| Title | : | Shielding Lily |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 143 |
| Publication | : | First published September 11, 2016 |
Ren Hendrick’s succeed's at everything he touches, including football. But he’s never been passionate about anything. He’s quiet and keeps to himself, which pisses people off. But he can’t find the desire to care. He’s lived a life without color until Lily walks in and lights up his world.
Their story is one of sweet young love and finding your forever before you can even dream of what that is. It’s one of protecting what belongs to you and having the courage to follow your heart, no matter your age.
Warning: Call your dentist and schedule an appointment, because you’re going to get nothing but cavities from this sugary book. Ren and Lily start off so innocent, but by the time it’s over, you’re gonna need to hose yourself off. We’re talking two virgins who turn into maniacs. You’re welcome!
Shielding Lily Reviews
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4 Sticky Sweet Smut Scale Stars
Something that I love about Alexa Riley is that you always know what you are going to get:
-Overly possessive alpha male
-Innocent - usually virgin - heroine
-No cheating
-Over the top sweetness
-Over the top SMUT
And I really love that whenever I am in the mood for any of those things I can always count on an AR book to deliver as promised.
I'm not looking for Alexa Riley to write War and Peace, or to "improve," or to become "more refined," as they start to write more and more books.
All they've ever promised is simple, over the top alpha smut - they even put disclaimers on their books SAYING they are overly sweet and ridiculously sappy, for fucks sake- so anyone dinging their stuff for "not getting better" or "showing no improvement" is crazy in my book.
That's like asking a radio station to play Bach when they've made it clear that they only play rock and roll.
But anygripe.
There really is something to be said for consistency in the sense that sometimes, you just REALLY want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
And Alexa Riley brings that fucking sandwich like no one else.
I really liked this book and it was different than their others in the sense that, in this case, both characters were in high school.
That said, this WAS super sticky sweet and things moved pretty fast - but like I said, that's what I love about AR when I'm in the mood for it and that's why I continue to read it.
For FUN. SMUT. -
★★★★1/2! Shielding Lily (stand-alone). Fairytale love hits two lonely high school students & takes them on detour towards epic love!
“Please, Ren. I’m so close.”
“Me too, babe. I’m about to cum just eating your pussy.”
Shielding Lily (stand-alone) opens up to high school senior Lily Parker’s first day in a new school after having lost her mom and relocating with her alcoholic father for the up-tenth time.
High school senior and football star Ren Hendrick walks to the beat of his own drum staying focused on school, sports and helping with his parent’s business. But meeting Lily sparks an unfamiliar need to protect and shield.
“I spend the better part of my morning rearranging my schedule in the guidance office. Some might say it’s crazy to move all my classes around so that Lily and I have a mirrored schedule.”
Their fateful meeting is undeniably electric setting in motion an inevitable romance from friendship to puppy-love and beyond, sweetened by Ren’s devotion, determination, protectiveness and unending love.
Nine words to describe Ren Hendrick: Chivalrous, protective, possessive, nurturing, noble, strong, independent, loner and lovable.
Seven words to describe Lily Parker: Unassuming, sweet, timid, meek, lonely, resourceful and loyal.
Shielding Lily, told from dual POVs, is a fast-paced, feel-good modern fairy-tale love story with non-negotiable insta-feelings. It’s low on angst with some twists and turns and a beyond purrrfect 5+ star ending!
“She smiles at me, and it hits me right in the chest. It’s more powerful than any hit I’ve taken playing football.”
***
Hero rating: 4.5 stars
Heroine rating: 4 stars
Sexual tension rating: 4.5 stars
Sex scenes rating: 4.5 stars
Sex scenes frequency: 4 stars
Plot rating: 4 stars
Dialogue rating: 4.5 stars
Storytelling rating: 5 stars
Story ending rating: 5+stars
**********************************************
Overall rating: 4.5 stars
Would I recommend this book: Yes.
Would I re-read this book: Maybe later.
Would I read future books by this author: Yes.
