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Reason #1
A Reason to Breathe
WARNING: Author believes in soul mates and insta-love, proceed with caution if you're not a romantic at heart.
Love at first sight was never so dangerous.
Jack Gunnison has a problem. Well, two, actually. One is 5'5", and the other? . . . A killer.
Jennifer Stewart needs a change after losing her husband and sending her daughter off to College. Jenn moves to the high country of Colorado to start her life over and follow her dreams. Unfortunately, she gets more than she bargained for when she attracts the eye of a killer.
Together, Jack and Jenn must figure out his identity before he strikes again.
Mature readers only due to erotic content and language.
Love at first sight was never so dangerous.
Jack Gunnison has a problem. Well, two, actually. One is 5'5", and the other? . . . A killer.
Jennifer Stewart needs a change after losing her husband and sending her daughter off to College. Jenn moves to the high country of Colorado to start her life over and follow her dreams. Unfortunately, she gets more than she bargained for when she attracts the eye of a killer.
Together, Jack and Jenn must figure out his identity before he strikes again.
Mature readers only due to erotic content and language.
365 pages, ebook
First published January 21, 2014
About the author
C.P. Smith
20 books1,620 followersCP Smith/Christina Smith writes romantic suspense with OTT alphas, insta-love, and feisty heroines! She believes books should be about escape rather than reality. Ms. Smith writes what she likes to read and leaves the rest to those with better imaginations. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband and five children. You can follow her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cpsmith74135
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 629 reviews
August 10, 2016
This was a nice surprise. I loved it. Was asked by Jess if I would review an ARC as the author wanted Goodreaders, who were not Bloggers, to review it. "Yes Please", I said. I very rarely review ARCs, Netgalley is not my best friend in the world but have reviewed a few.
I have seen a few negative reviews but for a first time author I think it was good. We sometimes have to suspend the disbelief a little bit when we read fiction ... don't you think?
You are definitely going to see references to this book being like a KA book. Did I think so? Yes, I did! But hey, if I was an author and was told my work was very like KA, I would be over the moon. The author does say in her introduction: "To Kristen Ashley for writing such kickass alpha males, and the best books I've read hands down, Kristen, I found my inner writer 'cause I wanna be just like you when I grow up"! Don't we all, lady, don't we all!
Sparks flew the moment this couple met. And they are a little older. He is 40 and she is 39.
Well Jack, you can rescue me any time of the day or night. I swear I was thinking he was like Tate Jackson, that is how hot Jack was.
Jenn, a widow, moves to Colorado, after her only child, Bailey, moves away to college. She always wanted to live in the mountains…. She gets a job at a local paper and is quite happy, thank you very much.
I imagine her cabin being like this…. Nice and girly …
She meets some great people and makes some good friends. Mandy and Lorraine were great.
I loved the banter between these two. Jack was a total Alpha, opinionated, bossy, good in bed!!
Suddenly, bodies start appearing in Jack’s jurisdiction. All women around the same age as Jenn. The suspense was great. First I though it was one person, then I thought it was another …. I sort of guessed one part of it!
I loved how much Jenn loved her daughter, Bailey and how well they got on together.
I won’t quote any more as you will enjoy it all the more when you are reading them for the first time.
And I got my ….
The way to keep me happy is to write an epilogue and not just an epilogue from the next day or two – yeah, shoot it off down a couple of months in the future.
FANTASTIC READ FROM THIS DEBUT AUTHOR.
I wish her well and will definitely be checking out future books by her.
I have seen a few negative reviews but for a first time author I think it was good. We sometimes have to suspend the disbelief a little bit when we read fiction ... don't you think?
You are definitely going to see references to this book being like a KA book. Did I think so? Yes, I did! But hey, if I was an author and was told my work was very like KA, I would be over the moon. The author does say in her introduction: "To Kristen Ashley for writing such kickass alpha males, and the best books I've read hands down, Kristen, I found my inner writer 'cause I wanna be just like you when I grow up"! Don't we all, lady, don't we all!
Sparks flew the moment this couple met. And they are a little older. He is 40 and she is 39.
"I'm not 9-5 suit material; I wear jeans; I hunt bad guys, and I rescue damsels in distress."
Well Jack, you can rescue me any time of the day or night. I swear I was thinking he was like Tate Jackson, that is how hot Jack was.
Jenn, a widow, moves to Colorado, after her only child, Bailey, moves away to college. She always wanted to live in the mountains…. She gets a job at a local paper and is quite happy, thank you very much.
I imagine her cabin being like this…. Nice and girly …
She meets some great people and makes some good friends. Mandy and Lorraine were great.
You’re a dirty whore and I want to be you when I grow up
I loved the banter between these two. Jack was a total Alpha, opinionated, bossy, good in bed!!
Swear if I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all
Suddenly, bodies start appearing in Jack’s jurisdiction. All women around the same age as Jenn. The suspense was great. First I though it was one person, then I thought it was another …. I sort of guessed one part of it!
I loved how much Jenn loved her daughter, Bailey and how well they got on together.
I won’t quote any more as you will enjoy it all the more when you are reading them for the first time.
And I got my ….
The way to keep me happy is to write an epilogue and not just an epilogue from the next day or two – yeah, shoot it off down a couple of months in the future.
FANTASTIC READ FROM THIS DEBUT AUTHOR.
I wish her well and will definitely be checking out future books by her.
July 10, 2015
1 star. DNF at 57 %. Review posted January 23, 2014
It would be very welcome…
I did something I don’t really like to do. I started reading A Reason to Breathe without having checked out a negative review. On the one hand, this book came highly recommended and on the other hand, there wasn’t a single negative review to be found on GR. I’m very sorry to say that A Reason to Breathe failed the baba-bing test big time. I won’t bore you with a synopsis. Just let me cut to the chase of the matter.
In a nutshell
Neither the bland and unoriginal writing nor the annoying characters appealed to me.
Even though Jenn was married for ages, she fell hard and fast for Jack when she set her eyes on him for the first time. It goes without saying that she became his babe the very same day. I. Just. Did. Not. Buy. That. After a little incident--the very same day they met--she clung to him, sat on his lap, cried and he said “I got you, babe.” It’s just extremely unrealistic and oh-so stereotypical.
On the one hand, Jenn was all gaga over Jack and on the other hand, she was totally indecisive. I want him, I don’t want him. This can’t go any further yadda yadda yadda. I was 14 % done when Jack’s grin and all the babe here and babe there started to get on my very last nerve. He’s another one of those uber bossy, uber possessive alpha-holes who use caveman antics to woo the naïve little heroine. Don’t get me wrong, I love a great alpha but I need more than caveman speech, a constant grin and eyes going soft for the umpteenth time to feel a connection or even an attraction to said alpha. Also, give me a great alpha man any day but he must sound real to me. A caveman alpha-hole is just fantasy material, no more no less, and it’s a fantasy I can live without, thank you very much.
Well, and Sheriff Jack is all eagle-eyed from day one when another dude might dare to look at his babe. They didn’t even have a relationship yet. Uber jealous, much? There’s no build-up whatsoever and no sexual tension. Nada. Zilch. Nichts. Würklech gar nüüt. Oh, wait, why would I need that when it’s been replaced by caveman speech. Problem solved. There was lots of shouting, barking, growling, purring (down the line) and hissing in this story which was the reason for my virtual headache. The sex simply made me roll my eyes…no further comments necessary.
What a career leap! From the entertainment section and writing about cookies, Jenn jumps seamlessly to amateur sleuth--naturally without the consent of her boss. Whatever she did she was so incredibly competent…uh-huh…I might be slightly sarcastic. Let's face it, there is a vast difference between being stubborn and stupid. Jenn seems to be a candidate for the latter category.
"Jesus, Jenny, are you sure you want to investigate this guy?"
"Oh, come on, Ben, this is fascinating, although creepy stuff." I defended.
Yes, it's very fascinating how you screwed up, Jenn.
At 26 % Jenn babe and Mandy took the cake. They went off half-cocked when they were trying
Is she for REAL? Where. Is. Your. Brain. Woman? *Baba hits head on the table. Repeatedly*
Later on she said to Jack…
*facepalm*
Yeah, riiiiight, 39 is a number. It doesn't necessarily mean that someone is mature or smart.
And when Jenn had lunch Gosh, how can she be so dense and clueless?
*Baba nods head vigorously* Do I need to spell it out for you, Jenn?
Clue the heck in, babe, he never had any honorable intentions when it came to you. Geez…
Well, being unsuspecting is one thing but what's even worse is the fact that she didn't quit after the I don't know what to say when I'm confronted with this kind of brainless heroine. ---> Great basis to build a manufactured drama. There is that, right?
The main protagonists incl. all the characterizations, the writing style and the lack of proper editing are blatantly similar to…um…I think it’s best I don’t comment.
"Thought you were a typical nosey in your face reporter, then you showed me a different side and I liked what I saw. But Babe, gotta tell ya, this innocent side, the one where you have no clue to the fact that you could have any man in this town and still you'd be settling, total fucking turn-on; and you think I'm gonna settle for friends? Fuck no."
"And now on top of sweet, I get innocent too? No way, Jenn, no fucking way."
"Sweetness, I don't give a fuck if he's pissed or inconvenienced, you kiss me like that again, and I'll make the whole fuckin' town wait." Grinning at him, 'cause how could I not after that, I giggled like the adolescent schoolgirl he'd turned me into, and for some odd reason that made him grin.
“Jenn, had my mouth between your legs, my cock buried deep more than once in the past six hours, believe me when I say, I. Don’t. Share. (…)”
Also, we have the obligatory ex who's freaking out. She cries, sobs, screams and hits and of course Just the whole shebang. Sound familiar?
Of course the heroine has been thrown through the air. I think every woman should have the pleasure of experiencing that thrilling moment just once. In. Her. Life. Again, sound familiar?
"Bed it is," barely left his mouth, as I was thrown through the air and landed on his bed. Jack landed on top of me, looked at his watch and grinned.
Jenn *Baba takes a deep breath*
What the heck is up with all those (misplaced) semi-colons? It's very distracting. Here are some examples to your perusal:
Arms raised; I could still hear Jack shouting comments.
"(…) That being said; I'm gonna do my damnedest to try and keep up with you so I can catch you when you fall. But honest to god, right about now, locking you in a cell sounds pretty damned good to me; (…)"
“(…)I mean; I get that, you look like you do and wear a badge, why limit yourself to one woman? So I get it, really; I do, but I'm not (…)”
Our food came and just as the reviews suggested; it was outstanding; we'd all had steak, big surprise, and it was thick and delicious.
Oh and let's not forget that specific situation…semi-colons topped off by Jenn's keen wit. *cough*
Then it hit me; Jack was a sheriff; he carried a gun.
Amazing, Jenn. Truly amazing.
Unfortunately, A Reason to Breathe has to go on my shelf books-everyone-loved-but-baba. I'm sure it will find some good company in order to not feel lonely. It's safe to say that I will steer clear of Ms. Smith's future books.
It would be very welcome…
I did something I don’t really like to do. I started reading A Reason to Breathe without having checked out a negative review. On the one hand, this book came highly recommended and on the other hand, there wasn’t a single negative review to be found on GR. I’m very sorry to say that A Reason to Breathe failed the baba-bing test big time. I won’t bore you with a synopsis. Just let me cut to the chase of the matter.
In a nutshell
Neither the bland and unoriginal writing nor the annoying characters appealed to me.
Even though Jenn was married for ages, she fell hard and fast for Jack when she set her eyes on him for the first time. It goes without saying that she became his babe the very same day. I. Just. Did. Not. Buy. That. After a little incident--the very same day they met--she clung to him, sat on his lap, cried and he said “I got you, babe.” It’s just extremely unrealistic and oh-so stereotypical.
On the one hand, Jenn was all gaga over Jack and on the other hand, she was totally indecisive. I want him, I don’t want him. This can’t go any further yadda yadda yadda. I was 14 % done when Jack’s grin and all the babe here and babe there started to get on my very last nerve. He’s another one of those uber bossy, uber possessive alpha-holes who use caveman antics to woo the naïve little heroine. Don’t get me wrong, I love a great alpha but I need more than caveman speech, a constant grin and eyes going soft for the umpteenth time to feel a connection or even an attraction to said alpha. Also, give me a great alpha man any day but he must sound real to me. A caveman alpha-hole is just fantasy material, no more no less, and it’s a fantasy I can live without, thank you very much.
Well, and Sheriff Jack is all eagle-eyed from day one when another dude might dare to look at his babe. They didn’t even have a relationship yet. Uber jealous, much? There’s no build-up whatsoever and no sexual tension. Nada. Zilch. Nichts. Würklech gar nüüt. Oh, wait, why would I need that when it’s been replaced by caveman speech. Problem solved. There was lots of shouting, barking, growling, purring (down the line) and hissing in this story which was the reason for my virtual headache. The sex simply made me roll my eyes…no further comments necessary.
What a career leap! From the entertainment section and writing about cookies, Jenn jumps seamlessly to amateur sleuth--naturally without the consent of her boss. Whatever she did she was so incredibly competent…uh-huh…I might be slightly sarcastic. Let's face it, there is a vast difference between being stubborn and stupid. Jenn seems to be a candidate for the latter category.
"Jesus, Jenny, are you sure you want to investigate this guy?"
"Oh, come on, Ben, this is fascinating, although creepy stuff." I defended.
Yes, it's very fascinating how you screwed up, Jenn.
At 26 % Jenn babe and Mandy took the cake. They went off half-cocked when they were trying
Is she for REAL? Where. Is. Your. Brain. Woman? *Baba hits head on the table. Repeatedly*
Later on she said to Jack…
*facepalm*
Yeah, riiiiight, 39 is a number. It doesn't necessarily mean that someone is mature or smart.
And when Jenn had lunch Gosh, how can she be so dense and clueless?
*Baba nods head vigorously* Do I need to spell it out for you, Jenn?
Clue the heck in, babe, he never had any honorable intentions when it came to you. Geez…
Well, being unsuspecting is one thing but what's even worse is the fact that she didn't quit after the I don't know what to say when I'm confronted with this kind of brainless heroine. ---> Great basis to build a manufactured drama. There is that, right?
The main protagonists incl. all the characterizations, the writing style and the lack of proper editing are blatantly similar to…um…I think it’s best I don’t comment.
"Thought you were a typical nosey in your face reporter, then you showed me a different side and I liked what I saw. But Babe, gotta tell ya, this innocent side, the one where you have no clue to the fact that you could have any man in this town and still you'd be settling, total fucking turn-on; and you think I'm gonna settle for friends? Fuck no."
"And now on top of sweet, I get innocent too? No way, Jenn, no fucking way."
"Sweetness, I don't give a fuck if he's pissed or inconvenienced, you kiss me like that again, and I'll make the whole fuckin' town wait." Grinning at him, 'cause how could I not after that, I giggled like the adolescent schoolgirl he'd turned me into, and for some odd reason that made him grin.
“Jenn, had my mouth between your legs, my cock buried deep more than once in the past six hours, believe me when I say, I. Don’t. Share. (…)”
Also, we have the obligatory ex who's freaking out. She cries, sobs, screams and hits and of course Just the whole shebang. Sound familiar?
Of course the heroine has been thrown through the air. I think every woman should have the pleasure of experiencing that thrilling moment just once. In. Her. Life. Again, sound familiar?
"Bed it is," barely left his mouth, as I was thrown through the air and landed on his bed. Jack landed on top of me, looked at his watch and grinned.
Jenn *Baba takes a deep breath*
What the heck is up with all those (misplaced) semi-colons? It's very distracting. Here are some examples to your perusal:
Arms raised; I could still hear Jack shouting comments.
"(…) That being said; I'm gonna do my damnedest to try and keep up with you so I can catch you when you fall. But honest to god, right about now, locking you in a cell sounds pretty damned good to me; (…)"
“(…)I mean; I get that, you look like you do and wear a badge, why limit yourself to one woman? So I get it, really; I do, but I'm not (…)”
Our food came and just as the reviews suggested; it was outstanding; we'd all had steak, big surprise, and it was thick and delicious.
Oh and let's not forget that specific situation…semi-colons topped off by Jenn's keen wit. *cough*
Then it hit me; Jack was a sheriff; he carried a gun.
Amazing, Jenn. Truly amazing.
Unfortunately, A Reason to Breathe has to go on my shelf books-everyone-loved-but-baba. I'm sure it will find some good company in order to not feel lonely. It's safe to say that I will steer clear of Ms. Smith's future books.
