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Brown Family #4
Never Enough
From the national bestselling author of "Inside Out" -- a sizzling story of insatiable passion.
Gillian Forrester spent her life running... until Miles came along.
The moment she held her older sister's unwanted newborn, Gillian stopped running and began building a life for her adopted son.
Now, thirteen years later, Gillian's sister reveals the father's identity on her deathbed-a revelation that shakes Gillian to her core.
Adrian Brown is the epitome of the successful rock star. It takes a lot to shock him-but the bombshell that he has a son rocks his world.
And Adrian is even more surprised when the buttoned-up elegant woman who's raising him ignites his erotic and romantic attention-and engages his heart.
Gillian Forrester spent her life running... until Miles came along.
The moment she held her older sister's unwanted newborn, Gillian stopped running and began building a life for her adopted son.
Now, thirteen years later, Gillian's sister reveals the father's identity on her deathbed-a revelation that shakes Gillian to her core.
Adrian Brown is the epitome of the successful rock star. It takes a lot to shock him-but the bombshell that he has a son rocks his world.
And Adrian is even more surprised when the buttoned-up elegant woman who's raising him ignites his erotic and romantic attention-and engages his heart.
312 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2011
About the author
Lauren Dane
111 books4,983 followersLauren Dane has been writing stories since she was able to use a pencil, and before that she used to tell them to people. Of course, she still talks nonstop, and through wonderful fate and good fortune, she’s now able to share what she writes with others. It’s a wonderful life!
The basics: Lauren is a mom, a partner, a best friend and a daughter. Living in the rainy but beautiful Pacific Northwest, she spends her late evenings writing like a fiend when she finally wrestles all of her kids to bed.
The basics: Lauren is a mom, a partner, a best friend and a daughter. Living in the rainy but beautiful Pacific Northwest, she spends her late evenings writing like a fiend when she finally wrestles all of her kids to bed.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 388 reviews
December 27, 2011
Never Enough? Oh.....I've had quite enough from Ms. Dane this week, thank you very much!
This is the second time this week that I am siiiiiighing at her! Hello…has anybody seen Lauren? Has she taken a sabbatical or been taken over by pod people? What the heck is going on with her writing these days? This new book, as with her other new release this week, Once and Again, has left me scratching my head.
For the publisher’s price of $10, I want $9.99 of it back. This book was not good at all and yet another dull new release by Lauren Dane. The premise of the story was interesting…a man falls in love with his son’s adoptive mother who happens to be his baby momma’s sister. Very interesting concept and quite twisty! It could have been a great read but there were several things that stopped it from being that and took it away from the “feel” of the other books Brown series.
I will start at the end of the story and work my way forward.
First, is it just me or did the story just end abruptly...again? Once and Again ended abruptly as well. I was shaking my Kindle to see if it would magically produced the high-jacked pages to the end of book. But sadly…no. No more pages…no more story…just “Author’s Notes”. Sorry Lauren…but honestly, I don’t care about your play list! What I wanted was a true ending to that story. It was like she got tired and just stopped. C’mon Lauren! You really can do better than this. You got me twice in one week and I am not impressed with this new “style” of writing.
Second, did Lauren fire her editor? Or…maybe her editor is on sabbatical? Clearly, one or both of them are vacationing on a beach in Tahiti, sipping Mai Tai's, and no one is mining the store. There were so many typos, grammatical errors, and incorrect word usage that I was just shocked. Are there any vestiges of the author formerly known as Lauren Dane? It’s like this book was written by an entirely different person. Either that or Lauren rushed to get these books out on her publishers timetable. B-A-D…I-D-E-A! Also, there was one line towards the end of the book that just really should have been edited out. Really! Gillian and Adrian talked dirty to each other during all the sex scenes...their characters apparently got off on it. It was like bad porn but I stomached it…although some of the lines were cheesier than Velveeta. But...I had to re-read this line to be sure my mind processed what my eyes were seeing. I had an honest-to-God, “she DID NOT put THAT there” moment. Adrian tells Gillian, “I want to rut on you.” Really…rut on her?!?! I think Lauren got confused for a minute and borrowed a line that could have appeared in one of her Cascadia Wolves book. But even then…this line is so unbelievably crass that it borders on disgusting. SMH at you Lauren.
Moving on, the romance happened way too quickly. Adrian is downright nasty towards Gillian at first. He loudly calls her a money-grubbing whore in public and then uses his lawyers to tell her that she can’t contact him. Adrian is apparently schizophrenic and doesn’t realize that he’s contacted her every time, sans the first, when they dealt with each other. He doesn’t even want to listen to what she has to say about Miles. Brody and Erin have to practically bully him into going to visit her. He shows up at her house unannounced and within minutes, even while they’re still outside, he is “thrusting” his tongue into her mouth. Seriously?!?! Get real. If Adrian Brown had done to me, or any other red-blooded woman, what he did to Gillian, he would scooping his entrails off the ground and super-gluing his “junk” back into place. Kissing would SO NOT have been on the my list of things to do to him at that moment.
And my final gripe about the book, and yet another example of poor writing, was that secondary characters and their nuances where not explained in a logical sequence. Characters and/or their nuances were mentioned but not explained until later...much later in some cases. Lauren seems to make the assumption that the readers of this book would have read the other books in this series. In one place she explained that Alexander was at home with his “fathers”… plural. Yet, this was the first reference to Erin’s two husbands and she didn’t even explain their non-traditional relationship until further into the story. Also, she wrote that Adrian would “call Cope” to look into Gillian’s background. So much for getting new readers up to speed, Lauren! She just threw his name in without explaining who he was or what he did for a living.
The story just grated on me in several places but it could have been a gem if it wasn’t for the poor writing, bad grammar, and non-existent editing. I hate to be so judgmental.....but, paying $10 for uninspired drivel gave me that right. I will be taking a break from Miss Lauren for a while. She burned me twice in one week!!!
I hope she gets her writing mojo back or she will lose long-time readers/supporters like me.
This is the second time this week that I am siiiiiighing at her! Hello…has anybody seen Lauren? Has she taken a sabbatical or been taken over by pod people? What the heck is going on with her writing these days? This new book, as with her other new release this week, Once and Again, has left me scratching my head.
For the publisher’s price of $10, I want $9.99 of it back. This book was not good at all and yet another dull new release by Lauren Dane. The premise of the story was interesting…a man falls in love with his son’s adoptive mother who happens to be his baby momma’s sister. Very interesting concept and quite twisty! It could have been a great read but there were several things that stopped it from being that and took it away from the “feel” of the other books Brown series.
I will start at the end of the story and work my way forward.
First, is it just me or did the story just end abruptly...again? Once and Again ended abruptly as well. I was shaking my Kindle to see if it would magically produced the high-jacked pages to the end of book. But sadly…no. No more pages…no more story…just “Author’s Notes”. Sorry Lauren…but honestly, I don’t care about your play list! What I wanted was a true ending to that story. It was like she got tired and just stopped. C’mon Lauren! You really can do better than this. You got me twice in one week and I am not impressed with this new “style” of writing.
Second, did Lauren fire her editor? Or…maybe her editor is on sabbatical? Clearly, one or both of them are vacationing on a beach in Tahiti, sipping Mai Tai's, and no one is mining the store. There were so many typos, grammatical errors, and incorrect word usage that I was just shocked. Are there any vestiges of the author formerly known as Lauren Dane? It’s like this book was written by an entirely different person. Either that or Lauren rushed to get these books out on her publishers timetable. B-A-D…I-D-E-A! Also, there was one line towards the end of the book that just really should have been edited out. Really! Gillian and Adrian talked dirty to each other during all the sex scenes...their characters apparently got off on it. It was like bad porn but I stomached it…although some of the lines were cheesier than Velveeta. But...I had to re-read this line to be sure my mind processed what my eyes were seeing. I had an honest-to-God, “she DID NOT put THAT there” moment. Adrian tells Gillian, “I want to rut on you.” Really…rut on her?!?! I think Lauren got confused for a minute and borrowed a line that could have appeared in one of her Cascadia Wolves book. But even then…this line is so unbelievably crass that it borders on disgusting. SMH at you Lauren.
Moving on, the romance happened way too quickly. Adrian is downright nasty towards Gillian at first. He loudly calls her a money-grubbing whore in public and then uses his lawyers to tell her that she can’t contact him. Adrian is apparently schizophrenic and doesn’t realize that he’s contacted her every time, sans the first, when they dealt with each other. He doesn’t even want to listen to what she has to say about Miles. Brody and Erin have to practically bully him into going to visit her. He shows up at her house unannounced and within minutes, even while they’re still outside, he is “thrusting” his tongue into her mouth. Seriously?!?! Get real. If Adrian Brown had done to me, or any other red-blooded woman, what he did to Gillian, he would scooping his entrails off the ground and super-gluing his “junk” back into place. Kissing would SO NOT have been on the my list of things to do to him at that moment.
