| Title | : | The Look of Love (San Francisco Sullivans, #1; The Sullivans, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 384 |
| Publication | : | First published June 13, 2011 |
here .
Chloe Peterson is having a bad night. A really bad night. The large bruise on her cheek can attest to that. And when her car skids off the side of a wet country road straight into a ditch, she's convinced even the gorgeous guy who rescues her in the middle of the rain storm must be too good to be true. Or is he?
As a successful photographer who frequently travels around the world, Chase Sullivan has his pick of beautiful women, and whenever he's home in San Francisco, one of his seven siblings is usually up for causing a little fun trouble. Chase thinks his life is great just as it is--until the night he finds Chloe and her totaled car on the side of the road in Napa Valley. Not only has he never met anyone so lovely, both inside and out, but he quickly realizes she has much bigger problems than her damaged car. Soon, he is willing to move mountains to love--and protect--her, but will she let him?
Chloe vows never to make the mistake of trusting a man again. Only, with every loving look Chase gives her--and every sinfully sweet caress--as the attraction between them sparks and sizzles, she can't help but wonder if she's met the only exception. And although Chase didn't realize his life was going to change forever in an instant, amazingly, he isn't the least bit interested in fighting that change. Instead, he's gearing up for a different fight altogether...for Chloe's heart. (love story, contemporary romance, alpha males, heroes, sexy romance, bad boys, falling in love).
The Look of Love (San Francisco Sullivans, #1; The Sullivans, #1) Reviews
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3 1/2 to 4 Sexy Stars
I can't believe it's taken me so long to start this series. I've been meaning to read it for ages. To say I was excited to finally meet the sexy Sullivan men would be an understatement (though we don't meet them all until the second book). They were just as swoonalicious as I knew they'd be.
The Look of Love is a sweet, slightly angsty and very steamy love story. The plot focused solely on the couple and their romance, which I loved. I have to admit, however, the "I love you" declarations after only a few days was a bit too much EVEN for me. That says something, considering I'm sucker for a good insta-love story.
All in all, I enjoyed this passionate and sexy story and can't wait to read the second book. -
2.75/5
This was a bit disappointing.
I really got mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed some parts of the story, but many others made me want to pull my hair out at the same time. One moment, it had me smiling and my heart swelling with joy, the next, it had me frustrated and so upset.
In my opinion, the second installment in this series (From This Moment On) was much better than this one. (I've read this series out of order.) In this book, there was too much information about all eight Sullivan siblings. Honestly, I don't care what they do for a living. I can't even remember their names when I finished reading this book (except Marcus and Gabe because I read their books already). If I want to know more about them, I can find out for myself when I get to their stories.
What worked for me :
1. Chase. He told Chloe that he is not a saint, but in my eyes, he's exactly the person I'd call 'a saint'. He's so good to her in the way I wish I could have him all to myself. He's just perfect! *Sigh*
2. The setting. I loved Sullivan Winery! The picturesque vineyard scenery was like a breath of fresh air.
What didn't work for me :
1. The plot. There was not enough substance to make the book captivating and the plot was too plain and somewhat boring—nothing new here. Chase found Chloe alone at the side of a dark road in the middle of a rainstorm. He took her to his brother's guesthouse. They both felt an intense attraction towards each other and then they had sex…several times. While he tried to win her heart, she kept pushing him away. (At this point, I had steam coming out of my ears. What the hell was wrong with her?! Argh!) But thankfully, she came to her senses eventually, and then...Happy ending! Well, this is not a novella so I expected something more than THAT. Sadly, I didn't get what I wanted.
2. The sex scenes. There were too many sex scenes and some of them were overly long. I skimmed.....skipped.....then skimmed.....skipped.....and skimmed through those pages, and yet these two people still didn't FINISH! Gosh, get to the point please!
3. Chloe. She totally got on my nerves. Chase is a man every woman wants to spend the rest of her life with, but she wanted to walk away from him. Seriously?! A heroine with love and trust issues... No, thanks.
However, I always enjoy Bella Andre’s writing style. Although this one wasn’t my favorite in this series, I will definitely read the fourth installment. -
I did not expect much from this book because of mixed reviews. So basically, what I got was what I expected.
This book could have been better but there was too much cheeziness going on. I love cheezy and romantic books, but this was overdone. Another issue I have with this book was the insta love. It’s too unbelievable.
