten Point Five and people like him don't hang out with people like her.
Every time she thinks about herself as a Two Point Five, I wanted to smack her. That means in total I wanted to smack her 27 times. I wanted to reach into the book and shake Mara so badly and scream: "SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! You're not in a Black Mirror episode where it is 2089. The society doesn't categorize you into different categories where you're only allowed to hang out with people that have the same level as you. This is not some game where you get point when you do something good or where points get deducted when you do something bad. PEOPLE CHANGE BISSsshhHhH you don't get stuck on some level your whole life. Jeez, girl get your head outta your ass!"
Mara's mother used to belittle her and look down on her daughter and maaaybe there is some truth in the saying 'if you hear something often enough, you start to believe it' buut damn how annoying it was even if I can understand why she is the way she is. For that reason I try not to read about shy heroines, because their self-esteem is usually rock bottom and I can't deal with this shit. Every girl should think of herself as a Queen. Period. Period. PERIODTTT.
A big reason why I'm giving this book only 4 stars despite really loving it, is because Mara was such a pain in the ass. Now I can say I love her, but maaan it took a while until I could fully embrace her.
BUUUT when Mara finally got to the point when she saw her worth and telling her haters off. It was a sight to behold. There is that one scene where she stood up for herself and I was screaming at my kindle, cause I was so proud of her *wipe tears off my eyes* That's my girl.
--> same girl same. I hate the endearment "baby" but out of Mitch mouth idc.
↬ THE FAMILY DYNAMIC
I'm doing it backward and give some background info about the plot now. Basically the whole plot of this book is that Mara is getting guardianship of her two cousins Billy (boy) and Billie (girl) after running away for the x-times from their father. You can imagine what kind of father Bill is who named their children Billy and Billerina. Mara and Mitch take Billy and Billie away from their home and move them into Mara's home. Law Man doesn't have any OM/OW drama, but a lot of drama revolving around the children and how Bill and other people are making Mara's life harder than it should be.
This book is pretty much all about Mara, Mitch, Billy and Billie being domestic for 500+ pages and it was *sparkles* WHOLESOME *sparkles. There are so many scenes of them having dinner together, going on trips, playing baseball etc. and it's the best thing I've read in a long time. I LOVE KIDS in books, especially kids like Billie and Billy. Half of the time I wanted Mitch and Mara to adopt ME and the other half I wanted to adopt the kids MYSELF.
Billie is just a ball of energy and literally happy about EVERYTHING. It doesn't take much to make her happy. She's a ray of sunshine. I love her so much. Billy is as much adorable. He is more of a quiet and observant soul. He is 11 going on 111 with how old his soul really is. Every time Billy was on screen I'm like *insert a lot of pleading emojis*. So far he had to take care of his lil sister and now that he is with Mara, Billy wants to be the best kid possible and there are not enough words to describe how much I love this boy who thinks he has to carry all responsibility on his back *insert cry emoji*
Mitch and Mara's relationship with the kids *chef's kiss* + Mitch and Mara acting like an old married couple from the beginning = HAPPY PHUONG
Kristen Ashley's writing is so minimalistic. It's not poetic or anything. With how long her books are, her writing gets repetitive a lot. The romance is also very insta-lovey most of the time, a trope I'm not very fond of, but damn the way I always feel so happy whenever I pick up any of KA's books that I couldn't give a shit about any of these flaws. I'm OBSESSED with KA Heroes. They are all so swoony and protective and have my unyielding love and devotion.
i- 🥺🥺🥺🥺
P.S.: Why do these covers look like KA locked her children in a room with only Microsoft Paint, told them to have fun and experiment a little?
P.P.S.: The day I stop making these comments about ugly ass covers is the day you know this account is getting hacked.
– 4.5 stars
↬ MITCHELL JAMES LAWSON (H)
Mitch is MY man!
P: the perfect man doesn't exist
Kristen Ashley: wait hold my beer
Honestly I don't know what to say except that I feel like i'm cheating on Lahn with Mitchell. Mitchell must be in my TOP 5 fav heroes of 2020. He is no Law Man, he is THE Man. 😭
Mitch is the detective living in the same apartment complex as Mara and he had his eyes set on her for years. After an incident with a broken washer, Mitch is finally making a move and boy was it smooth. Mitch knew exactly what to say to get Mara out of her shell. Mitch knew her so well from years of watching her, he already knew that she has a crush on him but is too shy.
Every time Mara was trying to get out of spending time with Mitch, he was like "Naaah sorry baby, I can't hear you and I don't want to hear you, because the things that are stuck in your head are too whacked for your own good. I'm just going to force you to spend time with me whether you like it or not". It was comical how Mitch literally gave zero fucks what Mara wanted and not in a way that he doesn't care about her wants, but it was the only way to get her out of her own world.
When Mitch saw that Mara has problems with her cousin Bill and his two children, Mitch took charge without blinking an eye to help her with taking care of them. They both literally jumped into parenthood without any experience while not even be together. Mara doesn't even have a choice, cause she's the one who always took care about Billy and Billie when their father fucked up, but Mitch has a choice to walk away. Mitch and Mara are not even a couple yet, but Mitch took care of all of them without complain. I LOVE HIM!
His relationship with Billie: 🥺💕🥺💕🥺💕🥺
His relationship with Billy: 🥺💕🥺💕🥺💕🥺
Mitch and Mara acting like an old married couple: 🥺💕🥺💕🥺💕🥺💕🥺💕🥺💕🥺
“That's another thing that doesn't turn me off, sweetheart, knowin' that you come with those kids and you need to know that. You also need to know I want kids of my own, two of them. But I don't care, if this works out between me and you, that the kids we have will have an older brother and sister that don't have my blood, just my heart.”
Just give that man a medal on being the best. Bye.
This book is called Law Man, because Mitch is a detective, but I was wondering if the Law in Lawson is a coincidence or not. 🤔
↬ MARABELLE JOLENE HANOVER (h)
I wanted to smack this girl SO hard.
Mara got this whacked idea in her head where she categorized each person into a 1 to 10 scale depending on their attractivness and personality. And only the same categories can get involed with each other. That means if you're a 10, you can only be together with 9s or 10s or sometimes even a 8 but that's already slumming and will not last longterm.
For some reasons, her background is an important factor here, Mara thinks she is a two, maybe a three, so she's a Two Point Five. Mitchell in her eyes is a Ten, maybe Eleven that means a Ten Point Five and people like him don't hang out with people like her.
Every time she thinks about herself as a Two Point Five, I wanted to smack her. That means in total I wanted to smack her 27 times. I wanted to reach into the book and shake Mara so badly and scream: "SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! You're not in a Black Mirror episode where it is 2089. The society doesn't categorize you into different categories where you're only allowed to hang out with people that have the same level as you. This is not some game where you get point when you do something good or where points get deducted when you do something bad. PEOPLE CHANGE BISSsshhHhH you don't get stuck on some level your whole life. Jeez, girl get your head outta your ass!"
Mara's mother used to belittle her and look down on her daughter and maaaybe there is some truth in the saying 'if you hear something often enough, you start to believe it' buut damn how annoying it was even if I can understand why she is the way she is. For that reason I try not to read about shy heroines, because their self-esteem is usually rock bottom and I can't deal with this shit. Every girl should think of herself as a Queen. Period. Period. PERIODTTT.
A big reason why I'm giving this book only 4 stars despite really loving it, is because Mara was such a pain in the ass. Now I can say I love her, but maaan it took a while until I could fully embrace her.
BUUUT when Mara finally got to the point when she saw her worth and telling her haters off. It was a sight to behold. There is that one scene where she stood up for herself and I was screaming at my kindle, cause I was so proud of her *wipe tears off my eyes* That's my girl.
And I did this mostly because if he told me to throw myself in front of a train, but did it adding the word "baby", I would have done it.
--> same girl same. I hate the endearment "baby" but out of Mitch mouth idc.
↬ THE FAMILY DYNAMIC
“I love you, Bud," he whispered to Billy and two more tears escaped.
"I love you too, Mitch," Billy whispered back, my breath hitched and both males' eyes came to me.
I waved my wineglass at them and murmured, "Don't mind me. Have your moment."
Mitch leaned back, letting Billy go and grinning at me. "Men don't have moments."
"You do," I returned. "I'm witnessing one."
"This isn't a moment, honey, it's a meeting of the minds," Mitch contradicted me.”
I'm doing it backward and give some background info about the plot now. Basically the whole plot of this book is that Mara is getting guardianship of her two cousins Billy (boy) and Billie (girl) after running away for the x-times from their father. You can imagine what kind of father Bill is who named their children Billy and Billerina. Mara and Mitch take Billy and Billie away from their home and move them into Mara's home. Law Man doesn't have any OM/OW drama, but a lot of drama revolving around the children and how Bill and other people are making Mara's life harder than it should be.
This book is pretty much all about Mara, Mitch, Billy and Billie being domestic for 500+ pages and it was *sparkles* WHOLESOME *sparkles. There are so many scenes of them having dinner together, going on trips, playing baseball etc. and it's the best thing I've read in a long time. I LOVE KIDS in books, especially kids like Billie and Billy. Half of the time I wanted Mitch and Mara to adopt ME and the other half I wanted to adopt the kids MYSELF.
Billie is just a ball of energy and literally happy about EVERYTHING. It doesn't take much to make her happy. She's a ray of sunshine. I love her so much. Billy is as much adorable. He is more of a quiet and observant soul. He is 11 going on 111 with how old his soul really is. Every time Billy was on screen I'm like *insert a lot of pleading emojis*. So far he had to take care of his lil sister and now that he is with Mara, Billy wants to be the best kid possible and there are not enough words to describe how much I love this boy who thinks he has to carry all responsibility on his back *insert cry emoji*
Mitch and Mara's relationship with the kids *chef's kiss* + Mitch and Mara acting like an old married couple from the beginning = HAPPY PHUONG
Kristen Ashley's writing is so minimalistic. It's not poetic or anything. With how long her books are, her writing gets repetitive a lot. The romance is also very insta-lovey most of the time, a trope I'm not very fond of, but damn the way I always feel so happy whenever I pick up any of KA's books that I couldn't give a shit about any of these flaws. I'm OBSESSED with KA Heroes. They are all so swoony and protective and have my unyielding love and devotion.
“What I mean is, I didn't fall in love with you all as a whole. I fell in love with each of you because of who you are. I don't care about you because you come with Mara. I care about you because you're a good kid. You're smart. You're loyal. And you love and look out for your sister and Mara. I know grown men who do not have a character as fine as yours. Those are the reasons I love you. There are different reasons I love Billie. And there are different reasons I love Mara. Today, what we had together was good. But the feelings I feel for you aren't feelings I have to have in order to have Mara. They're feelings you earned. Now, you with me?”
i- 🥺🥺🥺🥺
P.S.: Why do these covers look like KA locked her children in a room with only Microsoft Paint, told them to have fun and experiment a little?
P.P.S.: The day I stop making these comments about ugly ass covers is the day you know this account is getting hacked.
April 23, 2020
5+ stars
Full review posted. Finally!
Fantastic! I loved this book. Kristen Ashley created magic when she brought to life this heartfelt story and the amazingly swoonalicious hero, Mitch Lawson.
This book is chock-full of heart-and-soul. It has an emotional subject matter, humor, suspense, steamy romance, and very endearing characters. Well, Mara, the heroine, did annoy me for a portion of the book with her insecurity. I understand why she had such low self-worth, but I came to love her once she realized the error in her thinking.