And my final gripe about the book, and yet another example of poor writing, was that secondary characters and their nuances where not explained in a logical sequence. Characters and/or their nuances were mentioned but not explained until later...much later in some cases. Lauren seems to make the assumption that the readers of this book would have read the other books in this series. In one place she explained that Alexander was at home with his “fathers”… plural. Yet, this was the first reference to Erin’s two husbands and she didn’t even explain their non-traditional relationship until further into the story. Also, she wrote that Adrian would “call Cope” to look into Gillian’s background. So much for getting new readers up to speed, Lauren! She just threw his name in without explaining who he was or what he did for a living.
The story just grated on me in several places but it could have been a gem if it wasn’t for the poor writing, bad grammar, and non-existent editing. I hate to be so judgmental.....but, paying $10 for uninspired drivel gave me that right. I will be taking a break from Miss Lauren for a while. She burned me twice in one week!!!
I hope she gets her writing mojo back or she will lose long-time readers/supporters like me.
September 13, 2011
Well I know one thing--I can Never (get) Enough of Lauren Dane's Brown Siblings series. While this was not my favorite of the series (hard to beat Brody--and his book--Coming Undone) I was entertained, and found this one hard to put down. It's got sizzling heat, lots of passion, and of course there's some conflict. Both the H/h have their issues--Adrian finds it difficult to trust outside his circle of friends and family, and fiercely independent Gillian has trouble opening up fully and revealing hurtful secrets of her past.
The plot in a nutshell--Seattle rock star Adrian Brown (bother of Brody and rocker sister Erin (Laid Bare)) finds out he has a 13-year-old son, who has been raised by the sister of the woman he had a one-night stand with. Gillian has adopted her nephew Miles, loved him as her son, and for 13 years has tried to get her sister to reveal the name of his father. While on her death bed, her sister finally tells Gillian who Miles's father is, and makes her promise that she will find him and tell him he has a son. It is world famous rock star, Adrian Brown.
Some things I liked about this one:
*The intense chemistry between Adrian and Gillian. Wow, it didn't take long for these two. From the minute they met, you could feel the heat. Even though they started off on the wrong foot, with Adrian thinking that Gillian was some money grubbing whore out to shake him down (not one of his finest moments) you knew something was going to happen between them. Her prim and proper attitude (and her English accent) and the way that she took no s**t from him really turned Adrian on. Fun to see him getting all hot and bothered (and doing something about it!) Gillian was a woman who loved sex and wasn't ashamed of her desires. I loved whenever Adrian called her "English", and I liked Gillian's obsession with Adrian's forearms and hands!:)
Adrian and those arms...
*The story outside of the bedroom. Yes, there's a story beyond the bedroom, and I enjoyed reading every word. I enjoyed meeting Gillian, hearing about her family's troubled past and how she overcame it, reading about how she raised Miles, meeting her friends on Bainbridge Island (where she lived), and watching the relationship between father and long-lost-son develop, and watching Miles, Adrian, and Gillian become a family.
Bainbridge Island, a 30 minute ferry ride from Seattle...
The ferry...
*The extended Brown family. Everyone's accounted for here! Erin, Todd and Ben. Cope and Ella. Elise and Brody. You get an update of their lives, meet their children, and watch how they interact with Adrian and Gillian, accept Miles into their family, and include Gillian in everything.
*Brody Brown. The rock of the Brown family. The father figure and the voice of reason. The guy who always was able to put Adrian on the right path when he was in danger of losing his way. I don't know what Adrian would've done without Brody. Probably would've lost the best thing that ever happened to him...
*The book cover. I'll admit, I'm one who can get easily distracted by a hot book cover, and when I first saw this one I thought...wow. But my second thought was--"Is that Adrian?" I just didn't picture him that way! I'm so glad Lauren Dane cleared that up for me--the guy on the book cover is just how she described him, right down to the tattoos, earrings, and forearms!
There were a few things that I wondered about, or wasn't wild about, but they were minor:
*I couldn't believe
*The language in the book, or should I say the use of one word. I know this is an erotic romance, and both Gillian and Adrian were 'dirty talkers', but I felt kind of jarred by the use of the c**t word. I don't know how to explain it. I guess it was because the rest of the book seemed so mild, and then you get to the love scenes, and I think it was mostly Gillian who thought (not sure if she ever said it aloud?) this word. Just didn't seem to fit with the tone of the book...
*Adrian's meltdown at the end of the book.
*Where's the epilogue? This book sort of ended a bit abruptly for me--I wanted some answers to some questions that were left hanging. I'm hoping this will be resolved in an upcoming series?
If you've never tried this series, and are about to, please start at the beginning. This series should be read in order or you might be lost and not understand some references. Fans of the series, I think you'll find this an enjoyable, hot read. Yes, Adrian has some a**hole moments, but I attribute some of that to him being a rock star and being just a wee bit spoiled. He's basically a good, decent guy with a big, loving heart. He turned out to be an awesome father, and a wonderful friend and lover to Gillian. I think readers will love him. And Gillian? A little feisty, a little reserved, but a wonderful heroine that I think most readers will identify with. It would be a little hard to fit in with the larger-than-life Brown clan, and I think Gillian did an admirable job. To go from working mom trying to make a life for her son to the extreme wealth of Adrian and his lifestyle, well, that had to be an adjustment. I think Lauren Dane showed all that Gillian had to deal with, all the compromises that had to be made by both Gillian and Adrian in a very realistic way. I enjoyed reading every minute of their love story, and was sad to see it end. 4 1/2 stars
Warning: This book contains explicit sex, including oral and one(?) anal scene; two dirty talking leads; and some tickling the prostate scenes...Not for the faint of heart.
The plot in a nutshell--Seattle rock star Adrian Brown (bother of Brody and rocker sister Erin (Laid Bare)) finds out he has a 13-year-old son, who has been raised by the sister of the woman he had a one-night stand with. Gillian has adopted her nephew Miles, loved him as her son, and for 13 years has tried to get her sister to reveal the name of his father. While on her death bed, her sister finally tells Gillian who Miles's father is, and makes her promise that she will find him and tell him he has a son. It is world famous rock star, Adrian Brown.
Some things I liked about this one:
*The intense chemistry between Adrian and Gillian. Wow, it didn't take long for these two. From the minute they met, you could feel the heat. Even though they started off on the wrong foot, with Adrian thinking that Gillian was some money grubbing whore out to shake him down (not one of his finest moments) you knew something was going to happen between them. Her prim and proper attitude (and her English accent) and the way that she took no s**t from him really turned Adrian on. Fun to see him getting all hot and bothered (and doing something about it!) Gillian was a woman who loved sex and wasn't ashamed of her desires. I loved whenever Adrian called her "English", and I liked Gillian's obsession with Adrian's forearms and hands!:)
Adrian and those arms...
*The story outside of the bedroom. Yes, there's a story beyond the bedroom, and I enjoyed reading every word. I enjoyed meeting Gillian, hearing about her family's troubled past and how she overcame it, reading about how she raised Miles, meeting her friends on Bainbridge Island (where she lived), and watching the relationship between father and long-lost-son develop, and watching Miles, Adrian, and Gillian become a family.
Bainbridge Island, a 30 minute ferry ride from Seattle...
The ferry...
*The extended Brown family. Everyone's accounted for here! Erin, Todd and Ben. Cope and Ella. Elise and Brody. You get an update of their lives, meet their children, and watch how they interact with Adrian and Gillian, accept Miles into their family, and include Gillian in everything.
*Brody Brown. The rock of the Brown family. The father figure and the voice of reason. The guy who always was able to put Adrian on the right path when he was in danger of losing his way. I don't know what Adrian would've done without Brody. Probably would've lost the best thing that ever happened to him...
*The book cover. I'll admit, I'm one who can get easily distracted by a hot book cover, and when I first saw this one I thought...wow. But my second thought was--"Is that Adrian?" I just didn't picture him that way! I'm so glad Lauren Dane cleared that up for me--the guy on the book cover is just how she described him, right down to the tattoos, earrings, and forearms!
There were a few things that I wondered about, or wasn't wild about, but they were minor:
*I couldn't believe
*The language in the book, or should I say the use of one word. I know this is an erotic romance, and both Gillian and Adrian were 'dirty talkers', but I felt kind of jarred by the use of the c**t word. I don't know how to explain it. I guess it was because the rest of the book seemed so mild, and then you get to the love scenes, and I think it was mostly Gillian who thought (not sure if she ever said it aloud?) this word. Just didn't seem to fit with the tone of the book...
