At Peace by Kristen Ashley
At Peace is book two in The Burg Series and my favorite one in
the series so far. Book five (Frankie & Benny) is expected summer 2014 with
great expectations! I have read At
Peace three times now and since I haven’t reviewed this one yet, I figure
it’s a good time for a re-read and review.
Sometimes
a book just speaks to you, and for whatever reason you are drawn to it over and
over again. At Peace is one of those books for me. Maybe it’s the vulnerability
of Vi and her naiveté on the dating/flirting world. See, she’s a widow, once
married to a cop whom she met in high school; she has never been with anyone
else. Ever. Vi has just moved to a new town trying to escape the madman who is
responsible for murdering her husband and who now has a romantic obsession with
her.
Things
are going pretty good until she meets her neighbor Joe, a security expert, who
is rarely home. It’s when Vi is woken in the middle of the night to blaring
music and a crazy celebrity trying to get her seduction on next door that she
comes face to face with him. The sight of Violet in her nighty, a ratty old men’s
robe, and wellies will change Joe forever.
It’s
not a simple sweet story. Joe really is an ass and rips Vi apart more than
once. Yes, we are dealing with a strong alpha man with a troubled and unhappy
past, but it’s watching Vi take hit after hit and still she keeps getting up.
Her strength is something that she really doesn’t see in herself but is proven
over and over.
Joe
is a good man at heart, and when his light bulb moment hits, he may be too late
to fix things. Vi has been spending time with a local cop, and he stirs
memories and feelings of security and stability - something she has craved and
missed.
Then,
tragedy hits and her world is altered yet again. The last twenty five percent
of this book is amazing! It’s action-packed, heart racing, and I could not turn
the pages fast enough. This is also when Frankie and Benny are introduced and I
am instantly in love with the idea of their story. Even after so many reads, I
am still breathless when Frankie says she has had enough.
The
epilogue is perfection and her description of that house makes me want to head
straight to the coast.
What
else can I say, guys? This one just spoke to me. There have been three books written
by Kristen Ashley that have done that to me. The other two were Golden Dynasty and Creed.
5
Stars
T~
Amazon Buy Link --- At Peace (The 'Burg Series)
Violet
Winters once had it all but lost it when her husband was murdered by a criminal
madman. During a cold winter night Violet has to leave her warm bed to tell her
neighbor to turn the music down. And that’s when she meets sinister, scarred,
scarily attractive security specialist, Joe Callahan.
She wants to deny it, but Violet can’t beat back the hunger she feels for Joe so she gives in again and again. Feeling it himself, Joe feeds Vi’s hunger, breaking his own rules to keep her in his bed.
Even though Violet had only one man in her life, she’s sure Joe is giving her the signals and Vi decides she’s ready to take a second chance at life and, maybe, love. But Violet doesn’t know the dark secrets in Joe’s past, secrets so soul-wrenching, they’ve drained him dry. With nothing left to give, Joe’s determined to live his life alone and he breaks Violet’s heart.
Crushed by Joe’s betrayal, Violet comes to terms with the fact that, no matter what signals he gave, Joe was not theirs to win. But Violet’s husband’s murderer is obsessed with her and heartbreak again haunts the door of the Winters home. When it does Joe is forced to face the knowledge that he can’t fight Violet’s pull, she’s under his skin and filled him full to bursting.
Joe needs to win her back and put his life on the line to keep Violet safe. But, having had it all once, can Violet endure losing Joe?
She wants to deny it, but Violet can’t beat back the hunger she feels for Joe so she gives in again and again. Feeling it himself, Joe feeds Vi’s hunger, breaking his own rules to keep her in his bed.
Even though Violet had only one man in her life, she’s sure Joe is giving her the signals and Vi decides she’s ready to take a second chance at life and, maybe, love. But Violet doesn’t know the dark secrets in Joe’s past, secrets so soul-wrenching, they’ve drained him dry. With nothing left to give, Joe’s determined to live his life alone and he breaks Violet’s heart.
Crushed by Joe’s betrayal, Violet comes to terms with the fact that, no matter what signals he gave, Joe was not theirs to win. But Violet’s husband’s murderer is obsessed with her and heartbreak again haunts the door of the Winters home. When it does Joe is forced to face the knowledge that he can’t fight Violet’s pull, she’s under his skin and filled him full to bursting.
Joe needs to win her back and put his life on the line to keep Violet safe. But, having had it all once, can Violet endure losing Joe?
I loved At Peace. It is one of my favorites by her. I ended up reading this one first, instead of the first one, so now have to go back to book one lol.
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