January 23, 2014
my casting for Jack ^^^
"A killer, men with guns, and a gorgeous Sherriff with a magic mouth… Welcome to Colorado."
As a huge fan of Alpha male romance, I'm always on the lookout for books in this category and this one hit the spot! It was bossy man meets smartass woman and it was FUN!!
The story followed Jennifer who was widowed at the age of 39 and left by herself when her daughter went off to college. Stuck with a house she couldn't afford filled with memories of her past, she decided to take matters into her own hands and move forward with her life. As a journalist, she could work anywhere and she'd had a life long dream of living in the mountains of Colorado so she sold her house, and headed off to make her dream come true.
But just a few months after she got settled, a serial killer began a chilling spree of murders in her small town... and when she went to investigate, she found that the town Sheriff (and badass Alpha male extraordinaire), Jack, was none too pleased to have a reporter poking around in his case....
That was how they met and this is their story :)
Ok ladies, if you like your men ALPHA, then you are going to fall in love with Jack. He was bossy, possessive, protective... all man! All the fucking way.
"I'm not 9-5 suit material; I wear jeans; I hunt bad guys, and I rescue damsels in distress."
He was also a lawman through and through. His job meant a lot to him and he worked hard at it. He'd never found love and had pretty much settled on the fact that he wasn't going to. But when Jenn came into his life, everything changed.
"Word of advice, Jack isn't the type of guy to settle down. He's been on his own for twenty years, and he's had women, but they never last. Every time he spends time with one; they think they'll be the one to tame him, but it never happens."
She was fiesty, stubborn and a total smartass and he loved it. The last thing Jenn needed in her life was a bossy, possessive man in her life telling her what to do. She was very much in charge of her own life, very driven to do things her way and determined not to let any man walk all over her.
"Insufferable man thinks he can order me around? Who does he think he is? Ok, maybe he's the Sheriff, but still, I don't need him barking orders at me. No wonder he's still single, who'd put up with that?"
But pretty soon, Jack's charm began to win her over...
"I am so out of my league with this guy. He should have a warning label on his back, "Proceed with caution; smile will dazzle you."
You know that moment when a book steals your heart? I can tell you when that happened for me here -- it was at 7%. I broke into a grin and that was the moment where I. was. hooked. !!
I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face to her ear and whispered.
"I got you, baby."
I loved their connection. By 10% into the book, I was getting full body chills and shivers. I totally felt their chemistry. My heart fluttered, pounded, melted. It was just SO much awesome. Almost too much swoon to handle at times!!! Jack knew what he wanted and he was not going to take no for an answer.
"I'm not sure I"m ready for any type of relationship, Jack."
"Babe, you may not be ready, but that's not going to stop me from changing your mind."
Their dynamic was wonderful. Hilarious. Touching. I loved it!! They were both stubborn and both strong-willed so it was a lot of fun seeing them almost butt heads at times.
On one hand, you had Jack in all of his Alpha protectiveness...
"Babe, I've known you about thirty-six hours, and in that time I've learned pretty damn quick that you're going to do whatever the hell you feel like doing. That being said; I'm gonna do my damnedest to try and keep up with you so I can catch you when you fall. But honest to god, right about now, locking you in a cell sounds pretty damned good to me, at least there I know you're safe."
And on the other, you had Jenn who was not about to be bossed around by anybody...
"Let's just say I've got too many men in my life and not enough bullets."
It made for some pretty freaking awesome scenes!!
Now, given the creepy serial killer on the loose, this book was part romance, but it was also part mystery/suspense and let me tell you -- the suspense parts scared the shit out of me. No joke!! My heart spent several scenes lodged firmly in my throat!! And I loved the mystery side of it too -- my mind was racing to try and figure out who the killer was. Was it a character I'd met? Was I about to meet them?
The thrill of the romance mixed with the excitement of solving the mystery of the murders made for an absolutely delicious blend of awesome that kept me glued to the page. If I had to describe it, I'd almost say it felt a little bit like a Kristen Ashley-style romance crossed with an episode of Castle.
In the interest of full honestly though, I'll admit that there were a few parts of the second half of the book that didn't quite capture my heart as much as in the first half but there were still a whole ton of epic lines and epic scenes that totally satisfied my Alpha male craving. I had been searching and searching for a good Alpha romance and this book gave me exactly that!
The ending was beautiful with a happy, swoon-filled epilogue and the last words made me teary.
This was definitely a great debut and I'll be looking forward to more from CP Smith!
****************************
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January 30, 2014
1 star...
ATTENTION!!! Major spoiler Alert!!!
I gotta say ladies and gentlemen, in kinda proud of myself right now! I finished this.... Book?
Well... I don't even know where to start with this
Okay I wish....
Let's start again... Shall we?
Jennifer Stewart is starting her life over or starting to live her dream....
Her husband does and her daughter goes to college.
She moves to Colorado to live her dream...
Now 4 months later she's settled in and working as a journalist when murders start occurring.
So Jen begins to investigate....
Then she meets Jack. The sheriff of the county.
His strikingly handsome and anyone on two legs in the county has had a round with him... But none of them were able to keep him.
Jack warns Jen to stay away however she doesn't listen or take orders from him and I don't know somewhere between reading that and sneezing I saw that Jack and Jen were licking each other's tonsils?!??
"Let go Jack, your heart’s safe with me.”
"I was about to come up with some flippant excuse for talking about hearts and flowers thirty-six hours after meeting this man"
Mmmm.... So Jen has been in the county for 4 months and Jack has only met Jen now and suddenly is infatuated by her?
And with the killer lurking around he feels he needs to protect her...
At a blink of an eye later Jack and Jen are all hot an heavy again.
Jen hasn't been with anyone else since her husband died a year before and not even a year later and less than 24 hrs later she's ready to give it up?
Eager much Jen?
Then she tells Jack she's 'covered' and first time sex is sans condom?
Urmmmm.... Did she forget that his slept with the entire county? Ever heard of STD's Jen? You just met the guy!!!
"Jenn had walked into my life 3 days ago, opened her mouth, sassed me, ignored my orders, and then showed her innocent side that made the man in me standup and take notice. Then she showed her stubborn and independent side that made the man in me standup and take notice, again. I’d had a very loose hold on dragging her off, spanking her, fucking her and marking her as mine since she opened her mouth, and last night I was done. Fuck being on duty, fuck anyone see us driving off together I wasn’t waiting another minute."
In between this crap the killer is watching them and shit starts happening....
Windows breaking with birds...
Car accidents
More deaths
Seems everyone in town is suddenly in love with Jen. She's as popular as sliced bread!
*insert eye roll*
To sum it up... Killer wants Jen
Jack wants to protect her by having his dick in her any chance he has... Note they have only been together 3ish days....
"Twenty years, not once in twenty years have I ever met a woman who tied my stomach in knots, and you stomped into my life four days ago, and just the thought of you, Christ… you’re my kryptonite, Jenn… You’re a danger to me, because when you’re around, I can’t see anything else,”
More people die...
More sex and more of a Jen fan club.
In a span of 4ish days from when Jack and Jen meet- about 5 women die, Jack gets attacked by the killer after almost sex in the shower.
After 6 ish days Jen gets attacked by the killer and we find out who he is.
It didn't even make sense but anyway....
Jen is in hospital after being in a coma and hurt blah blah
"Welcome back,” he whispered"
"Did I go somewhere?”
"Yeah, Baby, you went to sleep for about a week.” I snorted at his joke
"Did that orgasm you gave me knock me out for a week?”
And that's the first words uttered after a coma....
A week after she's out she's on bed rest.... Aka sex rest. Ha!
Is this shit for real...
Two weeks later Jack wants her to move in.
Waaaaaaaaittttttt for itttttt......
It's not over!
*insert eye roll*
And then........
"How we’d ended up talking about having kids after I’d been kidnapped, only weeks after having been attacked and put in a coma, was beyond me, but nothing since we’ve met has been traditional or normal, so why not"
Happy times!!!!!
Did I mention that every ex girlfriend was also fawning over Jack?
Yeah not a winner.... Or an original story...
January 21, 2014
It's live
☞ AMAZON
"You scare me," she whispered. "Yeah? Well join the club, cause you sure as shit scare the fuck out of me."
When a second body turns up in Gunninson County, the last thing Sheriff Jack Gunninson needs is the Towns newest reporter, Jennifer Stewart nosing around and interfering with his investigation.
Jennifer Stewart lost her husband to a drunk driver 18months ago. With her only daughter off to college, she embarks on her life long dream of living in the mountains.
After 4 months of living in Gunninson County, Jenn has settled in, made a few friends and even put her journalism degree to use working for the Gunninson Times.
When Jenn stumbles on information about a possible second victim she see's her opportunity to go from covering the towns Bake Sales to investigating a possible serial killer.
But the Bossy Sheriff keeps shutting her down. Jenn won't give up and with the help of a few town locals she sets about trying to piece together the clues.
Always finding herself in trouble and her paths constantly crossing with the sexy Sheriff, she soon finds herself deeper in with Jack.
But what happens when the killer has his sights set on her? Can Jenn and Jack find the killer before he gets to her?
This was awesome!!
You know when you're reading a book and you're so into it you mind and emotions can't keep up with each other? This was me!
I was reading so fast my emotions didn't know what way to go?
Intense, Thrilling, Sexy, Funny. You name it! It was brilliant.
Jack is... he is, Just Jack. When you meet him you will understand.
Bossy, Sexy and makes no apologies for it. But at the same time his sweetness melts you.
He pretty much is perfect! Once he sees past Jenn's occupation he starts to see the real Jenn and what he sees, he wants. And what Jack wants, Jack gets.
"Babe, you may not be ready, but that's not going to stop me from changing your mind."
But Jack has finally met his match.
Jenn is sweet and funny but definitely a ball buster! Not one to be walked over she definitely has it in her to go toe to toe with the Sheriff.
But what makes Jenn awesome sauce is she knows when she has gone too far. Knows when to pull back and listen to her man.
Don't you hate heroines that really are stupid sometimes?
Well that's not Jenn. While she might try a few times to push, and let me tell you, those times are hilarious. She still knows when to submit to bossy Jack.
"Jack.."
"And now on top of sweet, I get innocent too? No way, Jenn, no fucking way."
"Ok, Jack." I couldn't argue with this man, damn him, he just reeled me in, I should have never answered the phone.
"Damn right"
"I said ok, you don't have to be bossy."
"Oh, I'm gonna be bossy, in fact, I'm gonna be bossy right fucking now."
Their connection is Fast, Steamy and HOT. I couldn't get enough!!
"You with me baby, cause there's no turning back after this, no way, once I slip into that sweet heat of yours, you're mine, do you hear me? You. Are. Fucking. Mine."
"Jesus, what are doing to me?" He whispered.
"Nothing," I gasped when his tongue circled my ear. "Baby, if that's nothing, you're gonna kill me when it's something."
And their banter is funny and sweet. My mouth seriously hurt from smiling so much.
"Jesus, I fell for a woman who can admit when she's wrong, swear to Christ I didn't know they existed."
Rolling my eyes at him, he glared back at me.
"Whatever, I snipped.
"Smartass"
"Bossy," I smiled
"That's my girl."
The suspense was killing me as to who the killer was. C.P is a tricky little thing leaving you guessing at every turn.
I found myself cataloging all the little things I picked up along the way. But C.P leaves you second guessing everything. It was awesome!
To say I was impressed with C.P Smiths debut would be an understatement!
She knocks it out if the park.
Her Alpha Male is in the same league as the queen of the alphas K.A.
Yep I just went there.
I just came off a K.A high reading my kaleidoscope Arc when I picked Up A Reason to Breathe.
Normally no one can compare. And I really hate comparing styles in my reviews. However if you are a fan of K.A will love this one.
Think Sweet Dreams, with a mix of Rock Chick humour and a lot more suspense.
If you are not a huge K.A fan I believe you will enjoy this.
C.P definitely has her own style. Her flow was more smooth and less repetitive than a K.A book. And the story line was not just based on the main relationship between two leads.
Definitely one of my favourites this year. I'm so glad I got the chance to read this debut.
I can't wait to see more of C.P Smith's writing and getting lost in her characters again.
Bravo C.P
★★☆ 5+ Stars ☆★★
Buy it
Read it
Love it
January 23, 2014
2--It Had Nothing to Do With KA--Stars!!
And by that I mean I didn't like this book KA references notwithstanding. I have nothing against KA, I just haven't read that many of her books so the comparisons were a moot point for me.
My biggest problem: Jennifer Stewart, the heroine.
I had trouble believing she was a 39 year old woman and not a 19 year old.
She annoyed me the whole damn book.
Jenn is newly widowed. She had her daughter Bailey young and she is now off to college so Jenn moves to Crested Butte, Colorado. Her dream has always been to live high in the mountains of Colorado with deer and bears for her neighbors. So she does.
Jenn is a journalist andwill should be an entertainment reporter for the Gunnison Times. Instead she takes it upon herself to investigate the murders that have been happening in town.
The suspense element of this book....was a complete joke. Jenn trying to figure out who the murderer is all so she can "catch a break". Jenn was like the dumb chick in scary movies.
Jack, the hero, is the town Sheriff. Am I the only one that found it odd that in the first four months Jenn lived in Colorado nothing happened? How had Jenn not already met Jack?? She was already close with Ben and Gerry.
Which brings me to my next point...Ben and fucking Gerry.
This is all I could think about. They were always together so their names were always said together.
So of course once man-whore Jack meets Jenn he is in love. 3 days....3 days was all it took and he was a changed man. And of course, when they have sex do you think they used a condom? Hell no. Even though Jack has NEVER gone with out one. Do you believe him? Because I don't...it took Jennifer 0.2 seconds to convince Jack to go bareback.
But then, the icing on the cake. Jennifer turns around and has a conversation with Bailey about safe sex.
"Bailey, woman also need to be careful when engaging in sex, as in taking precautions, so you don't end up like your mother, barefoot and pregnant instead of off at school having fun."
Nevermind getting pregnant Jenn, shouldn't you be worried about STDs?
Oh my dear sweet baby Jesus in the manger...
I just didn't find anything in this book believable. Not the serial murderer. Not Jack and Jenn's realtionship. Not all of the other drama. Not the fact that every single guy in town wanted Jennifer.
Jennifer was pretty much asking to be kidnapped and killed. Constantly putting herself in danger trying to "solve" these murders.
Jack being the alpha male that he is was so turned on by Jennifer's defiance.
There was just too much drama. It wasn't enough to have one murderer reeking havoc in the town....no we needed to add in another kidnapping on top of the five murders, the break-in, the fire, the stabbing, and the blow-out that already took place.
What I did like....a little bit
That's it!
And by that I mean I didn't like this book KA references notwithstanding. I have nothing against KA, I just haven't read that many of her books so the comparisons were a moot point for me.
My biggest problem: Jennifer Stewart, the heroine.
I had trouble believing she was a 39 year old woman and not a 19 year old.
She annoyed me the whole damn book.
Jenn is newly widowed. She had her daughter Bailey young and she is now off to college so Jenn moves to Crested Butte, Colorado. Her dream has always been to live high in the mountains of Colorado with deer and bears for her neighbors. So she does.
Jenn is a journalist and
The suspense element of this book....was a complete joke. Jenn trying to figure out who the murderer is all so she can "catch a break". Jenn was like the dumb chick in scary movies.
Jack, the hero, is the town Sheriff. Am I the only one that found it odd that in the first four months Jenn lived in Colorado nothing happened? How had Jenn not already met Jack?? She was already close with Ben and Gerry.
Which brings me to my next point...Ben and fucking Gerry.
This is all I could think about. They were always together so their names were always said together.
So of course once man-whore Jack meets Jenn he is in love. 3 days....3 days was all it took and he was a changed man. And of course, when they have sex do you think they used a condom? Hell no. Even though Jack has NEVER gone with out one. Do you believe him? Because I don't...it took Jennifer 0.2 seconds to convince Jack to go bareback.
But then, the icing on the cake. Jennifer turns around and has a conversation with Bailey about safe sex.
"Bailey, woman also need to be careful when engaging in sex, as in taking precautions, so you don't end up like your mother, barefoot and pregnant instead of off at school having fun."
Nevermind getting pregnant Jenn, shouldn't you be worried about STDs?
Oh my dear sweet baby Jesus in the manger...