It all started when Chloe, who ran away from her ex-husband, accidentally bumped into the hot and enigmatic Chase Sullivan when her car skidded off the road and Chase saw her and instantly helped her. He brought her to his home and gave her comfort, basically persuaded her to stay for the night while she’s figuring out what to do with her car. With Chase’s help her car was taken care of but she needed to stay a bit longer because Chase wanted her around. She discovered lots of things while staying at the beautiful mansion of Chase and learned more about him, including his passion and work as a photographer. Then they developed sexual tension and fell in love.
There was just a plain and simple plot in this book. Nothing was really special. And even when I was just starting this book, the insta-love / love-at-first sight thingy was already palpable it became a cliché.
It took seconds for Chase to decide that he’s attracted to her. And it took hours for him to realize that he’s in love with her. It also took 48 hours for them to have sex. And they were still getting to know each other at that. Insta-love, everyone!
Nevertheless, I love the author’s way of writing. I love how she described the setting. It was beautiful and peaceful and relaxing and I want to live there. I just wish the storyline was good.
Rating: 2 Stars -
3.5/5 - Review posted:
Happily Ever After - Reads
Meet the Sullivan Family:
Smith - Actor
Marcus – Winery owner
Chase – Photographer
Ryan – Pro baseball player
Zach – Owner, autoshop chain
Gabe – Firefighter
Lori (Naughty) – Dancer/choreographer
Sophie (Nice) – Librarian
The Look of Love is book #1 in the Sullivan Family series, following the 8 siblings listed above. Chase is up first and he would be the model for the ultimate good guy. On his way to his brother’s winery for a photo shoot, he sees a car that’s skidded off the road and stops to help. He’s instantly taken by Chloe and convinces her to let him take her to the winery to stay in the guest house for the night. He says and does all the right things to make Chloe feel comfortable, in the presence of a stranger. Chase feels a pull to Chloe and sets out to slowly woo her. We like woo’ing!
Chloe has more problems to deal with than just a totaled car. She’s running from her ex-husband, who gave her a nasty bruised cheek when she tried to get away from him. She has no money, basically nothing to her name and even though she doesn’t know anything about Chase, she’s pretty desperate and needs a little help right now. Chase puts her at ease and she decides to stay the night and regroup the next day.
Staying at the winery ends up extending past one night and Chloe meets Marcus, the winery’s owner and gets to see Chase in action as a photographer. She sees him interacting with the models, his brother and with her and he almost seems too good to be true. He wants her, he makes that point very clear, but he also knows that something happened to her in her past, and she needs to make all the first moves. He sets a slow pace and Chloe isn’t able to resist him. Not many of us could, he’s caring, patient and becomes a solid presence in her life.
…right at that moment, with the Napa Valley sun shining down on her and grapevines budding to life across rolling hills as far as the eye could see, there was nothing left but honesty.
“I haven’t had a male friend in a very long time.”
He was silent for a long moment, and even though the butterflies in her stomach had her keeping her eyes on the horizon, she could feel his gaze on her.
“I’d be honored to be your friend, Chloe”
By the time they do get together, it ranges from hot, up against the wall sex, to pure love. But overall, I kept thinking how romantic the book was and that 100% applies to Chase. He’s the perfect guy for Chloe and it was just a matter of when she realized it, not if. The pacing is pretty fast, the story taking place over the course of days and there is closure with her past that gets wrapped up pretty quickly in one scene, but this is one of those books where the entire focus is on the main relationship. I did miss more moments with the siblings, although I hear we’ll get a big Sullivan family scene in book 2. We are introduced to all of them through Chase telling Chloe about his family and we meet Marcus on page. He’s preoccupied with his own personal life, and we’ll find out more about that in the next book.
This is a nice start to a new series and if judging by Chase and his sweet, protective character is anything to go by, the Sullivan’s will be a great family to follow. -
“I didn’t fall in love with you because you’re so lovely it hurts to look at you. I didn’t fall in love with you because you make love like a dream. All of that is just a bonus.” *swoon!!*
This book is so EFFING cute my bloody face hurts grinning like a fool throughout!
Chase lifted his glass. “To rainy nights.”
She tipped her flute against his, murmuring, “To rainy nights” in a husky voice.
He continued to hold his glass against hers. “And to one very lovely woman that a storm brought into my life.”
Sorry Chloe, I am stealing Chase for me. He is just
“Ask me again how I know you’re special, Chloe.” The pictures dropped from her fingers onto the table. She didn’t need to ask. Chase had shifted his seat
MINE!!! I want him!! Agrh! He's perfect :')
Bastard.