*Adrian's meltdown at the end of the book.
*Where's the epilogue? This book sort of ended a bit abruptly for me--I wanted some answers to some questions that were left hanging. I'm hoping this will be resolved in an upcoming series?
If you've never tried this series, and are about to, please start at the beginning. This series should be read in order or you might be lost and not understand some references. Fans of the series, I think you'll find this an enjoyable, hot read. Yes, Adrian has some a**hole moments, but I attribute some of that to him being a rock star and being just a wee bit spoiled. He's basically a good, decent guy with a big, loving heart. He turned out to be an awesome father, and a wonderful friend and lover to Gillian. I think readers will love him. And Gillian? A little feisty, a little reserved, but a wonderful heroine that I think most readers will identify with. It would be a little hard to fit in with the larger-than-life Brown clan, and I think Gillian did an admirable job. To go from working mom trying to make a life for her son to the extreme wealth of Adrian and his lifestyle, well, that had to be an adjustment. I think Lauren Dane showed all that Gillian had to deal with, all the compromises that had to be made by both Gillian and Adrian in a very realistic way. I enjoyed reading every minute of their love story, and was sad to see it end. 4 1/2 stars
Warning: This book contains explicit sex, including oral and one(?) anal scene; two dirty talking leads; and some tickling the prostate scenes...Not for the faint of heart.
November 1, 2022
5 Never Enough Stars
I don’t really have a favorite of this series because I like them all soooo much.
But if I had to choooooseeee…. Adrian would be it.. he is delicious!
Now Gillian is no slouch and I think I love that she puts Adrian in his place when he needs it.
I totally understand Adrian’s trust issues but I can only excuse that so far you know. At some point, he has to make the choice and go all in.
There is one scene in this book that makes me love Brody so much more than I already did and that was when he threw water in Adrian’s face, now he did it for a reason and I felt he did the right thing at that time. Brody being Brody even apologized for it after.
I think we needed that to really show that Brody has been the father figure and we don’t always remember it because we think of his as the brother but he is so much more than just a brother to Adrian and Erin. And I just loved that scene for better or worse it has just always stuck with me.
I always cry near the end of this book, Gillian gets me every time. She wears her heart on her sleeve and when it is hurt she shows it. It was an emotional scene and no matter this is the fourth time reading it I still get all weepy with her.
I LOVVVVVVEEE Lucy Rivers narration in this book so very much. She did Gillian's accent SO well. I can’t even tell you how much I loved that not only does she do an English accent well she did both types and they were both so freaking amazing and distinct.
*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*
I don’t really have a favorite of this series because I like them all soooo much.
But if I had to choooooseeee…. Adrian would be it.. he is delicious!
Now Gillian is no slouch and I think I love that she puts Adrian in his place when he needs it.
I totally understand Adrian’s trust issues but I can only excuse that so far you know. At some point, he has to make the choice and go all in.
There is one scene in this book that makes me love Brody so much more than I already did and that was when he threw water in Adrian’s face, now he did it for a reason and I felt he did the right thing at that time. Brody being Brody even apologized for it after.
I think we needed that to really show that Brody has been the father figure and we don’t always remember it because we think of his as the brother but he is so much more than just a brother to Adrian and Erin. And I just loved that scene for better or worse it has just always stuck with me.
I always cry near the end of this book, Gillian gets me every time. She wears her heart on her sleeve and when it is hurt she shows it. It was an emotional scene and no matter this is the fourth time reading it I still get all weepy with her.
I LOVVVVVVEEE Lucy Rivers narration in this book so very much. She did Gillian's accent SO well. I can’t even tell you how much I loved that not only does she do an English accent well she did both types and they were both so freaking amazing and distinct.
*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*
Read
March 13, 2011I think my favorite thing about the Brown Siblings books are that they're somehow simultaneously about the family you have AND the family you make, which is pretty much the best of both worlds.
November 10, 2011
Welcome to another chapter in the neverending story of my love-hate relationship with Lauren Dane. There's no author that has this effect on me really. Half of the time while reading her books I'm grinding my teeth or rolling my eyes, but by the time I'm finished with it, I always end up wanting more. And not in the it's so over the top bad it's good again way, but in the it touches something deep inside me way.
This only goes for this series though, the other books I read from her I didn't really like.
Anyway, to recap from previous reviews what I like and don't like about this series:
The Dislikes
1. These people overtalk things. Like seriously. Instead of a case of "Don't tell but show", this is a case of less talking, more action. They discuss everything way too much, and everything is always soooooo serious.
2. They think they are way more kinkier than they are. The way these people talk you'd think they are all sexual deviants. It's erotical romance yes, but that's more because there's a lot of sex than because the sex is extraordinary kinky.
3. The writing style always feels a little forced to me. It's just not really my thing. And there's a lot of headhopping.
4. Nothing really happens in these books.
The Likes
1. Nothing really happens in these books. I love how all the relationships take there time to grow, and that there isn't always a huge amount of conflict. Stuff does happen, but because it's always spread over a decent amount of time, the developement of the relationship is the real focus. And I absolutely love that. I wish more contemporary romances would do this.
2. The music. This series breathes music, and I love almost every reference that's made in it. I even make playlists to listen to while reading based on the reference list in the book.
3. These are my kind of people. The music, the tattoo's, the piercings and the music and the food. How tight knit a community they are, without being the typical contemporary romance adirondack small village community (I've soooo had enough of those). I think this is the true appeal of the series. They are city people, but not the business focused kind.
4. I love how previous story threads re-appear in following books, how you get a feel for the life after the HEA of the other characters.
***
And now to the specific ponder points of this book.
I adored the heroine. She was strong and honorable and liked to do what was right, even when that isn't the safe choice. She was still vulnerable though, and not always making the right decisions. Which made her human. I loved that she was a classical piano player, and when she played the Goldberg Variations I was thrilled.
The music was truly the best part of the book for me, because it didn't only push my modern music buttons, but also my classic ones. I've been trying to master the Goldberg Variations by Bach for ages, and it was a huge surprise to have it referenced here. (On a sidenote, I totally recommend the Glen Gould performance of 1982 of this piece, it's marvelous, because he starts humming along at one point, and that always grabs me.)
I'm not sure about Adrian though. I had been looking forward to his story for a while, and I do think that he and the heroine fit well together. Only he acted like an ass (and a spoiled one at that) for most of the book. And while I could understand why he acted the way he acted, when the big blow-up arrives at the end, he really goes back to his ultimate asshole ways, and I was disappointed.
Even more so because the blow-up was about the minor of the two conflicts that stood in the way of their relationship, and it seemed to me as if the bigger one wasn't really solved.
Remember how I thought that the continuing plot lines were one of the bigger perks of this story? The big one - the problems deriving from the fact that Erin, Todd and Ben are in a triad relationship, and how their families cope with that - just disappeared from the story. I really wanted to know how the whole thing with Bens father ended, and it wasn't referred to! I hated that. I feel like I miss part of the story. In that way it didn't really feel like part of the series.
That combined with my feeling that the bigger problem wasn't really solved gave me the feeling that the whole story wasn't there, and it's the main reason I didn't end up liking this book. I did learn that there will be a follow-up series that focuses on the friends of Gillian, who seemed intriguing, and that we'll see more of Adrian and Gillian there. I like that, but I do feel that their story should have been finished in this book. I read for the HEA, not the HFN, and this felt like the latter.
Anyway, the main things I loved about this series were here, and it got me thinking about all the previous books all over again, so I ended up rereading those, and loving them more.
So yeah, Lauren Dane and me? It will always be complicated, but as long as no one else writes in a setting like this, filled with people and story-lines like these, I probably won't quit her. No matter how hard I grind my teeth at times.
***
And now for something totally different. I won a signed ARC of this book. I was really happy, until it arrived. These ARCS are HUGE. HUGE I tell you. And it cost poor Lauren Dane more than 20 bucks to send it over all the way to Europe. That's just insane. So I won't be participating in paper ARC contents anymore (unless they are regular mass paperback size). Seriously, it was a pain to read.
I do like the cover though. And kinda want to hug it close.
See how huge that thing is! (Also notice how I subtly manage to show off my new glasses, with which I'm in love).
This only goes for this series though, the other books I read from her I didn't really like.
Anyway, to recap from previous reviews what I like and don't like about this series:
The Dislikes
1. These people overtalk things. Like seriously. Instead of a case of "Don't tell but show", this is a case of less talking, more action. They discuss everything way too much, and everything is always soooooo serious.
2. They think they are way more kinkier than they are. The way these people talk you'd think they are all sexual deviants. It's erotical romance yes, but that's more because there's a lot of sex than because the sex is extraordinary kinky.
3. The writing style always feels a little forced to me. It's just not really my thing. And there's a lot of headhopping.
