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Monday, January 14, 2013

Review: Fall into You by Roni Loren


Fall into You

When tomboy sports reporter Charli Beaumonde loses a dream TV job because she’s not girly enough for primetime, she’s determined to land a big scoop and prove her boss made a mistake. But when she gets too close to a football scandal and finds her life threatened, Charli accepts an offer from family friend Grant Waters to hide out at his place—even if Grant predicts nothing but trouble from his buddy’s hard-headed, uncompromising, irrepressible, younger sister. There’s one more problem…


Grant’s “place” is The Ranch, a BDSM resort in Texas, and he’s used to being in charge —even if that means trying to keep Charli in line. But much to Grant’s surprise, she’s intrigued—even envious—of his trainees. They’re the epitome of what she’s never been: sexy, beguiling, and totally irresistible to a man. Still, Grant doesn’t believe for a minute that the sharp-tongued Charli has it in her to be anyone’s submissive. But Charli’s already on her knees vying for the chance to prove that even the Master can be wrong sometimes.

Roni will be awarding signed print copies of Crash Into You and Melt Into You, and a Kindle or Nook version of Still Into You (U.S. and Canada only) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour so make sure you comment!
Review: Charli Beaumonde, a young reporter trying to make it big in her field, got caught up in the wrong story, putting her life in jeopardy. Grant Waters rescues her from an accident, but Grant is a well-established business man who just so happens to own one of Texas’s most elite BDSM resorts that he refers to as “The Ranch”. Grant becomes Charli’s knight in shining armor--protecting her from the people trying to hurt her and also gaining himself a new submissive.

 The Good:

Ms. Loren did a wonderful job of using imagery to portray the different scenes of the book.She's a fantastic writer who really showed the training of a sub, and really of the Dom as well while he trained Charli. The secondary characters were well-developed and made me curious as to their stories.The big bad was well done, also, and fleshed out as well as can be. Kudos on that!

Overall, I would recommend this book to people who also enjoyed reading Fifty Shades of Grey or other BDSM erotic romance.  
 

The Bad:

But she did do a poor job of using her own imagination to develop a basis for this story. I'm all about keeping characters apart with angst and heartache, but felt Charlie and Grant were so oblivious of their love for each other for entirely too long.

The choice of plot though unique was developed in a manner that strongly resembled Fifty Shades of Grey. I know, I know, but now every book using even an iota of that plot will be compared. Alas. Both dominant men owned their own business and were living by a set of rules which they vowed never to break. They both also had trouble with facing their families and had to employ the help of their subs to bring them both home. These are just a few similarities, but there are many more.

The characters also grew in the same manner. Grant like Christian is troubled by a terrible past and suffers from nightmares that inhibit him from at first sharing a bed with the person who he is involved with. Charli like Ana has just moved away from her comfort zone and is trying to become her own person. They also have in common that they both lack experience with men, Ana more so than Charli but none the less the comparison is there.

          The Bottom Line:

The book as a whole was a good read. It kept me coming back for more which is always a good sign! The writing style of the author depicts a tone of excitement in her work. She clearly has an understanding of what people look for in erotic romance/bdsm romance, and does provide a good story line with the tone offering me, as the reader, a great deal of enthusiasm. Fall into You isn't very suspenseful, and frankly at some points the book becomes entirely too predictable. But overall this book was enjoyable and I commend the author on her hard work and dedication to the quality of book in which she puts out. I wish her good luck on her future works and look forward to reading more from her.

Over all, I give Fall into You 4 stars.

Buy links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Indie Bound
Kindle
Nook


Excerpt:

“Are you meeting someone?” The hostess’s voice drifted across the room, pulling Grant’s attention toward the main door.


His glass thunked onto the table as the muscles in his forearm forgot to work. He stared at the redheaded beauty murmuring to the hostess. Well, I’ll be damned.

Charli peered into the dining room, her fingers worrying what- ever she was holding in her hands. She looked lost. And unsure. And completely, jaw-hit-the-table gorgeous.

Grant rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling hot all over. Damn. He’d known without a doubt that Charli would clean up well. Not many women could still look beautiful in relaxed-fit jeans and a ponytail like she did. But he hadn’t expected her to channel a Hollywood starlet or something.

The hostess leaned over and pointed to Grant’s booth. Somehow he managed to raise his hand in greeting and not smile like some goofy teenager who’s realized he’s landed a date with the prom queen. He straightened his shoulders, trying to regain his mental balance. He was supposed to be the cool and in control one here. Since when did he get like this over a pretty woman? He had beautiful subs offering themselves to him on a regular basis and it barely registered on his radar. This should be no different. She should be no different.

