With a return ticket in a few weeks, whatever you do, don’t fall for someone

Synopsis

Happy ever after’s don’t apply to me…

I have six weeks left of my sabbatical in LA before I go home to my family and our business. I’ve spent months traveling, surfing and working on my tan but I get bored easily and I needed more. So that’s what led me to my temporary job at S&M gyms – and Violet West. The most hypnotically beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, whose killer curves and sharp tongue rock my world.

But the clock is ticking and my return ticket is booked. I need to be careful I don’t fall too hard. I need to keep my composure when she temps me to take a leap of faith with her, when she gets me so hot and bothered I end up in the emergency room. When she invites me into her home and convinces me to break my self-inflicted sex-ban… But the biggest risk? When she shows me what it feels like to be really loved, something I know nothing about. And now I don’t want to leave. But I know good things never last… right?

My review

Lincoln has almost finished his sabbatical in LA, and is ready to head back home to Scotland. His sabbatical was not only to get his mind of the family business, but also to stop his previous behaviour with women. That resulted in a self – inflicted ban from getting involved with women. But just with a few weeks left, he meets Violet West at his temporarily job… And his resolution starts to crumble, as Violet is just impossible to resist.
Violet herself is ready to take a chance with Lincon, and enjoy the weeks that he is still in L.A., no strings attached. But with the clock ticking, and both Lincoln and Violet learning what it feels to be loved, where will they end, as a split is inevitable?

In life, there are many rules, self-inflicted or not. And it is also generally known that having something with someone you work with, is perhaps not the smartest of the ideas. I am not saying that it is bad, but just that perhaps there is a lot of extra to think about before taking that road. And of course sometimes, the attraction (physical or not) is just to hard to ignore, and the heart takes over.

But what when there is a limited timespan? What when you want to give in, but you know that whatever is simmering, will end anyway, no matter what the feelings are, are becoming or even have been? That’s when a book gets even more interesting!

I have never been on a sabbatical, and for the moment, I haven’t had the need to have one. But I understand that there are people that do have had need, that urgence, to leave their known world behind for a period, and get away from it all. And in books, it’s often that the story starts with a character taking off, and we see the start of a brand new journey.

And I liked it that the author took a spin on this storyline, and gave a unique twist to it, by letting us meet Lincoln when his sabbatical is almost over.

We know that Lincoln comes with money, yet he doesn’t show or flaunt it, like many others would. He isn’t afraid to just take a ‘normal’ job, even if it’s just temporarily. Furthermore, he is not only well off and handsome like hell, but he is also a smart person, with many ideas to make improvements, and sees what works and what doesn’t.

And yes, in a way I found it also admirable that he managed to hold on to his self-imposed ban from women. 🙂 

HIs first encounter with Violet, couldn’t it be more hilarious? Talking about making assumptions! I for sure laughed out loud because I know that despite Lincoln’s good intentions, he messes up so greatly! 🙂 And it was funny to read how Violet let him get away with it, for just a moment though 🙂.

Now, I need to say one thing… When Violet falls after that meeting, I found her particular situation a bit strange and awkward. But that can be all also put on me, as I could never imagine me walking around like Violet does without feeling awkward all the time, and even a bit afraid of showing too much. But on the other hand, it shows her confidence, strong attitude and – excuse my language – her balls!

However, besides Violet’s strong entrance, we also quickly see a vulnerable side of her. With Lincoln, she cannot stop by acting out of character. Out of character, for as much as Violet knows who she is and what she truly wants…

It needs to be said, that both characters don’t have an easy background… While Lincoln is very close with his father, he is clearly still carrying the pain and hurt from his mother leaving them. And while he hides it from everyone, and even from himself, for the reader it couldn’t be any clearer that it is still haunting him, and making him even afraid of finding and making a deeper connection with someone. That is what scares him from that connection with Violet, and how despite his feelings, he cannot completely open up to her.

But also Violet is struggling, as while she also has a deep and wonderful connection with her father, she also feels very alone and lonely at moments. The relations with her sister is very strained, to put it kindly, and it angered me to see that. As I am very close with my own brother, I cannot grasp the fact that someone can be so evil and nasty and selfish towards their own sibling…  And it also felt that most of the time, she was proving something to her family, showing her worth…

This book for sure isn’t afraid to get very heated, very steamy. Lincoln and Violet match each other perfectly, and I don’t even know if heated is hot enough! Yet it is also great to see how that physical connection starts to become something deeper, more important and significant. Even if that terrifies the both of them!

Now, of course there has to be a conflict, somehow. And I didn’t expect it to be what it turned out to be. Not only was I just as shocked as the characters, but I was shocked about how blasé the involved party acted about it, while the contrast couldn’t be any bigger. While I didn’t agree wit how Lincoln acted, I could understand the turmoil he was in…

I know that in books there is a great appreciation and love for grand gestures. And I love them too. But while of course here the grand gesture for sure counts greatly, I don’t know if I would appreciate that kind of gesture myself. Perhaps, and just maybe, it was a too grand of a gesture? But again, it could be totally just be my issue, so just deal with it Tizi 🙂.

This was the first book I have read of this author, and it was a great first meeting. I loved the spice, I loved the banter, I loved the sweeter bits. Conclusion: I loved it all, and most of the characters (you’ll get it when you read this book yourself 🙂). As this is part of a series, I cannot wait to read more!