I just didn't find anything in this book believable. Not the serial murderer. Not Jack and Jenn's realtionship. Not all of the other drama. Not the fact that every single guy in town wanted Jennifer.
Jennifer was pretty much asking to be kidnapped and killed. Constantly putting herself in danger trying to "solve" these murders.
Jack being the alpha male that he is was so turned on by Jennifer's defiance.
There was just too much drama. It wasn't enough to have one murderer reeking havoc in the town....no we needed to add in another kidnapping on top of the five murders, the break-in, the fire, the stabbing, and the blow-out that already took place.
What I did like....a little bit
That's it!
August 11, 2016
3.5 stars
`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~
Boy, was this the IT book of the week on Goodreads. A couple of friends loved it and compared it to a Kristen Ashley read and I was totally sucked in. There's no way around the KA read-alike. It's basically fact.
I had likes and dislikes about the book and I'll try to give ample reasons for both. Generally, however, I tend to rate a book based on my enjoyment. And for the most part, I enjoyed the hell out of this book. I think readers going in to this thinking that it will be an intense romantic suspense may be disappointed. There was definitely an element of suspense at times but for me, the overall tone of the book was somewhat lighthearted.
`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~
Starting with the heroine...
Jennifer, (Jenn) is a widow and mother of a college age daughter. After her husband dies, she grieves, of course, but after a period of time, she moves on with her life. Right off, I found this quality admirable.
She's always wanted to live in the mountains and now that her husband is dead, her daughter moved away to college, and her parents retired to Florida, there's nothing holding her in Kansas anymore. She gets a long coveted job as a journalist in a small town in Colorado, packs her things, and moves.
But when she gets to Crested Butte, Colorado, she is given the somewhat fluffy job as the events reporter...
bake sales and
craft fairs and
church bazaars, oh my!
When a killer kills one too many brown haired, brown eyed women and lands himself the serial killer status, Jenn plops herself down directly in the middle of the investigation, nosing her way in where she probably shouldn't be and involving many townspeople that she probably shouldn't.
My thoughts on Jenn...I expected a strong female lead. And Jenn is definitely strong willed, or stubborn, as Jack Gunnison would say.
She's also decently intelligent but where she lacks is her street smarts. She's one of those women that gets herself into hot water quite often and yet has the best damned luck EVER!
She's also a really lovable character to me. She's fun, she's feisty. She's horny as hell but not willing to let a man walk all over her. She and Jack (I'll get to him in a minute) butt heads like a alpha couple should and Jenn does NOT back down...
...without payback, that is. (Cue evil laughter)
Jack Gunnison is the sheriff of Gunnison County. As his name implies, his family has long been a force in the town and county.
He takes his job very seriously. Which is completely opposite how he takes his relationships. He's dated practically every available female in the area but not a one of them has stuck. This is mainly due to just how seriously he takes his job...and how clingy women tend to be with regard to ruined plans. They can't seem to take the hours and unexpected calls that being a sheriff require. Jack is resolved to just being single for the rest of his life. If he can't find the perfect woman, then he doesn't want one.
Until he meets Jenn.
To Jack, Jenn is a bright spot of sunshine in his little area of the world. She sees the good in everyone, which leads to some very sticky situations. She also argues with him about damn near everything and won't back down for anything...stubborn! And holy hell, does she turn him on.
These two certainly light up the pages. You like some rough and ready, damn near angry sex that's not so over the top that you actually think they hate each other? Not a whip or chain in sight but this couple is older...they both know what they like and aren't embarrassed by it. No shy little virgin here. Jenn gives herself to Jack and Jack takes what she's offering and let me tell you...it was gooooooood. It was intense and not overly descriptive but just right for a steamy contemporary.
`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~
Okay (Le sigh!) My dislikes.
There had to be something. One big thing that I noticed right off was the editing. Mind you, these were minor editing mistakes...missing commas, misplaced possessive nouns, things of that nature. Small things that I wouldn't mention at all..and I usually don't with indie authors because who the hell catches EVERYTHING?! But there were a lot here, enough to pull me out of the story to sit up and take notice. This spoiler is just some examples, to give readers an idea of how minor the issues are but how they also add a little hiccup to the flow.
Another small issue I had was that I thought there was one too many conflicts. Juuuust when I figured the story was going to wrap up, the author added one more drama to the mama and I admittedly eye rolled.
`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~
So...do I think this book will be well received? I do. Do I think some readers will have issues with it? Of course...in a book that gets this much attention, some of that attention will be negative. I honestly think that this is one of those books that you just have to read it to see for yourself. For me, Jack and Jenn were a great couple. Jack is a fairly overbearing alpha BUT Jenn doesn't let him get away with any shit.
PLUS, he knows how to laugh...he thinks Jenn's stubborn-ness is cute, and not in a condescending way. He's adamant that he won't be tied down by a woman who wants to change him; therefore, he takes Jenn as she is and does his best to love her just that way. She has some stupid moments. She deals and moves on. She's not some tough as nails hard ass bitch. She's a goof...she's smart but somewhat naive. But she's ultimately supremely kindhearted and a bit of a do-gooder. Think Stephanie Plum meets Lauren Jackson (for the Sweet Dreams...err...Tate Jackson fans out there.) If KA's men are steroid alphas, this authors men are gym junkie alphas...more on the reasonable side.
In conclusion, I very much enjoyed this book. As my friend Vallsykes said, it will be interesting to see what this author can throw at us next. As a debut, this was fantastic.
""I'm not sure I'm ready for any type of relationship, Jack."
"Babe, you may not be ready, but that's not going to stop me from changing your mind."
`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~
Boy, was this the IT book of the week on Goodreads. A couple of friends loved it and compared it to a Kristen Ashley read and I was totally sucked in. There's no way around the KA read-alike. It's basically fact.
I had likes and dislikes about the book and I'll try to give ample reasons for both. Generally, however, I tend to rate a book based on my enjoyment. And for the most part, I enjoyed the hell out of this book. I think readers going in to this thinking that it will be an intense romantic suspense may be disappointed. There was definitely an element of suspense at times but for me, the overall tone of the book was somewhat lighthearted.
`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~
Starting with the heroine...
Jennifer, (Jenn) is a widow and mother of a college age daughter. After her husband dies, she grieves, of course, but after a period of time, she moves on with her life. Right off, I found this quality admirable.
"Doug had been an easy husband, laidback, friendly and a great father. Would I have married him at eighteen if not for Bailey? Probably not, but I loved him when I married him and I loved him when he died. Was it a passionate love? No. But love comes in many forms, comfortable and secure being one of them.
She's always wanted to live in the mountains and now that her husband is dead, her daughter moved away to college, and her parents retired to Florida, there's nothing holding her in Kansas anymore. She gets a long coveted job as a journalist in a small town in Colorado, packs her things, and moves.
But when she gets to Crested Butte, Colorado, she is given the somewhat fluffy job as the events reporter...
bake sales and
craft fairs and
church bazaars, oh my!
When a killer kills one too many brown haired, brown eyed women and lands himself the serial killer status, Jenn plops herself down directly in the middle of the investigation, nosing her way in where she probably shouldn't be and involving many townspeople that she probably shouldn't.
My thoughts on Jenn...I expected a strong female lead. And Jenn is definitely strong willed, or stubborn, as Jack Gunnison would say.
She's also decently intelligent but where she lacks is her street smarts. She's one of those women that gets herself into hot water quite often and yet has the best damned luck EVER!
She's also a really lovable character to me. She's fun, she's feisty. She's horny as hell but not willing to let a man walk all over her. She and Jack (I'll get to him in a minute) butt heads like a alpha couple should and Jenn does NOT back down...
...without payback, that is. (Cue evil laughter)
"Jack's used to being in charge, he's an alpha male or more like the alpha male. You'll just have to put your foot down," she advised like the answer to my problem was that simple. But somehow I didn't think putting my foot down would even register on his alpha index."
Jack Gunnison is the sheriff of Gunnison County. As his name implies, his family has long been a force in the town and county.
He takes his job very seriously. Which is completely opposite how he takes his relationships. He's dated practically every available female in the area but not a one of them has stuck. This is mainly due to just how seriously he takes his job...and how clingy women tend to be with regard to ruined plans. They can't seem to take the hours and unexpected calls that being a sheriff require. Jack is resolved to just being single for the rest of his life. If he can't find the perfect woman, then he doesn't want one.
Until he meets Jenn.
To Jack, Jenn is a bright spot of sunshine in his little area of the world. She sees the good in everyone, which leads to some very sticky situations. She also argues with him about damn near everything and won't back down for anything...stubborn! And holy hell, does she turn him on.
"Swear to Christ, every fuckin' time you apologize...every other woman I know would stand their ground just to fuckin' stand their ground, and you always fuckin' apologize." Confused, I started to defend myself, but he shook his head, and raised a hand an continued.
"And when you do, I want to rip your fuckin' clothes off and fuck you till you say it again."
These two certainly light up the pages. You like some rough and ready, damn near angry sex that's not so over the top that you actually think they hate each other? Not a whip or chain in sight but this couple is older...they both know what they like and aren't embarrassed by it. No shy little virgin here. Jenn gives herself to Jack and Jack takes what she's offering and let me tell you...it was gooooooood. It was intense and not overly descriptive but just right for a steamy contemporary.
"You're wet in my dreams, dripping for me, I need to feel that slick heat suck me in, and clamp tight around my cock," he hissed and I was done waiting, screw talking. I needed him now."
"Please, Jack, fuck me," I begged.
"I'm not gonna fuck you, I'm gonna devour you till you scream my name."
`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~
Okay (Le sigh!) My dislikes.
There had to be something. One big thing that I noticed right off was the editing. Mind you, these were minor editing mistakes...missing commas, misplaced possessive nouns, things of that nature. Small things that I wouldn't mention at all..and I usually don't with indie authors because who the hell catches EVERYTHING?! But there were a lot here, enough to pull me out of the story to sit up and take notice. This spoiler is just some examples, to give readers an idea of how minor the issues are but how they also add a little hiccup to the flow.
Another small issue I had was that I thought there was one too many conflicts. Juuuust when I figured the story was going to wrap up, the author added one more drama to the mama and I admittedly eye rolled.
`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~
So...do I think this book will be well received? I do. Do I think some readers will have issues with it? Of course...in a book that gets this much attention, some of that attention will be negative. I honestly think that this is one of those books that you just have to read it to see for yourself. For me, Jack and Jenn were a great couple. Jack is a fairly overbearing alpha BUT Jenn doesn't let him get away with any shit.
""You take your job as my oppressor too seriously."
"I take my job as your man extremely seriously and the sooner you start listening - " She cut me off, grinning huge and rolling her eyes.
"Jack, it's cute you think you'll ever be able to tell me what to do, really. It entertains me daily..."
PLUS, he knows how to laugh...he thinks Jenn's stubborn-ness is cute, and not in a condescending way. He's adamant that he won't be tied down by a woman who wants to change him; therefore, he takes Jenn as she is and does his best to love her just that way. She has some stupid moments. She deals and moves on. She's not some tough as nails hard ass bitch. She's a goof...she's smart but somewhat naive. But she's ultimately supremely kindhearted and a bit of a do-gooder. Think Stephanie Plum meets Lauren Jackson (for the Sweet Dreams...err...Tate Jackson fans out there.) If KA's men are steroid alphas, this authors men are gym junkie alphas...more on the reasonable side.
In conclusion, I very much enjoyed this book. As my friend Vallsykes said, it will be interesting to see what this author can throw at us next. As a debut, this was fantastic.
March 7, 2016
*´¨✫)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨)✯ ¸.•*¨)
✮ (¸.•´✶ (¸FREE for 5 DAYS¸.•*¨)
Free from: 3.7.2016 - 3.11.2016
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1B9OKaf
4 stars
The bossy Sheriff, Jack, has enough on his plate trying to find the killer of a home town girl, two girls already they have found, and it's not looking good since it's looking like a serial killer whose flaunting his kills. Sniffing around the crime scene, he finds Jenn, the stubborn journalist, annoyed at what she might print, he demands her to keep quiet until they provide an official statement. But this little lady isn't so easily persuaded, making him want to strangle and kiss her to agreement. Jenn feels the same way, annoyed at being underestimated at the same time aroused by the big bad sheriff.
Jenn is a widow with a daughter off to college and Jack is married to his job and no one will ever change that.
This move was for Jenn, and trying to move forward with her life, she needs to prove not only to herself but everyone else around her that she got what it takes. Jack has given up trying to get Jenn to stop but that doesn't mean he has rules and boundaries she needs to follow, agreeing to most of hisdemands requests, she continues to investigate and promises to turn over anything useful to Jack and his team and in return when they find the killer, she gets the story she's set on working her ass off for.
Jack should be focusing all his time and effort on catching the murderer, he doesn't have time for a woman, but damn if he's gonna let he slip away. She is the closest thing to perfect that he's found and he's never gonna give her up, no matter what anyone says. But when the killer is hitting closer to home, and Jenn is in more danger than she thinks, Jack is doing everything he can to keep her safe, find the killer and keep the mayor off his back.
A Reason to Breathe was a read I truly enjoyed, I loved Jack and Jenn and their exasperatingly funny sexy relationship. Jack is an alpha through and through, utterly delicious and completely bossy. Jenn wasn't a weak little mouse, she was as stubborn as him, and was the perfect match for Jack. I loved the dialogue, I loved the small town feel, I loved their sexual chemistry and intensity, overall I really really liked it. What made me give it a 4 star vs. a 5 star rating is the drama, at about 80% of the read, I could of sworn we were wrapping up to the HEA but then the plot took a twist and just added to it, which I felt was a bit too much. Regardless, it still is a really good read, one I would recommend. This is a standalone read with easy to read multiple POV's.
¸.•´¸.•*´¨)✯ ¸.•*¨)
✮ (¸.•´✶ (¸FREE for 5 DAYS¸.•*¨)
Free from: 3.7.2016 - 3.11.2016
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1B9OKaf
4 stars
“You scare me,” she whispered.
“Yeah? Well join the club, ‘cause you sure as shit scare the fuck out of me.”
The bossy Sheriff, Jack, has enough on his plate trying to find the killer of a home town girl, two girls already they have found, and it's not looking good since it's looking like a serial killer whose flaunting his kills. Sniffing around the crime scene, he finds Jenn, the stubborn journalist, annoyed at what she might print, he demands her to keep quiet until they provide an official statement. But this little lady isn't so easily persuaded, making him want to strangle and kiss her to agreement. Jenn feels the same way, annoyed at being underestimated at the same time aroused by the big bad sheriff.
"Jenn pisses me off enough to arrest her ass just to keep her safe. Does that tell you something? ‘Cause if it does, enlighten me, I’d really like to know why a woman who pisses me off turns me on.”
Jenn is a widow with a daughter off to college and Jack is married to his job and no one will ever change that.
"I’m not 9-5 suit material; I wear jeans; I hunt bad guys, and I rescue damsels in distress.”
This move was for Jenn, and trying to move forward with her life, she needs to prove not only to herself but everyone else around her that she got what it takes. Jack has given up trying to get Jenn to stop but that doesn't mean he has rules and boundaries she needs to follow, agreeing to most of his
“Jack, it’s cute you think you’ll ever be able to tell me what to do, really . It entertains me daily,”
Jack should be focusing all his time and effort on catching the murderer, he doesn't have time for a woman, but damn if he's gonna let he slip away. She is the closest thing to perfect that he's found and he's never gonna give her up, no matter what anyone says. But when the killer is hitting closer to home, and Jenn is in more danger than she thinks, Jack is doing everything he can to keep her safe, find the killer and keep the mayor off his back.
“Babe, I’ve known you about thirty-six hours, and in that time I’ve learned pretty damn quick that you’re going to do whatever the hell you feel like doing. That being said; I’m gonna do my damnedest to try and keep up with you so I can catch you when you fall. But honest to god, right about now, locking you in a cell sounds pretty damned good to me; at least there I know you’re safe.”
A Reason to Breathe was a read I truly enjoyed, I loved Jack and Jenn and their exasperatingly funny sexy relationship. Jack is an alpha through and through, utterly delicious and completely bossy. Jenn wasn't a weak little mouse, she was as stubborn as him, and was the perfect match for Jack. I loved the dialogue, I loved the small town feel, I loved their sexual chemistry and intensity, overall I really really liked it. What made me give it a 4 star vs. a 5 star rating is the drama, at about 80% of the read, I could of sworn we were wrapping up to the HEA but then the plot took a twist and just added to it, which I felt was a bit too much. Regardless, it still is a really good read, one I would recommend. This is a standalone read with easy to read multiple POV's.