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My absolute favorite AR story to date. Of course, it hit me right in the feels because I was fortunate to find my love young. Ren was going through the motions in school until he met Lily and found his passion. Together, they discover the sweetness of tender love. Add the signature AR OTT goodness that make these shorties so darn irresistible and you've got a wonderful read. The plot was interesting and touched on the sensitive subject of physical abuse with tact. I enjoyed the epilogues immensely especially with priority given to the things that matter. For all we know that these books are a little exaggerated, we can count on them exaggerating in the right places. Big win with this one. Safety: Physical abuse. No rape. No OW/OM/Sharing. Ren was created exclusively for his Lily.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review. -
It's Lily Parker’s first day at a new high school. She's almost 18 and ready to be out on her own. In her first class she sits down next to Ren Hendrick aka popular football star. One look at Lily has all Ren's protective instincts on high alert. What ensues between these two is toothackingly sweet...
"I love you, Lily Parker,” I say, looking into her big blue eyes. She smiles at me so sweetly it makes my heart ache. “The second I saw you, I fell, babe. I fell hard and fast. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Loving you and becoming everything to you like you are to me."
What can I say about this one. I enjoyed it, but be prepared to have your dentist on speed dial because this one takes the (cup)cake. It's basically like eating a giant cupcake with mounds of fluffy ubber sweet buttercream frosting, topped with sugared dancing unicorns farting rainbows. Complete with a further cavity causing epilogue of which I have not seen from very many authors lately...
Go forth and take a GIANT bite out of this baby...
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Shielding Lily was a great read. This book was something new and for me it was by far the sweetest story from my favorite smut duo. It was so much more than what I was expecting and a nice change of pace comparing to other AR’s books because the characters are both eighteen-years-old high school students, and both virgins. I’m not usual someone who love teenage romance but I loved this one.
Lily Parker is starting a new high school for the fourth time in the past two years. Alcohol is her father’s reason for living since her mother passed away a few years ago. Since that day nothing has been the same and she has sort of taken her mother’s place when it comes to the household chores. Lily is the spitting image of her mother and for her father she’s nothing but a reminder of what he lost. Things are getting more and more unstable at home and Lily is now constantly walking around on eggshells. Her father used to be able to drown his sorrows in the bottom of a bottle and pretending Lily didn’t exist. But now she can see in her father’s eyes that he’s waiting for her to do something wrong so he can strike out. She’s trapped like a skittish rabbit in her own home and she has to get the hell out of there.
Lily is a shy girl and for her first day at school all she wants is blend in and let herself get lost in the crowd of other students. Only months separate her from graduation and she doesn’t want to draw attention to herself. Her only goal is to finish high school, go to college and leave her home life behind.
Ren Hendrick is a straight-A student and a football star at his school. Everyone wants to know what makes him tick. He’s a quiet guy and rarely speaks to anyone. He’s friend with a couple of the guys in his grade, but overall he’s a loner. He’s never been passionate about anything in his life, despite the fact that he has natural talent to succeed in everything he does. His loving parents are the only ones who get his attention. He doesn’t date and enjoy being that way. Until HER. When Ren sees Lily for the first time his whole world changed. He’s never felt so strongly about someone so instantly, an overwhelming need to protect her and to shield her from everything except his love.
I ADORED Ren and Lily so much. They were both amazing characters and the perfect match. They have captured my heart and they might be my favorite AR couple yet! I liked the slow build up and how these two high school students grew in their relationship. Their story was at the start very cute and innocent, then thrived into a captivating and forever true love story. Ren was a beautiful soul and I loved how he made Lily feel special in every way possible. And the multiple epilogues were the icing on the cake !
“I’ve always thought I was brought into this world to find and protect you. To shield you from the ugly things out there. To not let any more darkness touch you. And I do still believe that. But I also think you were brought into this world to light up my life, Lily. The moment you walked into it, I came alive.” -
Solid 4 stars!