Now for Mitch! Oh my, how I love him! I can't rave about his character enough. I simply fell head-over-heels for him. I believe he's the perfect combination of all Kristen Ashley's heroes, making him practically perfect in every way. He is definitely my favorite Kristen Ashley hero to date. I just adore him!
My favorite part of this book is the relationship that develops between Mitch, Mara, and two children–Billy a boy, and Billie a girl, who are the children of Mara's cousin Bill. Yes, their drug addict father gave them both the same name, just with different spellings. Mara ends up gaining custody of the children, and thus begins the heartwarming story about a family in the making.
The quote below sums up this book and shows why Mitch Lawson is my favorite Kristen Ashley hero.
“The man who gets Mara gets you and Billie. I’m that man. What you gotta get is, while fallin’ in love with Mara, I fell in love with you and your sister. Straight up, Bud, no lie. The feelings I feel for Mara are hers, the feelings I feel for Billie are hers and the feelings I feel for you are yours. You all have my love, not collectively, individually. Do you understand me?”
Once again Kristen Ashley dazzled me with her storytelling ability and her feel-good epilogues. This book's epilogue left me with a warm heart and tears in my eyes. No one write epilogues like Ashley. I highly recommend this book.
If you're already a Kristen Ashley addict, or interested in checking out her books, be sure to stop by our Kristen Ashley Addict's Support Group here on Goodreads!
Full review posted. Finally!
Fantastic! I loved this book. Kristen Ashley created magic when she brought to life this heartfelt story and the amazingly swoonalicious hero, Mitch Lawson.
This book is chock-full of heart-and-soul. It has an emotional subject matter, humor, suspense, steamy romance, and very endearing characters. Well, Mara, the heroine, did annoy me for a portion of the book with her insecurity. I understand why she had such low self-worth, but I came to love her once she realized the error in her thinking.
Now for Mitch! Oh my, how I love him! I can't rave about his character enough. I simply fell head-over-heels for him. I believe he's the perfect combination of all Kristen Ashley's heroes, making him practically perfect in every way. He is definitely my favorite Kristen Ashley hero to date. I just adore him!
My favorite part of this book is the relationship that develops between Mitch, Mara, and two children–Billy a boy, and Billie a girl, who are the children of Mara's cousin Bill. Yes, their drug addict father gave them both the same name, just with different spellings. Mara ends up gaining custody of the children, and thus begins the heartwarming story about a family in the making.
The quote below sums up this book and shows why Mitch Lawson is my favorite Kristen Ashley hero.
“The man who gets Mara gets you and Billie. I’m that man. What you gotta get is, while fallin’ in love with Mara, I fell in love with you and your sister. Straight up, Bud, no lie. The feelings I feel for Mara are hers, the feelings I feel for Billie are hers and the feelings I feel for you are yours. You all have my love, not collectively, individually. Do you understand me?”
Once again Kristen Ashley dazzled me with her storytelling ability and her feel-good epilogues. This book's epilogue left me with a warm heart and tears in my eyes. No one write epilogues like Ashley. I highly recommend this book.
If you're already a Kristen Ashley addict, or interested in checking out her books, be sure to stop by our Kristen Ashley Addict's Support Group here on Goodreads!
July 22, 2015
Re-read July 2015
"I'm thinkin' I fell in love with the promise of you the first time I saw you.”-Mitch
Every time I pick up a Kristen Ashley book it is like coming home. For me, she has the ability to sweep me away into another world. I find assurance that I will experience the joy of meeting a new "Alpha Male" and a heroine with some sort of quirk. Although Ms. Ashley's dialogue and style is unique, I am never deterred from spending hours upon hours reading and re-reading her work. She puts a smile on my face every time! Law Man is the third book in the Dream Man Series. This was the first KA series that I read and it has been a real treat to come back and re-acclimate myself with these men and their crazy women!
"It was my experience if something bad could happen, it would, and I was always planning for that day."- Mara
In Law Man we find Mara a shy and slightly broken young woman. She has escaped the trailer park of her past and been successful making a life for herself in Colorado. Mara is a likable character however, she certainly has her issues. Although it is quite understandable for her to struggle with her self confidence, at times it could be a bit tedious with her constant need to "rank" herself and the others around her. She sees herself as someone unworthy of happiness and true greatness.
Lucky for Mara, the answer to her self doubting and fears lives right across the breezeway. Mitch Lawson is a private detective and exudes hotness. Mara has always had a thing for the attractive detective, and yet she can barely make eye contact with the man. When Mara needs help with a broken pipe in her apartment, Mitch comes in to save the day. The two quickly have a connection and Mitch makes it his mission to win over Mara.
“Let's see if I can tear that cocoon wide open and let my Mara fly.”-Mitch
Before Mitch and Mara have the opportunity to form a stable friendship/relationship, Mara's two younger cousins enter the picture. They are in need of help and Mara and Mitch together bring them home and give them love and attention. While loving on these two beautiful kids, Mitch makes a break through with Mara and she begins to experience real love for the first time.
“The man who gets Mara gets you and Billie. I’m that man. What you gotta get is, while fallin’ in love with Mara, I fell in love with you and your sister. Straight up, Bud, no lie. The feelings I feel for Mara are hers, the feelings I feel for Billie are hers and the feelings I feel for you are yours. You all have my love, not collectively, individually. Do you understand me?” -Mitch
The journey the four of them make together is beautiful. There are so many tender moments and points in the timeline where I couldn't help but feel warm and fuzzy all over. The steam factor is in true KA fashion "OFF THE CHARTS"! Mitch and Mara are a more gentle couple compared to other racey KA characters. However, I found the pairing perfect and delightful to read. The struggles in this book are centered on self esteem, overcoming abuse, and finding peace. I truly enjoyed the added element of "the blended family". Sometimes adding children to a book can be distracting from the romance element, and yet I found that the addition of these two sweet kids only strengthened my love for Mitch and Mara.
Overall, another winner for me! If you are a fan of Kristen Ashely, I highly recommend this book and the entire series. There are always references to other characters from other books as they weave in and out of the action. The character development is flawless and full of life. I look forward to reading a Kristen Ashely book for the first time but sometimes reading it the second time around makes it that much sweeter!
“Thank you, honey,” she kept whispering.
“For what?”
“A good life and a beautiful family.”
“You had a hand in that,” he reminded her.
“I know. We’re a team. Thank you for giving me that too.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Original read- March 21,2014
Mitch and Mara's love story is one of my new faves! Fun read!
"I'm thinkin' I fell in love with the promise of you the first time I saw you.”-Mitch
Every time I pick up a Kristen Ashley book it is like coming home. For me, she has the ability to sweep me away into another world. I find assurance that I will experience the joy of meeting a new "Alpha Male" and a heroine with some sort of quirk. Although Ms. Ashley's dialogue and style is unique, I am never deterred from spending hours upon hours reading and re-reading her work. She puts a smile on my face every time! Law Man is the third book in the Dream Man Series. This was the first KA series that I read and it has been a real treat to come back and re-acclimate myself with these men and their crazy women!
"It was my experience if something bad could happen, it would, and I was always planning for that day."- Mara
In Law Man we find Mara a shy and slightly broken young woman. She has escaped the trailer park of her past and been successful making a life for herself in Colorado. Mara is a likable character however, she certainly has her issues. Although it is quite understandable for her to struggle with her self confidence, at times it could be a bit tedious with her constant need to "rank" herself and the others around her. She sees herself as someone unworthy of happiness and true greatness.
Lucky for Mara, the answer to her self doubting and fears lives right across the breezeway. Mitch Lawson is a private detective and exudes hotness. Mara has always had a thing for the attractive detective, and yet she can barely make eye contact with the man. When Mara needs help with a broken pipe in her apartment, Mitch comes in to save the day. The two quickly have a connection and Mitch makes it his mission to win over Mara.
“Let's see if I can tear that cocoon wide open and let my Mara fly.”-Mitch
Before Mitch and Mara have the opportunity to form a stable friendship/relationship, Mara's two younger cousins enter the picture. They are in need of help and Mara and Mitch together bring them home and give them love and attention. While loving on these two beautiful kids, Mitch makes a break through with Mara and she begins to experience real love for the first time.
“The man who gets Mara gets you and Billie. I’m that man. What you gotta get is, while fallin’ in love with Mara, I fell in love with you and your sister. Straight up, Bud, no lie. The feelings I feel for Mara are hers, the feelings I feel for Billie are hers and the feelings I feel for you are yours. You all have my love, not collectively, individually. Do you understand me?” -Mitch
The journey the four of them make together is beautiful. There are so many tender moments and points in the timeline where I couldn't help but feel warm and fuzzy all over. The steam factor is in true KA fashion "OFF THE CHARTS"! Mitch and Mara are a more gentle couple compared to other racey KA characters. However, I found the pairing perfect and delightful to read. The struggles in this book are centered on self esteem, overcoming abuse, and finding peace. I truly enjoyed the added element of "the blended family". Sometimes adding children to a book can be distracting from the romance element, and yet I found that the addition of these two sweet kids only strengthened my love for Mitch and Mara.
Overall, another winner for me! If you are a fan of Kristen Ashely, I highly recommend this book and the entire series. There are always references to other characters from other books as they weave in and out of the action. The character development is flawless and full of life. I look forward to reading a Kristen Ashely book for the first time but sometimes reading it the second time around makes it that much sweeter!
“Thank you, honey,” she kept whispering.
“For what?”
“A good life and a beautiful family.”
“You had a hand in that,” he reminded her.
“I know. We’re a team. Thank you for giving me that too.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Original read- March 21,2014
Mitch and Mara's love story is one of my new faves! Fun read!
November 19, 2015
Ooooh! Kristen Ashley's LAW MAN is a Kindle Daily Deal - 1/3/2014 - just $0.99!! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A...
Awesome, funny, sexy, poignant, exciting, sexy, awesome, sexy… Law Man, the third book in the Dream Man series is all kinds of greatness! Mitch Lawson is one of my absolute favorite KA heroes and I just adored Mara! She might be shy, but she’s no Shrinking Violet!!!
Besides the suspense of the story plot, there’s the sadness that comes with child neglect, and then the joy that comes from belonging to a family who chooses you, wants you, loves you… Kristen Ashley did a great job tackling some tough, emotion issues. And if seeing them get their happily ever after then and there isn't enough for you, the epilogue, which takes place years in the future, is wonderful!!!
One of my very favorite things about this story is when Mara’s mother and Aunt Lulamae come on scene… those ladies are some crazy ass bitches, and I don’t mean that in a good way. There’s a reason they’re called The Trailer Trash Twins, and maybe it was wrong for me to laugh so hard at them, but damn, I couldn’t help it!!
Anyway, another great installment of the Dream Man series and I’m SOOO looking forward to reading Tack’s story in Motorcycle Man.
-----
If you're a Kristen Ashley addict, or just interested in checking her books, be sure to stop by our Kristen Ashley Addict's Support Group here on Goodreads!
March 9, 2020
2.5 **um and ah** STARS
Ok, we all know I'm a big KA fan, but that was a study in patience. I can't even explain how I managed to get through some of the major parts of this book. It started difficult to stomach and didn't get much better along the way. Although I have to say, the last 20% were right up my alley and seeing all of our old friends made me a little giddy, it didn't help the story as a whole. I'm sorry to say this might just be my least favourite KA book.
