Winter, I know your ex hurt you, but I'm not him. I can love you; let me...
Winter Bennett is on the worst date of her life, so she decides to bail and go home to her true loves: take out and Netflix. On her way out of the door, she spots her ex-boyfriend with his hot, new girl. Horrified at the thought of being seen, Winter does what any sane woman would do; she bolts into the bathroom and out the back window.
Falling smack-dab in the middle of a sting operation wasn't part of the plan, but that’s exactly what happened. And now, bullets are flying overhead. Thankfully, a sexy NYPD homicide detective by the name of Wyatt Hunter saves her. He is furious with her for ruining his operation but he's even more upset when he can’t get her off his mind. Soon he falls for her — hard. Unfortunately, Winter's heart has been broken and she's too afraid to let anyone in. Does Wyatt have what it takes to get Winter to give love one more try?
This steamy romance is a roller coaster ride that will make you hot, make you laugh, and even shed a few tears. It's a full-length standalone novel. NO cheating, NO cliffhangers, and a guaranteed Happily-ever-after! This book has adult content for ages 18 and over.
**This book had everything going for it. A cop Hero that was instantly gone for the heroine, a woman that helped kids. He's protective and possessive, not to mention patient as her ex-boyfriend really messed with her head and hurt her. But, two things - one so more than the other - ruined it for me. First, Winter's best friend making numerous comments about Wyatt's looks, including one referring to how effable he is. This was so unnecessary, not to mention something you don't say about the man your best friend is falling for. Secondly, and this was so completely tacky and again, unnecessary. His sister-in-law not only saying how she was friends with some of Wyatt's exes - the point being she saw her and Winter being friends...just say that stupid woman - but then she goes even further and tells Winter, Wyatt's current girlfriend, how she's in for a treat because when she and her husband had to stay in the apartment underneath Wyatt for a bit, the noises coming from his place...yeah, she tells Winter about the noises they'd hear when he was banging other women. Are you freaking kidding me? Why? Why would you include this at all? It does not enhance the story, it does not add to it. It takes away from it because it brings home him being with others and obviously having a great sex life prior to Winter, who of course has only been with one man, her ex, and of course again, the sex was mediocre. I AM SO FREAKING TIRED OF THAT CRAP! And Wyatt's sister-in-law needs b&$ch slapped for talking about his sex life like that. It was uncalled for, tacky, vulgar, unnecessary, cruel, and all out stupid. I am now forcing myself to continue, and I'm only at the halfway point when this crap ALL went down, whereas before, aside from the best friend's inappropriate comments, was really enjoying it. Now, I just want to DNF the book and move on, after applying a liberal dose of brain bleach. Blah. Also, and I can't believe I almost forget this. My third issue, please stop mentioning how Wyatt could get any woman he wants; how hot he is; the fact he obviously has way more experience, etc. Oh, and we get it, her ex "ruined" her, she's broken...Blah blah blah. Yes, what he did sucked big time, but it's been over a year...move the heck on. He obviously did, the others connected because of what and how he hurt her have as well. The constant doubting and letting her ex rule every decision she makes regarding Wyatt is ridiculous.**
Our heroine, Winter, is a woman who made a lot of dumb decisions in her previous relationship and was abused and betrayed in the ugliest ways by him. He was her only relationship so you can be sure that this is another case of “no good sex, no orgasms” before the hero situation.
Winter is a weak woman who was once pushed by her boyfriend but she is no wiser now because still, her sister, best friend etc push her until she does what they want her to do. Despite their best intentions, they were too much of a meddler.
Despite her weak character that normally makes her run away from people that scare or annoy her, Winter acts like an idiot and challenges a gang member just to protect a foster kid, which is totally opposite her usual modus operandi.
***
Our hero, Wyatt is a yummy hot guy with a sad story. He is a good guy with a good heart. He does everything possible to make Winter let go of her ugly past and be able to trust another man again. He is a swoon-worthy hero. He had casual relationships in the past and never had a serious one because him being a cop was not what every woman would accept in the long term.
