Synopsis:
What
would happen if you lost everything? If
the people who were supposed to love you unconditionally were no longer there
for you, how would your world change?
That’s
exactly what happened to Madeleine Becker when her parents died when she was
ten years old. Ripped from her home and
everything that she has ever loved, she is forced to start all over again. The only way for her to move on is to build
walls around her heart and keep everyone at a safe distance. Her logic: she
can't get hurt if she doesn't fall in love.
That
theory is blown to pieces when she meets Reid Connely during her freshman year
at college. He is gorgeous and darkly mysterious. He understands Maddy's pain
all too well, but sharing his pain would mean breaking down the walls he put up
around his own heart. Conflicted between loving Maddy and hiding his dark past,
Reid starts to reevaluate his world. Maddy's
inner strength, snarky personality and breath taking beauty help Reid to make
peace with his past.
Together
they find out what happens when they let love in.
Excerpt:
There was a group
playing quarters on the island and another group lining up shots on the
breakfast bar – so not my scene. I just shrugged my shoulders, opened the
door, pulled out a bottle of water and, when I turned around to walk back
outside, I face-planted into a wall of solid muscle.
“Hand me one?” His
voice was smooth and... gruff at the same time. Red-faced, I turned back
around and got him his water, glad for the cool respite that the opened
refrigerator door offered.
“Here you go.” I
could not peel my eyes away from his mouth as he moved the bottle to his
lips. They were perfect - beautiful and full in a completely masculine
way. I watched, completely fascinated, as his throat moved, downing the
water in three or four large gulps. He wiped his mouth with his forearm and I
couldn’t help but let my eyes travel up the rest of his arm to his biceps and
shoulders – those were the same as his lips – perfect. Amazingly,
gorgeously, utterly, divinely perfect. Muscled and tanned, his arms were
mouthwatering.
My knees
wobbled. My heart thudded. Thousands of butterflies spread their
wings in my belly.
“Thanks…” he stared
blankly at my face for a minute and I couldn't help but wondering if he liked
what he saw. He cleared his throat and roused me from my little daydream
where the gorgeous boy is mesmerized by the maybe-a-little-above-average
looking girl. That’s when I realized he was asking for my name.
“Maddy.
Sorry, my name’s Maddy." I nearly choked on my tongue to get my freaking
name out.
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My Review for Let Love In: 4 1/2 stars
This was such a great book to read. I love when I start a book and instantly connect with the characters. This book was like that for me. Maddy and Reid have both been through some very emotional things and both are afraid to let people into their lives. Once they meet, though, everything changes for both of them because of the undeniable attraction they feel toward the other. Granted, Reid was an ass when they first met because he didn't know how to handle feeling that way toward someone. Maddy was almost content to let it go because she felt she didn't need any complications. But once the connection started, there was no denying what they had. They went through a lot together, learning how to be in a relationship, and each made mistakes. I'm not going to give any more than that away, because it is such an emotional roller coaster to read, but at the same time they're so real. I will say I was not prepared for the ending of the book to end the way that it did. I absolutely can't wait to start the next book to see how things turn out. Fabulous job Melissa!
Synopsis:
If you’re lucky, you’ll fall in love –
truly, madly and deeply in love. But
what happens when that honest and pure love isn’t enough to erase your
fears? What happens when your past rears
its ugly head and threatens your future?
Maddy and Reid had that kind of love –
the all-encompassing, Earth shattering, once in a lifetime kind of love. Then life happened. Old wounds that were thought to be long healed
and scabbed over are ripped opened and they are forced to face the possibility
that, maybe, they are not strong enough to fight their demons and embrace the
light.
Together, they found out what love is,
but now they will each need to heal on their own before they can ever be
together again. They must face their
fears and beat down their pasts in order to find their way through this crazy
uphill battle called love.
They’ve let love in, but now, they need
to find out how to Let Love Stay.
Excerpt:
I
get out of the truck and walk over towards the two of them. Maddy’s back is to me as I approach her and
her date, so she doesn’t see me right away.