The heroine was unbearable. Mara has low self-esteem, lives in her own little world, with her own little rating system and is in love with her neighbour Mitch Lawson. The latter being one of her more appealing traits. I have to say, being in her head all the time was not a nice thing. She was introduced as one of those struck stupid by hot guy girls. One look at Mitch and she was speechless and lost braincells by the minute. Of course that let up after a while, but her insecurities were almost too much to bear.
I guess in hindsight, listening to the audiobook was a good idea and the only thing that kept me on track and actually made me finish the book. Of course Mitch was a yummy alpha male just like Ms. Ashley always writes them, but that alone doesn’t make a good read. Next to Mitch I have to point out Billy and Billie. The cutest little things. But oh god Mara...if only Mara was someone else entirely. Shame, such a shame.
Ok, we all know I'm a big KA fan, but that was a study in patience. I can't even explain how I managed to get through some of the major parts of this book. It started difficult to stomach and didn't get much better along the way. Although I have to say, the last 20% were right up my alley and seeing all of our old friends made me a little giddy, it didn't help the story as a whole. I'm sorry to say this might just be my least favourite KA book.
The heroine was unbearable. Mara has low self-esteem, lives in her own little world, with her own little rating system and is in love with her neighbour Mitch Lawson. The latter being one of her more appealing traits. I have to say, being in her head all the time was not a nice thing. She was introduced as one of those struck stupid by hot guy girls. One look at Mitch and she was speechless and lost braincells by the minute. Of course that let up after a while, but her insecurities were almost too much to bear.
I guess in hindsight, listening to the audiobook was a good idea and the only thing that kept me on track and actually made me finish the book. Of course Mitch was a yummy alpha male just like Ms. Ashley always writes them, but that alone doesn’t make a good read. Next to Mitch I have to point out Billy and Billie. The cutest little things. But oh god Mara...if only Mara was someone else entirely. Shame, such a shame.
December 28, 2023
2023
Needing some space to regroup, I took a ride back to re-discover books and authors that touched me and wouldn't let go. Kristen Ashley has always been my calming go to. She has this way of writing that once you get her mindset and understand how she weaves a tale, it can be addicting, especially with her "Vintage OG series. These books are always something I come back to.
2013/2016
4 What Mitch Sees Makes It Worth It Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
This was a re-read for me and it was interesting to see my reactions were from the first time. I was in a book slump and trying to figure out what to read... and decided to visit a few books that I knew would be like slipping on a warm, comfy top that would surround me with warmth.
Kristen Ashley, for me never disappoints...let me rephrase... She has books that will always be a solid 5 and that will never change... she also has books that sometimes feel a little less...
But all of her books have moments- grand statements about life, love, and knowing a certain rightness. Law Man had them and it made the story worthwhile.
Also, she is the Queen of Epilogues.
A nod to Mitch...who at first was more Cave Man than remembered but was the true hero in this tale. His patience with Mara was close to saintly. The main thing was her devotion to cousins, Billy and Billie, with a passion that was tangible. Her "Mara World" was understandable coming from where she came... and she had the determination to get away from all of it.
I was up and down about how I felt about this as the way it was written was almost like reading a screenplay instead of a book. Meaning, every action, feeling, and thought was described. It is the way of Ashley's writing but in this book... it felt a bit overdone causing me to lower my rating to 4 instead of 5 from a couple of years ago.
So I am now re-reading all of the Dream Men and because it is my quirky way- not in order...
I am off to read Wild Man and then maybe Mystery Man and then the one I so enjoy, Motorcycle Man.
I don't know if I will do full reviews... only will if I think I have something to add to all the other reviews out there.
Brock, hold on... I am on my way to ya.
Mystery Man (Dream Man, #1)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Wild Man (Dream Man, #2)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Law Man (Dream Man #3)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Motorcycle Man (Dream Man #4)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Quiet Man (Dream Man, #4.5)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
New Series
Dream Maker (Dream, #1)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Dream Chaser (Dream, #2)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
Needing some space to regroup, I took a ride back to re-discover books and authors that touched me and wouldn't let go. Kristen Ashley has always been my calming go to. She has this way of writing that once you get her mindset and understand how she weaves a tale, it can be addicting, especially with her "Vintage OG series. These books are always something I come back to.
2013/2016
4 What Mitch Sees Makes It Worth It Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
This was a re-read for me and it was interesting to see my reactions were from the first time. I was in a book slump and trying to figure out what to read... and decided to visit a few books that I knew would be like slipping on a warm, comfy top that would surround me with warmth.
Kristen Ashley, for me never disappoints...let me rephrase... She has books that will always be a solid 5 and that will never change... she also has books that sometimes feel a little less...
But all of her books have moments- grand statements about life, love, and knowing a certain rightness. Law Man had them and it made the story worthwhile.
Also, she is the Queen of Epilogues.
A nod to Mitch...who at first was more Cave Man than remembered but was the true hero in this tale. His patience with Mara was close to saintly. The main thing was her devotion to cousins, Billy and Billie, with a passion that was tangible. Her "Mara World" was understandable coming from where she came... and she had the determination to get away from all of it.
I was up and down about how I felt about this as the way it was written was almost like reading a screenplay instead of a book. Meaning, every action, feeling, and thought was described. It is the way of Ashley's writing but in this book... it felt a bit overdone causing me to lower my rating to 4 instead of 5 from a couple of years ago.
So I am now re-reading all of the Dream Men and because it is my quirky way- not in order...
I am off to read Wild Man and then maybe Mystery Man and then the one I so enjoy, Motorcycle Man.
I don't know if I will do full reviews... only will if I think I have something to add to all the other reviews out there.
Brock, hold on... I am on my way to ya.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
New Series
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
June 10, 2019
DNF @ 20%
*0.75 star because I can round up ratings too just like Mara*
*sigh*
This is on me because I clearly had no business attempting to read this after my experience with The Gamble. The number of times I’ve given ‘no no’ authors a second chance only for it to blow up in my face is just laughable.
Why do I keep doing this? 😩
Pretty much all the same gripes I had in The Gamble happened here. I could go on and on about the absurd writing flaws. The typos, poor grammar, bad punctuation, run-ons, and all the ‘uming’ ‘uhing’ the heroine keeps stuttering out. But I won’t. Just read my Gamble review.
Same issue I had with the last one I had here, the heroine Mara acted like a confused child where everything needed to be explained to her by the hero. Literally explained. And the hero walks all over her and talks to her like she's a simpleton, which I honestly couldn't blame in this case. I just don’t understand what KA was attempting to show by this? Are her heroines only gifted with their brains once they meet the hero? How charming. 😒 The fact that a grown woman couldn’t comprehend why her druggie adult cousin was arrested because he had drug paraphernalia out and with kids around just boggles my mind. Seriously Mara??? Jesus.
The problem with KA’s storytelling is that the first person narration sounds like it’s coming from an overeager toddler who is telling you about their day in rambling, incoherent, verbal diarrhea pointless detail and getting hung up on the smallest things that has no relevance to the overall story. And repeating themselves. CONSTANTLY.
It takes a whole paragraph to say one thing that can be said in one.👏 single.👏 sentence.👏
How is this author so popular?
Get an editor Kristen Ashley, please! Because I promise you, nobody needs to know exactly how the heroine positions her body or places her elbows when she's fucking standing and talking. 😒 I get the overall picture just fine.
In this case:
Now why I gave this a chance? Because of the blurb. I’m such a helpless sucker for shy awkward heroines and the whole neighbor thing was another element I usually enjoy. But this rubbed me the wrong way right off the bat and I’ll tell you why. The heroine Mara.
For someone who is supposedly very shy and very insecure about themselves, please explain to me why this girl is going around rating people based on their looks?? I would love for KA to explain it because this just seriously blew my mind.
Now just imagine this kind of observation on the very first page of the book. I literally thought it was the hero's POV with the side-eyeing and internal rating system and had to re-read it a couple of times to understand. But no, this was all coming from 'sweet shy' skittery as a deer Mara. Apparently someone who is so messed up in their head about their own looks and how others view her, she thinks it's totally fine to go around giving mental scores on others appearances.
Excuse my bluntness but I just found this character so fucking stupid.
And a total useless asshole.
She's an insult to shy, insecure, awkward women in real life. The lack of intelligence she displayed in just the first 50 pages is astoundingly painful.
Your nine-year old cousin has been telling you a creep has been hanging around his six year old sister for months and you haven't done shit about it since now?
I seriously started to question how this woman got out of bed everyday and dressed herself.
Mara Hanover is a complete waste of ink and paper IMO.
So yeah. Lesson learned.
Me and Kristen Ashley books do not mix well. 👋👋👋👋
*0.75 star because I can round up ratings too just like Mara*
*sigh*
This is on me because I clearly had no business attempting to read this after my experience with The Gamble. The number of times I’ve given ‘no no’ authors a second chance only for it to blow up in my face is just laughable.
Why do I keep doing this? 😩
Pretty much all the same gripes I had in The Gamble happened here. I could go on and on about the absurd writing flaws. The typos, poor grammar, bad punctuation, run-ons, and all the ‘uming’ ‘uhing’ the heroine keeps stuttering out. But I won’t. Just read my Gamble review.
Same issue I had with the last one I had here, the heroine Mara acted like a confused child where everything needed to be explained to her by the hero. Literally explained. And the hero walks all over her and talks to her like she's a simpleton, which I honestly couldn't blame in this case. I just don’t understand what KA was attempting to show by this? Are her heroines only gifted with their brains once they meet the hero? How charming. 😒 The fact that a grown woman couldn’t comprehend why her druggie adult cousin was arrested because he had drug paraphernalia out and with kids around just boggles my mind. Seriously Mara??? Jesus.
The problem with KA’s storytelling is that the first person narration sounds like it’s coming from an overeager toddler who is telling you about their day in rambling, incoherent, verbal diarrhea pointless detail and getting hung up on the smallest things that has no relevance to the overall story. And repeating themselves. CONSTANTLY.
It takes a whole paragraph to say one thing that can be said in one.👏 single.👏 sentence.👏
How is this author so popular?
Get an editor Kristen Ashley, please! Because I promise you, nobody needs to know exactly how the heroine positions her body or places her elbows when she's fucking standing and talking. 😒 I get the overall picture just fine.
In this case:
Now why I gave this a chance? Because of the blurb. I’m such a helpless sucker for shy awkward heroines and the whole neighbor thing was another element I usually enjoy. But this rubbed me the wrong way right off the bat and I’ll tell you why. The heroine Mara.
For someone who is supposedly very shy and very insecure about themselves, please explain to me why this girl is going around rating people based on their looks?? I would love for KA to explain it because this just seriously blew my mind.
Roberta had been a Seven when I met her because she was pretty, petite, with thick brunette hair and a little extra weight that she held well. She was also happy with her family and her husband in their suburban house with two cars and vacations to Disney World. She'd slipped down to a Five Point Five when she got angry and moody and hated the world and mostly all the men in it after her husband left. Now she was back up and surpassed the Seven to be an Eight because she'd settled into her new life...
I didn't understand what she was saying, but explaining to her what the likes of me meant was was explaining to her my One to Ten Classification System. I didn't want to do that, especially explaining where I felt I came in on the scale.
I'd learned not to share this information, because friends who cared about you always tried to talk you into believing you were so far up that scale it was unreal. My oldest friend, Lynette, who still lived back in Iowa, was the only person I'd told about my system. She even tried to talk me into believing I topped the scale at Mitch's rank of Ten Point Five. She was convinced of it and tried to convince me. I knew she was wrong and I knew she was convinced I was a Ten Point Five because she liked me. I liked her too. She was a definite Eight Point Five. When she was in a good mood and her sunny disposition shone even more brightly, she soared up to a Nine Point Five, she had nothing to worry about.