4. Nothing really happens in these books.
The Likes
1. Nothing really happens in these books. I love how all the relationships take there time to grow, and that there isn't always a huge amount of conflict. Stuff does happen, but because it's always spread over a decent amount of time, the developement of the relationship is the real focus. And I absolutely love that. I wish more contemporary romances would do this.
2. The music. This series breathes music, and I love almost every reference that's made in it. I even make playlists to listen to while reading based on the reference list in the book.
3. These are my kind of people. The music, the tattoo's, the piercings and the music and the food. How tight knit a community they are, without being the typical contemporary romance adirondack small village community (I've soooo had enough of those). I think this is the true appeal of the series. They are city people, but not the business focused kind.
4. I love how previous story threads re-appear in following books, how you get a feel for the life after the HEA of the other characters.
***
And now to the specific ponder points of this book.
I adored the heroine. She was strong and honorable and liked to do what was right, even when that isn't the safe choice. She was still vulnerable though, and not always making the right decisions. Which made her human. I loved that she was a classical piano player, and when she played the Goldberg Variations I was thrilled.
The music was truly the best part of the book for me, because it didn't only push my modern music buttons, but also my classic ones. I've been trying to master the Goldberg Variations by Bach for ages, and it was a huge surprise to have it referenced here. (On a sidenote, I totally recommend the Glen Gould performance of 1982 of this piece, it's marvelous, because he starts humming along at one point, and that always grabs me.)
I'm not sure about Adrian though. I had been looking forward to his story for a while, and I do think that he and the heroine fit well together. Only he acted like an ass (and a spoiled one at that) for most of the book. And while I could understand why he acted the way he acted, when the big blow-up arrives at the end, he really goes back to his ultimate asshole ways, and I was disappointed.
Even more so because the blow-up was about the minor of the two conflicts that stood in the way of their relationship, and it seemed to me as if the bigger one wasn't really solved.
Remember how I thought that the continuing plot lines were one of the bigger perks of this story? The big one - the problems deriving from the fact that Erin, Todd and Ben are in a triad relationship, and how their families cope with that - just disappeared from the story. I really wanted to know how the whole thing with Bens father ended, and it wasn't referred to! I hated that. I feel like I miss part of the story. In that way it didn't really feel like part of the series.
That combined with my feeling that the bigger problem wasn't really solved gave me the feeling that the whole story wasn't there, and it's the main reason I didn't end up liking this book. I did learn that there will be a follow-up series that focuses on the friends of Gillian, who seemed intriguing, and that we'll see more of Adrian and Gillian there. I like that, but I do feel that their story should have been finished in this book. I read for the HEA, not the HFN, and this felt like the latter.
Anyway, the main things I loved about this series were here, and it got me thinking about all the previous books all over again, so I ended up rereading those, and loving them more.
So yeah, Lauren Dane and me? It will always be complicated, but as long as no one else writes in a setting like this, filled with people and story-lines like these, I probably won't quit her. No matter how hard I grind my teeth at times.
***
And now for something totally different. I won a signed ARC of this book. I was really happy, until it arrived. These ARCS are HUGE. HUGE I tell you. And it cost poor Lauren Dane more than 20 bucks to send it over all the way to Europe. That's just insane. So I won't be participating in paper ARC contents anymore (unless they are regular mass paperback size). Seriously, it was a pain to read.
I do like the cover though. And kinda want to hug it close.
See how huge that thing is! (Also notice how I subtly manage to show off my new glasses, with which I'm in love).
September 12, 2011
5+++ Stars!!!!
I will start by saying that Adrian Brown is every woman's wet dream, ok, maybe not every woman but definitely THIS WOMAN'S!!! OMG What's not hot about a tattooed, pierced, dirty talking, gorgeous rock star who has a heart of gold!!?? That adequately describes Adrian, and I haven't even begun to talk about Gillian who was equally as fantastic!!
I have to admit I have absolutely LOVED all the Brown siblings, they are an amazing family that makes you long for the kind of perfect love they have for one another. They are fierce and protective of their own and love just as hard. When Gillian's sister, on her death bed confesses that the son that Gillian has raised was fathered by none other that Adrian Brown, and Gillian being the incredible mum that she is risks everything to let her son know his father. Adrian is obviously skeptical since this is not the first woman to claim he fathered her child and is kind of a an A-hole at first but he quickly wises up, with a little help in the form of a gentle dressing down from the equally mouthwatering Brody!!
Almost immediately Adrian & Gillian throw off major sparks, and holy crap, let the fun begin!! Their son, Miles, is an amazing kid and quite to the excitement of his aunt Erin, a fellow bass player! The three of them, along with rest of the Brown clan and Gillian's close friends all fumble through finding their way to live and love together as one big happy family! This was a fantastic series, one that sits firmly on my keeper shelf and I am a bit sad to see it end. I kind of hoped, and still do that Raven may some day get a book of her own. But, as for the Brown's, they are all happy and blissfully in love and that is they way I love my stories to end. Oh, and btw, there was plenty of hot sex thrown in there too!!
I will start by saying that Adrian Brown is every woman's wet dream, ok, maybe not every woman but definitely THIS WOMAN'S!!! OMG What's not hot about a tattooed, pierced, dirty talking, gorgeous rock star who has a heart of gold!!?? That adequately describes Adrian, and I haven't even begun to talk about Gillian who was equally as fantastic!!
I have to admit I have absolutely LOVED all the Brown siblings, they are an amazing family that makes you long for the kind of perfect love they have for one another. They are fierce and protective of their own and love just as hard. When Gillian's sister, on her death bed confesses that the son that Gillian has raised was fathered by none other that Adrian Brown, and Gillian being the incredible mum that she is risks everything to let her son know his father. Adrian is obviously skeptical since this is not the first woman to claim he fathered her child and is kind of a an A-hole at first but he quickly wises up, with a little help in the form of a gentle dressing down from the equally mouthwatering Brody!!
Almost immediately Adrian & Gillian throw off major sparks, and holy crap, let the fun begin!! Their son, Miles, is an amazing kid and quite to the excitement of his aunt Erin, a fellow bass player! The three of them, along with rest of the Brown clan and Gillian's close friends all fumble through finding their way to live and love together as one big happy family! This was a fantastic series, one that sits firmly on my keeper shelf and I am a bit sad to see it end. I kind of hoped, and still do that Raven may some day get a book of her own. But, as for the Brown's, they are all happy and blissfully in love and that is they way I love my stories to end. Oh, and btw, there was plenty of hot sex thrown in there too!!
July 12, 2015
I loved Adrian almost as much as I loved Brody. He wasn't as patient and understanding as Brody but he was still a lovely guy and the way he accepted Miles into his life was great.
I would have happily given this a 4.5 or even a 5 star but what on earth happened at the ending?! It just stopped there was no finish to the story, no epilogue, no nothing and quite frankly that irratated me.
I know that Ms Dane intends on starting a new spin off series (Known as Delicious series) so I checked out her website to read up on it and to see if it will be closely linked with the Brown/Keenan/Copeland clan. The first book in the Delicious series is called Sway and is in an omnibus named 'Cherished' with Maya Banks (Release date August 2012) and this is what Ms Dane Says
for those of you who wanted an epilogue in Never Enough, you'll see Adrian and Gillian's wedding prep in Sway. Sway is contemporary erotic romance with BDSM themes.
I consider this to be good news as I really wanted to see some kind of epilogue on the clan and not just cut them off.
The second in the series is called 'TART' (Release date November 2012)which tells Jules' (Gillian's best friend)story and apparently Raven's story Will be out in 2013 which again I am pleased about as she seemed to be forgotten about.
After reading all this on Ms Dane's website I do feel happier but we are still gonna have to wait until August next year!
I would have happily given this a 4.5 or even a 5 star but what on earth happened at the ending?! It just stopped there was no finish to the story, no epilogue, no nothing and quite frankly that irratated me.
I know that Ms Dane intends on starting a new spin off series (Known as Delicious series) so I checked out her website to read up on it and to see if it will be closely linked with the Brown/Keenan/Copeland clan. The first book in the Delicious series is called Sway and is in an omnibus named 'Cherished' with Maya Banks (Release date August 2012) and this is what Ms Dane Says
for those of you who wanted an epilogue in Never Enough, you'll see Adrian and Gillian's wedding prep in Sway. Sway is contemporary erotic romance with BDSM themes.
I consider this to be good news as I really wanted to see some kind of epilogue on the clan and not just cut them off.
The second in the series is called 'TART' (Release date November 2012)which tells Jules' (Gillian's best friend)story and apparently Raven's story Will be out in 2013 which again I am pleased about as she seemed to be forgotten about.