All I can say is thank God for AR and her smut books, that know how to bring me out of one of my worse book slumps ever! I haven't read anything in the last two weeks or so and I was seriously giving up hope to get into reading again, because I tried, unsuccessfully, to read more than a page per day of a book that I've been reading now for more than a whole month and still haven't finished. And then I saw that a new AR book was coming out and obvioulsy I had to get it. And boy, the best decision in a long time!
Shielding Lily is, to me at last, a book that's focused more on the story than on sex and that's why I loved it so much. You still get lots of smut and a wonderful romance but I think this time AR takes a step further, since she touches domestic violence and abuse and I loved the plot. All characters, apart from the abvious one - the abuser, were super great and just a fantastic family. There is nothing that I wished the authors would have done differently. For me it was definitely a solid quick read that finally got me out of my book slump, so thumps up for AR! :)
ARC received in exchange for an honest review. -
IT'S LIVE!!!
OMG!!!! Talk about knocking it out of the park!!! Yes, just when I thought I couldn't love these authors more, Alexa Riley managed to leave me speechless...
They completely knocked me out on three fronts! First and biggest, everyone who knows me, knows that YA is definitely not one of my fav genres, and that I tend to stay away from me, but this book, and specially this hero, blew my predefined ideas, because it really made forget that I was reading this genre, and for the very first time, I'm adding a smutty YA to my ALL time favorite list!
Secondly, as you know, I devour everything AR, and couldn't be a bigger fan, but Shielding Lilly and mainly Ren managed to push ahead of so many of my AR favs, and make it to my TOP 3 (not leading because that is reserved to the amazing EFH, our Christmas present)!!!
And last, but not least, you know how I'm a sucker for virgin heroes, so how could I resist this trope executed in the most perfect of ways, and combined with another of my all time favorites, each-others-one-and-only, it was PERFECTION in writing!!! Really, melting into a puddle from start to finish!
And I can't finish without mentioning this, but you know how KA is know for her amazing and fulfilling epilogues, right? Well, these ladies manage to live up to those and then some! I couldn't ADORE them more!!! Yes, completely fan-girling right here, and they most certainly deserve all the credit and SO much more!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review -
She's LIVE!!
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4 The Dream Comes True Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
If you thought Alexa Riley was a one-note wonder... you haven't been paying attention to the developing career of these two women who write with this pen name. Yes, they are infamous for Smutty, Dirty, Raw, OTT Alphas, and their women. They have conquered all types of genres in their books with this formula... yet there is something else happening...With their tongue pressed firmly in cheek...they have decided to touch on some softer, sweeter themes.
In Shielding Lily, we have a story that has been done before... a high school football star falling for a girl from the other side of tracks. They fall hard, the end...Yet when done by Alexa Riley, we get so much more.
We have the lost teen, Lily Parker. She has been mistreated by her father emotionally since her mother died in a car accident. Lily is a beauty and she is the spitting image of what her mother looked like when her father first met her. As Lily has grown into a woman, the drinking and anger have increased causing them to move over and over again. Lily has been walking on eggshells till her 18th birthday....days away. The violence and rage coming from her dad are felt every time he comes home...
Ren Hendrick is a young man who walks to the beat of his own drum. He was blessed to have parents who loved him, encouraged him, and supported whatever he wanted to do. Ren was a big kid from the start and sports were an outlet for all of his energy. Put a ball in his hand and he would accomplish whatever was needed. He was not just a jock, though. He had the focus and intelligence to do well in all of his classes. Ren had no interest in all the BS of high school and gossip. He was his own person and had this way of not talking unless it meant something to him.
Now with all of these talents, it was no surprise Ren received an early full football scholarship to Minnesota University; his time at high school was a waiting game. It did make him a desired trophy for all the girls who want to hang their college popularity on him. The problem is... he was having no part of it.
Ren saw what real love was firsthand. His parents told the story over the years of how they both knew from their first meeting they were it for each other. Ren knew that was how it should be...His parents were a bit concerned though...as all through high school, he never went out or dated anyone. He just wasn't interested... and they were concerned he was missing out on part of what high school and growing up was supposed to be.