***
I would have preferred a pure love story that deals with the present and past stories of these two people. I would have preferred to see them getting close to each other while helping one another deal with the tragic things in their pasts. More character depth and development would have made it a better love story as theirs was insta-lust turned into love in a short time. Instead of making this book an epic love story of two wounded people, the writer has chosen to include a sub-plot with the foster kids and street gangs to fill the pages, which is something I hate in my romance novels.
All sub-plots that are about the side characters steal from the romance. And all “thriller – adventure - suspense” elements steal from the romance aspect of a book. And I don’t want those elements in my romance novels for that reason. That’s why, I do not read romantic suspense. And although this book cannot be regarded as a romantic suspense, I would have preferred to have a deeper and more elaborate love story between the hero and the heroine rather than all the outside stuff about the foster kids and the gangs. Honestly, I skipped all those pages. I felt OK with the story of the other side characters (best friend/sister), though.
***
The writing is in dual point of view. It is neither epic nor too bad, just mediocre. The tone is light and the writing is a little simple, not elaborate or refined. There are too many editing mistakes.
***
There is no OW/OM drama, no cheating. It is totally safe. There is one disturbing event in the heroine’s past that upset me, that’s all. It’s something her boyfriend did to her.
His book wasn’t for me. I did a lot of skimming and I didn’t care for Winter. Everyone claimed she was so smart but she made a lot of dumb decisions. She was blind to the whole Wyatt cooking for her situation even though it was obvious why he did. For the life of her she couldn’t figure it out. Wyatt gave Winter the pet name “babe” and it was sprinkled throughout the book 78 times. The word “argh” was used 18 times and for some reason the author liked to use ALL CAPS WHEN THE CHARACTERS WERE SCREAMING. Between the writing style and the annoying characters, there wasn’t much for me to like about this novel. Sorry.
This was everything I needed at this moment in life. It was well written, in detail that you're not second-guessing, cute, funny, and dam f***ing sexy!!!
Hmmmm . I can see I am in the minority. OK, so I loved Wyatt and Winter, well, for me, I was on the bubble with her. I felt like she was a bit doom and gloom and when the "reason" behind her facade was revealed, I was so underwhelmed. IDK, I thought it had potential, me and police romances are a turn on but for me these were not:(
Wyatt's feelings happened WAY too fast and the prolonging of sex.....ughhhh I was like, really people....Will I read more in this series, maybe, I may give another chance to this series as I am intrigued by the guys, it's the girls that are my hang up so (Incl secondary, too)
Well we will see, I just am not in a rush for the next story!
I seem to be the exception: just impossible to get in this story, it was a struggle not to end with a DNF. An annoying h and unreal H. Didn’t like the writing style. But hey, it might be just me.
Don't read it please. Just don't. I literally had to push myself to read it,but after a point I just stopped and didn't finish it.No solid plot,no character development,nothing. Thank god it was free,otherwise I would have felt bad about wasting my money on this💀😭
The h jumps out a window to avoid her ex... and not in a funny way. This is flat out, a woman chose to run thru a restaurant after he’d seen her and jump out the men’s bathroom window into a dumpster! Ok, there a a few vague hints that things were more than ‘not right’ with the ex, but still later in the book, but still. Come on. I never got to the flashback to x abuse happening with the ex, but some of the reviews indicate that he was verbally abusive... which just makes it even worse that her bff & sister are pushy and controlling. Suppose they might not have been ‘that bad’ if she was not previously abused, but as that is the case, they were just piling on and keeping her small.