After reading all this on Ms Dane's website I do feel happier but we are still gonna have to wait until August next year!
May 6, 2016
Imagine this scenario:
Your dying sister names the father of her child who you’ve raised for the past 13 years. Because you’re a good person you do the right thing and track down said father of your child to let him know that he has a son. Upon meeting this man, who seems calm and charming at first, and calmly and sensitively telling him about his son, he – out of the blue – freaks out and starts yelling at you:
What a keeper right?!
I for one would definitely want someone like that around my impressionable child. *rolls eyes*
Then, after his lawyers inform you that you are not to contact him in any way (because you’re obviously the crazy one), while he’s waiting for the DNA test result, he suddenly shows up at your door unannounced and while you insult him – deservingly so:
And while your talking, he's standing there, not listening, and thinking like a total creep:
That is fucking unbelievably fucking creepy right?!!!!
He's standing there sniffing her while she's mad at him for treating her like crap!
So, while you rightly put him in his place, he’s there staring at you like some creepy psycho. And when you call him on it, and are in mid-sentence, he justassaults assaults you:
What do you do?
a) Kick him out of the house, call the police, and not let him near your son
b) Stop him, and talk to him about how this is not okay.
c) Give in, let him bulldoze all over your life, and jump him at the first possible moment
Yeah, if you guessed c, you are sadly right.
But, because this is a romance book, and he is super hot and rich, this is okay and his assaulting her is not a reason to call the police, it’s su-uper hot and steamy.
Fuck! This is why I don’t read contemporary romance books anymore.
The rest of the book doesn’t get better, the male mc continues on his emotional roller-coaster of good and bad moods, while blaming her on his major trust issues – because she doesn’t share every single fucking detail of her life with him!
But it's totally okay, he's hot AND rich!
Your dying sister names the father of her child who you’ve raised for the past 13 years. Because you’re a good person you do the right thing and track down said father of your child to let him know that he has a son. Upon meeting this man, who seems calm and charming at first, and calmly and sensitively telling him about his son, he – out of the blue – freaks out and starts yelling at you:
“I don’t give in to blackmail. I’ve dealt with whores and gold diggers plenty of times. You played me wrong, baby. We could have burned things up between the sheets. I’d have tossed some money your way. A lot easier than this bullshit.”
What a keeper right?!
I for one would definitely want someone like that around my impressionable child. *rolls eyes*
Then, after his lawyers inform you that you are not to contact him in any way (because you’re obviously the crazy one), while he’s waiting for the DNA test result, he suddenly shows up at your door unannounced and while you insult him – deservingly so:
“You are an arse. A big-headed, too-good-looking-for-his-own-good dickhead.”
And while your talking, he's standing there, not listening, and thinking like a total creep:
Well now. This hot governess of a woman was all kinds of dirty underneath. She just threw the gloves off and sent a shiver through him. He took a step closer and found himself half inside her house. Muphy Oil Soap? He breathed in deep.
That is fucking unbelievably fucking creepy right?!!!!
He's standing there sniffing her while she's mad at him for treating her like crap!
So, while you rightly put him in his place, he’s there staring at you like some creepy psycho. And when you call him on it, and are in mid-sentence, he just
And his mouth was on hers, and her words morphed into a groan
What do you do?
a) Kick him out of the house, call the police, and not let him near your son
b) Stop him, and talk to him about how this is not okay.
c) Give in, let him bulldoze all over your life, and jump him at the first possible moment
Yeah, if you guessed c, you are sadly right.
But, because this is a romance book, and he is super hot and rich, this is okay and his assaulting her is not a reason to call the police, it’s su-uper hot and steamy.
Fuck! This is why I don’t read contemporary romance books anymore.
The rest of the book doesn’t get better, the male mc continues on his emotional roller-coaster of good and bad moods, while blaming her on his major trust issues – because she doesn’t share every single fucking detail of her life with him!
But it's totally okay, he's hot AND rich!
January 19, 2012
I really enjoyed most of this book.
The story was fine until the information about Gillian's father was revealed. Once that happened I went from really enjoying the book to hating Adrian and being irritated with Erin. I felt like the characters did a 180 on Gillian and it was out of character to what was in the rest of the book.
I loved the interaction between Gillian and Erin in the beginning of the book, when they first meet. Erin was up front about why she wanted to meet Gillian and she welcomed Gillian and Miles into the family. I understand that there were past events in Erin's life that were painful and the information about Gillian's father was a shock but I really felt Erin overreacted.
Adrian...what to say about Adrian...I found him irritating in the beginning of the book, but I understood his reasons even though I didn't like them. He quickly redeemed himself and he became a good father to Miles. I felt like Gillian and Adrian got together a little quickly, but I wasn't really bothered by that since they did spend time actually getting to know each other. For the most part, I enjoyed their relationship and their courtship. My biggest problem was how selfish Adrian could be. It was mildly irritating when Adrian expected Gillian to completely change her life for him without any compromise on his part, but I worked through that when Brody pointed out the errors Adrian was making. But the way Adrian reacted to Gillian singing at karaoke, then the way he reacted to the news about Gillian's father was too much. If the goal had been to break Gillian and Adrian up and give them HEA with other people then I would have been fine with him being a jerk, but that’s not what happened. Gillian took him back WAY to quickly…within twelve hours. All it took was a couple of “I’m Sorry’s” and a box of doughnuts and she was putty in his hands. Other people complained about the abrupt ending to the book, and I think that was the reason that Gillian forgave him so easily. An abrupt ending wouldn’t have bothered me if there had been more story between the “fight” and the make-up, maybe cutting out some of the middle to add to the end, but she didn’t do that.
Aside from the part with Gillian’s father, and the fall out with Erin and Adrian, I really did enjoy the rest of the book. I thank god for Brody for being the voice of reason in the Brown family.
The story was fine until the information about Gillian's father was revealed. Once that happened I went from really enjoying the book to hating Adrian and being irritated with Erin. I felt like the characters did a 180 on Gillian and it was out of character to what was in the rest of the book.
I loved the interaction between Gillian and Erin in the beginning of the book, when they first meet. Erin was up front about why she wanted to meet Gillian and she welcomed Gillian and Miles into the family. I understand that there were past events in Erin's life that were painful and the information about Gillian's father was a shock but I really felt Erin overreacted.
Adrian...what to say about Adrian...I found him irritating in the beginning of the book, but I understood his reasons even though I didn't like them. He quickly redeemed himself and he became a good father to Miles. I felt like Gillian and Adrian got together a little quickly, but I wasn't really bothered by that since they did spend time actually getting to know each other. For the most part, I enjoyed their relationship and their courtship. My biggest problem was how selfish Adrian could be. It was mildly irritating when Adrian expected Gillian to completely change her life for him without any compromise on his part, but I worked through that when Brody pointed out the errors Adrian was making. But the way Adrian reacted to Gillian singing at karaoke, then the way he reacted to the news about Gillian's father was too much. If the goal had been to break Gillian and Adrian up and give them HEA with other people then I would have been fine with him being a jerk, but that’s not what happened. Gillian took him back WAY to quickly…within twelve hours. All it took was a couple of “I’m Sorry’s” and a box of doughnuts and she was putty in his hands. Other people complained about the abrupt ending to the book, and I think that was the reason that Gillian forgave him so easily. An abrupt ending wouldn’t have bothered me if there had been more story between the “fight” and the make-up, maybe cutting out some of the middle to add to the end, but she didn’t do that.
Aside from the part with Gillian’s father, and the fall out with Erin and Adrian, I really did enjoy the rest of the book. I thank god for Brody for being the voice of reason in the Brown family.
July 4, 2021
One secret opens a door to more than either of them wanted in their lives. Gillian Forrester had Miles to care for after he sisters death. Inform the father that he had a 13 year old son was not at the top of her list. This one had drama, passion, and a connection. Every rocker get hit with accusation of fathering a child or two. It was not at the top of Gillian list to have to tell a man he is a father.
Adrian Brown was hot, sexy, and a successful rock star. Being told that he was a father after all this time was not on the top of his list. He was all about family. He was not to happy to have someone that was wanting to enter the picture. Things here evolved nicely. This was a good read that added to the Brown family .
Adrian Brown was hot, sexy, and a successful rock star. Being told that he was a father after all this time was not on the top of his list. He was all about family. He was not to happy to have someone that was wanting to enter the picture. Things here evolved nicely. This was a good read that added to the Brown family .
October 16, 2011
Meh...not much happens in this book. It's been awhile since I read the previous book in this series, and I didn't remember who was who and what was happening. It was a little frustrating to not have a refresher.
It seemed like the entire book focused on how Gillian was British. How she talked, etc... constantly. Ok, it was a little interesting at first, but every time she said something Adrian got turned on my her accent. It was... boring.