Now just imagine this kind of observation on the very first page of the book. I literally thought it was the hero's POV with the side-eyeing and internal rating system and had to re-read it a couple of times to understand. But no, this was all coming from 'sweet shy' skittery as a deer Mara. Apparently someone who is so messed up in their head about their own looks and how others view her, she thinks it's totally fine to go around giving mental scores on others appearances.
Excuse my bluntness but I just found this character so fucking stupid.
And a total useless asshole.
She's an insult to shy, insecure, awkward women in real life. The lack of intelligence she displayed in just the first 50 pages is astoundingly painful.
"Mitch, the kids-" I breathed.Right. Take the kids back to a housebroken home after feeding them the same junk food they always eat at home (if they are lucky). G-d forbid the idea of a good decent restaurant should have ever entered your skull without macho Mitch around. And hey asshole: How is dumping the kids back home with their neglectful father fixing the issue you just said you needed to step in and fix? 🙈
"First, we're goin' to Lola's and giving them a good meal."
I blinked at him.
Lola's?
Lola's?
Lola's was awesome and had absolutely fantastic food, but it was also not what the kids were used to. It wasn't fancy, but it wasn't Taco Bell, either, and it wasn't exactly inexpensive. I hadn't actually asked Mitch to accompany me, but since he did, I thought we'd pop to the nearest fast-food joint, go through a drive-thru and get the kids home. After, I would do whatever it was I was going to have to do at Bill's, then get home and away from Mitch.
"You stood me up."
"I didn't."
"Mara, you did and you did it, essentially, twice."
My head jerked to face him again and I snapped, "No, I didn't!"
He shook his head and muttered, "Jesus, you got your head so far up your ass it's a wonder you can breathe."
"Pardon?" I hissed.
"You heard me."
"Yes," I bit out, "I did, and what you said was not very nice."
"No, baby, it wasn't but it was the fuckin' truth."
Was I sitting in Detective Mitch Lawson's SUV fighting with him? Two Point Fives didn't fight with Ten Point Fives. It was against the laws of the universe. How did this happen?
"I don't have my head up my ass!" I snapped somewhat loudly.
"You live in a whole different world," he retorted.
"Do not!"
"He's still got that guy comin' over all the time, and I don't like him. He's a creep. And I don't like him around Billie. He's sugar sweet to her and it freaks me out. Gives her candy. Tells her she's pretty. It's weird."
Billy had been telling me about "that guy" for a while, and Billy had good instincts, so I figured whoever "that guy" was, he wasn't a good guy. And what he said about how "that guy" treated Billie made my stomach clench and my mouth taste sour.
Your nine-year old cousin has been telling you a creep has been hanging around his six year old sister for months and you haven't done shit about it since now?
He didn't hide his liquor from me or his kids, which was something I didn't like. I knew how weird and uncomfortable it was seeing a parent drink all the time, drink until they were fall-down, crazy, stupid and sometimes mean drunk. And I didn't want that for Billy and Billie. But it wasn't illegal, and to my knowledge it didn't happen often.
I seriously started to question how this woman got out of bed everyday and dressed herself.
I moved, opened the door a bit and stood in it.
"Hey," I said, and the minute my eyes hit him, I again felt like crying.
They needed to separate the zones. Mandatory boundaries. Ones to Threes got Canada (because there were a lot of us and we needed the space). Fours to Sixes got the US. The fewer numbered Sevens to Tens got the sultry, tropical beauty of Mexico. If they separated us, things like this wouldn't happen and therefore hurt like this wouldn't be felt.
"You need to quit talking," I blurted and wished I could clap my hands over my mouth because I sounded like a fool.
I should have lied to him earlier. I should have kicked him in the shin and run away.
"Mitch--"
He dumped the scrambled eggs into the waiting melted butter in the skillet and looked at me. "Get the butter and jelly baby."
I moved to the fridge and I did this mostly because if he told me to throw myself in front of a train but did it adding the word "baby," I would have done it.
Mara Hanover is a complete waste of ink and paper IMO.
So yeah. Lesson learned.
Me and Kristen Ashley books do not mix well. 👋👋👋👋
September 21, 2013
UPDATE: Rating edited September 21, 2013. From 5 stars downgraded to 4 stars.
****************************************************
Mitch said to Billy
"What I mean is, I didn't fall in love with you all as a whole. I fell in love with each of you because of who you are. I don't care about you because you come with Mara. I care about you because you're a good kid. You're smart. You're loyal. And you love and look out for your sister and Mara. I know grown men who do not have a character as fine as yours. Those are the reasons I love you. There are different reasons I love Billie. And there are different reasons I love Mara. Today, what we had together was good. But the feelings I feel for you aren't feelings I have to have in order to have Mara. They're feelings you earned. Now, you with me?"
Oh, yes, I'm with you, Mitch! Always.
Seriously, I need a bigger heart. I promised so many KA heroes a little part of my heart and it's getting tight in there. Anyway, what can I say? Super gorgeous, super hot, and super gentle Mitch Lawson is my DREAM DAD! Wow, I loved Law Man! It's another wonderful story written by the absolutely amazing Kristen Ashley!
Brief synopsis
Mara Hanover is a salesperson and is working for Pierson's Mattress and Bed (oh, yeah, my dirty mind is wandering again). Mara has a secret crush on Ten Point Five Detective Mitch Lawson since he moved across her breezeway four years ago. BTW, Mara's got a One to Ten Classification System. One day Mara's faucet won't turn off and unfortunately she is totally clueless (among other things) when it comes to plumbing. Nice guy Mitch offers to help her.
Mara's cousin Bill has two kids. Billy (the boy) and Billie (the girl). Bill is a bad Dad and occasionally Billy and Billie are running away and are calling Mara to help them out. When Mara needs to get them away from her cousin's mess, Detective Mitch Lawson is ready to do anything to help her and the kids. Mara is pretty stunned and insecure. She thinks that Ten Point Fives don't help out Two Point Fives. That was law in Mara World.
*******************
Mara could be a bit annoying at times. Every time Mitch gave her a compliment, she freaked out and twisted it into something bad. Admittedly, I had to cut her some slack since her self-esteem was almost non-existent. Mara had a bad childhood and she thinks that Ten Point Five super hot, super gorgeous, super masculine Mitch is waaaay out of her league because she is only a Two Point Five. Of course gorgeous Mitch thinks differently and I'm absolutely sure that he wouldn't mind your "illegal" maneuver, Mara! Okey dokey, clue the f*ck in, sweetheart, before you wake up and wonder where your life has gone!
While I loved the first 60 % of the story, the last 40 % turned out to be simply fabulous! Mitch is ten kinds of awesome! There are so many, many memorable and heart-warming moments. Mitch may have soulful eyes but I think this guy is simply soulful as all get out! Yes, he is very alpha, yet Mitch is such a good and incredibly gentle guy. Right to his very core. I love, love this man! I've read many KA books and I have to say that Mitch is probably the gentlest of all her heroes. He is different and he said the sweetest things. It was a very nice surprise. Mitch was the perfect match for the somewhat shy yet wonderful Mara! About 68 % into the story there is an AMAZING heart-to-heart between these two! Then again, I think the best aspect of Law Man was the interaction between Mitch and the kids. I even added a new shelf and it's labeled "dream-dad". Mitch, you have my utmost respect! He proved himself worthy of being a "father". I really could feel the patience and love, and Mitch never ever hesitated to show his deepest emotions and feelings! So beautiful! As always Kristen writes wonderful main and secondary characters. I loved the build-up. It's well done and their chemistry was superb! On top of that, you will enjoy many witty, hilarious, and thoughtful dialogs. Here's an advice to those who weep easily. Just keep some tissues handy!
Here are a few memorable moments, and believe me there were so many, many more!
"I'll go gentle, baby," he whispered against my lips. "I promise. You'll always be safe with me."
Oh. My.
"Mitch," I breathed.
His soulful eyes held mine captive as he repeated firmly, "Always."
"Let's see if I can tear that cocoon wide open and let my Mara fly."
"You're Mara, you're sweet, you're beautiful and I will not forget until the day I die how beautiful it felt to slide inside you with you wrapped around me, see your eyes get wet and know straight in my gut that you felt how beautiful it was too."
"Best thing that ever happened to me, that shredded washer," he whispered.
"Too bad I didn't know what a washer was or I would have shredded it myself," I whispered back and he burst out laughing.
Mitch made many of my womanly parts tingle. If you want to feel it too then I can only give you one advice. Read it!!!
On a personal note:
Kane "Tack" Allen made an appearance together with Cabe "Hawk" Delgado in Law Man. Kane said to Mara: "Wonderin' how I keep missin' my shot at the good ones." Kane, I am so glad that you'll find your special woman in Motorcycle Man! I'm in love with this guy since Mystery Man and I can't wait to read his story.
****************************************************
Mitch said to Billy
"What I mean is, I didn't fall in love with you all as a whole. I fell in love with each of you because of who you are. I don't care about you because you come with Mara. I care about you because you're a good kid. You're smart. You're loyal. And you love and look out for your sister and Mara. I know grown men who do not have a character as fine as yours. Those are the reasons I love you. There are different reasons I love Billie. And there are different reasons I love Mara. Today, what we had together was good. But the feelings I feel for you aren't feelings I have to have in order to have Mara. They're feelings you earned. Now, you with me?"
Oh, yes, I'm with you, Mitch! Always.
Seriously, I need a bigger heart. I promised so many KA heroes a little part of my heart and it's getting tight in there. Anyway, what can I say? Super gorgeous, super hot, and super gentle Mitch Lawson is my DREAM DAD! Wow, I loved Law Man! It's another wonderful story written by the absolutely amazing Kristen Ashley!
Brief synopsis
Mara Hanover is a salesperson and is working for Pierson's Mattress and Bed (oh, yeah, my dirty mind is wandering again). Mara has a secret crush on Ten Point Five Detective Mitch Lawson since he moved across her breezeway four years ago. BTW, Mara's got a One to Ten Classification System. One day Mara's faucet won't turn off and unfortunately she is totally clueless (among other things) when it comes to plumbing. Nice guy Mitch offers to help her.
Mara's cousin Bill has two kids. Billy (the boy) and Billie (the girl). Bill is a bad Dad and occasionally Billy and Billie are running away and are calling Mara to help them out. When Mara needs to get them away from her cousin's mess, Detective Mitch Lawson is ready to do anything to help her and the kids. Mara is pretty stunned and insecure. She thinks that Ten Point Fives don't help out Two Point Fives. That was law in Mara World.
*******************
Mara could be a bit annoying at times. Every time Mitch gave her a compliment, she freaked out and twisted it into something bad. Admittedly, I had to cut her some slack since her self-esteem was almost non-existent. Mara had a bad childhood and she thinks that Ten Point Five super hot, super gorgeous, super masculine Mitch is waaaay out of her league because she is only a Two Point Five. Of course gorgeous Mitch thinks differently and I'm absolutely sure that he wouldn't mind your "illegal" maneuver, Mara! Okey dokey, clue the f*ck in, sweetheart, before you wake up and wonder where your life has gone!