So these are our destined partners...and when they come together on Lily's first day, it is the fantasy all high school sweethearts claim they had in the retelling of their stories. We get to see these two meet and connect... him feeling protective of her...and she feeling safe in his presence. There is the usual teen stuff of the girls being sneaky and cutting with Lily having to manage it all. She also has a father who has been a ticking time bomb.
But these two weather everything...together. They were meant for each other and it is as sweet as can be. We also get an epilogue that is truly smart and perfect for the tale. It is fiction... but in our hearts, we wish all 18-year-old couples who feel as strong as this one... have the life and belief in themselves to make it over the years.
Do not let all this sweetness deter you and think ... What, where is the hotness AR is known for...Oh, it is there and just as strong in its possessiveness as all her other books. It is just tailored for this couple. It is everything you experienced in your high school dreams and life.
AR knows how to craft, present, and give the readers what they want and expect. It is just always special when you get the added bonus of a fantasy that could come true.
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
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3.5 Perfectly Happy stars
You know that moment when you read the perfect book and you say to yourself, NOTHING WILL EVER TOP THIS BOOK.
This is that type of book.
Yes it was an insta/love book filled with sweetness and tender moments but it was almost like it too much for me.
I LOVED THIS BOOK don't get me wrong and I will reread it.
However, there was very little conflict and the story was light.
I really felt like I was in high school again with the drama of bitchy cheerleaders thinking they are better than everyone else.
Small spoilers here: not really as one can't spoil an AR book
They have a plan and they stick to it. They have the family they plan, they plan their careers/jobs/college and it all goes according to their plan.
That's great, but in real life it's way more complicated than that.
Now I sound like a spoiled brat don't I.
I get the perfect story and I fault it for being too perfect.
Wow! I am a difficult one to please today. Sorry. It's perfect. But just a little boring.
I was hoping for little more drama and some action!
What's wrong with me? Am I nuts?
BTW these epilogues rocked.
Glad that everything worked out in the end just the way they planned it.
Safety: no need it's Alexa Riley it's as safe as a vault.
Recommend highly for the lovers of young adult and Fans of Alexa Riley. -
4 - sugary guilty pleasure - stars!
Is it me or was this longer than normal...? It felt a bit longer, took a bit more time to push through, or maybe I was enjoying myself more than usual.
Oh and the book was longer too! 143 pages rather than the normal 90-ish ;-)
I think that's why Shielding Lily is one of their best works to date. I was finally able to feel a better connection with the MCs, well more than usual (usual being zip, zero, nada, nill.. You get the picture). This was a bit (emphasis on bit) more layered in the sense that we for once get more background info on the MCs. Although there's not really any character development, but hey... Its AR, it's not like I was expecting that!
One complaint though: they weren't REALLY maniacs.. Just horny teens.. Sigh.. But alright..
Awesome epilogues! Yay! Thanks for the smut, AR!
–------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They had me at "two virgins who turn into maniacs"
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4* call your dentist STARS!!
I don't remember when the last time I read super sweet romance. Yeah, Alexa Riley promised this book will be like that. Whatever she writes, I always read it. Like it or not. And I'm surprised that I quite enjoyed Shielding Lily.“I’m gonna kiss you, Lily Parker. Because you’re the sweetest and most beautiful girl I’ve ever met, and if I don’t I might die. But once I do, you’re gonna belong to me.”
Lily Parker has to survive her last year in new school. She recently moved with drunk useless father after her mother's death. Ren Hendricks never been sure about his future before Lily. He has promising education and great family. He's a loner and Lily is the only girl in his mind. They have chemistry and Ren makes sure that Lily will be his forever no matter what.
I found that both Lily and Ren were easily likable characters. I know Lily was too 'submissive' for my type and she's cute as a button. But she turns out okay. I liked how Ren protective towards Lily. He also admit that he basically like a puppy following her around. Yeah, so adorable especially when both Lily and Ren were virgin. Hmph.
