Confessions: Robbie (Confessions Series Book 1) ~ Ella Frank

Relationships are complex.

Love ever-changing.

And when it comes to rules of the heart,

they were made to be broken…

That’s what Robert Antonio Bianchi was telling himself, anyway.

Otherwise, he really had no excuse for what—or who—he’d done.

No excuse, except for his lonely heart, a pitcher of margaritas, four Bitter Bitches, and the apparent need to confess all his weaknesses to the two men he knew would bring him nothing but trouble.

But trouble was nothing new.

Just ask his crazy sisters or any of his friends, and they’d be the first to tell you:

If there was a bad decision to be made, Robbie always had a knack for making it.

And thus begins the story of the priest, the princess, and the prick.

After Logan and Tate, I wasn't sure if I would have more room in my heart. I always loved Robbie's character and was super excited for his own story. Ella did not disappoint. These three are hot, sexy and complicated. 

I wasn't always a fan of Priest. Nothing bad about the guy, but he was always very standoff-ish, blunt and brutally honest. That being said, this story has changed my feelings about him. I get him a little more now. I am super excited to dive in more though.

Julien is smooth, suave and a complete teddy bear. I only saw a glimpse of the "Prick" he was regarded as. Learning and understanding a little of his back history completing puts that attitude in to perspective though. 

Robbie is still lovable and fabulous. He had me smiling through the whole book. His heartache was palpable after Tate and Logan got married, but I think now he realized that there are others that are willing to give him "everything."

I really enjoyed these three. I was super shocked by the reaction that some had for their arrangement. Surprised is more like it. But when I read more I realized that it was guilt and protectiveness fueling that reaction. Priest, Julien and Robbie are doing what is best for them. They are following their hearts. I'm super excited to see how things go as more wrenches are thrown in their plans. 

"Regrets only happen when you aren't brave enough to try something that scares you." ~Robbie

Bare (Raw #2) (The Vault Series) ~ C.A. Harms

BRYNN
He was my weakness.

The one desire I fought the hardest, but craved the most.
There was an unexplainable pull whenever I was near him.
I was addicted to him. I was crazed by his touch. I longed for his kiss.

Until he broke me...

He was cold and callus.
What we shared was nothing but meaningless acts.
A facade. I was a ploy in his game of control.

I had no choice but to move forward.
I had to forget the impact he had on me.
More importantly, I had to forget him.
Only that was easier said than done…

Each night when I closed my eyes,
I’d hear the kind words he’d whisper, I’d feel his gentle caress as he held me close.
But the dreams always ended the same.
I would see him walking away, without looking back.

ALEC
She tested my limits from the start.

The more I fought the attraction, the more intense it became.
She defied every rule I set for myself and challenged my need for control.
She made me want the things I had denied myself for too long,
so I did the worst possible thing.

I broke her heart.

What should have been my way out only left me feeling bare.
My desire to have her magnified.
It was time to pick up the shattered pieces of my life and face the harsh reality of my choices.

But my biggest fear of all was that with Brynn, it was now too late to go back... 

Totally and Completely gut wrenching. This story has so much angst that my stomach was in knots. I was furious with Alec for most of the books, but I couldn't help but still cheer for him. Byrnn is such a strong, independent woman, I just loved her. Their coming together was messy, angsty and beautiful all at the same time. 

I love the writing of this book and the flashbacks are easy to follow. This book gives more of a first-person view of everything that happened in Brynn and Alec's past. you can feel their strength and devastation in these pages. While I understand why these characters are the way they are, some of their knee jerk reactions just crushed my heart. 

I was not expecting the emotional roller coaster I went while reading these. I had to stay up late to finish the book before I could go to sleep. It was almost too many "screw-ups" and "I'm sorry's" for me. I was that heartbroken. CA does a great job of healing the crushed heart, but whew, it was an emotional read.