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Well that was a disappointment.
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At about 60% I was ready to throw in the towel with The Look of Love. I kept going because I don't like not finishing a book. I also purchased a bunch of Bella Andre books in a package deal which were the first five books of this Sullivan series. I kept hoping and hoping that I would eventually get drawn into this story. I didn't.
The word "lovely" was used 55 times to describe Chloe. 55 times! Chloe had a lovely face, a lovely personality, lovely toes and even her clitoris was described as lovely. Oy with the lovely already!
It was also way over the top with how beautiful everyone was. Of course Chloe was "lovely" but Chase and all his Sullivan family were all gorgeous, the models that Chase photographed were all beautiful, the guest house wasn't just nice it was breathtaking. The winery scenery was perfect. There was so much perfection oozing from the story that I found myself wanting something to go wrong just to bring some normalcy to the story.
One of my pet peeves with books is where the author writes that the protagoists had "never" experienced what was happening to them over and over again. Each orgasm was more and more mind blowing and they'd never experienced such an orgasm before.
Here are just a few of the nauseating examples,
"...not only has Chase never met anyone so lovely, both inside and out..."
"...Chloe Peterson had never felt so wet...."
"...like he'd never seen anyone or anything quite so pretty..."
"...she'd never worn clothes this gorgeous."
"She'd never been like this before, vacillating from one extreme to another..."
"never been like this before, never like this with anyone.."
"I've never been kissed like that before."
"She'd never seen anyone like Chase before."
"She'd never been able to find a man who really understood her before."
I could go on and on and on with all the experiences that they never had before.
I was also rolling my eyes reading that they were already dropping the "I love you" and a marriage proposal by the end of their introductory weekend. What were they basing this love on? Well of course I got that Chase was drop dead gorgeous and Chloe was lovely but what else was the draw? There was lots and lots of sex but I really wasn't sure what it was that had them immediately falling in love. Lust I understood but love? It just wasn't realistic to me. Chase went from sleeping regularly with many different women to proposing all in one weekend.
The Look of Love tried really hard but it really failed for me and I was never so happy to finish a book before. Someone please tell me that the rest of the books are way better than this first book since I already bought them. -
I truly wanted to like this one, many of my reader buddies like it, hoping it was more along the lines of Marie Force's Gansett Island series, however sadly it's not. Just bad dialogue and too cheesy. One truly bizarre part about 78% in where the H, Chase, a 32 year old professional photographer, is thinking about the h, Chloe, Chase thinks: "What an idiot he was. Nearly 2 decades of as much sex as he wanted with models and actresses hadn't so much as been the first chapter of the rule book for making love to a woman he was actually in love with". Really? WTH?!? The guy would have been 12 years old 2 decades earlier!?!?!? I tried to re-think this and went back to check his age again, then tried to give the author the benefit of the doubt. Ok "almost" 2 decades...18, 16, 15 years ago? Still a no go. No way a guy who could have been 14-17 years old is having hot meaningless sex as a photographer for models and actresses. Between rolling my eyes and thinking Puh-leeze I did manage to finish the bk. Disappointed that this series was a fail for me.
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Translation widget on the blog!!!
"Dragostea din ochii tăi” este o lectură ușoară, care stârnește multe emoții în sufletul cititorului. Dar este și o poveste despre a doua șansă la iubire.
Chase Sullivan este un fotograf celebru, provine dintr-o familie mare, unită și iubitoare.
Între-o noapte ploioasă o întâlnește pe drum pe Chloe, o tânără a cărei mașină a derapat în șanț.
O duce la casa de oaspeți de la vila fratelui său.
O poveste cu momente tensionate, cu lacrimi dar și cu clipe pline de umor și emoționante.
Chloe a fost brutalizată de soțul ei atât în timpul căsniciei cât și după ce aceasta l-a părăsit și a intentat divorțul. Acum, este hotărâtă să nu mai aibă încredere în niciun bărbat.
Dar, întâlnirea cu Chase pare a fi decisivă. Îi dă toate planurile peste cap. Luptă cu propriile temeri și sentimente, fiind hotărâtă să nu-și mai lase inima în mâinile niciunui bărbat.
Cu toate acestea, Chase pare a fi bărbatul ideal. Răbdător, care îi recunoaște fiecare schimbare emoțională... Un personaj puternic, plin de încredere în el, Chase se îndrăgostește la prima vedere de această tânără deosebită. Este total diferită de femeile care au făcut parte din trecutul lui.