Anyways, back to jumping out the window. She lands in the middle of a sting and almost gets shot. Enter H. He’s not that bad. A bit too ALL in too fast, but I don’t really have too much of a problem with him. But the h is terrified of relationships (after her one and only experience of abuse and, yep, you guessed it... bad sex!). She flat out tells him no, when she is interested, but she’s too terrified to even blink that way. And quite frankly, not to diminish abuse survivors, but she just comes across as a coward to me. There’s a way of writing the fear, and this was just a miss for me.
Turns out he stalks her a little - not real appropriate behaviour for anyone let alone a cop, but it didn’t seem too OTT to me, just a ‘of course he did’.
Then the pushy bff invites him to the party she bullies and guilts the h into attending... and the h... you guessed it! Said I need to use the bathroom... AND CLIMBS OUT RHE FUCKING WINDOW!
I’m not feeling anything but distaste for this spineless character who won’t even have a conversation when she said she would and climbs out another window after what happened last time and from a guy that is clearly not a threat to her if she says ‘I’m going’. I don’t want any connection between them when she’s such a sad joke.
Cop, social worker, wow oh so handsome and oh my God she’s so gorgeous... She is so lame that she jumps in dumpster to avoid her ex and spoils his work of catching another asshole... he protects her and is angry because she spoiled his operation but forgets everything else because she is “fucking gorgeous” and of couse he is fucking hot...
Why does this have so many good ratings i haven’t got a clue... the only character which made kind of smile was Lois... the story, characters were shit... she is smart, beautiful whatever but she can’t deal with a breakup properly and the cop acts like a fucking stalker... he is hot so it’s ok... she acts like a crazy bitch but it’s ok bcos she is pretty... people Ted Bundy anyone.
The words that Wyatt Hunter uses to reassure Winter Bennett of how much he wants her will melt your panties off. He even cooks for her. You have to read the book to find out why that has more meaning. The book could use more editing, but I don't care because the story-line and characters are so worthy and have so many layers I did not want to put the book down.
Found her annoying, him a weirdly stereotypical romance novel guy (tough guy with a sad story who just happens to be rich, and willing to suffer blue balls as long as it takes), and the myriad typos or editing goofs just pushed this over the "Why did I bother?" edge. Why? Because it was free. We know how that goes most of the time, eh? 🙄
This book was one the best ones I read in a while. It's amazing!!!! It has everything, it has so much meaning, everything that happens it's not just based on getting laid or getting the girl. It's so much more, I even cried during this book and this never happened before, like, ever! It's totally breathtaking and amazing!!! I just can't wait to meet the rest of the Hunter's. I'm already in love with them.
So, this book is about learning to "live" again after tragedies, to believe that there's something out there for all of us, regardless of everything that happened to us. Winter shows us how strong she is and how she was able to outgrow her past and let Wyatt love her. Wyatt shows that all the things he did were not to get laid but to be let in in Winter's life and to allow himself to be happy.
I totally recommend this book. I loved it so much, it's so heartbreaking and beautiful, it has so much meaning in everything that happens, it's just incredible!! I really hope the author writes something about Jana and Decker, they totally deserve.
"She said, 'I'll send her to you and you'll know it's her because she will make you want to find your joy again. She will make you run to the damn kitchen and cook her all these amazing meals you thought you'd never make again. She'll help you move on. She's gonna love you without fail and she'll bring your joy back to you. When you find her, know that she was my gift to you."
Written in dual perspective, this novel follows the relationship of Winter and Wyatt. After Winter dives headfirst out of a restaurant’s bathroom window in the dumpster below in order to escape an ex, she finds herself tackled to the ground with bullets flying overhead. Wyatt, displeased that his sting operation was ruined by this woman, takes her in for questioning. Soon, he finds that he can think of no one but Winter and pursues a relationship with her.
I liked the overall content of the book: cop falls for girl, he tries to protect girl, but in some ways she protects herself. I love a good story with an alpha-male in law enforcement. However, this book had some nuances that irked me more often than not.
First was the use of “babe.” The H and h had met the day before, and he starts calling her babe. It makes me think that he couldn’t remember her name, and as I continually read “Babe” instead of “Winter,” I really would forget the h’s name at times.
