Title: Rescued
Series: Rescued Hearts #1
Author: Felice Stevens
Genre: M/M Romance
BLURB:
Ryder Daniels is all too familiar with rejection. His parents cut off contact because he’s gay and his boyfriend left him, choosing drugs over love. Aside from his rescued pit bull, his only joy is hanging out with his younger brother. Then his mother does the unthinkable and forbids them to see each other, leaving Ryder devastated and alone. His friends urge him to date, but Ryder would rather throw himself into working at the dog rescue and figuring out a way to see his brother again.
When Jason Mallory’s girlfriend gives him an ultimatum to get married, he shocks everyone by breaking up with her instead. He believes he's too busy for a relationship now that the construction company he started with his brother is taking off. When he discovers a group of abandoned pit bulls and calls the local dog rescue group to pick them up, an uncomfortable encounter with Ryder causes Jason to question feelings he’s hidden deep inside for years.
Jason and Ryder build a friendship, until an unexpected kiss sparks the attraction they’ve been fighting. Jason gives Ryder unconditional love and helps him reconnect with his brother while Ryder shows Jason the passion he’s always missed in relationships. Together they must battle through their family differences and ugly prejudices. Only then can they prove that once you find the right person to love, there’s no turning back.
When Jason Mallory’s girlfriend gives him an ultimatum to get married, he shocks everyone by breaking up with her instead. He believes he's too busy for a relationship now that the construction company he started with his brother is taking off. When he discovers a group of abandoned pit bulls and calls the local dog rescue group to pick them up, an uncomfortable encounter with Ryder causes Jason to question feelings he’s hidden deep inside for years.
Jason and Ryder build a friendship, until an unexpected kiss sparks the attraction they’ve been fighting. Jason gives Ryder unconditional love and helps him reconnect with his brother while Ryder shows Jason the passion he’s always missed in relationships. Together they must battle through their family differences and ugly prejudices. Only then can they prove that once you find the right person to love, there’s no turning back.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement.***
Ryder is used to rejection. First, it was his family when they found out he was gay, then it was his boyfriend who chose drugs over him. His only moments of happiness come from hanging out with his brother, his rescued pit bull and his best friends and running the dog rescue group with them. When his mother forbids him and his brother to contact each other, it's just another blow to his heart.
Jason's girlfriend gives him an ultimatum to get married, trying to make him jealous with another man, but it backfires on her and Jason breaks things off between them. He's too busy for love anyway what with his construction company taking off, not that he's ever felt that close to his girlfriend anyway. When they call the rescue group to pick up some abandoned pit bulls at their construction site, he's instantly attracted to one of the rescuers. Only problem is that it is a guy, and even if he 'experimented' in college, Jason is supposed to be straight.
After a shaky start, Ryder and Jason bond after Jason decides to adopt the puppy they found on the site, and they strike an easy friendship, which morphs into more after an unexpected kiss brings forth the attraction neither of them can deny. They each find in the other the unconditional love and passion that had been missing in their lives before and the strength to fight against prejudice and the injustice of having Ryder separated from his brother.
While I've read other stories by Felice Stevens, and I have the original Rescued in my kindle, I hadn't had the chance to read it, so when offered the ARC for this new version I jumped at the chance and I wasn't disappointed.
Rescued is one of those stories that just remains with you and I just loved Ryder and Jason. I adored seeing their friendship evolve into something more, the progression was very realistic. I loved that Jason was so persistent and patient with Ryder, who was so wary about getting involved with a supposedly straight man. I loved that he set himself to righting every wrong that Ryder had suffered through, be it with his parents or finding a way so Ryder and his brother could meet under the radar of Ryder's mother. Needless to say, Jason was my favorite of the two, but that doesn't mean I didn't love Ryder, too. They were just perfect for each other, their love and chemistry transcended the pages and I adored every scene they were together.
I loved Emily, Connor and Landon, Pearl and Trouper, and Jason's family, even if there were a few times that I wanted to punch Liam, although he more than redeemed himself in the end. I absolutely hated Ryder's mother, she was horrible to her family.