While I loved the first 60 % of the story, the last 40 % turned out to be simply fabulous! Mitch is ten kinds of awesome! There are so many, many memorable and heart-warming moments. Mitch may have soulful eyes but I think this guy is simply soulful as all get out! Yes, he is very alpha, yet Mitch is such a good and incredibly gentle guy. Right to his very core. I love, love this man! I've read many KA books and I have to say that Mitch is probably the gentlest of all her heroes. He is different and he said the sweetest things. It was a very nice surprise. Mitch was the perfect match for the somewhat shy yet wonderful Mara! About 68 % into the story there is an AMAZING heart-to-heart between these two! Then again, I think the best aspect of Law Man was the interaction between Mitch and the kids. I even added a new shelf and it's labeled "dream-dad". Mitch, you have my utmost respect! He proved himself worthy of being a "father". I really could feel the patience and love, and Mitch never ever hesitated to show his deepest emotions and feelings! So beautiful! As always Kristen writes wonderful main and secondary characters. I loved the build-up. It's well done and their chemistry was superb! On top of that, you will enjoy many witty, hilarious, and thoughtful dialogs. Here's an advice to those who weep easily. Just keep some tissues handy!
Here are a few memorable moments, and believe me there were so many, many more!
"I'll go gentle, baby," he whispered against my lips. "I promise. You'll always be safe with me."
Oh. My.
"Mitch," I breathed.
His soulful eyes held mine captive as he repeated firmly, "Always."
"Let's see if I can tear that cocoon wide open and let my Mara fly."
"You're Mara, you're sweet, you're beautiful and I will not forget until the day I die how beautiful it felt to slide inside you with you wrapped around me, see your eyes get wet and know straight in my gut that you felt how beautiful it was too."
"Best thing that ever happened to me, that shredded washer," he whispered.
"Too bad I didn't know what a washer was or I would have shredded it myself," I whispered back and he burst out laughing.
Mitch made many of my womanly parts tingle. If you want to feel it too then I can only give you one advice. Read it!!!
On a personal note:
Kane "Tack" Allen made an appearance together with Cabe "Hawk" Delgado in Law Man. Kane said to Mara: "Wonderin' how I keep missin' my shot at the good ones." Kane, I am so glad that you'll find your special woman in Motorcycle Man! I'm in love with this guy since Mystery Man and I can't wait to read his story.
January 11, 2021
Mitch was a change in pace from other KA heroes. His book wasn't so much about the sex, though that was hot af, but about the development of their relationship with each other and the kids. I enjoyed the story very much though the whole number system and "Mara's world" with our heroine was meh. Elvira and her nosy behind made me laugh my ass off. I like how all the couples are connected in one way or another. Mitch was patient and understanding with Mara. He was alpha but in a more subtle way. Now on to Tack's story. I've been dying to read that one :-p
November 14, 2024
First read - I don't remember -4 stars
Second read - October 2020 - 4.3 stars
Third read- June 2021 - 4.5 stars
Fourth read - October 2022 - 5 stars
Fifth read - November 2024 -5 stars
That epilogue. That two-run homer. That beautiful found family.
“I’ll go gentle, baby,” he whispered against my lips. “I promise. You’ll always be safe with me.”
*****
I’m changing my opinion on Mitch. He never gave up, ever. She dug her heels in and refused to see herself as anyone 10.5 Mitch Lawson would ever date. I have to admire him for that. Just wish he would have gotten his own head out of his own ass sooner...
Also, the way to basically took her and the kids in. Sigh. So good.
****
I have a question for you 10.5 Detective Mitchell James Lawson. If you were so enamored with sweet little Mara that you watched her every move for years, why didn’t you ask her out after she was single? She watched countless women go in and out of your apartment for TWO YEARS while she secretly wished she was good enough for you.
It took her asking for help to fix her sink?
“Best thing that ever happened to me, that shredded washer," he whispered.
I hated some of the crappy things that came out of your perfectly beautiful face.
“Thought it was worth it,” he muttered like he was talking to himself. “Totally fuckin’ wrong. Not fuckin’ worth it.”
I get it, Mara was clueless. She had a horrific childhood and in order to survive all that, she’s grown a spacious bubble of protection around herself so she doesn’t get hurt again.
****
As with most KA novels, you have to plug your nose and simply jump in knowing you're gonna get those OTT alpha men and childlike, clueless leading ladies. I still liked this book, the ending was perfect.
Second read - October 2020 - 4.3 stars
Third read- June 2021 - 4.5 stars
Fourth read - October 2022 - 5 stars
Fifth read - November 2024 -5 stars
That epilogue. That two-run homer. That beautiful found family.
“I’ll go gentle, baby,” he whispered against my lips. “I promise. You’ll always be safe with me.”
*****
I’m changing my opinion on Mitch. He never gave up, ever. She dug her heels in and refused to see herself as anyone 10.5 Mitch Lawson would ever date. I have to admire him for that. Just wish he would have gotten his own head out of his own ass sooner...
Also, the way to basically took her and the kids in. Sigh. So good.
****
I have a question for you 10.5 Detective Mitchell James Lawson. If you were so enamored with sweet little Mara that you watched her every move for years, why didn’t you ask her out after she was single? She watched countless women go in and out of your apartment for TWO YEARS while she secretly wished she was good enough for you.
It took her asking for help to fix her sink?
“Best thing that ever happened to me, that shredded washer," he whispered.
I hated some of the crappy things that came out of your perfectly beautiful face.
“Thought it was worth it,” he muttered like he was talking to himself. “Totally fuckin’ wrong. Not fuckin’ worth it.”
I get it, Mara was clueless. She had a horrific childhood and in order to survive all that, she’s grown a spacious bubble of protection around herself so she doesn’t get hurt again.
****
As with most KA novels, you have to plug your nose and simply jump in knowing you're gonna get those OTT alpha men and childlike, clueless leading ladies. I still liked this book, the ending was perfect.
November 12, 2016
4.5 stars! Audio book
I’m a total rebel. I’m reading this series out of order. Shhh.
Here’s what I’ve discovered about Kristen Ashley books based on the limited number I’ve read. Kristen writes long-ass books. She takes her time weaving intricate stories, establishing the complexities of unique characters, and delving into ever evolving relationships. That can make for some stellar reading, but a 500 page book requires a lot of dedication. In the case of Law Man, the payoff is worth it.
I’m not one of those people who swoons over alpha a-holes, and I know Kristen Ashley can gravitate towards them. You know the type. They’re super hot, but they’re domineering, arrogant, rude, and sometimes downright mean—at least in the beginning. Mitch is tenacious and demanding, but there’s an innate kindness about him. Mara’s life is a hot mess, and whether she’s willing to admit it or not, she needs someone with a firm yet loving hand to take charge.
Mara’s extreme shyness and her stubbornness can be irritating at times. There are definitely moments she tested my patience. However, her insecurities are so ingrained, justified, and understandable that I found her to be endearing overall.
The plot plays out in a lengthy fashion, but I was never bored. I’m allergic to insta-love, so I think the simmering nature of the romance is all the more enjoyable for its sense of realism.
The variety of colorful characters is absolute perfection. Billy and Billie? Forget about it! I was over the moon for those kids. Mitch and Mara’s friends are wonderful and bring lots of additional humor to this sweet story. If you’re looking for heartwarming moments, you’ll hit the jackpot with the epilogue.
I chose to go with the audio book version, and I think that was a smart choice. Narration is an art form and when it’s well done, it feels like aural theatre. Kate Russell is a phenomenal voice actor. Her narration conveys the heart of each character, making them come alive in very distinct ways.
Well done, all the way around!
I’m a total rebel. I’m reading this series out of order. Shhh.
Here’s what I’ve discovered about Kristen Ashley books based on the limited number I’ve read. Kristen writes long-ass books. She takes her time weaving intricate stories, establishing the complexities of unique characters, and delving into ever evolving relationships. That can make for some stellar reading, but a 500 page book requires a lot of dedication. In the case of Law Man, the payoff is worth it.
I’m not one of those people who swoons over alpha a-holes, and I know Kristen Ashley can gravitate towards them. You know the type. They’re super hot, but they’re domineering, arrogant, rude, and sometimes downright mean—at least in the beginning. Mitch is tenacious and demanding, but there’s an innate kindness about him. Mara’s life is a hot mess, and whether she’s willing to admit it or not, she needs someone with a firm yet loving hand to take charge.
Mara’s extreme shyness and her stubbornness can be irritating at times. There are definitely moments she tested my patience. However, her insecurities are so ingrained, justified, and understandable that I found her to be endearing overall.
The plot plays out in a lengthy fashion, but I was never bored. I’m allergic to insta-love, so I think the simmering nature of the romance is all the more enjoyable for its sense of realism.
The variety of colorful characters is absolute perfection. Billy and Billie? Forget about it! I was over the moon for those kids. Mitch and Mara’s friends are wonderful and bring lots of additional humor to this sweet story. If you’re looking for heartwarming moments, you’ll hit the jackpot with the epilogue.
I chose to go with the audio book version, and I think that was a smart choice. Narration is an art form and when it’s well done, it feels like aural theatre. Kate Russell is a phenomenal voice actor. Her narration conveys the heart of each character, making them come alive in very distinct ways.
Well done, all the way around!
May 25, 2012
4.5 stars
“Mara, I’m keepin’ you safe. I’m keepin’ those kids safe and you don’t have a choice in that, sweetheart. Thats just the way it’s gonna be… I was made to protect you and you were made in the way that it would always be worth it.” ~Mitch
Oh *swoon*, Mitch has stolen my heart!! Seriously hot, family oriented, loving, swoony, drool-worhty badass Alpha cop
I’ll be honest, the first 70% of the book was a 4 star read for me, but the last 30% was fully 5 stars!
Mara and Mitch live in the same apartment complex. They have each been crushing on each other secretly for the past 4 years but for various reasons have never acted on them. When, one day, Mara suddenly gets a desperate call from her dead beat cousin’s two little children, Billie (girl) and Billy (boy), saying that they ran away from their home and need her help, she runs off to rescue them and Mitch comes with her. Mara suddenly ends up with custody of them and Mitch is willing to do everything in his power to help her and the kids. Serious drama ensues involving the Russian mob, druggie trailer trash, custody battles, family issues, as well as a swoon-worthy romance, a whole lot of healing, and the heart-warming building of a beautiful, if unconventional, family unit held together by whole lotta love and earned trust.
“I’ll go gentle, baby,” he whispered against my lips. “I promise. You’ll always be safe with me.
Oh. My.
“Mitch,” I breathed.
His soulful eyes held mine captive as he repeated firmly, “Always.”
The only thing in this book that dragged that first 70% down for me was Mara. Although I loved her, and she was very sweet and caring, she really got on my nerves with her insistence on always finding reasons why things shouldn’t work out with Mitch and for her serious self-esteem issues. But once she came around, things took a drastic turn up.
I absolutely ADORED seeing how whole heartedly Mitch adopted the kids into his life. His commitment and love for them and Mara gave me chills and shivers and the conviction with which he went about convincing Mara that he wanted this was beautiful and totally adorable!!
“That's another thing that doesn't turn me off, sweetheart, knowin' that you come with those kids and you need to know that. You also need to know I want kids of my own, two of them. But I don't care, if this works out between me and you, that the kids we have will have an older brother and sister that don't have my blood, just my heart.”
And I loved the effort he went to to help heal the kids of the scars of their previous home and to comfort them with the concrete knowledge that with him and Mara, they were loved, cared for and wanted.
“The man who gets Mara gets you and Billie. I’m that man. What you gotta get is, while fallin’ in love with Mara, I fell in love with you and your sister. Straight up, Bud, no lie. The feelings I feel for Mara are hers, the feelings I feel for Billie are hers and the feelings I feel for you are yours. You all have my love, not collectively, individually. Do you understand me?”