As Charli got closer, Grant saw what she was holding in her hands. Shoes. A pair of sexy black heels he’d picked out for her earlier today. A perfect complement, Kelsey had assured him, to the dark green strapless dress he’d chosen for Charli. His gaze went to her stocking feet, then slid up her long legs, to the hem of her short dress, and not stopping until he reached the column of her bare neck.

Not bare for long. The collar tucked into the inner pocket of his suit coat seemed to warm against his ribs at the thought. Soon.

He stood as Charli walked over to the booth. She set the shoes on the seat, put her hands on her hips, and arched a newly mani- cured brow at him. “Broken ankles or bare feet. Those are your choices.”

He smiled down at her. “Already giving me orders, freckles? That’s not how this works.”

She released a breath and then leaned in, keeping her voice low. “Look, it’s been a long day. I’ve been through what I think may be considered cruel and unusual under my constitutional rights as an American citizen. I’ve been waxed and plucked and exfoliated and . . . ironed, I think. Some woman whose name I can’t pronounce has now seen more of me than my gynecologist ever has. And this dress is . . . drafty. You gotta give me something here.”

He stared at her for a moment, a bit stunned by her rapid-fire speech, then laughed, loud and open, not caring that it drew the attention of the other guests. He raised his palms. “Fine. Point taken. Sit down. We’ll save the shoes for later.”

“Thank you.” She took his offered hand and stepped up into the raised booth, obviously forgetting she had a dress on as she climbed in. He got a delicious glimpse of the bottom curve of her ass.

He palmed her waist and moved behind her to block anyone else’s view. “Lesson one, freckles. When wearing a dress, you need to be more aware of yourself. Giving half the restaurant a Basic Instinct moment is not that big a deal here. But back in town that may be a bit embarrassing.”

“Shit.” She grabbed her hem, clamped her thighs together and hurriedly sat. “You shouldn’t have made me wear such a short dress. I feel naked.”

“You look beautiful,” he corrected, then slid into the spot across from her. “And be thankful. As my sub, I could’ve requested you to come to dinner only wearing those shoes.”


About the author:

Roni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. Though she’ll forever be a New Orleans girl at heart, she now lives in Dallas with her husband and son. If she’s not working on her latest sexy story, you can find her reading, watching reality television, or indulging in her unhealthy addiction to rockstars, er, rock concerts. Yeah, that's it. She is the National Bestselling author of The Loving on the Edge series from Berkley Heat.



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7 comments:

  1. Congrats on the new release. Fall Into You sounds fantastic. Can't wait to read it. I'm so happy that Grant finally got his own story and Charli seems to be a perfect match for him.
    Thanks for the great review and excerpt.

    e.balinski(at)att(dot)net

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  2. Very good excerpt, thank you.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

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  3. I just bought this book for my Kindle today actually! I've been looking forward to reading it since last summer when I read Melt Into You and Still Into You! Congrats, Roni on your release and another edition of Loving on the Edge and Looooving at the Ranch...lol.

    But I have to say this review surprised me. I haven't read the book yet but just comparing to the author's other novels, I don't think I could ever put them in the realm of 50 Shades. Christian Grey is brooding and it's the mystery behind him, the secret of what he does in his free time, that makes Ana so into him and makes him a layered character (though one I don't particularly care for, just personally...sorry if anyone else is a fan).

    But Grant, at least what I've seen of him in the other books, is very open about what he does and who he is. His business is a BDSM ranch. What you see is what you get. So, it's more intriguing to uncover his under layers (haha...no pun intended)then Christian's because the reputation of 50 Shades already revealed the mystery of Christian before I even got a chance to read the book.

    I'm really glad to hear that there's growth with the characters in this novel too because that was such a strong aspect in the other books in this series and I'd really be disappointed if there wasn't an equally large obstacle and an internal battle to be fought. Actually, I kind of require that element in any book I read.

    Anyway, I'm so excited to read Grant's story and honestly debating sending my own YA characters to the ranch for a weekend with Grant just to up the steam level and hit that new YA erotica genre everyone's gossiping about. Maybe the author could hook me up with a discount coupon. The ranch sounds way more fun than the red room of pain :)

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  4. DanceMom, I didn't even like 50 Shades, and the comparison isn't one I made lightly. I simply felt there were too many similarities, which I did find odd, but it was there for me.

    I found Roni's writing so much stronger and frankly the characters were far more interesting. More grown-up, mature, and sophisticated. I'd absolutely read another of her stories, no doubt about it.

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  5. Very nice review and format.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  6. thank you for your review, I enjoy an honest evaluation of the books I read, I still think I will be picking up this series but its good to read what everyone thinks. Carin
    mawmom at gmail dot com

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