Chloe este o tânără rănită, care încearcă să se ascundă de viață, fiindu-i frică să-și înfrunte demonii. Cu toate acestea, blândețea și iubirea lui Chase reușesc să o facă să înflorească! Devine o tânără care-și recapătă puterea de a zâmbi, face pași timizi spre tânăra care a fost cândva.
Pe drumul încrederii, Chloe își predă inima și sufletul.
O lectură care îți dă speranță, o stare de bine și te face să ai încredere în viitor.
O poveste plină de romantism și atractie, care debordează de pasiune și îți aduce un zâmbet pe față la final.
Impresiile mele despre carte le găsiți aici:
https://justreadingmybooks.wordpress.... -
Well.
What was I expecting anyway?
Chloe just ran away from an abusive drunk. On a rainy night, down a stretch of Napa Valley highway, her car skidded to a fence and into its death (the car's...let's make that clear Lol). That’s where Chase found her, stranded, looking like a drowned rat with a mighty shiner courtesy of her ex-husband. Instant chemistry abounds. One of those, ohemmgee-I-must-have-her/must-protect-her/mine-mine-mine type of chemistry. Chloe was skittish, understandle given her situation. Chase gave her space--commendable considering he's one of those, "MAN SEES, MAN WANTS, MAN TAKES" type of guy. And really, I love those type. But I was really expecting more.
And then...and then...
I don’t know what happened. How could Chloe go from being determined to stand on her feet to being just another googly-eyed, weak-in-the-knees heroine was mind boggling. It was like the author decided to give her a strong persona and then in the middle of the novel she decided, ‘nah, this won’t do’. Thankfully, Chase pretty much stayed the same until Chloe got drunk and put the moves on him. I was scratching my head at this point. It was sex, sex, sex. Too bad because I was really liking this until it got to the point where Chase, after three days of meeting Chloe, proclaimed his never-ending love for her. We're talking forever kind of love. Always and Forever kind. *sigh* I just don’t think that the relationship should’ve been rushed. But hey, please refer to the second sentence of this review.
Serves me right.
I think I have lost the ability to pick good books to read.
But can you blame me? The synopsis sounded so good. I couldn’t wait to read this book so much that I sped through it in less than three hours. I’m really feeling bad now. I'm going to call my friends, Ben & Jerry. -
THE LOOK OF LOVE is the first book in the Sullivan’s series and I think Bella Andre has a hit on her hands. Not only are the characters very likeable and engaging, but they hold a certain appeal that makes you respect them and their choices.
In the midst of a storm, Chase Sullivan, the photographer finds Chloe on the side of the road. Thinking he’s doing a good deed, he pulls over and tries to help this woman who is drenched to the bone and is sporting a shiner. Instead of pressing the issue, he convinces her to get in his car so he can drive her to his brother’s winery to stay the night.
Chloe has her heart shielded like a prison. It seems like nothing will get past her ward. However, Chase has this uncanny ability to tease her, making her feel safe in the shelter of his arms. He doesn’t try to push her. Instead, he coaxes her slowly with a lethal seduction that will end in Chloe’s complete surrender.
Bella Andre really amps up the sexual tension in this book. There are numerous scenes that made my palm sweat and heart beat a little faster. While the sex scenes between Chloe and Chase were wonderfully creative, I thought there were some cases where it was cut off in when I wanted it to go on. This is a testament to Andre’s writing. She makes me want more.
Another thing I wanted to mention is the fact that Andre’s voice works really well for hot contemporary romance. So much so that I think she’ll be one of my go-to authors when I need a contemporary romance fix. And this Sullivan series has become one of my favourites!
The reason being is that Andre creates characters that feel larger than life. Marcus, the winery owner and brother to Chase made a lasting impression on me that made me eager to start his book right after this one. When an author is able to present characters to readers and make us fall in love with them within one book, then I know that this will be a series that I will be following. Andre creates distinct personalities while still keeping that Sullivan trademark about them. I can’t wait to read about the rest of the Sullivans!
Read my Fresh Fiction review
here
There is a new print edition. You can read my thoughts on that
here -
I decided to take the plunge and start reading the popular series about the Sullivan family that was created by Bella Andre. Now a few years back, I had read the first book and became sidetracked to other books instead of coninuing on with the series! (This is a very common thing with me!) I knew that I had better do a re-read to refresh my memory before I moved onto the oldest Sullivan brother's book. I am sure glad that I did, and I truly enjoyed this fun-loving romantic story. I found Chase and Chloe's story to be a feel good romance filled with great laughs and very steamy sex.