And as with the previous books of the series, we get to see all the characters we have come to adore from this world working together and honestly, it was Totally. Badass. Swoon. Overload that left me clutching at my heart!!!! Hawk and Gwen had a seriously hot and swoony cameo, and we get to see Brock and Tess as well. And when the big drama goes down at the end, Tack and his badass biker boys step in and boy did his scenes make me just dying to read his book!!!!
And WOW!! That epilogue!!!!!! I had the hugest grin on my face for the whole of it and then at the very last line of the book, the happy tears just started rolling!
Here's how I see Mitch and Mara:
For more of my review, come visit Aestas Book Blog
Or come take a peek at my blog's Facebook page
“Mara, I’m keepin’ you safe. I’m keepin’ those kids safe and you don’t have a choice in that, sweetheart. Thats just the way it’s gonna be… I was made to protect you and you were made in the way that it would always be worth it.” ~Mitch
Oh *swoon*, Mitch has stolen my heart!! Seriously hot, family oriented, loving, swoony, drool-worhty badass Alpha cop
I’ll be honest, the first 70% of the book was a 4 star read for me, but the last 30% was fully 5 stars!
Mara and Mitch live in the same apartment complex. They have each been crushing on each other secretly for the past 4 years but for various reasons have never acted on them. When, one day, Mara suddenly gets a desperate call from her dead beat cousin’s two little children, Billie (girl) and Billy (boy), saying that they ran away from their home and need her help, she runs off to rescue them and Mitch comes with her. Mara suddenly ends up with custody of them and Mitch is willing to do everything in his power to help her and the kids. Serious drama ensues involving the Russian mob, druggie trailer trash, custody battles, family issues, as well as a swoon-worthy romance, a whole lot of healing, and the heart-warming building of a beautiful, if unconventional, family unit held together by whole lotta love and earned trust.
“I’ll go gentle, baby,” he whispered against my lips. “I promise. You’ll always be safe with me.
Oh. My.
“Mitch,” I breathed.
His soulful eyes held mine captive as he repeated firmly, “Always.”
The only thing in this book that dragged that first 70% down for me was Mara. Although I loved her, and she was very sweet and caring, she really got on my nerves with her insistence on always finding reasons why things shouldn’t work out with Mitch and for her serious self-esteem issues. But once she came around, things took a drastic turn up.
I absolutely ADORED seeing how whole heartedly Mitch adopted the kids into his life. His commitment and love for them and Mara gave me chills and shivers and the conviction with which he went about convincing Mara that he wanted this was beautiful and totally adorable!!
“That's another thing that doesn't turn me off, sweetheart, knowin' that you come with those kids and you need to know that. You also need to know I want kids of my own, two of them. But I don't care, if this works out between me and you, that the kids we have will have an older brother and sister that don't have my blood, just my heart.”
And I loved the effort he went to to help heal the kids of the scars of their previous home and to comfort them with the concrete knowledge that with him and Mara, they were loved, cared for and wanted.
“The man who gets Mara gets you and Billie. I’m that man. What you gotta get is, while fallin’ in love with Mara, I fell in love with you and your sister. Straight up, Bud, no lie. The feelings I feel for Mara are hers, the feelings I feel for Billie are hers and the feelings I feel for you are yours. You all have my love, not collectively, individually. Do you understand me?”
And as with the previous books of the series, we get to see all the characters we have come to adore from this world working together and honestly, it was Totally. Badass. Swoon. Overload that left me clutching at my heart!!!! Hawk and Gwen had a seriously hot and swoony cameo, and we get to see Brock and Tess as well. And when the big drama goes down at the end, Tack and his badass biker boys step in and boy did his scenes make me just dying to read his book!!!!
And WOW!! That epilogue!!!!!! I had the hugest grin on my face for the whole of it and then at the very last line of the book, the happy tears just started rolling!
Here's how I see Mitch and Mara:
For more of my review, come visit Aestas Book Blog
Or come take a peek at my blog's Facebook page
March 27, 2012
I almost gave up on this one. Almost...But with the encouragement of GR buddies/Kristen Ashley fans, I soldiered on, waiting (not so patiently) for the heroine, Mara, to (in Mitch's words) "get her head out of her ass". And I'm so glad I stuck with it, because by about the 60% mark, this book became un-put-down-able!
No big review here, just some thoughts/likes/dislikes...
The book started off well. I mean, who doesn't like a heroine who's a little unsure of herself, only to realize her worth when the man of her dreams shows interest in her? But Mara...oh boy...she just really annoyed me. I knew when she described herself as a "2.5" repeatedly, that I was going to have trouble with her. This girl had the lowest self-esteem/opinion of herself of any character that I've ever read. And I knew there had to be a reason (and believe me, there was--she had a crappy childhood with the mother of all mothers), but I think KA waited just a little too long to reveal that reason. I mean, I was seriously getting annoyed with Mara, and her whole rating scale! And no amount of interest paid to her by the luscious Mitch, no amount of her friends, coworkers, boss, adoring young cousins expressing how wonderful she was would budge this stubborn woman into realizing her worth. Ack!
Thank God for Detective Mitch Lawson and his patience with Mara. I can't say enough about him...except to say he deserves a special place on my husband-worthy shelf. He's everything you want in a romance hero--sexy, understanding, patient, kind, good with kids, fabulous in bed, protective...who cares if sometimes he's a little bossy and dominant? I loved how he "got" Mara, I loved how he finally broke her out of her "cocoon", I loved how he was with her two young cousins (Billy and Billie)...I just loved everything about him. He was the reason I kept reading when Mara was working my last nerve.
I liked how Mitch taught Billy how to play ball...
I also enjoyed meeting some characters from KA's other books. Since I've been reading her books out of order, I haven't met some of them yet. But oh boy, after reading Mara's description and reaction to Hawk...I've got to read his book! Next!
And oh yes, the epilogue. No spoilers here, except that it takes place 13 years later...and...*big sigh*.
So my advice? Stick with this one. If Mara starts to irk you, just know that it gets better, she finally realizes her worth and how proud she should be with the life she made for herself. You're going to adore Mitch, and want a Mitch for yourself (that's a given). And you're going to love their HEA. 4 stars
P.S.: After reading this book, I really want to get a new mattress...:)
No big review here, just some thoughts/likes/dislikes...
The book started off well. I mean, who doesn't like a heroine who's a little unsure of herself, only to realize her worth when the man of her dreams shows interest in her? But Mara...oh boy...she just really annoyed me. I knew when she described herself as a "2.5" repeatedly, that I was going to have trouble with her. This girl had the lowest self-esteem/opinion of herself of any character that I've ever read. And I knew there had to be a reason (and believe me, there was--she had a crappy childhood with the mother of all mothers), but I think KA waited just a little too long to reveal that reason. I mean, I was seriously getting annoyed with Mara, and her whole rating scale! And no amount of interest paid to her by the luscious Mitch, no amount of her friends, coworkers, boss, adoring young cousins expressing how wonderful she was would budge this stubborn woman into realizing her worth. Ack!
Thank God for Detective Mitch Lawson and his patience with Mara. I can't say enough about him...except to say he deserves a special place on my husband-worthy shelf. He's everything you want in a romance hero--sexy, understanding, patient, kind, good with kids, fabulous in bed, protective...who cares if sometimes he's a little bossy and dominant? I loved how he "got" Mara, I loved how he finally broke her out of her "cocoon", I loved how he was with her two young cousins (Billy and Billie)...I just loved everything about him. He was the reason I kept reading when Mara was working my last nerve.
I liked how Mitch taught Billy how to play ball...
I also enjoyed meeting some characters from KA's other books. Since I've been reading her books out of order, I haven't met some of them yet. But oh boy, after reading Mara's description and reaction to Hawk...I've got to read his book! Next!
And oh yes, the epilogue. No spoilers here, except that it takes place 13 years later...and...*big sigh*.
So my advice? Stick with this one. If Mara starts to irk you, just know that it gets better, she finally realizes her worth and how proud she should be with the life she made for herself. You're going to adore Mitch, and want a Mitch for yourself (that's a given). And you're going to love their HEA. 4 stars
P.S.: After reading this book, I really want to get a new mattress...:)
June 23, 2021
4.5 stars
Raise your hand if you've ever been personally victimized by fictional men that raise your standards to the sky
Mitch (H)
I don’t think it was possible for KA to write a more ideal hero. Mitch is all around the perfect guy. He’s sweet, passionate, and protective. Mitch has been pining over Mara (h) for 4 years and finally has the opportunity to make his move when her faucet breaks and she needs help. From that point on, Mitch takes up the roll of boyfriend and father figure to Mara’s 2 cousins, Billie and Billy (yes they have the same name, different spelling). Mara (and ultimately Mitch) take them in because their dad is a dead beat pos that likes to forget to feed them, forcing them to constantly runaway.
I really gotta give Mitch props. He basically has to force himself into a relationship with Mara because she doesn’t realize her worth and Mitch will do anything to make sure she does
His protective side is just so 🥰🥰 but it’s also hot as hell which is a really hard combination to get right without making the hero sound too protective
Then we have his passionate side, which is written so beautifully, but it fits his whole character as a whole. Mitch is brutally honest whether it’s with Mara, Billie or Billy and this is such an important quality for him to have. Mara had a bad childhood. She never knew her dad and her mom is a deadbeat that never gave two shits about her. Same goes for Billie and Billy, but with their dad. Their dad drank heavily and did a ton of drugs in front of them, all while neglecting them of food, an education and love. So for Mitch be the one to lay it straight, is exactly what they need.
Family Dynamic
The dynamic between Mitch, Mara, Billie and Billy is soooo fucking good. The kids have never known love or had a father or mother figure to guide them through life, but Mitch and Mara are those people for them. They take care of them, they love them, and they teach them. Billie (the girl) is scared of the men that would come around their dad’s house and Billy (the boy) feels like he has to accommodate and be good to ensure Mara and Mitch don’t abandon him like seriously stop this is so sad, but precious😭✋🏻
exhibit a)
exhibit b)
Mara (h)
Now, Mara is the reason I rounded my rating down to a 4. If you don’t like a insecure heroine that does everything she can to push the hero away, this book is not for you. For about 80% of the book Mara has this rating system that her mom made her believe. This is where she ranks people on a scale of 1 to 10 based on their appearance and personality. She often refers to Mitch as a 10.5 while she’s just a 2.5. This all stems back the traumas of her childhood which I completely understand, but for her to push away Mitch because she feels like he’s too good for her is so irritating
Now her character development was really good, it just took a long ass while so I would decide if this is something you can handle before picking this book up.
My take away: Detective Mitchell James Lawson is
Raise your hand if you've ever been personally victimized by fictional men that raise your standards to the sky
Mitch (H)
I don’t think it was possible for KA to write a more ideal hero. Mitch is all around the perfect guy. He’s sweet, passionate, and protective. Mitch has been pining over Mara (h) for 4 years and finally has the opportunity to make his move when her faucet breaks and she needs help. From that point on, Mitch takes up the roll of boyfriend and father figure to Mara’s 2 cousins, Billie and Billy (yes they have the same name, different spelling). Mara (and ultimately Mitch) take them in because their dad is a dead beat pos that likes to forget to feed them, forcing them to constantly runaway.
I really gotta give Mitch props. He basically has to force himself into a relationship with Mara because she doesn’t realize her worth and Mitch will do anything to make sure she does
“If it was an everyday life thing that wasn’t a big deal, why won’t you tell me?”
…
“God! Will you just shut up and go?”
“Yeah, I will, after you fuckin’ talk to me.”