January 20, 2014
Need MORE stars!
C.P. Smith has found a fan in me and I've found a new author to stalk! I've always been a fan of Romantic Suspense, although I don't read it near as much as I used to...but this story right here was EXACTLY why I love this genre... C.P. gave me everything I want in a Rom Suspense.... A possessive alpha, serious chemistry, crazy hot panty melting heat, a real creepy baddie.. and a real honest "who done it" mystery. So many times in a suspense, its fairly obvious who the bad guy is early on. Not so in this case. There were so many different suspects and I just couldn't land on one for a very long time.. I LOVE THAT. Not knowing who you should be looking out for is such a treat! Major kudos to C.P. for keeping me on my toes in this one!
OK.. first we've got sweet and feisty Jennifer Stewart.. she's packing up everything she has and moving cross country to Colorado where she's always dreamed up living. Since her husbands death and her daughter being away at college, there is really nothing standing in the way of her dreams now. She's a journalist and finally has a chance to do what she's always wanted to do. It's time to start living her life.. at 39. She married her high school sweetheart because she got preggers. Although she loved him.. it was more of a best friend type of love. Sure, she was content and happy. But just content.. There was never any serious passion. But she loved her life so she was fine settling. Now its time for her to spread her wings....
Jen
Sexy Sherriff Jack Gunnison..OK , seriously, this man is one of my all time favorite book men EVER. I love sexy officers in books, love men in uniform, love a possessive alpha.. Jack ticked everyone of my girly boxes and made them stand up in attention and squeal in delight. I LOVE THIS MAN. Jack is single and doesn't want to be tied down. His job is his main priority and he's never found a woman that could stand his hours and his job. He's fooled around with plenty of the women in his small town, but rarely sticks around too long.
Sherriff (I want to do seriously naughty things to this man)Jack
Well Jen's been in town about 4 months and is working for the local paper in the fluff section.. but when there appears to be a serial murderer in their small town, she wants to get in on the story big time but Jack wants the sexy nosy reporter to stay out of his way.. but before long he wants her in the way very much as long as its underneath him. Even though she drives him completely insane..something about her just gets him ..and gets him good. He decides quickly that this woman is going to be his.. Jen really doesn't put up too much of a fight either.. she's ready to feel something again..ready to live her life the way she wants to and it seems like this sleepy town in Colorado with its serial killer and sexy Sherriff is about to give her all she can handle.
Jen and Jack's chemistry was just so soooo hot. I loved how possessive he was towards her and how feisty she was. He wanted to protect her and she wanted to live full out balls to the wall. She wasn't scared to step on his toes and ignore his commands.. to a point. She knew when to back down.. she wasn't crazy after all. But Jack and a way of getting her to do what he wanted her to do.... And I just wish Jack would come show ME what he wants ME to do...
But things aren't just steamy in this town..there's a creepy baddie on the scene that is killing women that look just like Jen... It seems Jen may be his target and Jack is taking no chances. He'll do what he has to do to protect this feisty woman that has come into his life. Jen doesn't make it easy though.. she wants in on this story so Jack has a hard time keeping her safe when she wants to be in the middle of figuring how who the bad guy is , right in the middle of his investigation. With a group of crazy friends in the mix trying to help her figure it out we get lots of laughter and interesting side characters to make this already great story even better. Trying to figure out who the bad guy was , was just as hard for me to figure out as it was them! Brilliant!
C.P.'s writing style in this book has been compared a lot to Kristen Ashley, and I can see that too... but I also see some Linda Howard style going on. Linda H knows how to write a true creepy guy with take now shit women and real alpha guys and C.P. has a serious talent for this also. As soon as I got finished with this one, I immediately started thinking about when I would be doing a re-ready. Because I will definitely be doing a re-read of this one.
If you are a fan of Romantic Suspense, you absolutely CANNOT LET THIS PASS YOU UP!! You would be really missing out on such an awesome story...
I must thank my GR friend Jess for letting me know about this author and C.P for giving me an ARC... This was definitely my favorite book so far this year!
Don't let this one pass you up!!
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
OK.. first we've got sweet and feisty Jennifer Stewart.. she's packing up everything she has and moving cross country to Colorado where she's always dreamed up living. Since her husbands death and her daughter being away at college, there is really nothing standing in the way of her dreams now. She's a journalist and finally has a chance to do what she's always wanted to do. It's time to start living her life.. at 39. She married her high school sweetheart because she got preggers. Although she loved him.. it was more of a best friend type of love. Sure, she was content and happy. But just content.. There was never any serious passion. But she loved her life so she was fine settling. Now its time for her to spread her wings....
Jen
Sexy Sherriff Jack Gunnison..OK , seriously, this man is one of my all time favorite book men EVER. I love sexy officers in books, love men in uniform, love a possessive alpha.. Jack ticked everyone of my girly boxes and made them stand up in attention and squeal in delight. I LOVE THIS MAN. Jack is single and doesn't want to be tied down. His job is his main priority and he's never found a woman that could stand his hours and his job. He's fooled around with plenty of the women in his small town, but rarely sticks around too long.
Sherriff (I want to do seriously naughty things to this man)Jack
Well Jen's been in town about 4 months and is working for the local paper in the fluff section.. but when there appears to be a serial murderer in their small town, she wants to get in on the story big time but Jack wants the sexy nosy reporter to stay out of his way.. but before long he wants her in the way very much as long as its underneath him. Even though she drives him completely insane..something about her just gets him ..and gets him good. He decides quickly that this woman is going to be his.. Jen really doesn't put up too much of a fight either.. she's ready to feel something again..ready to live her life the way she wants to and it seems like this sleepy town in Colorado with its serial killer and sexy Sherriff is about to give her all she can handle.
Jen and Jack's chemistry was just so soooo hot. I loved how possessive he was towards her and how feisty she was. He wanted to protect her and she wanted to live full out balls to the wall. She wasn't scared to step on his toes and ignore his commands.. to a point. She knew when to back down.. she wasn't crazy after all. But Jack and a way of getting her to do what he wanted her to do.... And I just wish Jack would come show ME what he wants ME to do...
But things aren't just steamy in this town..there's a creepy baddie on the scene that is killing women that look just like Jen... It seems Jen may be his target and Jack is taking no chances. He'll do what he has to do to protect this feisty woman that has come into his life. Jen doesn't make it easy though.. she wants in on this story so Jack has a hard time keeping her safe when she wants to be in the middle of figuring how who the bad guy is , right in the middle of his investigation. With a group of crazy friends in the mix trying to help her figure it out we get lots of laughter and interesting side characters to make this already great story even better. Trying to figure out who the bad guy was , was just as hard for me to figure out as it was them! Brilliant!
C.P.'s writing style in this book has been compared a lot to Kristen Ashley, and I can see that too... but I also see some Linda Howard style going on. Linda H knows how to write a true creepy guy with take now shit women and real alpha guys and C.P. has a serious talent for this also. As soon as I got finished with this one, I immediately started thinking about when I would be doing a re-ready. Because I will definitely be doing a re-read of this one.
If you are a fan of Romantic Suspense, you absolutely CANNOT LET THIS PASS YOU UP!! You would be really missing out on such an awesome story...
I must thank my GR friend Jess for letting me know about this author and C.P for giving me an ARC... This was definitely my favorite book so far this year!
Don't let this one pass you up!!
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
July 20, 2016
Author Acknowledgment: "...To Kristen Ashley, whose books helped me through a tough time and inspired me to write..."
You wanna have a fun-fluff read? Read this book.
You wanna healthy dose of caveman, bossy, "bent toward KA-like" alpha? Read this book.
Wanna spend half your time in the mind of a heroine who...
*is a widow?
*has a stalker?
*has a sudden wild hair at age 39 and decides to pursue her dream as a reporter AND move to a small town in Colorado?
*sounds like a cross between KA heroines Violet and Lauren, with a
healthy pinch of Indy's need to jump stupidly into "situations" to
spice her up?
Then read this book!
Read. This. Book. So that you can meet...
NOT.
Actually, despite the running commentary in my head about the similarities to KA, and rolling my eyes at some rather silly cliched plot ploys and contrived secondary characters, such as:
*started a new phase of her life
*met super hot alpha-hero Sheriff Jack Gunnison
*had a weird but cute "girlfriend" relationship with her college aged daughter.
*hit a sexual peak!
Furthermore, a serial killer's PoV was impressive in the beginning, and it was a good writer's device to try, BUT it flopped, gave up the suspense and ended up being a non-serious element. Also, the small bit of history halfway given to Jack Gunnison [whose last name is the namesake of the county] really tried to build character.
In all, I just wish the writer's voice would have been more unique; it seemed this story had a series of almosts: almost fully characterized, almost plausible plot, and almost epic love story. However, it just couldn't quite get there for me.
I know I will be in the minority on this, and for the record I do recommend this to readers who love save the damsel in distress, caveman-hero-ridden, "Welcome "newgirl," to our quirky everyone is family/friend small town-easy stories.
However, my rating belies the recommendation. Sorry!
Happy Reading.
In other words..."Shhhh! I'm channeling Ms. Ashley."
You wanna have a fun-fluff read? Read this book.
You wanna healthy dose of caveman, bossy, "bent toward KA-like" alpha? Read this book.
Wanna spend half your time in the mind of a heroine who...
*is a widow?
*has a stalker?
*has a sudden wild hair at age 39 and decides to pursue her dream as a reporter AND move to a small town in Colorado?
*sounds like a cross between KA heroines Violet and Lauren, with a
healthy pinch of Indy's need to jump stupidly into "situations" to
spice her up?
Then read this book!
I shall stop my KA comparison there-Wanna read a book where the heroine's nickname should be "hey! Yoohooo! Kidnap me," and every almost as hot as the hero guy in the small town falls in love with her?
Nope. Wait. One more.
Read. This. Book. So that you can meet...
Jennifer, aka Jenn, "I'm still M-effin hot at 40" Stewart.And you'd think by this point I'm going to tell you that I didn't like this book, huh?
NOT.
Actually, despite the running commentary in my head about the similarities to KA, and rolling my eyes at some rather silly cliched plot ploys and contrived secondary characters, such as:
1. the hero feeling it in his dick or balls when the heroine gets sassy or disobeys.Oh, but I digress...despite all of the above, I read through this familiar tale and figured out there were some parts that I liked. I liked that Jennifer...
2. the hero's exes initiating cat fights because they're jealous, and they just are written to make women look like half our population are brainless, overgrown mean girls who get hung up one man. Really?
One GR friend accurately said they should just start writing KA fanfic. I'm not saying that KA invented the alpha hero or quirky heroines, those elements have been there since Bronte (hell, before), but she did bring her own spin on them.
*started a new phase of her life
*met super hot alpha-hero Sheriff Jack Gunnison
*had a weird but cute "girlfriend" relationship with her college aged daughter.
*hit a sexual peak!
Furthermore, a serial killer's PoV was impressive in the beginning, and it was a good writer's device to try, BUT it flopped, gave up the suspense and ended up being a non-serious element. Also, the small bit of history halfway given to Jack Gunnison [whose last name is the namesake of the county] really tried to build character.
In all, I just wish the writer's voice would have been more unique; it seemed this story had a series of almosts: almost fully characterized, almost plausible plot, and almost epic love story. However, it just couldn't quite get there for me.
But it was cute, some antics were funny and the HEA could be appreciated.
I know I will be in the minority on this, and for the record I do recommend this to readers who love save the damsel in distress, caveman-hero-ridden, "Welcome "newgirl," to our quirky everyone is family/friend small town-easy stories.
However, my rating belies the recommendation. Sorry!
Happy Reading.
January 26, 2014
2.5 to 3 Underwhelming Stars
"Knew you were trouble the first day I laid eyes on you.”
“I knew you were bossy the minute you opened your mouth.” I responded.
Repeat those sentiments a couple of dozen times, throw in an underutilized serial killer plot and what I can only assume based on all of the men sporting wood in her presence is our heroine Jennifer Stewart’s divine beauty, and we’re left with A Reason to Breathe.
This book was all over my goodreads feed this past week and I’ll be the first to admit I might have gone into it with some very high expectations. I kept seeing “Kristen Ashley”, “alpha male” and “romantic suspense” and even during my most craptacular and slumpy reading moods, those phrases are going to draw me in. I’ve had my issues with KA’s most recent books but damn, no one can do a brooding, monosyllabic and hot as hell alpha male like she can. It’s even gotten to the point where I’ll accept “Babe” as an answer to almost any question asked. Unfortunately Jack Gunnison’s character, the sheriff and town bad ass, was never developed enough for me to appreciate his alphaness. Throughout the story Jack was kind of a one note character…alpha looking to take care of his town. Sure, like any decent manwhore he’s always got a lady friend lined up to take care of his bedroom business, but only until that lady asks him to put her before his job.
Welcome to Colorado, Jennifer, you asked for it, you got it, now what are you going to do with it?
Enter Jennifer Stewart, newly hired community reporter and one super fine lady. I’m thinking this girl must have magic emanating from her lady bits because the men would not leave her alone! The mayor wants to get her drunk and have sex, Jack’s deputy thinks she’s the cat’s meow, even random bartenders and men she thought were friends can’t get enough of the Jenn magic. Of course when a serial killer strikes and begins killing women that resemble Jenn, it could be almost anyone. ANYONE I TELL YOU! Jenn’s siren reach is just that strong! And Ms. Jenn just might have a problem weighing her facts and assessing risks when deciding on, let’s just say for the sake of argument, deciding to let a near stranger show her a shortcut or wearing a stripperish sheriff’s outfit to the town Halloween party. But that’s just my opinion. Was she naïve? Was she one grape short of a bunch? I can’t say for sure because her character, like every other character in this story, was underdeveloped. Jenn giggled at Jack a lot, argued with him and called him bossy then they had sex. Repeat.
My biggest disappointment with this story is the way the serial killer plotline was handled. I’m a fan of well-done romantic suspense and unfortunately this book didn’t deliver that. It seemed like an afterthought behind telling us how awesome Jenn and Jack were and the give and take between their alpha and woman hear me roar personas. Between the underdeveloped characters and the underdeveloped storylines, this book needed to be quite a bit longer to make sure those aspects were done right.
As much as I’ve bitched about this book during this review, it wasn’t all bad. This author wrote some decent stuff and with a little work and an editor who understands the whole punctuation deal, I can definitely see reading something from her in the future. Unfortunately it just felt like she was trying to cram too much into too few pages. I’d be interested in reading future novels once she finally comes into her own.
"Knew you were trouble the first day I laid eyes on you.”
“I knew you were bossy the minute you opened your mouth.” I responded.
Repeat those sentiments a couple of dozen times, throw in an underutilized serial killer plot and what I can only assume based on all of the men sporting wood in her presence is our heroine Jennifer Stewart’s divine beauty, and we’re left with A Reason to Breathe.
This book was all over my goodreads feed this past week and I’ll be the first to admit I might have gone into it with some very high expectations. I kept seeing “Kristen Ashley”, “alpha male” and “romantic suspense” and even during my most craptacular and slumpy reading moods, those phrases are going to draw me in. I’ve had my issues with KA’s most recent books but damn, no one can do a brooding, monosyllabic and hot as hell alpha male like she can. It’s even gotten to the point where I’ll accept “Babe” as an answer to almost any question asked. Unfortunately Jack Gunnison’s character, the sheriff and town bad ass, was never developed enough for me to appreciate his alphaness. Throughout the story Jack was kind of a one note character…alpha looking to take care of his town. Sure, like any decent manwhore he’s always got a lady friend lined up to take care of his bedroom business, but only until that lady asks him to put her before his job.
Welcome to Colorado, Jennifer, you asked for it, you got it, now what are you going to do with it?