They get together quite early, the boy calls Adrian 'dad' immediatly, and the rest is just them living day to day and Gillian being stubborn about everything.
Not the best in the series.
It seemed like the entire book focused on how Gillian was British. How she talked, etc... constantly. Ok, it was a little interesting at first, but every time she said something Adrian got turned on my her accent. It was... boring.
They get together quite early, the boy calls Adrian 'dad' immediatly, and the rest is just them living day to day and Gillian being stubborn about everything.
Not the best in the series.
September 24, 2011
Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
I've really enjoyed this series by Lauren Dane. It's had some great books so far, but I have to admit this one didn't quite do it for me. It didn't click. Not that I disliked it, I just didn't love it.
Series Note:
Fourth book in Dane's “Brown Siblings” series about the musically/artistically inclined Brown siblings and their friends in Seattle. I don't think you absolutely have to read this series in order, but you'd probably benefit from it if you did. Plus they are great books.
EDIT: after writing my review, I have to revise this some...you may be able to read this one on its own but Dane does a poor job of reintroducing past characters and storylines and you're probably going to be left wondering a lot of things if you haven't read past books. So it might be best to read this series in order if you are the type who likes to know the full story.
Summary:
When Gillian Forrester's sister gave birth to a little boy thirteen years go and didn't want him, Gillian took the baby in and adopted him. She raised him as her own, though she often questioned her sister about who the baby's father was. It wasn't until her sister lay on her death bed that Gillian's sister finally told her the father's identity. Rock star Adrian Brown.
Knowing it was the right thing to do, Gillian contacts Adrian to let him know he was a 13 year old son. But the two don't exactly get off on the right foot. When Adrian finally comes to realize that he really does have a son, he's ecstatic and immediately takes an active role in the boys life. He also can't deny the chemistry between him and Gillian. It isn't long before the two are falling in love. They lead such different, separate lives, though, that it will be tough to find a way to meld them together.
Review:
This book, unfortunately had a lot of flaws, in my opinion. There wasn't really any one area that it excelled or was really good. Which is disappointing since I've loved this series up to this point.
I'll start with the story premise and set up – which is that Gillian adopted her sister's baby boy 13 years ago and finally finds out the father is rock star Adrian Brown, who she then contacts to tell him he has a son. I liked the premise. It's not too complicated, maybe not all that original, but it works for the story. Adrian acts like a jerk in the beginning of the book, but it was also understandable given the life he leads. I liked how once he did accept he had a son, that he jumped right in to being a father, to learning how to be a father. It was sweet to read about. And the conflict about him wanting to spend money on the kid, and Gillian wanted to keep Miles (the boy) grounded was a good story point.
I had a couple different issues with the surrounding areas of the story. First, I thought author Lauren Dane did a poor job of reintroducing past characters and their situations. It seemed like she went with the assumption that if you were reading this book, you'd read the others. I would have liked a little more summation on pasts events to refresh my memory since it's been a while since I read the other books.
Not only that, though, even new characters, people from Gillian's life, seemed to just be dropped into the story without much introduction or background. I was confused on exactly who some of these characters were. And some of the details were muddy and didn't match up. Like Gillian's friend Cal. Who was gay...or was he? There's references to him living with a guy, then being with a girl, then a hint that he's interested in Gillian's friend Jules, and then an internal thought of Adrian saying 'oh, he's gay'...but he wasn't....or he was. I have no clue. It was confusing and just an illustration that the secondary characters were weakly developed. I couldn't care a fig if Cal was gay, straight or bi, but it's distracting to the story when you're trying to figure out something that should be straight forward. I just never really felt like I knew who these people were.
The romance of the story was...okay. Something about Gillian and Adrian came across as a bit flat and off though. I'm not sure what it was, exactly, other than I never fully bought into these two being together. Maybe it's because Gillian never fully won me over, or maybe it's because I expected more from Adrian's storyline. I don't know.
I wanted to like Gillian. I loved that on the outside she was this buttoned up British girl trying to overcome her terrible childhood, but there was something about her I just didn't quite like entirely. And Adrian...while I liked Adrian, I was expecting something different for his storyline. I kinda felt a little like he was short-changed. And don't ask me to explain that because I don't think I can give a logical reason.
Maybe it's more to do with that I didn't quite care for the romantic conflict in the book. It all surrounds secrets Gillian is keeping about her past – which I thought was totally overblown – and Adrian feeling like Gillian never fully lets herself go around him and his friends and family – which I also didn't get. The romantic conflict felt really contrived to me. It didn't suck me into the story and make me feel for these two characters.
I expected there to be more of a focus on Adrian being a rock star, but it almost came off a bit of a side-note in the story. Not entirely but enough that things seemed unrealistic. Though one thing I did find utterly unrealistic was the downplaying of the media and paparazzi aspect. I'd put money on the fact that if the media found out a big rock star like Adrian had a secret 13 year old love child, they'd be all over it (Arnold Schwarzenegger...need I say more?). Yet it's almost a non-existent issue in the book. That's not realistic at all. They would have been all over Gillian and Adrian, trying to get the scoop and pictures. So to have it barely dealt with felt silly.
Honestly, I thought a better direction for the romantic conflict of the story would have been Gillian's hesitancy to get involved with a celebrity because she didn't want to deal with the exposure. That would have made much more sense as a story point than what we got in the story.
As for the sex scenes...eh, they were hot, even if a crass at times. I think I was expecting a bit more experimentation and play between these two instead of just overwhelming lust that led them to screw like bunnies. But whatever.
On another note, I also have so say I felt the actual writing was a bit off. Usually Dane's books flow really well for me, but this one didn't. It felt choppy at times, with skips in logic that made me stop and go, huh? It just wasn't a smooth story, which takes away from the reading enjoyment. There was also an issue with dialect for me. Gillian is British, so you get her tone and dialect from her, but it also seemed like it spilled over into other characters. Their thoughts and verbal words would have Gillian's tone. Almost like the author was so caught up in trying to capture the essence of Gillian's nationality that it accidentally bled into other characters. It was distracting.
I wondered more than once while reading this story if Dane was rushed while she wrote it because I just felt like it wasn't up to par with the other books in this series and with her writing in general. There was something sloppy about the book. So it made me wonder if she was rushing to meet a deadline.
Yet, even though all I've done is criticize, I didn't hate the book. I may have wanted more out of it and seen a lot of areas where it could have been better, but it wasn't terrible. It simply had a lot to live up to in comparison to the other books in the series. If you've read the other books, I think you'll like these one enough, but I'm not sure you'll love it.
WARNING, this book contains: explicit sex and language, oral sex, anal sex, ass play (all m/f), some rough sex, dirty talk...nothing really beyond the basics.
I've really enjoyed this series by Lauren Dane. It's had some great books so far, but I have to admit this one didn't quite do it for me. It didn't click. Not that I disliked it, I just didn't love it.
Series Note:
Fourth book in Dane's “Brown Siblings” series about the musically/artistically inclined Brown siblings and their friends in Seattle. I don't think you absolutely have to read this series in order, but you'd probably benefit from it if you did. Plus they are great books.
EDIT: after writing my review, I have to revise this some...you may be able to read this one on its own but Dane does a poor job of reintroducing past characters and storylines and you're probably going to be left wondering a lot of things if you haven't read past books. So it might be best to read this series in order if you are the type who likes to know the full story.
Summary:
When Gillian Forrester's sister gave birth to a little boy thirteen years go and didn't want him, Gillian took the baby in and adopted him. She raised him as her own, though she often questioned her sister about who the baby's father was. It wasn't until her sister lay on her death bed that Gillian's sister finally told her the father's identity. Rock star Adrian Brown.
Knowing it was the right thing to do, Gillian contacts Adrian to let him know he was a 13 year old son. But the two don't exactly get off on the right foot. When Adrian finally comes to realize that he really does have a son, he's ecstatic and immediately takes an active role in the boys life. He also can't deny the chemistry between him and Gillian. It isn't long before the two are falling in love. They lead such different, separate lives, though, that it will be tough to find a way to meld them together.
Review:
This book, unfortunately had a lot of flaws, in my opinion. There wasn't really any one area that it excelled or was really good. Which is disappointing since I've loved this series up to this point.
I'll start with the story premise and set up – which is that Gillian adopted her sister's baby boy 13 years ago and finally finds out the father is rock star Adrian Brown, who she then contacts to tell him he has a son. I liked the premise. It's not too complicated, maybe not all that original, but it works for the story. Adrian acts like a jerk in the beginning of the book, but it was also understandable given the life he leads. I liked how once he did accept he had a son, that he jumped right in to being a father, to learning how to be a father. It was sweet to read about. And the conflict about him wanting to spend money on the kid, and Gillian wanted to keep Miles (the boy) grounded was a good story point.