From cute romantic turns into lusty after their first together. It was really tame and beautiful. The story was good and flowed nicely. Everything was very smooth and enjoyable until the end. This was a reverse than usual Alexa Riley's story. Love and lust. However, there's something missing in their chemistry after high school was too rushed. Their relationship is still going strong in college and continued till marriage. Still beautiful romantic story with a lot of sugar and dream in the end.“One of these times you aren’t going to be protected. I’m going to give you all my cum and there will be nothing stopping me from putting my baby in you. Everyone will know then. There will be no missing who you belong to.”
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3.5 stars 🌠
“You’re it for me, Lily,” he says. “It’s going to be you and me forever.”
A cute high-school romance! A little different from the typical Alexa Riley books, but just as sweet.
********
Also, this quote just speaks to my heart⬇️
“You know, you’ve got one stomach for food, and then you’ve got one stomach for dessert. So no matter how much dinner you eat, there’s always room for sweets.”
Oooff! PREACH!! ✨ -
This book was just what I needed! A sweet, safe, romantic story with some hot, steamy scenes! I loved that Ren and Lily were each other's firsts for everything! This is my favorite type of romance! Ren was so sweet and loving for a huge tough football player and Lily was a total sweetheart. This book was pure enjoyment for me and I loved the numerous epilogues!
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4.5 sugary stars⭐️
all yall need to know;
🍭 authors’ note:“Call your dentist and schedule an appointment, because you’re going to get nothing but cavities from this sugary book. Ren and Lily start off so innocent, but by the time it’s over, you’re gonna need to hose yourself off. We’re talking two virgins who turn into maniacs. You’re welcome!”
They weren’t lying, yall. For real, call your dentist.
🍬 one of my many notes and this one pretty much sums up how i felt the entire time reading this novella:'THIS IS SO CRINGEY BUT FUCK ITS SO CUTE I’M EATING THIS SHIT UP NYOMNYOMNYOM FUCK WHYYY’
you know that kind of sweet that makes your throat hurt and feel rough? yea this is it. if u don’t like it, veer away from this one 😷
anywayyy, give me an alternate cover that’s cute af instead of this one PLEASE! Also, one of my fave novella’s from 2020 ✨ -
4.5 'Lily's Shield' Stars!
It's been a while since my last book by these two amazing ladies and I do have to say I really enjoyed this sugary sweet (and sexy!) love story! It felt fresh (because we have two young main characters) and I loved it to the last page. Definitely recommend it if you enjoyed AR in the past! -
This book deserves more than a 5-star rating. I love it! It's perfect! The kind of story I won't get tired re-reading. And I'm glad I chose this as my first read this year. A great start for me.
The story is about Ren and Lily.
It's her first day in school. She's a transfer student. A senior and in her last semester. She wanted to move out after high school, away from her alcoholic and abusive father.
Ren plays center and got a full scholarship in college. He's smart and he's not your typical football player. He's not a manwhore. Far from that. He's a loner until he met Lily.
I love how protective he is when it comes to her and he's so sweet! He's the perfect hero! He knows what he wants and takes good care of it. He always put her first before everything else. And Lily is a great heroine too. She doesn't care about the mean girls in school but she won't let anyone say something bad about Ren.
I love the epilogues too! My kind of epilogue, marriage and babies. I want more stories like this one.
SAFETY: -
༺**Complimentary Copy**༺ Provided by the author
"Alexa Riley" In exchange for an honest review..Thank you!!
TITLE: Shielding Lily
AUTHOR: Alexa Riley
GENRE: YA | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
CHAPTERS:
RELEASE DATE: September 13th 2016
MY RATING: 4 STARS
SHIELDING LILY: Spoken in 'Dual Perspectives' Lily Parker & Ren Hendrick
With it being Lily's first day at her new school she's feeling all kinds of trepidation and is hoping that she can be as invisible like she normally is.
That's so not the case in this instance, Ren sees her, as soon as she takes the vacant seat beside him in her first class he seems to take her under his wing and just wants to protect and care for her, something stirs within both of them.
