{ARC Review} Promise Me This be Christina Lee

Title: Promise Me This
Series: Between Breaths #4
Author: Christina Lee
Published: 7th Oct 2014
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: eARC provided by via Netgalley for fair & honest review
Rating: 4.5/5

BLURB:
A new love will test the boundaries of passion between a privileged boy next door and the tattooed, blue-haired girl who helps him embrace his wild side... 

Nate has developed quite a playboy reputation around campus. It's not that he doesn't respect or trust women; he doesn't trust himself. The men in Nate’s family are prone to abusive behavior—a dirty secret that Nate’s been running from his entire life—so Nate doesn't do relationships. But he can’t help himself around one girl…

Jessie is strong, independent, and works at a tattoo parlor. Nate can’t resist getting close to her, even if it’s strictly a friendship. But it doesn't take long for Nate to admit that what he wants with Jessie is more than just friendly.

With Jessie, he can be himself and explore what he’s always felt was a terrifying darkness inside him. Even when Nate begins to crave her in a way that both shocks and horrifies him, Jessie still wants to know every part of him. Testing their boundaries together will take a trust that could render them inseparable… or tear them apart.

Promise Me This is made of all things hot and sexy!

REVIEW:
The story:
Nate the privileged playboy & Jessie the tattooed carefree girl are complete opposites on the surface. Working together at the Raw Tattoo parlour, they become close friends, never giving into the attraction that sparks between them. Nate is adamant that he doesn't do relationships, fearful of unleashing a darkness he believes hides within him. But after they take off on an impromptu road trip for Jessie's photography assignment, they get to know each of on a deeper level and the attraction between them becomes so much harder to fight.

It was difficult to watch Nate struggle with his inner demons, especially since he was so wrong about the evil person he believed he could be. But it was beautiful how supportive Jessie was with him, and how she not only helped him, but encouraged him to seek out professional help too. She's so strong and was an incredibly positive influence in Nate's life.

The characters:
Nate might come across as the happy carefree player, but there is so much more lurking under the surface. After his horrible childhood, he fears there is a dark and violent monster inside him. He has such a low view of himself, it took a lot of internal soul searching and help to finally see that he is a truly good and caring man.

Jessie is such a vibrant character. She's full of life and driven to achieve her goals of becoming a photographer. I also really respected the fact that she's been through a lot too, after the death of her father. But she never let that break her, instead she used it as motivation to make something of her life.

The romance:
Jessie and Nate have always had chemistry, with their cheeky teasing banter, but never acted on…until now. And as soon as they give into their attraction, boy do things get HOT! Their romance is intense and deeply passionate. It was beautiful to see Nate finally feel like he could embrace his sexuality with Jessie and not hide or feel ashamed of who he really is.

The writing:
This is by far Cristina's sexiest novel in the series. The sex scenes are more experimental and also a little riske. BUT Cristina never fell into the trap of turning this book into an erotica rather than a romance novel with sex scenes - and this is extremely important to me as lately a lot of authors have done this. The story and character development never suffer and the actual storyline still takes centre stage.

FINAL WORD:
Promise Me This is made of all things hot and sexy! An with a deep, emotional story & rich, complex characters PROMISE ME THIS makes for one powerful read!

CONTENT:
Sexuality: medium-strong / several sex scenes (including some mild domination)
Violence: medium-strong / scenes of domestic violence
Language: medium / several f words
Drugs & alcohol: mild

2 comments:

  1. Oh, I missed one of these! Darn! I'll have to buy book #3 and request this one from NetGalley. I really enjoyed the first two books.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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  2. Eeeeeep! I loved this one! Quinn is STILL my boy, but Nate and Bennett are tied for number two! I agree this is her sexiest novel! I really loved the scenes with Nate and Jessie because they were pushing the limits a bit! Eeee! And the kissing! OMG. I thought I was going to die! SO HOT!

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