Chase Sullivan is a photographer who comes from a very big family who love each other and are loyal to one another as well. The Sullivan family consists of eight siblings and their 70 year old mother who is alone after her husband died when her oldest son was 14 years old. This family is one that is hard not to love and their are six boys and a set of twin girls all between the ages of 27 to 36. I might add that they are all extremely successful, and two of the men are even famous! This alone makes for a promising series as we all get to watch each and every one of them fall in love.
Chase comes across Chloe as she is stranded on the side of the road with a totalled car and looking like a drowned rat from the storm. Chloe immediately brings out Chase's instinct to protect and take care of her. The bruise on her face (that was not caused by the accident,but by a man's hand)makes him all the more protective and unable to leave her to her situation. Chase takes her back to the guest house at his brother Marcus's winery where he is doing a huge photo shoot the next day.
Chloe decides to take Chase up on his hospitality, and in that evening alone there are a few hilarious scenes that take place. Chase and Chloe both take turns at being the one who is embarrassed; but even with that the more time they are together, the hotter the attraction is becoming.
Their story is what I like to call a love at first sight kind of story, and it has very little angst in it. This is a perfect book to read after one of those books that cause a major emotional hangover. The sex is steamy and well written, and there are several scenes with sexual encounters between Chase and Chloe. I found that there was a perfect balance between a storyline and sex, and their connection grew the more intimate they became. My only complaint was that I felt at the beginning of the book. We were introduced to the Sullivan family all at once, and because there are so many of them I had a hard time absorbing their names, what they looked like, and job descriptions all at once. Often with family series, you get to know each sibling as the book progresses and the reader can develop more of an opinion of what they are like in the story. I just felt it was an information dump all at once, and caused me to get confused. Granted, mabye I get confused easy and this wouldn't be an issue for someone else!!
All in all, I enjoyed this book and I look forward to meeting each sibling, and hopefully get updates on each couple as the series continues on. Next up is Marcus's story, he is the oldest of the big family and I can't wait to see what is in store for him! -
i can not believe this book is 300 plus long. and the content is only about hero and the heroine getting hook up. 300 pages!
i have to skip so many pages and trying to get into the drama/ the major twist or the steamy sex. but nothing happen.
so disappointed.
1 star -
Fluff sex and not much else and just not my cuppa. I have to have more substance in my romances, be they older or newer. Chapter two and then on...nothing but thinking with the lower region of the body. Life is too short.. Moving on.
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So... I've been told this series is really good. Opinions?
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A promising start to a series of books about the incredibly gorgeous and successful siblings of the Sullivan family. I have seen good reviews for this series from even some tough reviewers so I thought I would give it a try.
When I think of Bella Andre I think of hot erotica. Well, there is lot and lots of sex in the story, but with wonderful characters, an engaging story and some serious passionate and romantic chemistry between Chase and Chloe. The sex scenes were long and plentiful, but the build ups put you in the mood for the big explosions that were bound to happen. Some of the dialog was a little sugary and the story wasn’t uncommon, but that being said I thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience.
Best part, 7 siblings to go that include lots more playboys; an actor, a professional baseball player, a winery owner, a firefighter, an owner of a chain of pubs and plus the younger twin sisters. I will definitely keep reading especially because they are quick reads that hit my right buttons. -
Kindle freebie 1/14/16
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Funny, sexy, romantic, chemistry by the bucket load, lots of scrumptious brothers, I could go on and on ...
I got caught up in this romantic short novel and the best thing about it was ... Wait for it, the FEMALE lead - YES she is bloody brilliant and I loved her no annoying trait in sight!! Sassy, upfront, sense of humor, strong, feminine. Right along side my girl crush was my romantic boy crush - Chase, this is a Sullivan brother that you can not resist (read and fall girls, read and fall!!)
What had me hooked with this book was its lovely balance of seriousness and romance, it had a great plot and had the best mix of light and fluffy but with added depth to make it a more than interesting read.
I have no doubt at all that I will read more from this author and most definitely have a soft spot for these Sullivan boys!
This book has the swoon factor, and may on occasion be a tad cheesy, but if romance is your thing and you want to be swept off your feet by a light but well written story then proceed I doubt you will be disappointed.