But once the guy sees me, she spins around to look at what has caught
his eye.
Her
face is shocked and when our eyes lock, my heart skips a beat. There’s a pull between us. As much as I hate to admit it, she owns
me. Her eyes are magical. They dance with light and passion and when
she looks at me, they are filled with love.
The
love and passion that are sparkling in her emerald green eyes evaporate when
she realizes the scene that I’ve just stumbled upon. I can only imagine what’s going through her
mind, but I’m sure the images of me kicking Logan’s ass are flashing vividly
through her mind.
I’m
no more than a few feet from them when the guy pushes Maddy behind him to
protect her from what he perceives as a threat.
He’s not very far from the truth, but she’s not the one who needs
protecting.
Menacingly
close now, he pipes up. “Who the fuck
are you? What do you want?” Okay, I’ll give the prick a little bit of
credit for trying to stand up to me, but he has no clue what he’s competing
against here.
The
caveman in me wants to deck this guy and drag Maddy into a bed – any bed – and
claim her, repeatedly, until she understands that she’s mine and no one
else’s. I’m going to do that anyway, but
hopefully I can refrain from knocking this guy on his ass. I’d like to have the use of my hands
tonight.
My
eyes never leave Maddy’s, but my words are directed at him. “Me?
I’m the boyfriend, asshole.”
Maddy’s eyes widen slightly as I say “boyfriend.” Did she really think we ever broke up?
I
avert my gaze from Maddy for a minute to stare this douchebag down. “And who the fuck do you think you are?” He falters, not enough that most people would
notice, but I’m in predator mode. I see
his throat work hard to swallow past the newly formed fear. His pupils dilate slightly and the pulse
beating in his neck picks up as adrenaline surges through him. If he thinks he’s going to win this battle,
he is wrong – so fucking wrong.
He
puffs out his chest as he says, “I’m Maddy’s date for tonight.” He snickers lightly as he says, “You
know? She never mentioned a boyfriend
when I asked her out. Must not be much
of a boyfriend if she doesn’t even mention you.” He swells with pride at his snarky little
quip. In the split second he looks away
from me to gauge Maddy’s approval, I lay him flat on the ground as I drop my
shoulder into his gut and take his legs out from underneath him with one of my
own. I freaking love my takedown skills. I didn’t even have to bust up my hands. I’m definitely going to need them in a little
bit.
I
straddle over him and pull him up by the collar. “Whether she mentioned me or not, she’s mine,
so lay the fuck off. Got it?”
Maddy
still hasn’t said a word and I haven’t actually spoken directly to her. I’m pretty sure she understands my actions
though. Wordlessly, I reach my hand out
to her. This is her chance. If she still wants me, then she’ll come with
me. This is who I am, who I’ve always
been. If she can’t understand that I
love her, that I want her more than anything, then it’s not because I haven’t
tried as hard as I possibly could to prove it to her.
Hand
still outstretched, I look her directly in the eyes, as I try to convey
everything that I’m thinking, that I’m feeling.
In what feels like an act of God, she understands me and laces her hand
in mine.
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My Review for Let Love Stay: 5 stars
This was such a great finish to Maddy and Reid's story. I loved that it picked right up where the first one left off. I absolutely loved that it showed the vulnerability of both Reid and Maddy for something completely unexpected for either of them. But that something helped bring them back together. While at the same time, what Maddy did made Reid realize that he did need to face his past. At the same time, it made Maddy realize that things don't have to be perfect for them to move forward with their lives. I was brought to tears so many times while reading this book. Sometimes sad, but mostly happy. I abso-freaking-lutley loved the ending! Melissa did great once again with the completion of their story.
Synopsis:
What comes
after “they lived happily ever after?”
Maddy and Reid
have seen their fair share of trials and tribulations, of love and loss. Facing
down the biggest challenges of their young lives, they managed to survive and
endure. With the future stretching out before them, they must learn to navigate
new and unfamiliar paths.