Enter Jennifer Stewart, newly hired community reporter and one super fine lady. I’m thinking this girl must have magic emanating from her lady bits because the men would not leave her alone! The mayor wants to get her drunk and have sex, Jack’s deputy thinks she’s the cat’s meow, even random bartenders and men she thought were friends can’t get enough of the Jenn magic. Of course when a serial killer strikes and begins killing women that resemble Jenn, it could be almost anyone. ANYONE I TELL YOU! Jenn’s siren reach is just that strong! And Ms. Jenn just might have a problem weighing her facts and assessing risks when deciding on, let’s just say for the sake of argument, deciding to let a near stranger show her a shortcut or wearing a stripperish sheriff’s outfit to the town Halloween party. But that’s just my opinion. Was she naïve? Was she one grape short of a bunch? I can’t say for sure because her character, like every other character in this story, was underdeveloped. Jenn giggled at Jack a lot, argued with him and called him bossy then they had sex. Repeat.
My biggest disappointment with this story is the way the serial killer plotline was handled. I’m a fan of well-done romantic suspense and unfortunately this book didn’t deliver that. It seemed like an afterthought behind telling us how awesome Jenn and Jack were and the give and take between their alpha and woman hear me roar personas. Between the underdeveloped characters and the underdeveloped storylines, this book needed to be quite a bit longer to make sure those aspects were done right.
As much as I’ve bitched about this book during this review, it wasn’t all bad. This author wrote some decent stuff and with a little work and an editor who understands the whole punctuation deal, I can definitely see reading something from her in the future. Unfortunately it just felt like she was trying to cram too much into too few pages. I’d be interested in reading future novels once she finally comes into her own.
February 14, 2016
7/31/15
Kindle Freebie right now don't miss out!!!
http://www.amazon.com/Reason-Breathe-...
4 Debut Stars!!
Wow! I’m seriously impressed that this was a first novel for C.P. Smith !!. Mrs. Smith clearly states that she is a KA fan & KA is the inspiration in her writing and that definitely comes through, and like KA she ended with a great epilogue!!
Jenn heads to the mountains of Colorado when it’s time to start over, she is a widow and her daughter has just gone away to college. Jack is a badass uber alpha who knows what he wants. As soon as Jack see’s Jenn he claim’s her. It takes only three days to tell her she was his, and did this in very Uber Alpha way.
But there is a killer on the loose and Jack decides not only does he have a killer to find he has a woman he needs to keep safe as the killer seems to have fixated on Jenn. Naturally, the killer doesn't seem to like the idea of Jenn with Jack, so he tries to take Jack out of the picture. Jack and Jenn (with the help of Jenn’s posse….which definitely ticks Jack off) team up to figure out who the killer is and what his obsession is with the two of them.
This had me chuckling out loud several times as Jenn is completely independent and not real good at taking orders…she definitely has sass and that drives Jack crazy.
* Great job C.P. Smith!! Looking forward to more....
Kindle Freebie right now don't miss out!!!
http://www.amazon.com/Reason-Breathe-...
4 Debut Stars!!
Wow! I’m seriously impressed that this was a first novel for C.P. Smith !!. Mrs. Smith clearly states that she is a KA fan & KA is the inspiration in her writing and that definitely comes through, and like KA she ended with a great epilogue!!
Jenn heads to the mountains of Colorado when it’s time to start over, she is a widow and her daughter has just gone away to college. Jack is a badass uber alpha who knows what he wants. As soon as Jack see’s Jenn he claim’s her. It takes only three days to tell her she was his, and did this in very Uber Alpha way.
But there is a killer on the loose and Jack decides not only does he have a killer to find he has a woman he needs to keep safe as the killer seems to have fixated on Jenn. Naturally, the killer doesn't seem to like the idea of Jenn with Jack, so he tries to take Jack out of the picture. Jack and Jenn (with the help of Jenn’s posse….which definitely ticks Jack off) team up to figure out who the killer is and what his obsession is with the two of them.
This had me chuckling out loud several times as Jenn is completely independent and not real good at taking orders…she definitely has sass and that drives Jack crazy.
* Great job C.P. Smith!! Looking forward to more....
November 26, 2014
Story Rating ~ 5 Never a Boring Moment Stars!
Hero Rating ~ 5 HUGE Bossy Stars!
Heroine ~ 5 BIG Stubborn Stars!
Romance Rating ~ 5 Sexy Stars!
Humor ~ 5 LMAO Stars!
Heat Level ~ 3.75 Sizzling Stars!
Ending ~ 5 Fantastic Epilogue included Stars!
Overall Rating ~ 5 AMAZING Stars!
Right from the start this book hooked me in. I felt bad for the heroine Jennifer Stewart who had just recently lost her husband. I loved that she was going to finally move on and live her dreams of living in the Colorado Mountains. Once she's there she takes a job as a news reporter reporting on the towns bake sales and what not. But there is a killer on the loose and she decides that this is a story that she just has to try and figure out.
Jack Gunnison is the police sheriff. He's trying to figure out who has been killing the woman in his town. He finds out that Jen has been snooping around and asking questions that pertain to finding the killer. Jack tells her to keep her nose out of his investigation, that it's dangerous, and he bossily tells her to back off.
These two were a hoot. The banter these two shared was hilarious. Jack had a habit of being bossy, always telling her what to do. He's the type of man who is always in control. This man was also EXTREMELY SEXY in every WAY! All the woman wanted him and he had been with many but these woman were constantly trying to change him and once they did, he'd drop them like a hot potato.
Jen was a woman who was going to do as she wanted. She wanted to investigate and find the killer no matter what Jack ordered her to do. Jen was very good at it too, she could easily get the information she wanted out of almost anyone she tried too, except Jack. She was a strong character and I loved that about her. All she had to do was smile and the men in this town fell in love with her.
There was an instant attraction between these two that had sparks flying from the moment they set eye's on each other. I was very entertained while reading about these two getting to know each other. OH MY Jack was really possessive of her. He had a HUGE jealous streak where she was concerned and with most of the men in the town in love with her he was constantly letting the green eyed monster take control of him. If that was not bad enough quite a few of his ex girlfriends kept popping up, making trouble for him and Jen.
There was a full cast of wonderful characters that helped Jen with her investigation, these characters added SO MUCH to my enjoyment as I read. Then there were also quite a few characters that were written in a way that had me thinking, is he the killer? To tell the truth, I was not sure who the killer was until we were told. The action leading up to catching the killer had me riveted to the pages. Then when you thought all was well, something else happens and we get another intense situation added in.
While all this is going on, Jack and Jen are falling in love and falling fast. The chemistry these two shared was HOT and INSTANTANEOUS! There were quite a few love scenes that were very sensual and steamy. These scenes easily made me all hot and bothered while I was reading them.
The ending was spectacular! C.P. Smith added in a HUGE epilogue that made me love this book even more.
THANK YOU Lisa P for writing such a fantastic review. Because of YOUR review I have found me another author that writes books just they way I like them. I already bought the next book in this series, A Reason To Kill and I will be reading it very soon.
Hero Rating ~ 5 HUGE Bossy Stars!
Heroine ~ 5 BIG Stubborn Stars!
Romance Rating ~ 5 Sexy Stars!
Humor ~ 5 LMAO Stars!
Heat Level ~ 3.75 Sizzling Stars!
Ending ~ 5 Fantastic Epilogue included Stars!
Overall Rating ~ 5 AMAZING Stars!
Right from the start this book hooked me in. I felt bad for the heroine Jennifer Stewart who had just recently lost her husband. I loved that she was going to finally move on and live her dreams of living in the Colorado Mountains. Once she's there she takes a job as a news reporter reporting on the towns bake sales and what not. But there is a killer on the loose and she decides that this is a story that she just has to try and figure out.
Jack Gunnison is the police sheriff. He's trying to figure out who has been killing the woman in his town. He finds out that Jen has been snooping around and asking questions that pertain to finding the killer. Jack tells her to keep her nose out of his investigation, that it's dangerous, and he bossily tells her to back off.
These two were a hoot. The banter these two shared was hilarious. Jack had a habit of being bossy, always telling her what to do. He's the type of man who is always in control. This man was also EXTREMELY SEXY in every WAY! All the woman wanted him and he had been with many but these woman were constantly trying to change him and once they did, he'd drop them like a hot potato.
Jen was a woman who was going to do as she wanted. She wanted to investigate and find the killer no matter what Jack ordered her to do. Jen was very good at it too, she could easily get the information she wanted out of almost anyone she tried too, except Jack. She was a strong character and I loved that about her. All she had to do was smile and the men in this town fell in love with her.
There was an instant attraction between these two that had sparks flying from the moment they set eye's on each other. I was very entertained while reading about these two getting to know each other. OH MY Jack was really possessive of her. He had a HUGE jealous streak where she was concerned and with most of the men in the town in love with her he was constantly letting the green eyed monster take control of him. If that was not bad enough quite a few of his ex girlfriends kept popping up, making trouble for him and Jen.
There was a full cast of wonderful characters that helped Jen with her investigation, these characters added SO MUCH to my enjoyment as I read. Then there were also quite a few characters that were written in a way that had me thinking, is he the killer? To tell the truth, I was not sure who the killer was until we were told. The action leading up to catching the killer had me riveted to the pages. Then when you thought all was well, something else happens and we get another intense situation added in.
While all this is going on, Jack and Jen are falling in love and falling fast. The chemistry these two shared was HOT and INSTANTANEOUS! There were quite a few love scenes that were very sensual and steamy. These scenes easily made me all hot and bothered while I was reading them.
The ending was spectacular! C.P. Smith added in a HUGE epilogue that made me love this book even more.
THANK YOU Lisa P for writing such a fantastic review. Because of YOUR review I have found me another author that writes books just they way I like them. I already bought the next book in this series, A Reason To Kill and I will be reading it very soon.
March 17, 2014
★★☆ 2.5 stars!
Unfortunately, this was not the book for me.
Unfortunately, this was not the book for me.
I wanted to like it. I wanted to love it even, but sadly that was not the case. Even though the overall concept of the story was a good one, there were just too many inconsistencies (insta-love, answering questions with a question, drama overload etc.) for me to be able to overlook and they kind of ruined the rest of the story for me.
Full review to come x
**Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
Read
January 23, 2014After seeing the multiple reviews stating that it's basically a KA lookalike, not even going to try it. I don't like that kind of writing style, plus with an excessive amount of babe-ing going on, that's a NO for me.
January 13, 2014
5 I LOVE THIS BOOK stars!
Hi my name is Jess, I'm 30, and I am addicted to A Reason to Breathe... no don't say anything, I know it's bad, I was up until 1am, I didn't feed my family and I can't remember if I showered or not. And I'm afraid that if anyone else says they loved this book more than me that I will lash out emotionally and say nasty things such as OMG! No you didn't! Your a liar! How could you!
Okay to the story or I will never get there... Jenn is a 39yr old mother who's daughter is now off to college, and sadly Jenn is a widow, married for 20 years then losing her husband to a drunk driver killing him in a car crash. Jenn decides it's time to stop hiding and go out and start living her dreams, which is to move to the mountains, live with the bears and continue her career as a journalist.
"I'd missed out on a lot having a baby so young, and now with Doug gone it was time for me to figure out who I am." - Jenn
Four months later and happily living in her mountains, Jenn stumbles upon a crime scene where there has been a second killing of a woman. Jenn thinks this could possibly be a serial killer and if she investigates this story it could move her from writing about bake offs and fairs to writing about real stories.
Enter Sheriff Jack... Stay back ladies! We already had this conversation.
Jack is the town Sheriff and wants the details of the second murder to be kept quite as not to lose control of the situation. As soon as Jack see's Jenn he is instantly attracted to her but thinks she will be just like every other reporter, just a bunch of scavengers.
"No comment and Ms. Stewart... don't try to play hardball with me, I don't easily fall for the charms of pouty lips and big brown eyes. Stay away from my crime scene, and wait for the press release, like the rest of the scavengers." - Jack
Jenn decides to keep following the story, she wants to prove to herself and everyone else she has what it takes to follow and report on this story. What Jenn doesn't realize is that the killer is killing for her and let me tell you the POV's from the killer is spin chilling! I had goosebumps every time I read about him.
"She came, I knew she couldn't stay away. My first kill hadn't given me results. My beautiful Jennifer hadn't come. So I adjusted, and now she was here. I knew the pull of the story would bring her." - The Killer
Now after reading that I'm sure when I tell you that I laughed a lot, your going to think I'm crazy, but I kid you not...
I laughed my ass off! Jenn and Jack together is freaking hilarious! But I'm getting ahead of myself back to the story.
Jack decides to keep an eye on Jenn to make sure she doesn't report about his case but in doing so he falls for Jenn big time! As in, ME, MALE, YOU, FEMALE, YOU MINE, NO ONE ELSE TOUCH OR I KILL! Alpha possessiveness dripped from the pages like you wouldn't believe I was in HEAVEN!
OMG! I veered off again! Damn you Jack!!!
Okay where was I, Oh yeah so Jack falls for her full throttle and tells Jenn that he is pursuing her no matter if she wants him to or not. Of course Jenn loves this, but is cautious at the same time as Jack has a reputation for sampling most of the towns women and not being able to stay in a relationship for very long.
"I'm not opposed to settling down, what I am opposed to is having to change who I am, in order to do it. I'm a lawman who does whatever it takes to get the job done, and that means working all hours and missing shit and being late. Haven't met a women yet who didn't want me home by five." - Jack
But Jack moves full steam ahead at making Jenn his and trying to figure out who the killer is while more bodies are found.
Jack and Jenn are freaking steamy in the bedroom. I would look up and think is it hot in here.
Their relationship is AH-MAZING in the bedroom and rocky during the day, Jenn wants to keep following the story on the serial killer but Jack tells her to back off to keep her safe. And there is one thing you will know reading this book, Jenn DOES. NOT. LISTEN. to nobody! Now add a possessive, protective alpha male and what do you have... A hilarious string of events that made me almost pee my pants!!!
"Insufferable man thinks he can order me around? Who does he think he is? Ok, maybe the sheriff, but still, I don't need him barking orders at me. No wonder he's still single, who'd put up with that? I'll just give him a wide berth and do my own investigation, and he can kiss my curvy; onion ring padded ass." - Jenn
Jenn gets herself in all sorts of trouble following the story and trying to figure out who the killer is and Jack is right on her ass when she keeps getting caught redhanded following leads. The below quote is when Jenn and Mandy get themselves in a situation and Jack is on the phone asking Jenn where she is but Jenn is forced to put her hands in the air.
"I looked back and forth between them, wondering, not for the first time, why me? Arms raised; I could still hear Jack shouting comments. Pretty sure there was "Christ." "Fuck." "Sonofabitch." And my personal favorite... "Pain in my fucking ass." - Jenn
I don't think I should keep going or I'm going to end up telling you all the whole story! And there is no way I can fit everything I loved about this book in this review! That's how much I loved it! If you are a KA fan, you HAVE TO read this!!!
Jack is now my #1 ALPHA!!! He was possessive (yes I said it again!) protective, sweet, loving, and all man!!!
Jenn is loyal, loving, trusting and probably one of the sweetest and funniest heroines I've read about. She does get the attention of a lot of the male characters in this book but it's explained well by Mandy and Jack in the book she is the shiny new toy in the town but she also has a light about her, she is innocent and thinks when someone says something to her she believes they are telling the truth and we all know how the boys in books love that! Jenn married straight out of high school, married her high school boyfriend, she loved him but wasn't in love with him that is noticeable straight from the beginning she stayed in the relationship because he was lovely to her and they had a daughter not because it was passionate and I think that is where she gets her light from, she hasn't been around liars or deceitful people.
I couldn't imagine a better mix of laughter, love and being scared at the same time than what was in A Reason to Breathe. Yes there is a HEA!!!
I can not wait for the next book C.P. Smith writes! Bring it on!!!!!
***ARC provided by author for an honest review***
Hi my name is Jess, I'm 30, and I am addicted to A Reason to Breathe... no don't say anything, I know it's bad, I was up until 1am, I didn't feed my family and I can't remember if I showered or not. And I'm afraid that if anyone else says they loved this book more than me that I will lash out emotionally and say nasty things such as OMG! No you didn't! Your a liar! How could you!
Okay to the story or I will never get there... Jenn is a 39yr old mother who's daughter is now off to college, and sadly Jenn is a widow, married for 20 years then losing her husband to a drunk driver killing him in a car crash. Jenn decides it's time to stop hiding and go out and start living her dreams, which is to move to the mountains, live with the bears and continue her career as a journalist.
"I'd missed out on a lot having a baby so young, and now with Doug gone it was time for me to figure out who I am." - Jenn
Four months later and happily living in her mountains, Jenn stumbles upon a crime scene where there has been a second killing of a woman. Jenn thinks this could possibly be a serial killer and if she investigates this story it could move her from writing about bake offs and fairs to writing about real stories.