“Why are you pushing this?” I bit off.
“Why do you think?” he shot back.
“I’ve no idea.”
“Could it be, Mara, because I’m into you?”
His protective side is just so 🥰🥰 but it’s also hot as hell which is a really hard combination to get right without making the hero sound too protective
“You jump outta my truck again before I’ve come to a complete halt, swear to God, baby, I’ll turn you over my knee. You with me?”
Then we have his passionate side, which is written so beautifully, but it fits his whole character as a whole. Mitch is brutally honest whether it’s with Mara, Billie or Billy and this is such an important quality for him to have. Mara had a bad childhood. She never knew her dad and her mom is a deadbeat that never gave two shits about her. Same goes for Billie and Billy, but with their dad. Their dad drank heavily and did a ton of drugs in front of them, all while neglecting them of food, an education and love. So for Mitch be the one to lay it straight, is exactly what they need.
“Never believed in this shit but now, I’m thinkin’ I fell in love with the promise of you the first time I saw you.”
Family Dynamic
The dynamic between Mitch, Mara, Billie and Billy is soooo fucking good. The kids have never known love or had a father or mother figure to guide them through life, but Mitch and Mara are those people for them. They take care of them, they love them, and they teach them. Billie (the girl) is scared of the men that would come around their dad’s house and Billy (the boy) feels like he has to accommodate and be good to ensure Mara and Mitch don’t abandon him like seriously stop this is so sad, but precious😭✋🏻
exhibit a)
“Oatmeal activakes [sic] my brain?” she asked and Mitch’s grin turned to a smile.
“Yep, it goes into your belly and gives your whole body energy, wakes it up, even your brain, so you can be super smart,” Mitch answered.
Billie lifted a hand and placed it on his neck, her eyes had grown wondrous. “Oo, I wanna be super smart so I can grow up and be a hairdresser!” she declared. I smiled, Mitch chuckled and both his arms got tight, the one around Billie and the one around me.
exhibit b)
“I love you, Bud,” he whispered to Billy and two more tears escaped.
“I love you too, Mitch,” Billy whispered back...
I waved my wineglass at them and murmured, “Don’t mind me. Have your moment.”
Mitch leaned back, letting Billy go and grinning at me. “Men don’t have moments.”
“You do,” I returned. “I’m witnessing one.”
“This isn’t a moment, honey, it’s a meeting of the minds…”
Mara (h)
Now, Mara is the reason I rounded my rating down to a 4. If you don’t like a insecure heroine that does everything she can to push the hero away, this book is not for you. For about 80% of the book Mara has this rating system that her mom made her believe. This is where she ranks people on a scale of 1 to 10 based on their appearance and personality. She often refers to Mitch as a 10.5 while she’s just a 2.5. This all stems back the traumas of her childhood which I completely understand, but for her to push away Mitch because she feels like he’s too good for her is so irritating
Being a Two, maybe a Three, so placing myself at a Two Point Five, there was no way in hell I’d ever be standing out in the breezeway pressed to Detective Mitch Lawson.
Now her character development was really good, it just took a long ass while so I would decide if this is something you can handle before picking this book up.
My take away: Detective Mitchell James Lawson is
March 8, 2023
4 STARS
"No, I was made to protect you, and you were made in a way that it would always be worth the effort."
"If I’m your Mitch, you’re my Mara,” he whispered against my skin, his words making me shiver again because I liked that idea, a whole lot. "
Let’s start from a few very important questions:
1. Was this a long ass book? Yes ( and I mean Mariana Zapata long )
2. Will Mitch be in my top five book boyfriends category? YES he certainly will.
3. Is this gonna be my most highlighted book? Also YES
4. Could I have Mitch's children even though I hate kids? Yes I could. Have the whole bus. Anything for you baby.
I never thought I will like this book, because most of the books from 2012 era have some really bad stuff in them, for example "I’m not like other girls" thing, which I can’t even look at without saying sorry to my eyes that they have to read that. BUT this book was surprisingly really good, I mean REALLY good.
The plot was great, side characters lovely and the heroine even though after 60% in the book her insecurity was getting slightly too much.. I totally get her why she was like that after the explanation happened. I loved her from the start actually, because she was soo damn cute, and I don’t mean that in the quirky way cute. HELL NAH.
Now let’s get to the part when we talk about the MOST important character, sorry men of my dreams Detective Mitch Lawson. I could write a whole ass book about my love for him. I don't want to spoil your enjoyment by giving you his quotes here because really do yourself a favor and read this book, even if it's meant to be read ONLY for him. I literally had butterflies in my stomach while reading the book because of this man.
It was also kinda?¿ a slow burn, but not Mariana Zapata slow burn, so don’t worry. 50-60%, I’m saying that only because I needed to see my future husband in action.
"No, I was made to protect you, and you were made in a way that it would always be worth the effort."
"If I’m your Mitch, you’re my Mara,” he whispered against my skin, his words making me shiver again because I liked that idea, a whole lot. "
Let’s start from a few very important questions:
1. Was this a long ass book? Yes ( and I mean Mariana Zapata long )
2. Will Mitch be in my top five book boyfriends category? YES he certainly will.
3. Is this gonna be my most highlighted book? Also YES
4. Could I have Mitch's children even though I hate kids? Yes I could. Have the whole bus. Anything for you baby.
I never thought I will like this book, because most of the books from 2012 era have some really bad stuff in them, for example "I’m not like other girls" thing, which I can’t even look at without saying sorry to my eyes that they have to read that. BUT this book was surprisingly really good, I mean REALLY good.
The plot was great, side characters lovely and the heroine even though after 60% in the book her insecurity was getting slightly too much.. I totally get her why she was like that after the explanation happened. I loved her from the start actually, because she was soo damn cute, and I don’t mean that in the quirky way cute. HELL NAH.
Now let’s get to the part when we talk about the MOST important character, sorry men of my dreams Detective Mitch Lawson. I could write a whole ass book about my love for him. I don't want to spoil your enjoyment by giving you his quotes here because really do yourself a favor and read this book, even if it's meant to be read ONLY for him. I literally had butterflies in my stomach while reading the book because of this man.
It was also kinda?¿ a slow burn, but not Mariana Zapata slow burn, so don’t worry. 50-60%, I’m saying that only because I needed to see my future husband in action.
August 11, 2020
This is by far my favorite in this series. Mitch Lawson is one of the best heroes I've read. The way he handled Mara and the way he didn't hesitate at all to jump right in and help her take care of her two little cousins was amazing. I'm such a sucker for a guy with kids, especially when they are so good with them and how protective Mitch was.
I really liked Mara as well. While she did have some major insecurity issues, she is also valid to have them with the way she was treated as a child. I get why her insecurities would be annoying but I find that if the reason is valid, I don't take issue with it. Add to that, Mitch handled her insecurities in a way that I loved.
Billy and Billie are another reason why I loved this book so much. I love when there are kids in a book if it's done right and KA did it right. I loved their little personalities. They brought a lot to this story and really enhanced why I loved the main couple so much. I was actually sad that I finished the book. I wanted more.
I did a re-read with the audiobook and the narrator Kate Russell is a new favorite! She did such a good job with the kids voices. I think she enhanced this story.
I really liked Mara as well. While she did have some major insecurity issues, she is also valid to have them with the way she was treated as a child. I get why her insecurities would be annoying but I find that if the reason is valid, I don't take issue with it. Add to that, Mitch handled her insecurities in a way that I loved.
Billy and Billie are another reason why I loved this book so much. I love when there are kids in a book if it's done right and KA did it right. I loved their little personalities. They brought a lot to this story and really enhanced why I loved the main couple so much. I was actually sad that I finished the book. I wanted more.
I did a re-read with the audiobook and the narrator Kate Russell is a new favorite! She did such a good job with the kids voices. I think she enhanced this story.
June 24, 2023
There are those books that you re-read, but tend to skip through some parts. This is not one of those books for me. I read each chapter, each paragraph and each and every word. I love this book so much! Probably my favorite book, along with Rock Chick Regret, of all time and one of my most read.
***Re-read again.***
I've been on a KA Dream Man series kick and have been re-reading these books. I have to say I LOVE my man Mitch!
NOTE: Last re-read on 8/12/14
***Re-read again.***
I've been on a KA Dream Man series kick and have been re-reading these books. I have to say I LOVE my man Mitch!
NOTE: Last re-read on 8/12/14
September 18, 2024
September 18, 2024
I still love it. 💓💓💓
Reread Review December 19, 2018
I LOVE DETECTIVE MITCHELL JAMES LAWSON...still. 💓
Original Review June 11, 2014
OMG!! Detective Mitchell James Lawson!
Ima try and keep this somewhat short because eeeeeekkkkkkk!!!, I'm finally about to get to Tack!
So... This is a really good book about something that happens way too often. And that is children needing someone to step in and take them out of a horrible situation, take care of them and love them unconditionally. Mara is very annoying at first but when you find out where she is coming from she grows on you. Plus she stepped up with the kids and her self confidence grew by leaps and bounds. But what makes it so good is Detective Mitchell James Lawson. He is absolutely a dream man. Not just in a book dream man kind of way but a REAL LIFE Dream Man kind of way!! Meaning, if I didn't already have my very own real life dream man, I would be out looking for Detective Mitchell James Lawson right now! He is absolutely perfect, unflawed, and in no need of repair. He is not recovering from or in the middle of emotional or psychological trauma, he is not overly aggressive or controlling, though he does know when to take control, and he has a real life decent hard working important job where he makes a living for his family but is not rich. Real Life Dream Man. Absolutely going on the favorite males list. Now finally on to Tack who I already love, though probably not in a real life kind of way, but we shall see... Happy reading!!!
PS. Just so you all know, I don't think there is anything wrong with a book only Dream Man. Sometimes the more messed up they are the better the book. Christian Grey anyone?...
I still love it. 💓💓💓
Reread Review December 19, 2018
I LOVE DETECTIVE MITCHELL JAMES LAWSON...still. 💓
Original Review June 11, 2014
OMG!! Detective Mitchell James Lawson!
Ima try and keep this somewhat short because eeeeeekkkkkkk!!!, I'm finally about to get to Tack!
So... This is a really good book about something that happens way too often. And that is children needing someone to step in and take them out of a horrible situation, take care of them and love them unconditionally. Mara is very annoying at first but when you find out where she is coming from she grows on you. Plus she stepped up with the kids and her self confidence grew by leaps and bounds. But what makes it so good is Detective Mitchell James Lawson. He is absolutely a dream man. Not just in a book dream man kind of way but a REAL LIFE Dream Man kind of way!! Meaning, if I didn't already have my very own real life dream man, I would be out looking for Detective Mitchell James Lawson right now! He is absolutely perfect, unflawed, and in no need of repair. He is not recovering from or in the middle of emotional or psychological trauma, he is not overly aggressive or controlling, though he does know when to take control, and he has a real life decent hard working important job where he makes a living for his family but is not rich. Real Life Dream Man. Absolutely going on the favorite males list. Now finally on to Tack who I already love, though probably not in a real life kind of way, but we shall see... Happy reading!!!
PS. Just so you all know, I don't think there is anything wrong with a book only Dream Man. Sometimes the more messed up they are the better the book. Christian Grey anyone?...
January 17, 2020
4.75 stars.
It has been a while since I have read a Kristen Ashley book and I forgot how crazy good they are and also how much fun I have reading them.
Mitch and Mara's story along with her distorted sense of self worth made for pretty interesting reading. All of her family growing up was trashy and verging on criminals and so even though she had left that life behind more than 13 years ago, her perception of herself hadn't changed with it.
