Thursday, February 18, 2016

Review: Until I'm Yours

Until I'm Yours (The Bennett Series - Book 4) by Kennedy Ryan

Publication Date: 02/02/2016
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Imprint: Forever Yours
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 432
ISBN-101455537519
ISBN-13978-1455537518

(Received for an honest review from Forever Yours)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, itunes

Kennedy Ryan on the WEB: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads

Books in the series:

The Bennett Series

1. When You Are Mine

2. Loving You Always
3. Be Mine Forever
4. Until I'm Yours


Coverart: Click the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.



Synopsis:

The world knows her face . . .
Mean girl. Goddess. Bitch. Supermodel Sofie Baston has earned those labels . . . yet they don't scratch the surface of who she really is. Before she can follow her own dreams, Sophie must do her daughterly duty and reel in a "fish" for her father's business-a tall, brown-eyed entrepreneur who immediately hooksher. He's a big guy with an even bigger heart . . . but will that heart be open to Sofie once her darkest secret is revealed?

. . . but only one man knows her heart

To Trevor Bishop, Sofie is a beautiful mystery he would gladly spend his life solving. He figures her tough demeanor is armor against a world that's hurt her too many times. Then Sofie's deepest wounds are reopened by the powerful, ruthless man who made them. When she musters the courage to take him down, her world shatters. Now Trevor is determined to help Sofie pick up the pieces so they can build a future together. The challenge will be convincing his ice princess that it's safe to melt in his arms . . .


Thoughts:

Kennedy Ryan brings readers the fourth installment in The Bennett Series, Until I'm Yours. Readers who are new to this author will find this book intense and passionate. Ryan writes characters who have depth and emotion. She delves deep into the things that make a character tick and brings her readers right along with her. If readers think perhaps they can't relate to a supermodel, Ryan will likely prove them wrong with Sofie Baston. This is a character that will take readers from hate to love in the beat of a heart. A great new book from Kennedy Ryan!

What I liked:

Kennedy Ryan is an author I wasn't too sure about when I picked up the first book in this series. She was untested for me and I didn't know what kind of voice she would have. Needless to say I shouldn't have worried. Ryan has a knack for writing characters that are raw and edgy. She gets under the skin of characters, making them authentic and real. I love the way she can make a reader hate a character and then turn around and redeem them. That's what happens with the heroine in her latest book, Sofie Baston.

Readers who have read the other books in The Bennett Series have met Sofie before and I'm sure it was a meeting they won't soon forget. She was the mean girl in every sense of the word. Readers likely wanted to pull their hair out when reading about her antics. Ryan did a fantastic job giving readers a character they would love to hate. Now in the fourth book, Sofie becomes the heroine. How does an author then turn the tide you ask? How can she take the reader from hating a character to loving her? 

It's not easy. But Ryan gives readers a whole new side of Sofie in this book. She is vulnerable and softer than we have ever seen her. She does have feelings underneath all that smugness. And when Trevor Bishop starts to see what's under all that, he falls for her, just like readers will. Sofie hasn't had it easy even though she's a supermodel and Ryan makes a real effort to show her humanity. She has a lot to overcome and the underlying message of the story is that even though a person makes mistakes and has things happen to them that could derail their lives, they can survive and face life head on. I loved the premise and the way the author explored every situation involving it. 

What I didn't like:

I wondered if readers would be able to relate to Sofie in the beginning but Ryan was quick to show just how real this character was. Trevor, however, was a little harder for me to connect with. He was a attractive and his caring manner with Sofie was tender and I wanted to fall madly in love with his character and I did to some extent. But for me this book was more cerebral and more about Sofie's journey then about her journey with Trevor. The romance was hot and it brought Sofie to the point she needed to be to face her demons, but it wasn't the central focus of the story. I liked that, but some readers may not. 

Bottom Line:

Another great book by Kennedy Ryan. I have really enjoyed Sofie throughout the series, but loved seeing her come into her own here. I liked disliking her, but liked liking her even better! Make sense? lol... If you haven't tried Ryan's writing, now is the time. This is a very intense story that has some wonderful characters. Looking for something a bit more challenging in a romance? This might be it.

Until I'm Yours is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!




About the Author:

Kennedy Ryan grew up in North Carolina, but loves living in Atlanta with her husband (tall – check, dark – check – handsome – check), and her handful of a son. Though she knew, like writers often do, that she was supposed to tell stories, the road to fulfillment has been paved with “some of everything” jobs that kept her family eating and living indoors. With her degree in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Tar Heels!), she has focused on writing for non-profit organizations and even doing some non-fiction ghost writing. Only in the last few years did she start telling stories again.
In addition to being a devoted wife and mom, she’s also passionate about serving families living with Autism. Her son was diagnosed with Autism at the age of two, and she has made it her mission to help as many families as possible find the resources and services they need.

I am just as passionate about the REAL LIFE stories I tell as I am about the worlds I build in fiction. Some of these use my given TINA DULA and some are written under my pseudonym KENNEDY RYAN.

1 comment:

Vicki said...

I love characters that grow on you. This sounds like a good series.