Enter Sheriff Jack... Stay back ladies! We already had this conversation.
Jack is the town Sheriff and wants the details of the second murder to be kept quite as not to lose control of the situation. As soon as Jack see's Jenn he is instantly attracted to her but thinks she will be just like every other reporter, just a bunch of scavengers.
"No comment and Ms. Stewart... don't try to play hardball with me, I don't easily fall for the charms of pouty lips and big brown eyes. Stay away from my crime scene, and wait for the press release, like the rest of the scavengers." - Jack
Jenn decides to keep following the story, she wants to prove to herself and everyone else she has what it takes to follow and report on this story. What Jenn doesn't realize is that the killer is killing for her and let me tell you the POV's from the killer is spin chilling! I had goosebumps every time I read about him.
"She came, I knew she couldn't stay away. My first kill hadn't given me results. My beautiful Jennifer hadn't come. So I adjusted, and now she was here. I knew the pull of the story would bring her." - The Killer
Now after reading that I'm sure when I tell you that I laughed a lot, your going to think I'm crazy, but I kid you not...
I laughed my ass off! Jenn and Jack together is freaking hilarious! But I'm getting ahead of myself back to the story.
Jack decides to keep an eye on Jenn to make sure she doesn't report about his case but in doing so he falls for Jenn big time! As in, ME, MALE, YOU, FEMALE, YOU MINE, NO ONE ELSE TOUCH OR I KILL! Alpha possessiveness dripped from the pages like you wouldn't believe I was in HEAVEN!
OMG! I veered off again! Damn you Jack!!!
Okay where was I, Oh yeah so Jack falls for her full throttle and tells Jenn that he is pursuing her no matter if she wants him to or not. Of course Jenn loves this, but is cautious at the same time as Jack has a reputation for sampling most of the towns women and not being able to stay in a relationship for very long.
"I'm not opposed to settling down, what I am opposed to is having to change who I am, in order to do it. I'm a lawman who does whatever it takes to get the job done, and that means working all hours and missing shit and being late. Haven't met a women yet who didn't want me home by five." - Jack
But Jack moves full steam ahead at making Jenn his and trying to figure out who the killer is while more bodies are found.
Jack and Jenn are freaking steamy in the bedroom. I would look up and think is it hot in here.
Their relationship is AH-MAZING in the bedroom and rocky during the day, Jenn wants to keep following the story on the serial killer but Jack tells her to back off to keep her safe. And there is one thing you will know reading this book, Jenn DOES. NOT. LISTEN. to nobody! Now add a possessive, protective alpha male and what do you have... A hilarious string of events that made me almost pee my pants!!!
"Insufferable man thinks he can order me around? Who does he think he is? Ok, maybe the sheriff, but still, I don't need him barking orders at me. No wonder he's still single, who'd put up with that? I'll just give him a wide berth and do my own investigation, and he can kiss my curvy; onion ring padded ass." - Jenn
Jenn gets herself in all sorts of trouble following the story and trying to figure out who the killer is and Jack is right on her ass when she keeps getting caught redhanded following leads. The below quote is when Jenn and Mandy get themselves in a situation and Jack is on the phone asking Jenn where she is but Jenn is forced to put her hands in the air.
"I looked back and forth between them, wondering, not for the first time, why me? Arms raised; I could still hear Jack shouting comments. Pretty sure there was "Christ." "Fuck." "Sonofabitch." And my personal favorite... "Pain in my fucking ass." - Jenn
I don't think I should keep going or I'm going to end up telling you all the whole story! And there is no way I can fit everything I loved about this book in this review! That's how much I loved it! If you are a KA fan, you HAVE TO read this!!!
Jack is now my #1 ALPHA!!! He was possessive (yes I said it again!) protective, sweet, loving, and all man!!!
Jenn is loyal, loving, trusting and probably one of the sweetest and funniest heroines I've read about. She does get the attention of a lot of the male characters in this book but it's explained well by Mandy and Jack in the book she is the shiny new toy in the town but she also has a light about her, she is innocent and thinks when someone says something to her she believes they are telling the truth and we all know how the boys in books love that! Jenn married straight out of high school, married her high school boyfriend, she loved him but wasn't in love with him that is noticeable straight from the beginning she stayed in the relationship because he was lovely to her and they had a daughter not because it was passionate and I think that is where she gets her light from, she hasn't been around liars or deceitful people.
I couldn't imagine a better mix of laughter, love and being scared at the same time than what was in A Reason to Breathe. Yes there is a HEA!!!
I can not wait for the next book C.P. Smith writes! Bring it on!!!!!
***ARC provided by author for an honest review***
January 23, 2014
Yet another book that every one else loves and I just didn't.
I kind of felt like I was reading a KA rip off. Right down to nicknames used in the story.
Example: Baily calls her mom "mamacita". I had an immediate flash back to a KA book where Violet gets called that by Keira. It was just too coincidental.
Yes it was hot but damn their connection was rushed as hell. He admits to falling for her after 3 days!
Also he's jealous over every man who talks to her, but yet he's banged half the town and thats ok.
I just didn't feel their connection.
I kind of felt like I was reading a KA rip off. Right down to nicknames used in the story.
Example: Baily calls her mom "mamacita". I had an immediate flash back to a KA book where Violet gets called that by Keira. It was just too coincidental.
Yes it was hot but damn their connection was rushed as hell. He admits to falling for her after 3 days!
Also he's jealous over every man who talks to her, but yet he's banged half the town and thats ok.
I just didn't feel their connection.
January 23, 2014
LOVE.THIS.BOOK! Mark my words: Author to watch! <3
August 2, 2015
Lived up to my expectations
I heard about this author on Goodreads and had a look at the description and decided that this could definitely be a book for me. It was great.
The main thing that I really liked was that the husband who died wasn't talked about in the negative but he also wasn't put on a pedestal. Jenn's happiness was not dependent on finding someone else to replace her husband, but she also was open to new relationships whether they be friendship or lover.
Loved her friendship with her daughter. The new friendships she made in her town helped her create a new support/family.
Jack was a character that to me was not perfect. He swore too much IMO. I don't generally have a problem with swearing but he used one particular word in nearly every sentence. For a sheriff this was a little over the top.
The storyline had great twists and turns but I felt that a little too many twists were added after the first mystery was solved.
Lots of steamy, sexy bits and the relationship didn't feel forced. I liked Jack's Alpha, possessive tendencies, but he could have handled his previous relationships better.
Overall a great read and hopefully this author will be releasing her next book soon...I'm a new fan.
I heard about this author on Goodreads and had a look at the description and decided that this could definitely be a book for me. It was great.
The main thing that I really liked was that the husband who died wasn't talked about in the negative but he also wasn't put on a pedestal. Jenn's happiness was not dependent on finding someone else to replace her husband, but she also was open to new relationships whether they be friendship or lover.
Loved her friendship with her daughter. The new friendships she made in her town helped her create a new support/family.
Jack was a character that to me was not perfect. He swore too much IMO. I don't generally have a problem with swearing but he used one particular word in nearly every sentence. For a sheriff this was a little over the top.
The storyline had great twists and turns but I felt that a little too many twists were added after the first mystery was solved.
Lots of steamy, sexy bits and the relationship didn't feel forced. I liked Jack's Alpha, possessive tendencies, but he could have handled his previous relationships better.
Overall a great read and hopefully this author will be releasing her next book soon...I'm a new fan.
January 23, 2014
~~~~~ 3.5 STARS ~~~~~
This book has been popping up everywhere. So you know because of that there are going to be many mixed reviews. Many of my friends loved this while others thought it was okay. Now, as I'd said before, the 5 star rating system doesn't give the reader enough breadth for a proper and realistic rating---in my opinion.
So I've decided to accompany my reviews with an out of 10 rating as well.
So this book is a 7/10.
Let me start by saying I really liked this book. It sucked me right in from the start! The pacing was spot on, the suspense was good and Jack was a great alpha who was not over the top but sweet in his sudden development of strong feelings for a woman he barely knows. I'm going to mention the things I didn't like and get them out of the way:
---Jenn came across as immature at times. While she had many endearing traits and I did really like her, she started pushing Jack with things she knew deep down were true. And by pushing I mean disregarding his sound advice in the name of stubbornness. Ironically, her tendency to admit she was wrong was one of the things Jack loved about her so to turn around and start being stubborn for no reason other than to assert her stubbornness was silly.
---the suspense was good but when the villain went down it was anticlimactic. I was expecting a showdown with guns a' blazin' but it felt over before anything satisfied my vindictive nature---don't judge me, ;-)).
---everything seemed to happen faster than likely between Jenn and Jack....all in the midst of a murder investigation. Btw, just when you thought this investigation was solved, another plot twist pops up....it wasn't necessary.
----all the men loved Jenn. I think it's sweeter, more satisfying when the hero falls for the heroine in the midst of normalcy. What I mean is, if everyone is in love with Jenn, then Jack going after her and claiming her lessens her specialness. I understood the concept of the 'shiny new toy' but it would mean something more if not everyone and his dog fell for the same woman. And then I thought, was she always the object of male attention when she was married? Probably not.
Now the things I liked: Jenn was for the most part a truly likeable heroine. She was strong but in an understated way. She always did the right thing and saw the good in others. She deserved happiness and the chance to feel passion. Jack was great. He was an alpha but not the annoying kind where you just want to slap him. He took charge and made Jenn feel cherished, he was a good man. There was a Great epilogue and the sexy time was hot. And I LOVED how Jenn and Jack were a mature couple, very nice.
This did have a very STRONG KA feel to it, minus the annoying heroine. But I thought it was better than KA.
And the funny thing despite those dislikes?
I REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK!
In the end, this was a sweet romantic story of second chances and the chances we thought had eluded us. A woman facing the responsibilities of adulthood at a young age finally finds her footing and the chance at true love. A man destined to be single meets the one woman fated to be his and give him what he's always wanted. How can you not like a story like that?
This book has been popping up everywhere. So you know because of that there are going to be many mixed reviews. Many of my friends loved this while others thought it was okay. Now, as I'd said before, the 5 star rating system doesn't give the reader enough breadth for a proper and realistic rating---in my opinion.
So I've decided to accompany my reviews with an out of 10 rating as well.
So this book is a 7/10.
Let me start by saying I really liked this book. It sucked me right in from the start! The pacing was spot on, the suspense was good and Jack was a great alpha who was not over the top but sweet in his sudden development of strong feelings for a woman he barely knows. I'm going to mention the things I didn't like and get them out of the way:
---Jenn came across as immature at times. While she had many endearing traits and I did really like her, she started pushing Jack with things she knew deep down were true. And by pushing I mean disregarding his sound advice in the name of stubbornness. Ironically, her tendency to admit she was wrong was one of the things Jack loved about her so to turn around and start being stubborn for no reason other than to assert her stubbornness was silly.
---the suspense was good but when the villain went down it was anticlimactic. I was expecting a showdown with guns a' blazin' but it felt over before anything satisfied my vindictive nature---don't judge me, ;-)).
---everything seemed to happen faster than likely between Jenn and Jack....all in the midst of a murder investigation. Btw, just when you thought this investigation was solved, another plot twist pops up....it wasn't necessary.
----all the men loved Jenn. I think it's sweeter, more satisfying when the hero falls for the heroine in the midst of normalcy. What I mean is, if everyone is in love with Jenn, then Jack going after her and claiming her lessens her specialness. I understood the concept of the 'shiny new toy' but it would mean something more if not everyone and his dog fell for the same woman. And then I thought, was she always the object of male attention when she was married? Probably not.
Now the things I liked: Jenn was for the most part a truly likeable heroine. She was strong but in an understated way. She always did the right thing and saw the good in others. She deserved happiness and the chance to feel passion. Jack was great. He was an alpha but not the annoying kind where you just want to slap him. He took charge and made Jenn feel cherished, he was a good man. There was a Great epilogue and the sexy time was hot. And I LOVED how Jenn and Jack were a mature couple, very nice.
This did have a very STRONG KA feel to it, minus the annoying heroine. But I thought it was better than KA.
And the funny thing despite those dislikes?
I REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK!
In the end, this was a sweet romantic story of second chances and the chances we thought had eluded us. A woman facing the responsibilities of adulthood at a young age finally finds her footing and the chance at true love. A man destined to be single meets the one woman fated to be his and give him what he's always wanted. How can you not like a story like that?
August 6, 2016
When I found out that both the characters were near 40s, I'm looking forward to some mature romance. However, please don't let this fool you. Most of the time, I felt Jennifer acted like a nonsensical youngster.
Jennifer was a widow with a daughter who was off at college. She decided to move to Colorado to start a new life as a reporter. She was supposed to be writing about local festivities, but she ended up putting her nose into the investigation of the local serial killer who was targeting women with brown hair.
Jack was the local Sheriff. He was domineering, overbearing, and so dedicated to his job that he still haven't settle down for a family. One look at Jenn and he knew she was trouble with a T. He tried to drive her away from his investigation, but of course our quirky, strong and confident heroine never listen to a word of his.
I strained my eyes from all the rolling I had been subjected to while reading this. The things that Jenn did most of the time make me want to strangle her. How can she be so impulsive and reckless for a 39 years old mum? It simply didn't make any sense. And why did every male in the county have the hots for her?
Jack was Mr. Uber-Alpha-Bossy-Pants. I can't denied he want simply delectable. He was a masochist for wanting Jenn, though. Is a wonder he had not suffer from aneurysm, yet.
I'm sorry to make the comparison, but the characters in this book felt familiar to Kristen Ashley's books, which I'm not really into. Well, except The Golden Dynasty, of course. If you are a fan of Kristen Ashley's works, I believe this book will be great.
The 3 stars was for the creepy/intriguing killer's POV, Jack's hotness and the great sex.
Jennifer was a widow with a daughter who was off at college. She decided to move to Colorado to start a new life as a reporter. She was supposed to be writing about local festivities, but she ended up putting her nose into the investigation of the local serial killer who was targeting women with brown hair.
Jack was the local Sheriff. He was domineering, overbearing, and so dedicated to his job that he still haven't settle down for a family. One look at Jenn and he knew she was trouble with a T. He tried to drive her away from his investigation, but of course our quirky, strong and confident heroine never listen to a word of his.
I strained my eyes from all the rolling I had been subjected to while reading this. The things that Jenn did most of the time make me want to strangle her. How can she be so impulsive and reckless for a 39 years old mum? It simply didn't make any sense. And why did every male in the county have the hots for her?
Jack was Mr. Uber-Alpha-Bossy-Pants. I can't denied he want simply delectable. He was a masochist for wanting Jenn, though. Is a wonder he had not suffer from aneurysm, yet.
I'm sorry to make the comparison, but the characters in this book felt familiar to Kristen Ashley's books, which I'm not really into. Well, except The Golden Dynasty, of course. If you are a fan of Kristen Ashley's works, I believe this book will be great.
The 3 stars was for the creepy/intriguing killer's POV, Jack's hotness and the great sex.
January 29, 2014
3 Jumping Jehosaphat Stars!!!
(BR with Denisse)
A Reason to Breathe is the story of a 39 year old widow, who picks up and moves to a small town in Colorado to start a new life.
Jennifer Stewart is the new "Event" reporter for Gunnison County.
Her husband of twenty years recently passed away, and her daughter has gone off to College.
I was looking forward to this one as I heard it being compared to the works of Kristen Ashley, who I haven't read anything from yet, but after reading this one, I plan to read a KA book SOON!!!
The book started off promising.
We meet the HOT Sheriff, Jack Gunnison and he's 40!!
This is my first book with characters that are close to my age and let me tell you, I'd not be looking at the young ones, if there were men like Jack in my town!!! WOOOOO!!
He's the town's most sought after bachelor.
Never been married.
Never been in love.
Doesn't want to be tied down.
The moment these two meet, the attraction is INSTANT.
This guy is already saying "MINE" in his head when he looks at her.
Ok, I'm chuckling at this, finding it a little cheesy.
But as the story goes on, I started to really enjoy it.
I was hooked on Jack as soon as he's introduced in the story.
There's a serial killer on the loose and he has a thing for women 35 - 40, single, with long brown hair and brown eyes!
Hmmmm.....sounds a lot like our heroine.
Jack and Jennifer butt heads because she's constantly sticking her nosy reporter nose into police business.