“Despite knowing her for less than a day, Lily means more to me than I could have thought possible. But I’d rather feel obsessively consumed than feel nothing at all”
The storyline is fast paced, they meet, from lust to love, 2 virgins..
Lily's mother died in a tragic accident, Lily has the scar on her face to prove it, she looks so much like her mother it is uncanny which is why her father drowns his sorrows in the bottom of the bottle and takes out anger and frustration out on Lily. In order to survive she strives to remain as invisible as possible and under his radar but nothing seems to help.
Ren is a straight A student, everything comes easy to him, a campus superstar footballer that's closed himself off from all his peers.
Will Ren uncover the horrors of Lily's home life? And will he be her knight in shining armour Shielding Lily from future abuse from her father?
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"4,5 Shielding Lily stars"
This was so sweet and hot at the same time! I really enjoyed it. I liked the blurb since the first time I read it and I couldn't wait to get it in my greedy hands. When I got it I was like...
No, kidding. It was more like this...
I love AR's books and this one was about two high school student finding their way. Ren had everything but something was missing from his life...his real passion for something or someone...
Lily was shy and a loner. She had very little things to make her happy so Ren came the right moment, making a bubble around them to keep her safe...
But my heart is full, just as it has been since the day he walked into my life. Since the day Ren shielded me from everything except his love.
When Ren and Lily met was like fireworks...They tried to understand what was going on between them, since this weird feeling was new to both of them...
They started as innocent and immature virgins but when you have chemistry you never stop learning what makes the other one crave you so much it hurts...When they started being intimate, it was impossible to stop...well I don't blame them! They were young and full of life...having amazing sex with the love of their lives.
I loved their epilogues as the years were passing...and how they never stopped loving each other! And having babies....
Thanks Alexa once again!
Enjoy!xxx -
3.5 *yaaaay finally a AR book to love* stars!!
Well well .. look whose writing a GOOD review about an AR book.
I have read more than 3 books of Alexa Riley and all were a bummer for me, some was good but i have never ever given a AR book more than 2 stars, So this is a first.
Whenever we pick a AR book, some things are a MUST in that book.
- An Alpha-asshole hero with a big heart for her lady.
- Total caveman.
- A virgin.
- Blackmailing.
- No Solid plot line(well i little bit story but not a solid one)
- A naive heroine.
- Full on Sex.
- No drama
- No angst.
- Total HEA.
But as i said this book was GOOD so it means some of the above mandatory things from an AR book was not in this book, and that was the reason i loved this book..
Shielding Lily has ..
-A GOOD story.
- A sweet as cupcake love story.
- Awesome hero.
- Character Development.
- A good heroine.
- Awesome side characters.
- Good plot.“I’m gonna kiss you, Lily Parker. Because you’re the sweetest and most beautiful girl I’ve ever met, and if I don’t I might die. But once I do, you’re gonna belong to me.”
Well, I really enjoyed this one. It was sweet as cupcake story with so cliche and sweet dialogues that after finishing it i thought i might have diabetes.
It was Lily's first day of senior year in high school, when she sat next to highschool famous footballer Ren Hendrick and Kabhooooooom a look on Lily and Ren fell hard for her. Ren's instincts to protect Lily was high and he vowed to himself that he won't let anything happen to her till the day he die.
After that i assure you that everything is so sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet, you might call your dentist and make an appointment. This book will provide you a good plot line with amazing characters who are madly in love, with Ren's possessive caveman personality everything is interesting as hell. I love how there was character development in this book which we don't see in many of
Alexa Riley's books."I love you, Lily Parker,” I say, looking into her big blue eyes. She smiles at me so sweetly it makes my heart ache. “The second I saw you, I fell, babe. I fell hard and fast. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Loving you and becoming everything to you like you are to me."
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++2.5++
Huh... so I really dont know what to write here.
This one didnt do it for me.
I guess i was expecting too much... Again. I have to stop idealizing books.