4 stars a big Girly crush on Chloe, an even bigger crush on Chase and a Girly sigh of delight from me. -
Plenty of steamy love scenes, with a well paced story that progresses on, without any dull moments. This is a well written romance that will have you hooked. While there's are no surprises to where Chloe and Chase's relationship ends up, it's still a fun read. Loved it!
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Did not finish at about 30% (page 115). Maybe I'm just not in the mood, but this story really isn't for me. Actually, paperback romances in general aren't really my thing.
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A Lukewarm 3 Stars
Book 1 on the series involves Chase Sullivan and Chole Peterson.
This was overall a nice light read, the story a gentle one, did I want a little more energy and zest yes, but it made for a relaxing and easy read, even if I wasn’t wholly absorbed.
Layers to the characters were needed, and depth and a sense of realistic progression to Chase and Chole’s relationship, especially given what Chloe had gone through within her previous relationship. Her wariness subsides a tad too quickly.
One big issue I had with the ending was the fact Chole’s ex doesn’t really get his just desserts, ok so Chase gets a few punches in but I wanted the douche to be taken away in handcuffs to spend time in a cell. -
I read this in a pick it for me challenge. I've had this author on my 'maybe' shelf for quite awhile and I'm glad I got the prod to pick up this first in series book. Many thanks to Linda!!
The premise sounded like just the kind of book I love...and for the most part, it really was. Chloe finds herself beaten, battered, scared and running one night when her car runs off of the road during a rainstorm. When Chase happens to drive by and notice the car in the ditch, the modern day knight in shining armor stops to help. But Chloe obviously has trust issues...and that huge bruise on her cheek is a dead giveaway as to what kind of trouble she's running from.
Chase is one of the Sullivan clan...eight unbelievably gorgeous and highly successful siblings who are the stars of this series. Chase is a famous photographer who is losing the love of a new model in his bed in every city. When he saves the damsel in distress, love just seems to fall into his lap. But of course, Chloe gives a token resistance to the obviously perfect man who want to save her from her past.
I loved the beginning of this book. The reason I couldn't love the rest of it is because it was just too stinking mushy lovey dovey for me...and I'm a romance fanatic! I'm in love with love! But this entire book takes place over a four day period. By day two, Chase is ready to settle down and make new Sullivan babies and just needs to convince Chloe (during the next two days) that her beaten face and lost soul are safe with him. It was just too unbelievable. This woman had been mentally and physically abused by her ex husband, and she needs some down time. Needs to learn to stand on her own. In my humble opinion. But the dialogue between Chase and Chloe is almost gag-able at times.
The sex was way hotter than I expected, in a good way...a very good way! Light erotica, lots of dirty talk and even a little fun "do you trust me" bondage made for a very good time! But even during the hot and heavy sexual scenes, there was always the underlying mush. Maybe it's just me, but a BJ just isn't...romantic. It's hot, it's definitely a turn on. But a guy saying I love you while your lips are on his junk makes me think he needs to just hush! Sometimes fast and furious and simple lust are good for every relationship.
I definitely plan to continue with the series. I'm looking forward to getting to know the rest of the siblings. I hope Ms. Andre keeps the heat level the same during the next books. I've found it very hard to find an author that writes a good slap and tickle erotica and playful, sexy bondage without going into BDSM too far. I like a little kink, but it's nice to keep it more realistic and true to what I would actually be comfortable with instead of living someone else's fantasy. Which is exactly what I got from this read! -
I could not finish. I don't think this author is for me.
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The heroine of this book is just so... clean. Seriously, in the first 24 hours of the story, she took one bath and two showers. -And it's not like she'd been exerting herself doing anything crazy or dirty to merit all that bathing: no, in those twenty-four hours, she slept (alone) on clean sheets and then sat around in a vineyard watching a photo shoot all day. However, bathing = being naked, which leads to imagining the hero naked, which leads to imagining other things, and imagination shortly leads to action, so as a plot device, I guess all that bathing served a purpose.
I like romance series featuring families. Shannon Stacey's Kowalskis series is a contemporary favorite. Stephanie Laurens' Cynster books were a big part of my introduction to the romance genre (though, wow, is it well past time for Laurens to move on to another project). I picked up this first book of the Sullivans series because it features a family of eight kids, and I figured if it was good, the series would be likely to keep me busy for awhile.