I have to say throughout the book she continues to do the stupidest things and is just extremely annoying!! I did not like her!
Also I questioned why all the men in town were falling all over themselves over her??!!
It's not like she was the only woman in town!!
I will say the SEX was H-O-T!!!
And I mean SUPER HOT!!!
If it weren't for those sexy scenes and Jack, I'd not have enjoyed this book as much as I did.
I completely had the wrong guy pegged as the serial killer and felt that the identity was revealed too soon.
This should have been dragged out a bit further because the drama that comes up afterwards just felt out of place and should not have been a part of this story at all!
I had planned to give this one a 4 but when that mess was added to the story, I had to deduct points and Jack started to irritate me a little towards the end as well.
He kept telling Jennifer how amazing she was because she wasn't demanding of his time and understood how important his job was.
Oh Jack, just say it once!!
NOT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!!!
Shut up, get naked and just sex it up!!!
This is an enjoyable read if you can overlook the annoying heroine and haphazard events at the end.
Jack pretty much makes it worth your while for the majority of the story. :)
Thank you, Denisse, my lovely friend, for making this a fun read for me!!! xoxoxo
(BR with Denisse)
A Reason to Breathe is the story of a 39 year old widow, who picks up and moves to a small town in Colorado to start a new life.
Jennifer Stewart is the new "Event" reporter for Gunnison County.
Her husband of twenty years recently passed away, and her daughter has gone off to College.
I was looking forward to this one as I heard it being compared to the works of Kristen Ashley, who I haven't read anything from yet, but after reading this one, I plan to read a KA book SOON!!!
The book started off promising.
We meet the HOT Sheriff, Jack Gunnison and he's 40!!
This is my first book with characters that are close to my age and let me tell you, I'd not be looking at the young ones, if there were men like Jack in my town!!! WOOOOO!!
He's the town's most sought after bachelor.
Never been married.
Never been in love.
Doesn't want to be tied down.
The moment these two meet, the attraction is INSTANT.
This guy is already saying "MINE" in his head when he looks at her.
Ok, I'm chuckling at this, finding it a little cheesy.
But as the story goes on, I started to really enjoy it.
I was hooked on Jack as soon as he's introduced in the story.
There's a serial killer on the loose and he has a thing for women 35 - 40, single, with long brown hair and brown eyes!
Hmmmm.....sounds a lot like our heroine.
Jack and Jennifer butt heads because she's constantly sticking her nosy reporter nose into police business.
I have to say throughout the book she continues to do the stupidest things and is just extremely annoying!! I did not like her!
Also I questioned why all the men in town were falling all over themselves over her??!!
It's not like she was the only woman in town!!
I will say the SEX was H-O-T!!!
And I mean SUPER HOT!!!
If it weren't for those sexy scenes and Jack, I'd not have enjoyed this book as much as I did.
I completely had the wrong guy pegged as the serial killer and felt that the identity was revealed too soon.
This should have been dragged out a bit further because the drama that comes up afterwards just felt out of place and should not have been a part of this story at all!
I had planned to give this one a 4 but when that mess was added to the story, I had to deduct points and Jack started to irritate me a little towards the end as well.
He kept telling Jennifer how amazing she was because she wasn't demanding of his time and understood how important his job was.
Oh Jack, just say it once!!
NOT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!!!
Shut up, get naked and just sex it up!!!
This is an enjoyable read if you can overlook the annoying heroine and haphazard events at the end.
Jack pretty much makes it worth your while for the majority of the story. :)
Thank you, Denisse, my lovely friend, for making this a fun read for me!!! xoxoxo
January 25, 2014
3.5 Stars
I was a bit indecisive with my rating for this book. I was initially thinking a 2.5, then thought a bit more about the book and changed it to a 3 but I did enjoy the Epilogue so I bumped it up to a 3.5.
Jennifer is a widow and her daughter Bailey is off at college. It was always her dream to live in the mountains of Colorado so she makes a decision to pack up and move to Crested Butte Colorado to start a new life working as a Entertainment reporter at Gunnison Times.
Jack is the sexy, hot, overbearing Sheriff. He has had many women in his life but he hasn't been able to find that one woman for him. One that will take him as he is and not try to change him.
After being in Crested Butte for a few months Jennifer stumbles upon a different type of story. Women have been murdered and there is a crazy psycho killer on the loose. Jennifer and her group of friends decide they are going to do their own investigation which makes Jack mad as hell.
Neither one anticipate the type of connection they make; Jack finds himself turned on by Jennifer's inability to do what he tells her to do and Jennifer finds herself drawn to his bossiness.
I'm not going to go into the plot but I will say that as everyone is trying to solve this mystery Jennifer finds herself in danger, in heated situations with Jack, coming up against some of Jack's ex-lovers and she finds herself falling for Jack.
There are some twists and turns. Some steamy sex scenes and lots of bickering between the two of them but for me, as things started to unfold it didn't always add up or make sense. Which really bummed me out.
I did like Jack. I loved how he was bossy, always got his way and was rugged and sexy. Jennifer, though beautiful and sexy, she also seemed a bit reckless and impulsive for her age. But together I thought their banter was funny, they had their sweet moments and the sex was hot but not off the charts.
I wanted to love this book more than I did but it just didn't come together for me like I was hoping it would. I guess there were too many times I found myself rolling my eyes and shaking my head. :(
I will say I enjoyed the Epilogue. It was sweet. I was happy with the spot that Jack and Jennifer got to.
I was a bit indecisive with my rating for this book. I was initially thinking a 2.5, then thought a bit more about the book and changed it to a 3 but I did enjoy the Epilogue so I bumped it up to a 3.5.
Jennifer is a widow and her daughter Bailey is off at college. It was always her dream to live in the mountains of Colorado so she makes a decision to pack up and move to Crested Butte Colorado to start a new life working as a Entertainment reporter at Gunnison Times.
Jack is the sexy, hot, overbearing Sheriff. He has had many women in his life but he hasn't been able to find that one woman for him. One that will take him as he is and not try to change him.
After being in Crested Butte for a few months Jennifer stumbles upon a different type of story. Women have been murdered and there is a crazy psycho killer on the loose. Jennifer and her group of friends decide they are going to do their own investigation which makes Jack mad as hell.
Neither one anticipate the type of connection they make; Jack finds himself turned on by Jennifer's inability to do what he tells her to do and Jennifer finds herself drawn to his bossiness.
I'm not going to go into the plot but I will say that as everyone is trying to solve this mystery Jennifer finds herself in danger, in heated situations with Jack, coming up against some of Jack's ex-lovers and she finds herself falling for Jack.
There are some twists and turns. Some steamy sex scenes and lots of bickering between the two of them but for me, as things started to unfold it didn't always add up or make sense. Which really bummed me out.
I did like Jack. I loved how he was bossy, always got his way and was rugged and sexy. Jennifer, though beautiful and sexy, she also seemed a bit reckless and impulsive for her age. But together I thought their banter was funny, they had their sweet moments and the sex was hot but not off the charts.
I wanted to love this book more than I did but it just didn't come together for me like I was hoping it would. I guess there were too many times I found myself rolling my eyes and shaking my head. :(
I will say I enjoyed the Epilogue. It was sweet. I was happy with the spot that Jack and Jennifer got to.
January 13, 2016
I loved the stinking heck out this book! It had a bit of a KA vibe going on in it (I seem to be saying that a lot in reviews lately??).
I loved both the hero (Jack) and the heroine (Jenn) though why writers always have to make journalists to stupid to live is beyond me. "Oh look, there is a serial killer on the loose, I think I'll stick my nose into the investigation, thus making myself the focus of the killer!!" Do these people not watch TV, or movies?? *lol*
The mystery of who the baddie was was pretty decent, though I did figure it out fairly early. I could also have done without the plethora of pussy that Jack seemed to have worked himself through in their tiny town. The guy seemed to have a taste for crazy, since every one of them that showed up had "THE CRAZY EYES" *lol* Luckily Jennifer took it all in stride and it didn't cause a ton of unnecessary conflict.
Overall it was a decent read with likable characters, hot sex, and a good plot!
Side note: Every time I read "Ben and Gerry" together I developed a sudden craving for ice cream...*lol*
I loved both the hero (Jack) and the heroine (Jenn) though why writers always have to make journalists to stupid to live is beyond me. "Oh look, there is a serial killer on the loose, I think I'll stick my nose into the investigation, thus making myself the focus of the killer!!" Do these people not watch TV, or movies?? *lol*
The mystery of who the baddie was was pretty decent, though I did figure it out fairly early. I could also have done without the plethora of pussy that Jack seemed to have worked himself through in their tiny town. The guy seemed to have a taste for crazy, since every one of them that showed up had "THE CRAZY EYES" *lol* Luckily Jennifer took it all in stride and it didn't cause a ton of unnecessary conflict.
Overall it was a decent read with likable characters, hot sex, and a good plot!
Side note: Every time I read "Ben and Gerry" together I developed a sudden craving for ice cream...*lol*
January 28, 2014
**2.5 to 3 From Good to Terrible Stars***
When it comes to this book there is no grey area, people either really love it or really hate it, but there is no in between. Feeling intrigued by the blurb my friend Patty and I decided it be fun to read it together; at first we were surprised by how much we were enjoying it, all thanks to the delicious super Alpha hero, Jack, but in the end not even all his hotness could save this book and 70% in unfortunately, this story crashed and burned...
Jennifer is a 39 year old reporter who's life just suffered a drastic change after her husband gets killed by a drunk driver in a car accident and her daughter goes off to college. Jenn decides to fulfill her long life dream of moving to the Colorado mountains. There had been two murders in less than two months in her new town, and looking to expand in her career, she decides to investigate the murders and at one of the crime scenes she comes in contact with the hottest Sheriff ever, Jack Gunnison. Jack is a total Dominant, he sees something he likes and he takes it, after getting into a fight with the stubborn and beautiful new reporter he can't get her off his mind. Thirty six hours after meeting, these two are deep into one of the hottest make out sessions I ever read about, and after that the explosive relationship takes off.
If you've ever read any of Kristen Ashley's books you will definitely notice the similarities when you read A Reason To Breathe, I didn't think it was an exact copy but the KA essence is definitely present. My biggest issue with this book was the heroine, at first I was happy to see that she had a sassy attitude but after a while she turned out to be just so dumb, she kept getting into trouble almost on purpose and Jack who's the town's Sheriff had to constantly stop what he was doing to go chase after her. The whole mystery of the serial killer was solve way too early into the story in my opinion and after that we get about 30% of the book full of meaningless scenes that had no purpose in the story.
This book had so much potential, I honestly give props to C.P Smith for creating Jack's character but ultimately the last half of the book was ridiculous, Patty and I laughed so hard reading about the heroine's stupidity and lack of common sense.
Regardless of all my issues with this novel, I had a blast doing the BR with Patty, she's just so awesome!!!
When it comes to this book there is no grey area, people either really love it or really hate it, but there is no in between. Feeling intrigued by the blurb my friend Patty and I decided it be fun to read it together; at first we were surprised by how much we were enjoying it, all thanks to the delicious super Alpha hero, Jack, but in the end not even all his hotness could save this book and 70% in unfortunately, this story crashed and burned...
Jennifer is a 39 year old reporter who's life just suffered a drastic change after her husband gets killed by a drunk driver in a car accident and her daughter goes off to college. Jenn decides to fulfill her long life dream of moving to the Colorado mountains. There had been two murders in less than two months in her new town, and looking to expand in her career, she decides to investigate the murders and at one of the crime scenes she comes in contact with the hottest Sheriff ever, Jack Gunnison. Jack is a total Dominant, he sees something he likes and he takes it, after getting into a fight with the stubborn and beautiful new reporter he can't get her off his mind. Thirty six hours after meeting, these two are deep into one of the hottest make out sessions I ever read about, and after that the explosive relationship takes off.
If you've ever read any of Kristen Ashley's books you will definitely notice the similarities when you read A Reason To Breathe, I didn't think it was an exact copy but the KA essence is definitely present. My biggest issue with this book was the heroine, at first I was happy to see that she had a sassy attitude but after a while she turned out to be just so dumb, she kept getting into trouble almost on purpose and Jack who's the town's Sheriff had to constantly stop what he was doing to go chase after her. The whole mystery of the serial killer was solve way too early into the story in my opinion and after that we get about 30% of the book full of meaningless scenes that had no purpose in the story.
This book had so much potential, I honestly give props to C.P Smith for creating Jack's character but ultimately the last half of the book was ridiculous, Patty and I laughed so hard reading about the heroine's stupidity and lack of common sense.
Regardless of all my issues with this novel, I had a blast doing the BR with Patty, she's just so awesome!!!
October 28, 2014
This book was good...with a few issues for me. But before I get into that, I have to say that this is going to be a great book for all KA fans. You can definitely tell that the author is a KA fan. :)
This started out really good. I loved Jack and Jenn. There was a nice animosity set up going on between Jack and Jenn when they first met. I was looking forward to the chemistry and fighting that was to occur. But alas, it wasn't to be. Jenn received a visit from the resident creepy killer and rightly called the police. And this is where things took a left turn for me. I totally get calling the police. I would have too. But I wouldn't have asked for the specific officer I had met that day. And I certainly wouldn't have thrown myself into his arms when he showed up. I was just left scratching my head as to why she was throwing herself at him. They had just met a few hours ago.
Unfortunately for me, the exasperated feeling lasted throughout the whole book. But, I tried to move past that and immerse myself into the book. And I really did like Jack and Jenn together. He was completely alpha and jealous when other guys showed any interest in her. And there were definitely other guys!
The mystery was pretty good. I had a few suspects in mind and did call it with who it ended up being. However, there was a second twist that I didn't see coming and I really didn't understand it. I wish I'd had more information as to why it happened.
Overall, this was a good first novel from the author and I would definitely read more from her in the future.
This started out really good. I loved Jack and Jenn. There was a nice animosity set up going on between Jack and Jenn when they first met. I was looking forward to the chemistry and fighting that was to occur. But alas, it wasn't to be. Jenn received a visit from the resident creepy killer and rightly called the police. And this is where things took a left turn for me. I totally get calling the police. I would have too. But I wouldn't have asked for the specific officer I had met that day. And I certainly wouldn't have thrown myself into his arms when he showed up. I was just left scratching my head as to why she was throwing herself at him. They had just met a few hours ago.
Unfortunately for me, the exasperated feeling lasted throughout the whole book. But, I tried to move past that and immerse myself into the book. And I really did like Jack and Jenn together. He was completely alpha and jealous when other guys showed any interest in her. And there were definitely other guys!
The mystery was pretty good. I had a few suspects in mind and did call it with who it ended up being. However, there was a second twist that I didn't see coming and I really didn't understand it. I wish I'd had more information as to why it happened.
Overall, this was a good first novel from the author and I would definitely read more from her in the future.
January 25, 2014
This is my Jack:
3.5 stars
and it's live:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H...
***************************************************
I know I only have to wait one more day... but I really want this book!!!!!
3.5 stars
and it's live:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H...
***************************************************
I know I only have to wait one more day... but I really want this book!!!!!
December 7, 2014
4 SWEETNESS STARS
I really enjoyed this one; my first book from CP Smith. It was sweet, funny, cute and I'm sure I'm not the first to say, it was KA-esque. I mean this in the best way possible. If you love Kristen Ashley, you'll really enjoy this.
Jack is total Alpha hotness and Jenn is sassy, smart and sexy -- together, these guys are loads of fun. Of course, the secondary characters were also endearing and the story was filled with mystery, action, laughter. And definitely worth mentioning, the chemistry between Jack and Jenn...and the sex is...
"You with me Baby, 'cause there's no turning back after this, no way, once I slip into that sweet heat of yours, you're mine, do you hear me? You. Are. Fucking. Mine."
"Time stood still; while I poured the love I had for this man into the kiss, trying to express the depth of my emotions. The kiss went hot and wild, my hands moving up the back of his shirt, clawing his back lightly with my nails. Jack moaned in my mouth, then broke the kiss and put his forehead to mine."
I will definitely read more of Ms. Smith!
I really enjoyed this one; my first book from CP Smith. It was sweet, funny, cute and I'm sure I'm not the first to say, it was KA-esque. I mean this in the best way possible. If you love Kristen Ashley, you'll really enjoy this.
Jack is total Alpha hotness and Jenn is sassy, smart and sexy -- together, these guys are loads of fun. Of course, the secondary characters were also endearing and the story was filled with mystery, action, laughter. And definitely worth mentioning, the chemistry between Jack and Jenn...and the sex is...