Secondly, Winter is coming out of a verbally abusive relationship with the ex she ditched by climbing out the window. She’s scared to love and fears being manipulated and betrayed again. However, the H, the best friend, and the sister berate the h until she does what they want her to do. Winter hasn’t really escaped being put down because the other characters will yell and scold Winter until she acquiesces. Sometimes she will stand up for herself, but more often than not, she’s a weak willed character.
The book contained several mistakes, mostly in terms of spelling. However, towards the middle of the book, Wyatt’s last name went from “Hunter” to “Hunt.” At first, I thought it was a nickname used by his partner, but then the h would call him “Mr. Hunt” during some of their conversations. This mistake was confusing and disappointing.
Overall, I liked the idea of the book, but I couldn’t keep in touch with the characters. Their relationship didn’t really make sense to me, and the dynamics between the other characters were, at best, grudgingly supportive of Winter. I like to see more support and development between characters and story lines.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Loved this slow burn romance, both Wyatt and Winter are easy characters to fall in love with.
"When it's over, we don't let go. I think that's why I love him: he never let's go."
The above sums up why I loved this story, Wyatt is such a good guy, he is alpha but oh so sensitive. When he falls for Winter it is deep, loving, possessive and such a beautiful relationship to watch develop.
Two of my favourite shows are referenced in this story, it made me smile, Friends and Man v Food, I love when that happens, it's like they are on my wavelength.
We meet their families and in particular Wyatt and his brother's who will form this series. They are very likable men who will provide alpha romance.
One character I adored was Decker and there are some twists in his side story which made me so happy - he was the perfect soup guy - read this story and it will make your heart sing.
Wyatt was just such a strong alpha male and I loved his perseverance with winter. You will understand Winter's reluctance at intimacy and her trust issues and once known I gave her the space to develop. Their physical moments once the barrier was broken were very satisfying.
The flow of this story is easy to read, keeps you entertained and is light and will make you happy. The epilogue tied up loose ends nicely and we get to go a few years ahead to witness special moments.
Anything for Love was simply a lovely romantic read with all the feel-good moments to make you smile and swoon.
Quote: "No you weren't ready baby, but it's okay. You're my girl and I'll wait for you..."
This was a really good story. I liked Wyatt and Winter and enjoyed seeing them get together. This is the first story I've read by this author and I liked it well enough that I'd be happy to try more of her work in the future.
Winter is a social worker that focuses on foster kids. She puts her heart into her job because she was a foster kid herself, even if she was lucky enough to get adopted eventually. Winter has only had one serious boyfriend and he was enough of a slime-bag that she has major trust issues now.
Wyatt is a police detective and loves his job. He's a good guy that became a cop because he wanted to help people. Wyatt has dated in the past but hasn't met a woman that's made him want more.
When the story begins, Winter is on a blind date her sister pushed her into and it's not going well. She's getting ready to leave when her slimy Ex shows up and she decides it's easier to jump out a window and into a dumpster than to have to deal with him. Unfortunately, the dumpster is in the middle of a police sting and Winter showing up unexpectedly blows everything to crap and Winter almost gets shot but is saved by Wyatt. Wyatt quickly realizes that Winter is something special and that she calls to him but he also realizes that she's broken and while their attraction is mutual, she feels the need to run from it out of self-preservation.
Wyatt can't stop thinking about Winter so he decides to woo her, but gently. He lets her keep her distance but takes the chance to see her when he can (in a not pushy way). Winter eventually gets out of her own way enough that it gives Wyatt an opening. He nudges his way into her life as much as she'll allow, going little by little, slowly and easily so as not to scare her off. Don't take that as a bad thing because the author does a great job of making the whole thing interesting, but in essence, that's what their relationship is for a good portion of the story. And even though their relationship moves slowly, it's a steady pace and there's not a lot of major drama swings (like when they split up and get back together relationship swings)...there was definitely drama to the story but not in that regard. Thankfully, Winter and Wyatt do work through everything and end the story together, with a very satisfying HEA.