Reading this story was an emotional rollercoaster for me, I got all choked up, laughed, cried, melted and fell in love with this fantastic book and its characters. If you haven't read it yet, please, do yourself a favor and do it now, you won't regret it. And if you have read it before, well, Felice Stevens added 10k more words, so it's more than worth a reread.
Definitely recommended!
Jason's girlfriend gives him an ultimatum to get married, trying to make him jealous with another man, but it backfires on her and Jason breaks things off between them. He's too busy for love anyway what with his construction company taking off, not that he's ever felt that close to his girlfriend anyway. When they call the rescue group to pick up some abandoned pit bulls at their construction site, he's instantly attracted to one of the rescuers. Only problem is that it is a guy, and even if he 'experimented' in college, Jason is supposed to be straight.
After a shaky start, Ryder and Jason bond after Jason decides to adopt the puppy they found on the site, and they strike an easy friendship, which morphs into more after an unexpected kiss brings forth the attraction neither of them can deny. They each find in the other the unconditional love and passion that had been missing in their lives before and the strength to fight against prejudice and the injustice of having Ryder separated from his brother.
While I've read other stories by Felice Stevens, and I have the original Rescued in my kindle, I hadn't had the chance to read it, so when offered the ARC for this new version I jumped at the chance and I wasn't disappointed.
Rescued is one of those stories that just remains with you and I just loved Ryder and Jason. I adored seeing their friendship evolve into something more, the progression was very realistic. I loved that Jason was so persistent and patient with Ryder, who was so wary about getting involved with a supposedly straight man. I loved that he set himself to righting every wrong that Ryder had suffered through, be it with his parents or finding a way so Ryder and his brother could meet under the radar of Ryder's mother. Needless to say, Jason was my favorite of the two, but that doesn't mean I didn't love Ryder, too. They were just perfect for each other, their love and chemistry transcended the pages and I adored every scene they were together.
I loved Emily, Connor and Landon, Pearl and Trouper, and Jason's family, even if there were a few times that I wanted to punch Liam, although he more than redeemed himself in the end. I absolutely hated Ryder's mother, she was horrible to her family.
Reading this story was an emotional rollercoaster for me, I got all choked up, laughed, cried, melted and fell in love with this fantastic book and its characters. If you haven't read it yet, please, do yourself a favor and do it now, you won't regret it. And if you have read it before, well, Felice Stevens added 10k more words, so it's more than worth a reread.
Definitely recommended!
Listening to the audiobook was as much of an emotional rollercoaster as reading it. I got all choked up, laughed, cried, melted and fell in love with this fantastic book and its characters. Charlie David did a great job bringing these characters to life, doing justice to Felice's story with his narration. If I could've asked for more, was perhaps that Jason and Ryder's 'voices' sounded too similar in the narration sometimes, but that didn't diminish in any way my enjoyment of the audiobook.
If you haven't listened to Rescued or read it yet, please, do yourself a favor and do it now, you won't regret it. This is definitely one of my favorite Felice Stevens books!
Highly recommendable!
Story: 5 Stars!!!
Narration: 4.5 Stars!!!
Overall Rating: 5 Stars!!!
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Title: Reunited
Series: Rescued Hearts #2
Author: Felice Stevens
Genre: M/M Romance
BLURB:
When a devastating illness leaves them shaken and helpless, Ryder is forced to face the one person he never thought to see again with a life or death request that even he isn't sure will be granted, but his decisions have far-reaching consequences. Believing he and Ryder have no secrets, Jason is distraught to discover otherwise, revealing yet another crack in their once-perfect relationship.
Adrift and uncertain, both struggle to hold onto a love previously thought unshakable. A forbidden past is exposed, shocking Ryder to the core, but it means little without Jason by his side. Marriage is a true partnership and both men must learn that only by working through their pain and heartbreak together can they achieve a lifetime of love.
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5 Stars
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement.*
Rescued was my first, and still remains my favorite book by Felice Stevens. I loved Ryder and Jason's story, so when I saw there was going to be a sequel, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it!! It's been 5 years that Jason and Ryder have been married and they seem to be hitting a bit of a rough patch. They still love one another, but sometimes life and work get in the way. People change and sometimes the roles in their relationships have to change. To make it work you have to bend or you'll break. Jason and Ryder find this out the hard way. Sometimes love isn't enough to hold it all together and it may take a tragedy to put things back into perspective and show you what's most important in life.