"You with me Baby, 'cause there's no turning back after this, no way, once I slip into that sweet heat of yours, you're mine, do you hear me? You. Are. Fucking. Mine."
"Time stood still; while I poured the love I had for this man into the kiss, trying to express the depth of my emotions. The kiss went hot and wild, my hands moving up the back of his shirt, clawing his back lightly with my nails. Jack moaned in my mouth, then broke the kiss and put his forehead to mine."
I will definitely read more of Ms. Smith!
August 12, 2016
Ok, I have some problems with this book. There were parts that I thought worked really well, but there were a lot that didn't, and unfortunately, the negatives kinda ruined it for me.
3 stars for Jack & Jenn.
A Reason To Breathe is the story of thirty-nine year old widow, Jennifer Stewart. When her husband dies, she moves out to Colorado to fulfil a childhood dream of living in the mountains. Her job as a journalist leads her to meet Sheriff Jack Gunnison at a murder scene.
Long-story-short, it's insta-lust/love, and both the search a whirlwind relationship and the for a serial killer begin.
"Jesus, what are you doing to me?" He whispered.
"Nothing," I gasped, when his tongue circled my ear.
"Baby, if that's nothing, you're gonna kill me when it means something."
Ok, let's do this methodically. What did I like?
- I liked Jack.
- I liked the plot twists.
- I liked the steamy sex.
- I liked the idea.
Now, what did I not like?
- I didn't like the slew of appalling grammatical errors.
- I didn't like that this was basically a cheap copy of a Kristen Ashley book.
- I didn't like that Jenn acted 19 instead of 39. And I didn't like how irresponsible and stupid she was at times.
So, yeh, as I said, I liked Jack. I just have to mention, I loved the surname Gunnison. I don't know, I just found that really super sexy. So that worked for me.
"If Jack Gunnison were pursuing me, I'd walk slow."
Jack is totally alpha male. In fact, he's a little pathetically alpha, in all honesty. Like, Jack and Jenn have known each other for one day and he's ready to knock out all other men in the town for just looking at her. But nevertheless, he is sexy and he is the best thing to come out of this book.
He should have a warning label on his back, "Proceed with caution; smile will dazzle you."
He's dedicated to his job, he takes no shit and he fights for what he loves. He's super bossy, as Jenn finds out pretty quickly, but he's got a smooshy soft centre, too.
"I'm not 9-5 suit material; I wear jeans; I hunt bad guys, and I rescue damsels in distress."
One thing I don't get... the author writes the story like everyone in the town of Gunnison knows everyone. It's one of those small town communities where everyone knows everyone's business. So how did Jenn live there for four months before coming across Jack or even hearing anything about him?! He's the Sheriff! And he's hot as all get out! You'd know if a man like that was in the vacinity. And as soon as she has met him, he's everywhere she goes and everyone is talking about him. Because obviously he's bedded every woman in town and every female within the surrounding counties fancies the pants off of him... yada yada yada. But our little Jenn has never come across him until now. This is just one example of how things were poorly thought out.
"Oh come on, is he really as good as everyone says he is? I don't trust those other women to tell me the truth."
"What have the others said?"
"That his bat is huge, and he knows how to swing it."
The plot is fast paced and action packed. It's as much crime/mystery as it is romance. I didn't guess the ending at all. I was way off base, which I think was the point, as the author does drop a few clues which I think were supposed to be red herrings. Well, that worked. I got it totally wrong. And I must admit, at the end of the book, I was pretty nervous as I flicked through the pages. So props for quite a climatic ending.
"Thank you for giving me what I though I'd never have ... A reason to breathe."
Now... moving on to my dislikes. Unfortunately.
Jenn. No. Just no. I really didn't warm to her. At one point, Jack locks her in a cell. Well, best place for her in my opinion. The woman is a danger to herself and everyone else around her. I'm sorry but there is no way on earth that you'd just go around on a jaunt with your buddy in search of a serial killer!! And if you do... well, you deserve everything that's coming to you!
I also didn't like that she was so oblivious to all the men swooning at her feet. I mean, there's being humble and modest and there's being blind and oblivious!
"Nothing, Babe, just wondering how many men are gonna fall in love with you before you notice."
"What are talking about, Jack? Honestly you talk in riddles sometimes."
And lastly, I really felt like I was reading an NA romance, with Jenn. For starters, her husband, who she married when she was eighteen, has just died a year ago. And she really doesn't give him a second thought as she falls into bed with the sexy Sheriff.
At one point Jenn is banging on about her high IQ. Not that I'm convinced, but if she really was gifted with a higher than average IQ, as she claims, then she certainly missed out in the common sense stakes.
There were just so many things about Jenn that bugged me.
However, she did have a few better moments. Her banter back and forth with Jack did make me smile at times.
"Jesus, I fell for a woman who can admit when she's wrong, swear to Christ I didn't know they existed." Rolling my eyes at him, he glared back me, so instead of verbalizing my thoughts I kept them to myself. So on behalf of women everywhere, I will silently say, WHATEVER!!!
Now, about this being a carbon copy of a Kristen Ashley novel... Urgh, this irritated me. If I hadn't read KA's The Gamble, then I probably would have enjoyed this story more, but fact remains, I have and the similarities made me so mad. Seriously?! The author even thanks KA at the beginning of her book...
To Kristen Ashley, whose books helped me through a tough time and inspired me to write, thank you for being you, and writing books, I'll never grow tired of.
You can't just compliment an author in an attempt to take the sting out of you ripping their work off!! So amateur and tacky. This was one of my biggest issues with this book. Something I really love is originality in a book, and this just failed on every level in that respect.
Now, my biggest issue with this book was the errors. Oh. My. Christ. This author needs to learn how to use commas, semicolons and full stops. The book needs a serious run through the editing mill. Every time I tried to let myself get lost in the story, I was dragged out of it by bad grammatical errors. I found myself re-reading sentences because the lack of commas made it impossible to work out how they were supposed to be read.
So not simple, well-done Jennifer, Jesus that man is overpowering.
But I'd be lying to myself if he knocked on my door tomorrow, I'd be thrilled of course he was alive, but it would be a lie to go back to him...
The author has an annoying habit of flicking back and forth between past and present tenses within the same freakin' sentence.
I became a mindless idiot when he touches me.
She/he (she, I assume) also totally rapes the semicolon on many occasions and there were some laughable spelling mistakes, too.
I pushed my hands threw my hair.
One time I needed that women to have her phone on her; I'd found it sitting on my kitchen counter.
God, if you follow my reviews you'll know that I hardly ever write really ranty reviews and I really hate to just beat on writers, because I know that every book we read is somebodies baby. Somebodies work of art. I always try to be completely honest, whilst not slagging anybody off and keeping the tastes of my blog followers at the forefront of my mind. But I really feel like this was a sloppy, lazy effort from this author and I have to say, having read some great reviews, I was extremely disappointed.
I'll be quiet now, but I wouldn't recommend this book.
Have you read it? Tell us what you thought?
'A Reason To Breathe' Statistics
• Steam Rating (out of 5): ♥♥♥
• Ending: HEA
• Length: 312 pages
• Narrative: Alternates between Jack and Jenn's POVs.
• Series: ✗
• Can this be read as a standalone? Yes
• Themes:
Murder
Mystery
• WARNING. This book includes...
Sexual content. Murder. Kidnap. Violence.
• Writing: Poor
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April 23, 2024
***** 5 Plus Megawatt Brilliant Stars *****
Alright all you book lovers out there…get ready. Everyone talks about the fighters, the bad boys, the firemen and the Billionaire CEO’s… Well step aside all you book boyfriends, there is a new Sheriff in town…literally. He’s hot, he’s sexy, he’s controlling, and he may be the Sheriff but to Jenn…he’s Just Jack.
I FREAKING LOVE JACK!
I mean seriously, have you ever read a book that made your face hurt. Well this will do it for you. My face hurt for hours from all the smiling and laughing I did while reading A Reason To Breathe. I couldn’t read it fast enough and yet I wanted to go back and reread what I just read. It’s that crazy good.
Jenn, a widower and mother of a teenager girl who just went off to college decides it time to live her life for herself. She decides to follow a life long dream and move up into the mountains of Colorado to “live with the bears” as she says. She is a journalist and on the search for a story that will land her the job she really wants instead of writing about the latest bake sale. Jenn has a 20 year old daughter Bailey and I absolutely love the relationship they have. It reminds me a lot of my relationship with my mom. Bailey is awesome. I love her attitude and fierceness…she’s a lot like her mom and they are more like best friends.
Jack is the Sheriff…Hott damn. Yes, realize I spelled hot wrong but with Jack…he deserves the capital "H" and extra “t”. That fine piece of male is all man and all Alpha. I so could not get enough of him. He’s known as sort of a man whore. It’s not that he doesn’t want commitment it’s just that he hasn’t’ found that someone who is willing to deal with his crazy schedule and love him for who he is instead of trying to change him.
“Share? I’m not sure I’m ready for any type of relationship, Jack.”
“Babe, You may not be ready, but that’s not going to stop me from changing your mind.”
Gunnison County has a serial killer on its hands and being the Sheriff that puts Jack right in the middle…and being a reporter…that has Jenn always on the trail for new information. Jack can’t stand reporters but the sexy brunette with big brown doe eyes has him reeling. What is it about her that makes him so crazy he can’t decide whether he wants to stick her in lockup or rip every piece of clothing off of her?
“Oh God, Jack, what are you doing to me?”
“Making you burn for me.”
This book is beyond 5 stars. It’s so Fan-Freaking-Tastic that you will be left with the biggest book hanger known to man. I finished this book a half hour ago and still have a silly grin on my face that I’m sure won’t be going away anytime soon.
“Ride my hand, baby, feel the burn and scream my fucking name,” he ordered in a voice that could only be described as sexual possession.”
To say this book is hot is an understatement. Jenn if feisty and speaks her mind. She is independent and after living the past twenty years to please her family she isn’t about to let someone boss her around. She moved to Colorado to follow her dream, for independence and to live her life how she wants. Jack, well jack gets his way…ALWAYS! He’s not used to people, especially women, not listening to him. Women are always falling at his feet to do what he wants. He’s not used to being told no. Well, Jenn is about to change that. His bossiness may leave her with her temperature rising but she isn’t about to let him tell her what to do.
“I can’t get you out of my mind,” he growled.
“Jack.”
“I’m dreaming about you, your legs wrapped around my back while I pound into you.”
“Oh, God.”
“You’re wet in my dreams, dripping for me, I need to feel that slick heat suck me in, and clamp tight around my cock.���
“Please, Jack, fuck me,” I begged
“I’m not gonna fuck you, I’m gonna devour you till you scream my name.”
Jack and Jenn are so amazing and fun to read. Their relationship is full of pushes and pulls and will leave you giddy for more. They are like a drug you won’t be able to get enough of (hence the book hangover you are going to have after reading A Reason to Breathe).
“I’m going to possess you, every fucking inch.” Breathing fast, I nodded and begged, “Please.”
“I need to taste you and make you scream,” Jack growled at my ear and then moved my panties and ripped them off my body.
Despite having a serial killer on the loose this book is so funny. I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s a natural kind of funny which is my favorite. It’s filled with witty banter and playfulness. I absolutely loved it.
This is most definitely a reread book for me. There is no way one dose of Jack and Jenn will be enough. This may be a debut novel for C.P. Smith but honestly, it’s so good you would never imagine this is her first book. The writing is fantastic, the storyline is invigorating, and the Alpha-ness in this book is out of this freaking universe. The sex scenes are smokin’ but not overdone.
Thank You C.P. Smith for your awesomeness and Please…Please…continue writing such amazing stories like this. You have creating a huge fan in me and I can’t wait for more.
This review can also be seen at A IS FOR ALPHA B IS FOR BOOKS
http://a4alphab4books.blogspot.com/
***ARC provided by author for an honest review***
Alright all you book lovers out there…get ready. Everyone talks about the fighters, the bad boys, the firemen and the Billionaire CEO’s… Well step aside all you book boyfriends, there is a new Sheriff in town…literally. He’s hot, he’s sexy, he’s controlling, and he may be the Sheriff but to Jenn…he’s Just Jack.
I FREAKING LOVE JACK!
I mean seriously, have you ever read a book that made your face hurt. Well this will do it for you. My face hurt for hours from all the smiling and laughing I did while reading A Reason To Breathe. I couldn’t read it fast enough and yet I wanted to go back and reread what I just read. It’s that crazy good.
Jenn, a widower and mother of a teenager girl who just went off to college decides it time to live her life for herself. She decides to follow a life long dream and move up into the mountains of Colorado to “live with the bears” as she says. She is a journalist and on the search for a story that will land her the job she really wants instead of writing about the latest bake sale. Jenn has a 20 year old daughter Bailey and I absolutely love the relationship they have. It reminds me a lot of my relationship with my mom. Bailey is awesome. I love her attitude and fierceness…she’s a lot like her mom and they are more like best friends.
Jack is the Sheriff…Hott damn. Yes, realize I spelled hot wrong but with Jack…he deserves the capital "H" and extra “t”. That fine piece of male is all man and all Alpha. I so could not get enough of him. He’s known as sort of a man whore. It’s not that he doesn’t want commitment it’s just that he hasn’t’ found that someone who is willing to deal with his crazy schedule and love him for who he is instead of trying to change him.
“Share? I’m not sure I’m ready for any type of relationship, Jack.”
“Babe, You may not be ready, but that’s not going to stop me from changing your mind.”
Gunnison County has a serial killer on its hands and being the Sheriff that puts Jack right in the middle…and being a reporter…that has Jenn always on the trail for new information. Jack can’t stand reporters but the sexy brunette with big brown doe eyes has him reeling. What is it about her that makes him so crazy he can’t decide whether he wants to stick her in lockup or rip every piece of clothing off of her?
“Oh God, Jack, what are you doing to me?”
“Making you burn for me.”
This book is beyond 5 stars. It’s so Fan-Freaking-Tastic that you will be left with the biggest book hanger known to man. I finished this book a half hour ago and still have a silly grin on my face that I’m sure won’t be going away anytime soon.
“Ride my hand, baby, feel the burn and scream my fucking name,” he ordered in a voice that could only be described as sexual possession.”
To say this book is hot is an understatement. Jenn if feisty and speaks her mind. She is independent and after living the past twenty years to please her family she isn’t about to let someone boss her around. She moved to Colorado to follow her dream, for independence and to live her life how she wants. Jack, well jack gets his way…ALWAYS! He’s not used to people, especially women, not listening to him. Women are always falling at his feet to do what he wants. He’s not used to being told no. Well, Jenn is about to change that. His bossiness may leave her with her temperature rising but she isn’t about to let him tell her what to do.
“I can’t get you out of my mind,” he growled.
“Jack.”
“I’m dreaming about you, your legs wrapped around my back while I pound into you.”
“Oh, God.”
“You’re wet in my dreams, dripping for me, I need to feel that slick heat suck me in, and clamp tight around my cock.���
“Please, Jack, fuck me,” I begged
“I’m not gonna fuck you, I’m gonna devour you till you scream my name.”
Jack and Jenn are so amazing and fun to read. Their relationship is full of pushes and pulls and will leave you giddy for more. They are like a drug you won’t be able to get enough of (hence the book hangover you are going to have after reading A Reason to Breathe).
“I’m going to possess you, every fucking inch.” Breathing fast, I nodded and begged, “Please.”
“I need to taste you and make you scream,” Jack growled at my ear and then moved my panties and ripped them off my body.
Despite having a serial killer on the loose this book is so funny. I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s a natural kind of funny which is my favorite. It’s filled with witty banter and playfulness. I absolutely loved it.
This is most definitely a reread book for me. There is no way one dose of Jack and Jenn will be enough. This may be a debut novel for C.P. Smith but honestly, it’s so good you would never imagine this is her first book. The writing is fantastic, the storyline is invigorating, and the Alpha-ness in this book is out of this freaking universe. The sex scenes are smokin’ but not overdone.
Thank You C.P. Smith for your awesomeness and Please…Please…continue writing such amazing stories like this. You have creating a huge fan in me and I can’t wait for more.
This review can also be seen at A IS FOR ALPHA B IS FOR BOOKS
http://a4alphab4books.blogspot.com/
***ARC provided by author for an honest review***
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