This was a really enjoyable story. I liked Winter as a heroine..a lot of time the damaged heroines can be annoying and I liked Winter a lot more than I expected. Wyatt was great and a great hero...so patient and understanding, yet hot and yummy. Yeah, he made it to my book boyfriend list. Overall, this was a very enjoyable story that kept me engaged and had characters I liked a lot so I'd recommend it. :D
Winter Bennett will do anything to avoid her ex-boyfriend, even if it means escaping through a bathroom window of a restaurant and landing in the middle of gunfire. Winter runs a centre for less privileged children where many of the kids could end up in gangs without her help. Wyatt Hunter is the police officer who saves Winter from getting killed and he is immediately smitten with Winter and her feisty attitude. When Winter finds herself in trouble with one of the local gangs, The Street Kings, over a student will she turn to Wyatt for help? Can Winter get over her insecurities with men to give Wyatt a fait chance? This was a great book filled with laughs and lots of tense moments to make you wonder what was going to happen next. I found it a great balance of the heavy stuff with some lighter moments. Winter was a great character as it was obvious how caring she was and strong for helping so many children but at the same time she had a vulnerable side due to her relationship with her ex-boyfriend. To climb out a window to avoid your ex really made me laugh. Wyatt was a tough cop but had another side that you gradually leanred more about in regards to what happened with his sister, Rose. I loved learning more about everything with their relationship and how it impacted Wyatt's relationship with Winter. The scene with Winter's sister, Bree, losing it was so intense and I felt bad for Bree's daughter but holy crap I was worried! The stuff with The Street Kings was intense for sure and you knew they were mad and my heart truly broke for what they did to the centre. When everything went down at the end I knew they were missing one and knew something was coming and I hated being right. The very end was great and I look forward to more in this series! - By Rebecca
Anything for Love is my first Lola St. Vil read and it will not be my last. I couldn't read this fast enough. The story was captivating and fast paced, the characters were fun and real, and the love scenes were hot, hot, hot!
Winter is all kinds of crazy and I loved her from page 1. She's awkward at times, but in a funny, clumsy quirky way. And because of a terrible past experience she is petrified to ever give another man a chance. Wyatt is practically torture to Winter. She's constantly battling her own wants and needs against what she thinks is protecting herself. Winter prefers to dedicate herself to taking care of the kids at her center. The ones that have no one. The ones that need her. But, when she goes one step too far in defense of one of her kids it puts her on the radar of a gang that are working on making a name for themselves.
Wyatt and Winter meet in the most unconventional way but that doesn't stop him from falling for her right away. Seeing that she is skittish at any mention of intimacy Wyatt is smart enough to take his time and slowly let Winter get to know him. She sure tests his patience though. Wyatt's past was heart wrenching, but Winter made him feel alive again and seeing Winter in trouble brings it all back.
I really enjoyed this story! I really liked both Winter and Wyatt, they were both really solid characters. I did think Wyatt moved way too fast and expected a very gun shy Winter to move with him at times. I’m pretty sure this whole story takes place within a month or so ILYs and key exchanges can be a little much for a person with walls up. But most of the time Wyatt was patient and caring and sensitive to Winter’s feelings. He was a good guy. My personal preference would be to have the sister in law part left out. I didn’t need to hear her telling Winter all about his sexcapades while they lived below him. It made me wonder if he was a manwhore or had a girlfriend at the time. Safety Completely safe. No op drama. Wyatt used to have ONS and Winter had been with one man her ex who betrayed her in the worst way. No abuse. It would be nice to have a little story of Decker and Jana if there isn’t one already!