The first day in new school was way too long for me and i was even thinking about skimming which is kind of weird when its short story. I didnt feel connected to any of them, even when it was longer than usual, and although i like sugar sweet stories with both MC being virgins, this one wasnt working for me. Also I didnt like that heroine was the one who iniciated the physical stuff between them, i understand that she was seeking the affection she was missing, but it still kind of ruined the alpha male vision of hero. Even the sexy time was not so hot and felt rushed which bothered me when i take it should be "two virgins into maniacs" - honestly didnt see that.
And its not the first time i noticed this in AR books, but the writing felt little weird. Like amateurish or something like that (maybe the use of time was wrong for me), dont know how to explain it. Or is it just me? lol
It sounds like i didnt like it but i did, kind of... There were parts i enjoyed, mostly the ending and epilogues but it wont be re-read. -
3 stars
Possessive alpha, but make it high school LOL. Very much insta love, but started out really sweet. It moved really quickly and was a nice, fast listen. The male narrator was very enthusiastic.
Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 3 stars
Narrators: Laurie West & Hunter Millbrooke
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Length: -
Absolutely beautiful and fantastic! It's a little different than usual in the Alexa Riley world, but thanks to that, fresh and even better!
Ren Hendrick is eighteen year old A-student and a high school football star. But he isn't a typical jock. He is quiet and a loner. Doesn't care about the girls until he saw her. Lily Parker immediately had his attention. Lily moved from school to school. She prefers to be invisible and dream about turning eighteen and getting out of abusive home. But on the first day of a new school she meets a boy, who sees her and doesn't intend to let her go out of his sight.
The plot seems to be well known, but still it is quite in the Alexa Riley style and this alone makes it different. Young heroes are wonderful and you can easily fall in love with the hero, who is strongly possessive and protective. And it's sweet as hell! Completely stunning! They will make you smile all the time, and it's steaming in a completely new pure and innocent way. Story also has a darker side making it more complex. I think, it's one of the best books of Alexa Riley!
***
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
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What a Hero! When do you find a man that helps his parents and is grateful for the life he leads? This is the man...He's such a gentleman and a sweetheart! I love to read about a man that is a virgin, but that does not ever in any way takes his masculinity! This is a real value to portray for a man, and not a slutty, teenage manwhores you are becoming so familiar, its becoming scary how young people approach sex these days, with no regards to safety and morals. Alexa Riley on the other hand, gives you a "REAL MAN" and a romance to inspire and escape from the realities of life!
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4 Guilty Pleasure stars
If I think about it rationally, I should hate this book. Seriously, the amount of ridiculousness in it (not the LOL kind, but the WTF) was sky high. Yet, I loved it. Hence the "guilty pleasure".
So, Lily is this sweet, frail girl whose father beats her while she's is trying to wade anonymously through high school to be able to save some money and move out to go to college. What she hasn't planned is Ren. He's depicted by other people as this asocial football star, who we learn has no real passion in life. Until he meets Lily.
This was the most insta-love-lust-everything I've ever read. I'm surprised he didn't ask her to marry him the first time he saw her. It was that instant.
Anyway, he takes it upon himself to show her around school, buy her food, do her biddings, whatever, just to be with her. At the end of the day, he's already sure she'll be the mother of his babies. And it's a good thing this was set in high school, because in any other setting it would have been weird for a guy to behave the way Ren did. Hell, it was weird here too, but still... teenagers are known to go a little OTT with these things. Also, in real life, if a guy held my hand/touched my hair upon meeting me, I would knee him in the family jewels and run for the hills.
After 24 hours, they're boyfriend and girlfriend. Bam. Just like that. I guess if you want to enjoy this book, you ought to have a very open mind. As in, embrace the ridiculous parts and enjoy the diabete-sweet journey.
Ren was probably the dream-teen-boyfriend. Caring to a fault, possessive as all hell, sweet and hot. Their first time was really endearing and in general this book surprised me with the level of scorching-hotness. Not something I was expecting, but it did indeed give the story something more than just a candy-injection.
