Author: Brenda Jackson| Website| Twitter| Facebook
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Genre: Romance, African American Romance, Romantic Suspense
Series/Standalone: Book 2
Format: Mass Market, ebook
Series/Standalone: Book 2
Format: Mass Market, ebook
Cost: $6.99
Pages: 400
How I got it: Purchased/ ARC via NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: May 27, 2014
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Synopsis:
I jumped right into this one after reading the first book in the series, because there was such a good cliffhanger I needed to know what happened next, where the mystery was going to take us. I'm going to say right off the bat that this one suffered severely from "second book syndrome'. With the book attempting to share the story from before and carry the plot forward, I didn't feel like we got to know the main characters as well as we should have.
We're supposed to be learning the story of the second brother who is a successful musician who suffered a serious heartbreak several years ago when we realized why and who helped to perpetuate the lies it was horrible. I felt for the characters and the unnecessary pain they had felt. I didn't like how it felt that things were kind of glossed over. Shiloh Timmons grew up with the Granger boys and has always loved Caden, when her father forbade her to talk to him or associate with his brothers she found ways to lend her support even if she couldn't do it publically. When she is dealt a tragic blow and Caden fails to be there for her or to give her the support she needs later she takes her broken heart and finds ways to move on. Time doesn't heal all wounds however long you give it. When she moves back home and discovers that Caden is now home she plans to avoid him at all costs. When they talk one night and it's met with a near tragedy they both find themselves re-evaluating what they thought was important.
As they begin to explore their renewed relationship enemies gather to find a way to stop them, those who should be in their corner start to protest and unlikely allies abound. The overall mystery of who is gunning for the Granger clan just gets deeper as the story progresses. Even though each book gives us a bit of mystery that is resolved by the end the overall mystery and the key players are being moved around the chess board with a very different game in mind, and reading you see some of the clues but not enough to completely guess what is going on.
Where the first book took it's time to lay the foundation of the entire series while giving us a good romance and served great mystery, this spent way too much time bouncing between too many POVs and rehashing what happened in book one. Now I know they need to write the stories in a way that shares enough so the reader doesn't feel disconnected, but my gawd this wasn't it. There were several POVs much like the first one, but this one was seriously jumbled, while it served the overall story in sharing what was happening in all the other characters lives it didn't serve the main couple because they got lost in the story.
It's a second chance romance and while it relied on them rehashing what happened all those years ago and them trying to find their way back to each other, we didn't get the building of their romance like I would have liked. It was exceedingly fast-tracked so that the rest of the story could be told. I didn't feel the connection to the characters that I did the first story. We were more told than allowed to see who the main characters were and then when things happened to them you didn't feel the impact the way you should have because the connect wasn't there. I was way more invested in the secondary characters and what they had going on for them than the 'main couple'.
We get the progression of Shana's fathers romance with Mona which is sweet to read, but why is he getting as much screentime as Caden and Shiloh?? It just confused me at bits because the transitions from character to character wasn't always clear. I loved the story that was being told and I really enjoyed the mystery, but I wished more of the romance we were getting was Caden's and Shiloh's instead of the other characters and their progression towards romance. Overall the mystery kept me glued to the pages but I wanted a bit more of the romance. I am definitely diving into the third book so I can know what is happening because the Grangers seem to have enemies crawling out the woodwork.
Publication Date: May 27, 2014
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
A man's word is his bond. His family is his strength. His heart is his own.
Superstar musician Caden Granger has spent years running from love, commitment and family. Yet despite his fame and fortune, he knows the kind of respect and adoration he needs can only come from one person—the very woman who wants nothing to do with him.
Charity volunteer and owner of a wine boutique, Shiloh Timmons finally got her life on track once her relationship with Caden ended, and she's in no hurry to revisit a romance with the man who believes she left him standing at the altar.
If Caden can't have Shiloh by his side, all the success in the world will mean nothing. Now he has a chance to renew his promises…but is it too late?
We're supposed to be learning the story of the second brother who is a successful musician who suffered a serious heartbreak several years ago when we realized why and who helped to perpetuate the lies it was horrible. I felt for the characters and the unnecessary pain they had felt. I didn't like how it felt that things were kind of glossed over. Shiloh Timmons grew up with the Granger boys and has always loved Caden, when her father forbade her to talk to him or associate with his brothers she found ways to lend her support even if she couldn't do it publically. When she is dealt a tragic blow and Caden fails to be there for her or to give her the support she needs later she takes her broken heart and finds ways to move on. Time doesn't heal all wounds however long you give it. When she moves back home and discovers that Caden is now home she plans to avoid him at all costs. When they talk one night and it's met with a near tragedy they both find themselves re-evaluating what they thought was important.
As they begin to explore their renewed relationship enemies gather to find a way to stop them, those who should be in their corner start to protest and unlikely allies abound. The overall mystery of who is gunning for the Granger clan just gets deeper as the story progresses. Even though each book gives us a bit of mystery that is resolved by the end the overall mystery and the key players are being moved around the chess board with a very different game in mind, and reading you see some of the clues but not enough to completely guess what is going on.
Where the first book took it's time to lay the foundation of the entire series while giving us a good romance and served great mystery, this spent way too much time bouncing between too many POVs and rehashing what happened in book one. Now I know they need to write the stories in a way that shares enough so the reader doesn't feel disconnected, but my gawd this wasn't it. There were several POVs much like the first one, but this one was seriously jumbled, while it served the overall story in sharing what was happening in all the other characters lives it didn't serve the main couple because they got lost in the story.
It's a second chance romance and while it relied on them rehashing what happened all those years ago and them trying to find their way back to each other, we didn't get the building of their romance like I would have liked. It was exceedingly fast-tracked so that the rest of the story could be told. I didn't feel the connection to the characters that I did the first story. We were more told than allowed to see who the main characters were and then when things happened to them you didn't feel the impact the way you should have because the connect wasn't there. I was way more invested in the secondary characters and what they had going on for them than the 'main couple'.
We get the progression of Shana's fathers romance with Mona which is sweet to read, but why is he getting as much screentime as Caden and Shiloh?? It just confused me at bits because the transitions from character to character wasn't always clear. I loved the story that was being told and I really enjoyed the mystery, but I wished more of the romance we were getting was Caden's and Shiloh's instead of the other characters and their progression towards romance. Overall the mystery kept me glued to the pages but I wanted a bit more of the romance. I am definitely diving into the third book so I can know what is happening because the Grangers seem to have enemies crawling out the woodwork.
★★★☆☆
RECOMMENDATIONS
- A Brother's Honor (Granger 1) by Brenda Jackson
- Detroit/ NIA Series by Beverly Jenkins
Soundtrack Recommendations
- What If I Never Get Over You by Lady Antebellum (General theme as they try to figure it all out)
- Sandcastles by Beyonce' (For their history together)
- All Night by Beyonce' (As they move on and build)
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