I had a couple different issues with the surrounding areas of the story. First, I thought author Lauren Dane did a poor job of reintroducing past characters and their situations. It seemed like she went with the assumption that if you were reading this book, you'd read the others. I would have liked a little more summation on pasts events to refresh my memory since it's been a while since I read the other books.
Not only that, though, even new characters, people from Gillian's life, seemed to just be dropped into the story without much introduction or background. I was confused on exactly who some of these characters were. And some of the details were muddy and didn't match up. Like Gillian's friend Cal. Who was gay...or was he? There's references to him living with a guy, then being with a girl, then a hint that he's interested in Gillian's friend Jules, and then an internal thought of Adrian saying 'oh, he's gay'...but he wasn't....or he was. I have no clue. It was confusing and just an illustration that the secondary characters were weakly developed. I couldn't care a fig if Cal was gay, straight or bi, but it's distracting to the story when you're trying to figure out something that should be straight forward. I just never really felt like I knew who these people were.
The romance of the story was...okay. Something about Gillian and Adrian came across as a bit flat and off though. I'm not sure what it was, exactly, other than I never fully bought into these two being together. Maybe it's because Gillian never fully won me over, or maybe it's because I expected more from Adrian's storyline. I don't know.
I wanted to like Gillian. I loved that on the outside she was this buttoned up British girl trying to overcome her terrible childhood, but there was something about her I just didn't quite like entirely. And Adrian...while I liked Adrian, I was expecting something different for his storyline. I kinda felt a little like he was short-changed. And don't ask me to explain that because I don't think I can give a logical reason.
Maybe it's more to do with that I didn't quite care for the romantic conflict in the book. It all surrounds secrets Gillian is keeping about her past – which I thought was totally overblown – and Adrian feeling like Gillian never fully lets herself go around him and his friends and family – which I also didn't get. The romantic conflict felt really contrived to me. It didn't suck me into the story and make me feel for these two characters.
I expected there to be more of a focus on Adrian being a rock star, but it almost came off a bit of a side-note in the story. Not entirely but enough that things seemed unrealistic. Though one thing I did find utterly unrealistic was the downplaying of the media and paparazzi aspect. I'd put money on the fact that if the media found out a big rock star like Adrian had a secret 13 year old love child, they'd be all over it (Arnold Schwarzenegger...need I say more?). Yet it's almost a non-existent issue in the book. That's not realistic at all. They would have been all over Gillian and Adrian, trying to get the scoop and pictures. So to have it barely dealt with felt silly.
Honestly, I thought a better direction for the romantic conflict of the story would have been Gillian's hesitancy to get involved with a celebrity because she didn't want to deal with the exposure. That would have made much more sense as a story point than what we got in the story.
As for the sex scenes...eh, they were hot, even if a crass at times. I think I was expecting a bit more experimentation and play between these two instead of just overwhelming lust that led them to screw like bunnies. But whatever.
On another note, I also have so say I felt the actual writing was a bit off. Usually Dane's books flow really well for me, but this one didn't. It felt choppy at times, with skips in logic that made me stop and go, huh? It just wasn't a smooth story, which takes away from the reading enjoyment. There was also an issue with dialect for me. Gillian is British, so you get her tone and dialect from her, but it also seemed like it spilled over into other characters. Their thoughts and verbal words would have Gillian's tone. Almost like the author was so caught up in trying to capture the essence of Gillian's nationality that it accidentally bled into other characters. It was distracting.
I wondered more than once while reading this story if Dane was rushed while she wrote it because I just felt like it wasn't up to par with the other books in this series and with her writing in general. There was something sloppy about the book. So it made me wonder if she was rushing to meet a deadline.
Yet, even though all I've done is criticize, I didn't hate the book. I may have wanted more out of it and seen a lot of areas where it could have been better, but it wasn't terrible. It simply had a lot to live up to in comparison to the other books in the series. If you've read the other books, I think you'll like these one enough, but I'm not sure you'll love it.
WARNING, this book contains: explicit sex and language, oral sex, anal sex, ass play (all m/f), some rough sex, dirty talk...nothing really beyond the basics.
September 2, 2011
Joint review with Kristin posted at: Happily Ever After - Reads
For our review of Never Enough, we wanted to do a little different take on our normal review format. We're both HUGE Brown Siblings fans, and have been eager for the last book for quite some time. So, upon finishing, we put together a joint review, Instant Message style, which is how we discuss books on a fairly regular basis.
Jess: So, we finished the last Brown Siblings book - first thoughts on finishing?
Kristin: OMG! No more Browns!? *sobs*
Jess: The family dynamic throughout this whole series is just so well written, Adrian & Gillian's story fit right in. Every relationship w/in that family is unforgettable.
Kristin: This was absolutely a family focused book, and family seems to be a genre Lauren has honed better than any author out there that I've read.
Jess: The first stand out scene for me was between Adrian and Rennie. She's so adorable to begin with and to see her vulnerable with Adrian, it just shows the type of guy he is that she felt comfortable coming to him with questions. Great moment for Adrian.
Kristin: Oh yes. First off, who doesn't love Rennie? I can actually picture my best friend's daughter as Rennie, talks a mile a minute about 10 different subjects. lol But I felt like the scenes with Adrian and his nephews and nieces really highlighted the kind of dad he would be, and wants to be. This was very much Adrian's book to show how badly he wanted a family of his own.
Jess: That actually took me by surprise a little. We knew from past books that he loved his family fiercely, but when there was even just a chance that he had a son out there, the fact that he wouldn't even let himself hope it was true, made me love him even more.
Kristin: I agree! Especially when he mentioned wanting to adopt in a couple years if the right woman didn't come along.
Jess: Gillian was the perfect match for him. I loved that she tried to do the right thing for Miles for the whole book, no matter how hard it had to be to "let go" of him a little bit. She was tough in a good way and Adrian needed that.
Kristin: She was a total mama bear. My first Kindle highlight was actually a great reflection of that: It was a Gillian quote regarding Adrian meeting Miles for the first time and potentially being a part of his life:
"Who am I to make the choice for either of them? At the same time, he’s my boy and I will be forced to cut a bitch if he gets out of line.”
I felt like that passage summed Gillian up. She’s being so reasonable in a very difficult situation, and at the same time, she showed she’s insanely protective of her son.
Plus, I just loved the line 'cut a bitch'
Jess: Haaaa! Funny enough one of my highlighted passages was when Erin was telling Adrian that she went over to check Gillian out and that..."I needed to know if I had to cut a bitch or if I had a nephew." Erin no doubt enjoyed being able to help Adrian and be there for him, quite the reversal from earlier in the series.
Jess: And we have to talk about Brody, the man of wisdom in this book! He was the perfect big brother/father figure and it was clear that he's the one Adrian goes to for guidance.
Kristin: Ha! See? Great line :) I LOVED Erin in this book! First of all, I'm a HUGE Erin fan anyway, but she was like super auntie and super sister all at the same time. Adrian loses his head a few times, to the point where I wanted to smack him and tell him to chill out. But Erin (and Brody a couple times) is very much the voice of reason for Adrian. And it's mentioned a few times in this book just how much Erin and Brody have always been the voice of reason for Adrian, since they more or less raised him. I absolutely love the Brown bond.
Jess: That leads us to Miles. Have I mentioned how wonderful he is? Lauren Dane could have went the path of sullen, back talking teen, mad at the world, etc, etc. But Miles is such a sweet kid, the way he cares about his mom and worrying about how she was dealing with all this change, the small gestures he made. Total sweetheart of a kid.
Kristin: Yes!!! Miles is the type of son I pray I'll have one day. He is totally a normal teenager. Sometimes lazy, sometimes disagreeable, but totally had a good head on his shoulders. He could have had a lot to complain about before the news of rock star dad, but he just seemed like an all around good kid.
Jess: Do you have a favorite quote or moment from the book?
Kristin: give me a sec...
I have 89 notes and marks to go through on my Kindle...
Kristin: Okay, I don't know if this is my FAVORITE quote exactly, but this is something I highlighted that I think is important and sums up the entire series:
Kristin: Gillian, in thought about Adrian and the fact that Miles now had a Rock Star family in his life:
One thing this man was, was down to earth. She liked that about him. It countered the fear about this life going to Miles's head. The browns seemed to be grounded, humble people.
I thought that summed the Brown's up so well. They are so famous, yet they seem like people I could sit and have a beer with.
Jess: I often forgot just how famous of musicians Adrian and Erin are, it's SO not the lifestyle they lead at home.
Kristin: Exactly my point!
Kristin: That is one of the things I've always loved about this series. It's like peeking in on famous peoples lives.