If I had to judge only on the enjoyment alone I should give it five stars, but there were too many shortcoming and sometimes childish slips to warrant the full rating. We have evil cheerleaders, jerkish jocks, Lily is kind of a cardboard characters herself, either being a frail little flower or a nymphomaniac, and Ren is so flawless it hurts. Lily's father is dealt with using violence as if it were some western movie where punches solve anything. And here the guilty pleasure resurfaces again. I mean, how many times I've read novels where even the evil person was redeemable in the end? Where enemies get understood and evil bitches are treated with some kind of insight? Lots of times, because life is complex. Well, this book was the simplified version of life, where if you punch a guy in the muzzle and tell him to not show up again, he will. Where people still have hearts in their eyes after years of marriage gone without a single fight. Well, I call bullshit, but still, it's good to dream for one afternoon.
It also reminded me a bit of a mix between
My Life Next Door and
More Than Forever. Ren reminded me a lot of Cam, in "More than Forever", for the way he provides for Lily and his "Forever" kind of love.
I would recommend it to people who are in need of a sweet overdose, who do not care about structure or timing (getting married after months of dating at eighteen? And parents telling you it's okay to live with your girlfriend or punching people? Yeah... right) or that are not bothered by a H that would do everything for the h, maybe even chew her food first so that she won't hurt her gums. That's the level of obsession/tenderness.
Even though I have mixed feelings, I have to admit I really enjoyed it. It's like some of my naive teenage fantasies came true. Not sure how I feel about them now, but it's a short read so it's not like you'll get stuck with it for days. Oh, and nice touch the multiple epilogues. It was rather fitting with their "meant to be together forever kind" of love. -
*** 3,5 stars ***
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4.5 - "Is there always an empty seat next to you..?""...Not anymore." Stars!
Awwwwww, I absolutely adored this sweet and sexy offering from the dynamic duo, is there no trope that they cannot take to their imaginations and deliver an outstanding story from.
Our story started out a little shaky, but there’s so much ahead of us…
I personally haven’t discovered one as yet, and the younger couple in Shielding Lily offered up just the right amount of innocence before going Mach 4 on the horny teen scale.
Ren the loner football jock takes to Lily from first sight and over the course of a couple of day’s falls desperately in love with her. With loving parents and his life for the next few years mapped out, the nervous and shy Lily coming into his life comes as something of a shock.
I’ve never felt so strongly about someone so instantly, but the need is overwhelming.
Lily falls as hard for Ren and soon they are spending all of their spare time together, but Ren senses that Lily is holding back something, and he wants to know everything about his girl…
When I’m close to him, I feel safe.
Loved this one, the balance was perfect, the sexy times when they got going were sweet and everything had the slight innocence of youth for the first part of the book. I loved the multiple epilogues in this one as well, it finished off everything for Ren and Lily’s story really well.
"You’re mine and I’m yours… Nothing will ever change that."
ARC generously provided via ArdentPRose PR, and it was my pleasure to provide the above honest review.
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This was so sweet it gave me toothache and I bloody loved it. I absolutely love seeing a hero all in from the get go and Ren sure was ALL IN.
A great little read that didn't feel rushed at all. Did I say I loved it? -
This was a cute one. Both were virgins and are high schoolers. It's different from Alexa Riley's other works. It was also longer than some of her short ones, it's still not a full novel, but longer. I enjoyed it!
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Alexa Riley writing a sweet romance? What the fuck???
That was pretty much my reaction to hearing about this book. I love AR for their over the top Alpha males and the extreme sexiness they manage to pack into such short books. So I was a little apprehensive going into this book. I'm happy to report, though that I actually liked it. Ren was over the top with the sweetness, not Alpha-ness, but I actually found myself enjoying his protective ways.
Three stars only because it didn't have as much sexiness as I've come to expect from AR and that was a little disappointing. It still had some hot moments but not the steamy, makes me want to rip some clothes off, kind of hot. I still recommend this book though, and it would actually be a nice way to introduce yourself to AR if you haven't already read anything by these authors.