I liked Andre's writing style. The plot moves along, the characters are relatable, the Sullivan family seems like people I'd like to know better. I'll probably keep up with the series, but this book wasn't the strongest start. There just wasn't much to it. The entire book takes place over the course of four days, two and a half of which are pretty much sex-sex-sex-sex-sex. Which, you know, is fine: I like sex, and in a contemporary setting, I don't care if people hop right into bed together. We're all adults, here.
The problem is that the dramatic conflict was a little ... lacking. When we meet Chloe, the heroine, she's got a bruised cheek and a busted car. It's clear someone hit her, probably her ex, but we're kept in the dark for two thirds of the book until she finally decides to trust the hero (who she's been banging for two days already) with the story:
So, yeah, I get that someone who's just been battered would be a little gun shy about trusting someone else, except that Chloe really isn't: she keeps saying she needs to take things slowly, keep things light, whatevs, and then she... doesn't. Like I said, the ENTIRE romance takes four days.
Also, as a domestic violence prosecutor, I cringed throughout the entire subplot having to do with Chloe's assault. She kept telling herself she needed to call the police, and then not doing it. While I understand the impulse to avoid an unpleasant experience, if you are a victim of a crime, your story seems less credible every minute that goes by and you don't report it. I kept thinking of how a defense attorney would tear her up on the witness stand if she ever had to testify:
Question: You must've been on the way to the police station when you crashed your car, right?
Answer: Uh, no. I'm not sure where I was going, actually.
Question: But when you crashed, and Mr. Sullivan stopped to help you, you asked him to take you right to the police, yes?
Answer: Um, no, actually. I asked him to take me to a cheap hotel.
Question: And did he?
Answer: Er, no. He took me to a fancy guesthouse at his brother's winery.
Question: There must have been a phone there, right? Did you call the police then?
Answer: Uh, actually, No. I mean, yes, there was a phone, but I didn't call police.
Question: No? Well, what did you do?
Answer: Well, I took a bubble bath. -And, I, er, kind of got distracted. <*witness is mumbling, blushes crimson, looks at her lap not at jury.*>
That's some reasonable doubt, there, that is.
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Review copy provided via Novel Publicity & Co.
3½ stars
Why I Read this Book: Bella Andre is one of those authors I’ve been hearing a lot about. I am constantly seeing her name on the Amazon top list of romance books. I even have a couple of her books that have been sitting on my Kindle for way too long; I just hadn’t read any of her books until now. And now that I’ve had a taste, I want more.
What I Liked: I love Bella Andre’s voice. Her writing is smooth and fluid and it has me wanting more. She has created an interesting family (the Sullivans) and has set the series in the beautiful backdrop of Napa Valley. Sadly, it’s going to be a while before I can read the rest of this series but I am certainly looking forward to it.
Chloe is comfortable in her own skin. It was nice to not have a heroine worry about the way the looks or worry about how others conceive her. And she wasn’t intimated by the models Chase worked with. Chase was such a nice guy; I couldn’t help but like his character. I also loved that he’s a photographer and how that element came into play in this story.
I loved that the epilogue wasn’t closure for Chase and Chloe’s story. I’m expecting to read more about them as I continue reading the series. What the epilogue was, in fact, was a glimpse at what’s to come in book two of this series. The reader finds out what happened regarding a Sullivan sibling and their relationship, which tells me that this particular Sullivan’s story will be in book two. And I can’t wait to read it!
What I Didn’t Like: My one gripe with The Look of Love, and it’s a BIG one, is how quickly the hero and heroine exchange I love you’s. How quickly? you ask – a mere 3 days. I had a hard time with this and it utterly stopped my reading dead in its tracks. Other than that, it’s a great story and it’s beautifully told.
There was some history of abuse with one of the characters, and while it was touched upon, I didn’t feel like it was enough to fully substantiate things. One of those things being falling in love as quickly as this character did.
Memorable Moment: When Chase gave Chloe the photos he took of her during her rawest moments. It’s a beautiful moment, not only when he presents her with the photos but of the moments he captured through the lens.
Overall Impression: If The Look of Love had taken place over the course of a few months as oppose to just a week, I would have loved this book. However, that was not the case and because of the speedy declaration of love, it was just an okay read. That said, I am eager to read the rest of this series and to meet the rest of the Sullivans. I would love for Marcus to get his HEA. I am also looking forward to Smith’s story, especially if he (a celebrity) falls for a commoner (one of my favorite tropes). -
The romance was sweet and HOT even though this was major insta-love. Still, I can't tell you how many times the word "lovely" was used, but it was many, many times. Too many.