In her eyes Detective Mitch Lawson was a 10.5 and she was a 2.5, therefore he couldn't be seriously interested in her ( I am assuming she was using a scale of 1-10, but it is KA so who the hell knows).
In "Mara's world" a mutual attraction between them just did not compute.
For some strange reason I seem to have read this series totally out of order.
This is the 3rd book but I started with book one and then book four and now only have book two left to read.
This book was delightful and I think I found it so entertaining mainly because Mitch was such a super-sweet guy. For instance I really did like how it took a while for the relationship to develop between these two.
Mitch first had to work at breaking down all of Mara's barriers in order to get closer to her and his persistence in that respect was really satisfying to read about.
I also have to mention that this book has one of the sweetest epilogues ever IMO (totally loved it).
It has been a while since I have read a Kristen Ashley book and I forgot how crazy good they are and also how much fun I have reading them.
Mitch and Mara's story along with her distorted sense of self worth made for pretty interesting reading. All of her family growing up was trashy and verging on criminals and so even though she had left that life behind more than 13 years ago, her perception of herself hadn't changed with it.
In her eyes Detective Mitch Lawson was a 10.5 and she was a 2.5, therefore he couldn't be seriously interested in her ( I am assuming she was using a scale of 1-10, but it is KA so who the hell knows).
In "Mara's world" a mutual attraction between them just did not compute.
For some strange reason I seem to have read this series totally out of order.
This is the 3rd book but I started with book one and then book four and now only have book two left to read.
This book was delightful and I think I found it so entertaining mainly because Mitch was such a super-sweet guy. For instance I really did like how it took a while for the relationship to develop between these two.
Mitch first had to work at breaking down all of Mara's barriers in order to get closer to her and his persistence in that respect was really satisfying to read about.
I also have to mention that this book has one of the sweetest epilogues ever IMO (totally loved it).
July 9, 2021
This could’ve been 300 pages shorter tbh 🤥
February 25, 2014
On one hand you have very strong and sexy police detective Mitch Lawson, aka Mr. Ten Point Five, and on the other hand a very sweet but insecure salesperson Mara Hanover, aka Ms. Two Point Five. How can these two ever work things out so they can be together in the real world?
Well, it takes a jerky police detective to get them there. Now just stay with me...Mara is all kinds of sweet but she's had some things happen in her life that has messed her up and skewed her view of herself. There would never ever be any Mitch and Mara if it was up to Mara...that's for sure.
You probably won't like Mitch for a bit. I certainly didn't. I couldn't imagine what everyone was going on about. He's a big fat jerk!! I really hate when men won't let women speak and he did a whole heck of a lot of that. Granted sometimes it was necessary but sometimes it would've been nice for them to just talk about things. But ~sigh~ that's the way of KA men.
Mara was a bit nuts! There's just no other way to describe her. She assigns points to people based on looks and they can go up and down depending on how they are. Also, people are in zones...1-3, 4-6, and 7-10 and the different zones cannot mix. This is called Mara World. She feels she's out of Mitch's league and there's no way he could possibly want anything out her and certainly not a relationship.
That would be all fine and dandy except some things happen and she becomes the guardian of her two cousins. Now everything is much different and this is where Mara won me over. She always puts the kids first...even if she doesn't know what to do or how she will do it. I do have to say that I was a bit taken back by how much Mitch wanted to be involved.
Yes, yes, yes....there are some steamy scenes. Mitch obviously knows what he's doing and him and Mara are great together. I got a big kick out of the LBD scene.
There's some drama, of course, but for the most part, it's dealing with the kids and figuring out all that stuff along with starting a relationship. "Trailer Trash Twins" and "Roller Derby Rejects" was killing me! The last 15% things really hit the fan when we find out what Bill's dealings really involved.
Those were some real tear jerker moments for me...especially the scenes with Mitch and Bud. Wow...I just loved those.
There's some great secondary characters and naturally there's cross over characters from other books and series.
And it wouldn't be a KA book without the wonderful epilogue. I was a bit surprised that it was thirteen years later though.
Favorite Quotes:
♥ “Jesus fuckin’ Christ, baby, you can kiss.”
♥ “Never believed in this shit but now, I’m thinkin’ I fell in love with the promise of you the first time I saw you.”
♥ “I love you, Bud," he whispered to Billy and two more tears escaped.
"I love you too, Mitch," Billy whispered back, my breath hitched and both males' eyes came to me.
I waved my wineglass at them and murmured, "Don't mind me. Have your moment."
Mitch leaned back, letting Billy go and grinning at me. "Men don't have moments."
"You do," I returned. "I'm witnessing one."
"This isn't a moment, honey, it's a meeting of the minds," Mitch contradicted me.”
♥ “Best thing that ever happened to me, that shredded washer,” he whispered.
“Too bad I didn’t know what a washer was or I would have shredded it myself,” I whispered back and he burst out laughing."
Well, it takes a jerky police detective to get them there. Now just stay with me...Mara is all kinds of sweet but she's had some things happen in her life that has messed her up and skewed her view of herself. There would never ever be any Mitch and Mara if it was up to Mara...that's for sure.
You probably won't like Mitch for a bit. I certainly didn't. I couldn't imagine what everyone was going on about. He's a big fat jerk!! I really hate when men won't let women speak and he did a whole heck of a lot of that. Granted sometimes it was necessary but sometimes it would've been nice for them to just talk about things. But ~sigh~ that's the way of KA men.
Mara was a bit nuts! There's just no other way to describe her. She assigns points to people based on looks and they can go up and down depending on how they are. Also, people are in zones...1-3, 4-6, and 7-10 and the different zones cannot mix. This is called Mara World. She feels she's out of Mitch's league and there's no way he could possibly want anything out her and certainly not a relationship.
That would be all fine and dandy except some things happen and she becomes the guardian of her two cousins. Now everything is much different and this is where Mara won me over. She always puts the kids first...even if she doesn't know what to do or how she will do it. I do have to say that I was a bit taken back by how much Mitch wanted to be involved.
Yes, yes, yes....there are some steamy scenes. Mitch obviously knows what he's doing and him and Mara are great together. I got a big kick out of the LBD scene.
There's some drama, of course, but for the most part, it's dealing with the kids and figuring out all that stuff along with starting a relationship. "Trailer Trash Twins" and "Roller Derby Rejects" was killing me! The last 15% things really hit the fan when we find out what Bill's dealings really involved.
Those were some real tear jerker moments for me...especially the scenes with Mitch and Bud. Wow...I just loved those.
There's some great secondary characters and naturally there's cross over characters from other books and series.
And it wouldn't be a KA book without the wonderful epilogue. I was a bit surprised that it was thirteen years later though.
Favorite Quotes:
♥ “Jesus fuckin’ Christ, baby, you can kiss.”
♥ “Never believed in this shit but now, I’m thinkin’ I fell in love with the promise of you the first time I saw you.”
♥ “I love you, Bud," he whispered to Billy and two more tears escaped.
"I love you too, Mitch," Billy whispered back, my breath hitched and both males' eyes came to me.
I waved my wineglass at them and murmured, "Don't mind me. Have your moment."
Mitch leaned back, letting Billy go and grinning at me. "Men don't have moments."
"You do," I returned. "I'm witnessing one."
"This isn't a moment, honey, it's a meeting of the minds," Mitch contradicted me.”
♥ “Best thing that ever happened to me, that shredded washer,” he whispered.
“Too bad I didn’t know what a washer was or I would have shredded it myself,” I whispered back and he burst out laughing."
March 11, 2024
🔸Someone hug me, please🔸
This book is PHENOMENAL.
My heart is SO HAPPY, and I can’t deal.
Like, WHY is KA such a Queen?!
I legit can’t find a single thing about this book I didn’t like. Nothing.
Nada.
The story is just so well put together. The main characters Mara and Mitch were epic. Mara was sweet, funny, loyal and kind, and Mitch- Oh-Boy DON’T get me started on Mitch.
I swear ALL KA’s men are book-boyfriend material. Not just nice ones, but the FUCKING, INCREDIBLE, WHY-CANT-I-PLEASE-HAVE-ONE - types! It’s not even funny, guys.
Mitch was just the perfect example of a man. Strong, committed, family orientated, loyal, and let’s not forget panty-dripping gorgeous. And yes I said that. I am not ashamed😂
Now that my drooling is over (okay let me live in the fantasy a little while longer because *hotness alert”) - let’s talk about what the book was about, shall we?
Mara is as mentioned above the nicest person on earth.
She is so nice that when her cousins kids are in trouble, because her cousin is a bit of an assclown (their words) she decides to fight for custody over those sweet kids. (See, sweet as candy).
Then someone dropped a drama-bomb. Add a crazy mother, a loco aunt and the Russian Mob, and we got ourselves a nice little drama cocktail! (KA, that is on you!) (Also I LIVE for this😍). Luckily for our sweet Mara her handsome and very bossy neighbour, detective Mitch Lawson decides to lay claim on my sweet Mara and boy... doesn’t that sound like an amazing idea *insert scream of excitement😍
SO FUCKING GOOD, GUYS!
This book is EVERYTHING💙
Read:03/03/2019
Re-read:02/04/2022 (Still a fiver)
1st rating: 5 WELL-DESERVED stars!!
Genre/tropes: Romance/suspense/drama/action
Cover: 3 stars
POV: Plural (Mara & Mitch)
Will I recommend: KA is a fucking Queen. I will bow to that woman FOREVEEER) So that’s a big fat yes. Read her. 🧡
This book is PHENOMENAL.
My heart is SO HAPPY, and I can’t deal.
Like, WHY is KA such a Queen?!
I legit can’t find a single thing about this book I didn’t like. Nothing.
Nada.
The story is just so well put together. The main characters Mara and Mitch were epic. Mara was sweet, funny, loyal and kind, and Mitch- Oh-Boy DON’T get me started on Mitch.
I swear ALL KA’s men are book-boyfriend material. Not just nice ones, but the FUCKING, INCREDIBLE, WHY-CANT-I-PLEASE-HAVE-ONE - types! It’s not even funny, guys.
Mitch was just the perfect example of a man. Strong, committed, family orientated, loyal, and let’s not forget panty-dripping gorgeous. And yes I said that. I am not ashamed😂
Now that my drooling is over (okay let me live in the fantasy a little while longer because *hotness alert”) - let’s talk about what the book was about, shall we?
Mara is as mentioned above the nicest person on earth.
She is so nice that when her cousins kids are in trouble, because her cousin is a bit of an assclown (their words) she decides to fight for custody over those sweet kids. (See, sweet as candy).
Then someone dropped a drama-bomb. Add a crazy mother, a loco aunt and the Russian Mob, and we got ourselves a nice little drama cocktail! (KA, that is on you!) (Also I LIVE for this😍). Luckily for our sweet Mara her handsome and very bossy neighbour, detective Mitch Lawson decides to lay claim on my sweet Mara and boy... doesn’t that sound like an amazing idea *insert scream of excitement😍
SO FUCKING GOOD, GUYS!
This book is EVERYTHING💙
Read:03/03/2019
Re-read:02/04/2022 (Still a fiver)
1st rating: 5 WELL-DESERVED stars!!
Genre/tropes: Romance/suspense/drama/action
Cover: 3 stars
POV: Plural (Mara & Mitch)
Will I recommend: KA is a fucking Queen. I will bow to that woman FOREVEEER) So that’s a big fat yes. Read her. 🧡
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