Liked all of the characters with in this novel, just the plot i thought was a little on the flaky side... Drove me mad that they took so long to end up being in bed, for it all to sort of flunk after that... Needs editing bad, i found it hard to read and understand it as i went from page to page. But all that being said, this has the makings of being a five star novel if it was cleaned up..
A hot alpha cop can save you from anything,, right ?
Winter has been hurt badly and humiliated in the worst way possible and looking for love or a relationship was not going to be easy, she can never really trust a man again after what she has been through. Winter tried to date but she runs, all the time she runs , even from what could be a good thing. Trust is a huge thing and she just cant seem to let go of the past.
Wyatt is a hot a sexy cop who has woman falling at his feet and lets just say has made the most of it , he isn't looking for love either. Wyatt comes from a wealthy family but has had his heart broken too.
They say when you are not looking for something it hits you right in the face, well when Wyatt met Winter he didn't expect to fall so hard and so quickly. He may be a strong cop but is he strong enough to knock down winters walls that she has no intention of letting go of ?
Their worlds end up colliding in more ways then one !!
I really enjoyed this story, it was packed full of love, romance, suspense and danger and off the wall chemistry. What more could you ask for ? Wyatt and Winter are the main characters but you get an insight to a fair few other characters that leaves you wanting more.
Yes, I love this series already!! The Hunter Brothers ahh Wyatt I love him. Who would have thought a horrible night out with a awful date would put her smack dab in the middle of a chaotic situation. Instant confusion instant attraction, and sparks fly. This book had me laughing, crying, yelling, talking out loud, and falling in love. The connection and chemistry between Wyatt and Winter is undeniable and hot. This was an amazing start to an already favorite series for me. Thank you for allowing me to read this and write about it.
This is my first read by this author and it won’t be the last. Who said dumpster diving, couldn’t change your life? Well just ask, Winter cause that is what happens with her. She being a product of the foster system as a child is now giving back to those foster kids by making a difference in their life. Forget that her life is not straight and narrow, hence the reason for the dumpster dive. But she is in for a rude awakening in various ways. Wyatt is a detective and furious is putting it nicely when all his hard work is ruined by Winter’s surprise dive into the dumpster. He may be furious at her, but at the same time there is something about her that has him caring and wanting to know more about her. Well as you will see Nora is hell bent on bringing trouble to her. First, she dumpster dives, then she feels invisible and decides to squawk at some gang members. Brave, very Brave, Nora is all I can say. She thinks she is protecting her children who are fostered, but events show this to not the smartest thing to do. Second, she is stubborn and her actions may put an end to something with Wyatt for not speaking up. But as you will see, Nora has a heart and her actions show those in many ways aside from her bad actions that Anything for Love is truly “anything” with her actions. You will laugh, cry and may want to shake them a time or two, but your heart will tug when you see that you may not get to chose your family per say (blood isn’t always best), but you make your family even with friends that become family. Grab some tissues cause there are a few times you will be dabbing those eyes. I was excited to learn that there will be more on these Hunter Brothers cause a certain brother has something going on with a friend of Nora and we want the deets. Just saying!
This is my first book by Lola StVil and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story tugged at my heartstrings and tear ducts into the small hours of the morning.
Wyatt is so delicious, patient and yummy. I would give him and his brothers a chance to win my heart. He really looks after Winter and made me fall in love with him before Winter even did. It's his honesty and intuition that makes him a great catch... along with his looks and how he works so hard in the bedroom.... say no more!
Winter has been burnt in her previous relationship and is reluctant to get involved again; she tries so hard to ignore the attraction between her and Wyatt. She is such a kind and caring person, she was fostered as a child and is now giving back to the children who are being fostered. Trying to keep these kids on the straight and narrow is a hard task, especially when gangs seem to offer them an easy life. Winter sees this first hand and rubs the wrong people, the wrong way!
I love the way this story developed, I was eager to find out how things went down and I wasn't disappointed. This story had me wanting to read more from Lola StVil. I can't wait for Logan's story.