Being new
parents, starting new jobs, and continuing college is enough to overwhelm any
couple. New challenges come up daily, as do small victories. Watch Maddy and
Reid grow stronger together in this “one year later” tale of the everyday stuff
that happens in real life.
With a solid
foundation of love under their inexperienced feet – and with the help of their
family and friends – Maddy and Reid learn how to let love shine, lighting the
way for a beautiful future to come.
Excerpt:
Here we are a
year later and we couldn’t be happier to have Braden’s first birthday party
tomorrow with our friends and family. Between prepping for the party, me
working overtime, and Maddy finishing her last summer course, we’ve barely been
able to stay awake past eight every night.
But watching
them dance and laugh in front of me makes it all worth it.
I pull them
both into my arms and just hold them for a quick second before Braden starts
shimmying out of Maddy’s arms. He’s caught sight of his Lightning McQueen
racecar on the floor and is reaching for it. Handing him his car, Maddy puts
him in his bouncy seat. The sight of my wife taking care of our son, talking
baby talk and kissing him sweetly should warm my heart. But all I can see is her ass right now. Yep,
I want her.
“Get over
here.” I pull her back to me once Braden is situated and brush her hair out of
her eyes. “You look beautiful, you know that?” I trail sweet, soft kisses
behind her ear and down her neck.
“Hmmm,” she
mumbles and it makes me smile against her skin.
Moving from her
neck across to her mouth, I feel her lean into my lips. This is something else
of which I’ll never get tired. Her full, luscious lips pressed against mine;
the taste of her sweet mouth still drives me crazy. “Well, hello there.”
Pulling away from our kiss, Maddy arches her eyebrows as she presses her hips
into my groin. The last motion surprises me more than a little. To say that our
sex life has been different in the last year is, well, it’s an understatement
to say the least.
“What? I’m not
allowed to want my wife.” I grab her ass and push her into my erection a bit
more. Our hands roam as the kiss rises in intensity. I fist a handful of her hair
and pull her mouth even closer to mine. It’s the hottest kiss we’ve had in a
while. Just as her hips start to roll into mine, we’re distracted by a sound,
and smell, to which we’ve grown all too accustomed in the last year.
Before I can
even move my hands from her body, Maddy’s pinching her nose closed. “Not it!”
She calls out and laughs.
“Damn, you’re
getting quick!” It’s kind of been our thing to decide who gets to change him. I
scowl playfully at her and she just laughs at me.
“Dude, you’re
killing my game.” Braden smiles as I hold him out in front of me. “Holy crap!
What the hell did you feed this kid today?” Seriously, he’s lethal.
“He ate the
same as usual. He’s just a stinky little monster.” She says the last sentence
to Braden in that ridiculous baby talk. You can talk sweet about it all you
want; it’s still poop.
My Review for Let Love Shine: 5 stars
What an amazing "after" story!! I think this is a first for me. Usually the book or books have a "Happy Ever After" and that's it, you don't really get much more about those characters again. I loved being able to see into Maddy and Reid's future and see that while not everything in their life is perfect, they still have that same level of love and want for each other. They still support each other in what they do, and they love their family - all of their family. The most special thing about that is, this is their chosen family, with the exception of Braden. They chose these wonderful people to be part of their little family's life and it's so much better because of it. If I could give this more stars, I absolutely would. Melissa hit this one out of the park, fantastically done.
Meet
the Author:
I’ve always
been an avid reader. Majoring in English Literature was a no brainer. Becoming
a teacher and instilling my love for reading into my students was also a no
brainer. I’ve spent the last ten years teaching and I’ve loved (mostly) every
minute of it. When I was home on maternity leave for my third son, I discovered
a new genre that sparked my creativity. My passion for writing sprang from my
love of reading and once I knew I had a story to tell, I couldn’t wait to get
it out there. I only hope that my readers enjoy reading my story as much as I
enjoyed writing it.
Social Links:
Twitter - www.twitter.com/mcollinsauthor
Goodreads author: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7023272.Melissa_Collins
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