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The Look of Love is the first book of The Sullivans series by Bella Andre. I listened to this book in audio and loved every word. The narrator Eva Kaminsky does a fabulous job with these characters and this type of story. A lot of times a first book in the series tends to suffer with too much set up for the future books, but that was not the case at all with this book.
Chloe Peterson’s life is in for some serious changes. I absolutely loved Chloe. She got away from an abusive husband just to find herself in a ditch on a rainy night being approached by a stranger to offer a hand. She could shrink away and hide from life, but that just isn't her. Yes, she needs distance and to be careful, but she is strong and resilient. I loved how she balanced all this and came to terms with all that has happened in such a short time.
Chase Sullivan was everything you could want in a man. Hot? Oh yea! But, more importantly he is sweet, loyal, thoughtful, sexy, and patient. He acknowledges the connection between him and Chloe right away, but seeing she is skittish he bides his time and is just there for her. As a photographer he deals with high maintenance models everyday and he does it with kindness, but he is no pushover. I loved how he knew when to push Chloe and when to let her deal with things on her own and the internal monologue that came with making the decision of when to do what.
This book isn't hugely graphic when it comes to the sex scenes, but definitely hot. Again, the narrator did a great job narrating these scenes; not making them skeevy or cheesy.
In this book we get an introduction into the Sullivan family and begin to get to know the other members. I absolutely can’t wait to read/listen to their stories. This family comes across so “real”. Yeah, you have a sports star, an actor, a dancer, but even they are just one of the gang when hanging with the family.
Read or listen to this book! You can’t go wrong either way. You won’t be sorry and with any luck you’ll fall in love with this family as quickly as I did.
You can find this review and others at
http://riverinaromantics.blogspot.com and
http://tinar1121.blogspot.com. -
So the hero finds a woman stranded in the pouring rain. He's a nice guy so he stops to help her out and is hit with insta-attraction. After saving her from a motorcycle that for some reason is speeding in this weather, he manages to convince her that he's not a creep and is only trying to help her out. So she gets in his car and asks to be taken to a motel. He decides that dropping her off at one would make him an "asshole" so he ignores that and instead takes her to his brother's guesthouse. WHAT.
He helps to get her settled in and immediately gets an erection which she not only notices, but comments on. Later she takes a bath and masturbates while thinking of him. But wait! The door is open even though she locked it! He overhears and comes in to stand and stare at her naked body in the tub. She tells him to get out and he refuses and is a total perv.
Now we get to chapter FOUR (the next morning) and we learn our heroine is a goddamn quilter and there's a crisis which requires someone with sewing skills. Afterwards our hero surprises our heroine with new clothes.
Needless to say I did not finish. To the thousands of people who gave this 4-5 stars: did we even read the same book? -
Já presumia que de conteúdo o livro não tivesse muito, à semelhança do livro anterior, este também é parco nas páginas (nem chega a duzentas) mas mesmo assim pensei que houvesse um romance, acho que era isso que a autora pretendia mostrar...uma história de amor. Ou então não e sou eu que não percebo nada disto.
opinião -
http://algodaodoceparaocerebro.blogsp... -
Good story.
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27/6 - I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, now that I've read my friends reviews, but I absolutely loved this. I completely understand their complaints with the book - possibly the worst case of instalove ever, the stupid idea of opening the book with an info dump, and more sex than plot - but none of that mattered to me because Andre immediately hooked me with Chase's instant attraction to Chloe. I would liken it to a girl being in love with a guy who's commited multiple crimes and she knows it, but she can't help loving him anyway, despite all his flaws. I'm that girl and this book is that guy and I fell in instalove with this book. My only problem with this book (obviously not that much of a problem) was that I wanted it to be longer.
My mum finished this at breakfast this morning and I picked it up after lunch this afternoon (I had to finish Beautiful Sacrifice first, you want to talk about bad books, read my review of that one). It took her about 10 days to read it, I only needed six hours. She wasn't all that impressed and said that's why it took her so long to read it, but then again she really enjoyed Fifty Shades of Grey. She saw Christian as a tragic figure and felt sorry that he was unable to have a normal romantic relationship because of his troubled past (we had a few 'discussions' regarding Christian's personality and eventually agreed to disagree). I couldn't stand the book and wished a fiery death on the man, but found myself as in love with Chase as Chloe was. I loved this book so much I would pay money to own it (anyone who knows me, knows how rare that declaration is). Even though I've already read Marcus' story I think I might read it again so that I can read the series in its correct order.