I loved this book. It's well-written, paced well and Felice manages to recapture the chemistry and love Jason and Ryder shared in book one. I loved watching Jason and Ryder grow and learn to communicate better and express what they were feeling. Ryder, especially, grows in this story, finds his voice and stands up for himself. This story is sad and heartbreaking at times, but under it all it's still filled with family and love. I loved revisiting Ryder and Jason, as well as the secondary characters in the story. Highly recommended!!
This is the sequel for Rescued and we get to see Ryder and Jason's life five years into their marriage. It's not all happiness in their lives as Jason's work and his stubbornness and Ryder's inability to stand up for himself get in the way until they're are forced to re-evaluate what is truly important in their lives.
While I loved the book to bits, I have to admit that I didn't like Jason for a good portion of it. He was so hard-headed and even when others kept telling him that he was wrong and he realized he was, too, he kept at it. I adored Ryder and I loved that he showed so much growth throughout the book, finally showing Jason that they needed to learn to compromise and that Ryder wouldn't let Jason railroad him into agreeing to Jason's wishes over his any longer.
The book is heartbreaking and angsty, but Felice Stevens did a brilliant job with it, giving us a realistic view into Ryder and Jason's lives. Very recommendable!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement.***
4.5 Stars!!!
This is the sequel for Rescued and we get to see Ryder and Jason's life five years into their marriage. It's not all happiness in their lives as Jason's work and his stubbornness and Ryder's inability to stand up for himself get in the way until they're are forced to re-evaluate what is truly important in their lives.
While I loved the book to bits, I have to admit that I didn't like Jason for a good portion of it. He was so hard-headed and even when others kept telling him that he was wrong and he realized he was, too, he kept at it. I adored Ryder and I loved that he showed so much growth throughout the book, finally showing Jason that they needed to learn to compromise and that Ryder wouldn't let Jason railroad him into agreeing to Jason's wishes over his any longer.
The book is heartbreaking and angsty, but Felice Stevens did a brilliant job with it, giving us a realistic view into Ryder and Jason's lives. Very recommendable!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement.***
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I have always been a romantic at heart. I believe that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending just around the corner. I started reading traditional historical romances when I was a teenager, then life and law school got in the way. It wasn’t until I picked up a copy of Bertrice Small and became swept away to Queen Elizabeth’s court that my interest in romance novels became renewed.
But somewhere along the way, my tastes shifted. While I still enjoys a juicy Historical romance, I began experimenting with newer, more cutting edge genres and discovered the world of Male/Male romance. Once I picked up her first, I became so enamored of the authors, the character-driven stories and the overwhelming emotion of the books, I knew I wanted to write my own.
I live in New York City with my husband and two children and hopefully soon a cat of my own. My day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. I practice law but daydream of a time when I can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there is bound to be angst along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.
Welcome, Felice! I love your books!
ReplyDeleteWelcome Felice and Congrats on being Author of the Month.
ReplyDeleteWelcome Felice! Love your books.
ReplyDeleteWelcome Felice! Love your work❤️
ReplyDeleteWelcome Felice! Love your books! colby69@verizon.net
ReplyDeleteWelcome Felice! Congrats on being AotM.
ReplyDeleteHi Felice welcome to Bayou Book Junkie!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone!! Thanks t Bayou Book Junkie for the honor of making me Author of the Month!!
ReplyDeleteWelcome and love your stories
ReplyDeleteI've loved what I've read so far!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on being October's AotM!
ReplyDeleteWelcome and congrats on being AotM!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blog Felice and congrats on being AotM =)
ReplyDeletehi Felice!
ReplyDeletecongrats on being AotM :)
Congrats, Felice, on AotM, and thanks for the good reviews, Mari and Tracy. You picked a couple of good ones to start the month with. - Purple Reader,
ReplyDeleteTheWrote [at] aol [dot] com
Welcome, Felice! A huge congrats on your latest book release. I'm looking forward to reading.
ReplyDelete