Jess: My favorite quote comes from Gillian:
Jess: "Everything makes you hot, Adrian. You're a menace with a penis."
I loved how comfortable they were around each other from the start!
Kristin: Haa! That was a good one, for sure. I know I highlighted it too.
Kristin: Overall, they are a great couple. They're so different, hot and cold, night and day, but their chemistry is undeniable.
Jess: Absolutely! Final thoughts on their story? Did it live up to your Adrian-lovin' expectations?
Kristin: I think it did. I mean, he was definitely dominant in the bedroom, and I always assumed he would be. The abs on the cover didn't hurt my imagination with this one either. :-) I also loved seeing his softer, fatherly side.
Kristin: Make that abs AND muscles!
(Rawwwr!)
Jess: I loved seeing the more emotional side of Adrian, and overall I loved it! I did miss not having an epilogue, but Lauren Dane's next series is set on Bainbridge Island, so maybe we'll get some Brown Family updates?! It was a really nice conclusion that every fan of the series will love.
For our review of Never Enough, we wanted to do a little different take on our normal review format. We're both HUGE Brown Siblings fans, and have been eager for the last book for quite some time. So, upon finishing, we put together a joint review, Instant Message style, which is how we discuss books on a fairly regular basis.
Jess: So, we finished the last Brown Siblings book - first thoughts on finishing?
Kristin: OMG! No more Browns!? *sobs*
Jess: The family dynamic throughout this whole series is just so well written, Adrian & Gillian's story fit right in. Every relationship w/in that family is unforgettable.
Kristin: This was absolutely a family focused book, and family seems to be a genre Lauren has honed better than any author out there that I've read.
Jess: The first stand out scene for me was between Adrian and Rennie. She's so adorable to begin with and to see her vulnerable with Adrian, it just shows the type of guy he is that she felt comfortable coming to him with questions. Great moment for Adrian.
Kristin: Oh yes. First off, who doesn't love Rennie? I can actually picture my best friend's daughter as Rennie, talks a mile a minute about 10 different subjects. lol But I felt like the scenes with Adrian and his nephews and nieces really highlighted the kind of dad he would be, and wants to be. This was very much Adrian's book to show how badly he wanted a family of his own.
Jess: That actually took me by surprise a little. We knew from past books that he loved his family fiercely, but when there was even just a chance that he had a son out there, the fact that he wouldn't even let himself hope it was true, made me love him even more.
Kristin: I agree! Especially when he mentioned wanting to adopt in a couple years if the right woman didn't come along.
Jess: Gillian was the perfect match for him. I loved that she tried to do the right thing for Miles for the whole book, no matter how hard it had to be to "let go" of him a little bit. She was tough in a good way and Adrian needed that.
Kristin: She was a total mama bear. My first Kindle highlight was actually a great reflection of that: It was a Gillian quote regarding Adrian meeting Miles for the first time and potentially being a part of his life:
"Who am I to make the choice for either of them? At the same time, he’s my boy and I will be forced to cut a bitch if he gets out of line.”
I felt like that passage summed Gillian up. She’s being so reasonable in a very difficult situation, and at the same time, she showed she’s insanely protective of her son.
Plus, I just loved the line 'cut a bitch'
Jess: Haaaa! Funny enough one of my highlighted passages was when Erin was telling Adrian that she went over to check Gillian out and that..."I needed to know if I had to cut a bitch or if I had a nephew." Erin no doubt enjoyed being able to help Adrian and be there for him, quite the reversal from earlier in the series.
Jess: And we have to talk about Brody, the man of wisdom in this book! He was the perfect big brother/father figure and it was clear that he's the one Adrian goes to for guidance.
Kristin: Ha! See? Great line :) I LOVED Erin in this book! First of all, I'm a HUGE Erin fan anyway, but she was like super auntie and super sister all at the same time. Adrian loses his head a few times, to the point where I wanted to smack him and tell him to chill out. But Erin (and Brody a couple times) is very much the voice of reason for Adrian. And it's mentioned a few times in this book just how much Erin and Brody have always been the voice of reason for Adrian, since they more or less raised him. I absolutely love the Brown bond.
Jess: That leads us to Miles. Have I mentioned how wonderful he is? Lauren Dane could have went the path of sullen, back talking teen, mad at the world, etc, etc. But Miles is such a sweet kid, the way he cares about his mom and worrying about how she was dealing with all this change, the small gestures he made. Total sweetheart of a kid.
Kristin: Yes!!! Miles is the type of son I pray I'll have one day. He is totally a normal teenager. Sometimes lazy, sometimes disagreeable, but totally had a good head on his shoulders. He could have had a lot to complain about before the news of rock star dad, but he just seemed like an all around good kid.
Jess: Do you have a favorite quote or moment from the book?
Kristin: give me a sec...
I have 89 notes and marks to go through on my Kindle...
Kristin: Okay, I don't know if this is my FAVORITE quote exactly, but this is something I highlighted that I think is important and sums up the entire series:
Kristin: Gillian, in thought about Adrian and the fact that Miles now had a Rock Star family in his life:
One thing this man was, was down to earth. She liked that about him. It countered the fear about this life going to Miles's head. The browns seemed to be grounded, humble people.
I thought that summed the Brown's up so well. They are so famous, yet they seem like people I could sit and have a beer with.
Jess: I often forgot just how famous of musicians Adrian and Erin are, it's SO not the lifestyle they lead at home.
Kristin: Exactly my point!
Kristin: That is one of the things I've always loved about this series. It's like peeking in on famous peoples lives.
Jess: My favorite quote comes from Gillian:
Jess: "Everything makes you hot, Adrian. You're a menace with a penis."
I loved how comfortable they were around each other from the start!
Kristin: Haa! That was a good one, for sure. I know I highlighted it too.
Kristin: Overall, they are a great couple. They're so different, hot and cold, night and day, but their chemistry is undeniable.
Jess: Absolutely! Final thoughts on their story? Did it live up to your Adrian-lovin' expectations?
Kristin: I think it did. I mean, he was definitely dominant in the bedroom, and I always assumed he would be. The abs on the cover didn't hurt my imagination with this one either. :-) I also loved seeing his softer, fatherly side.
Kristin: Make that abs AND muscles!
(Rawwwr!)
Jess: I loved seeing the more emotional side of Adrian, and overall I loved it! I did miss not having an epilogue, but Lauren Dane's next series is set on Bainbridge Island, so maybe we'll get some Brown Family updates?! It was a really nice conclusion that every fan of the series will love.
October 23, 2011
I am not sure if this is an end to this series since we are officially out of Brown siblings. But I will say it is the end for me. This book and the #3 book in the series have a markedly different feel from the first two books.
The first couple of books were edgier, had a better conflict and I felt the characters all had sharper edges that made them interesting. These past two have felt like all the teeth have been pulled from the series.
This book is about the last Brown sibling,the famous rock star Adrian. He had a unmemorable one night stand with a waitress 14 years ago and the result was a child Miles. The woman, Tina gave the kid up for adoption to her sister Gillian and went on to live a life that was apparently one of partying and drugs. Gillian made a good life for her adoptive son, Miles. Periodically she would even ask Tina who the father was. Tina remained tight lipped until on her deathbed she tells Gillian who the father is.
The book opens soon after Tina's death as Gillian has tracked down Adrian to let him know he has a kid. Adrian is suspicious because since he's a famous rock star people are always trying to get over on him. He is so suspicious of Gillian's motives that he forbids her contact him, going through lawyers only and is generally an asshole.
Ok, so here is my first problem with the book. Oh, not the set up...that part actually works quite well. No it is what happens next. Erin (Adrian's sister whose book was the much better Laid Bare) decides she wants to meet this kid claiming to be her nephew. One look at him (he looks just like the Browns) and she is convinced no paternity test is necessary. So she convinces Adrian to eschew the lawyers and go meet the boy himself. When Adrian appears on Gillian's doorstep for the very first time the two are so over-taken with immediate lust for each other that they are practically sucking each other's lips off and humping right there in the front hall. Huh? He apologizes for being a jerk and that is the green light to third base?
So yeah. That was weird and...off.
But then there were other little things that niggled at me. The author must have just learned the phrase "I'll have to cut a bitch" because she had three separate, unrelated characters use it at different times throughout the book. Felt incongruous.
There was some weird editing things going on. Scenes shifted abruptly with no transition. At one point, a reference is made to Erin when I am sure it should have been about Elise.
And well, I thought everything and everyone was so darned shiny and perfect. All the kids were perfect, articulate and well behaved. Miles has to be the most well adjusted, understanding 13 year old boy in all the land. There were no adjustment issues with him finding out who his father was after 13 years. He never once fell into uncertainty or fear or acted out over the huge changes being wrought in his world.
This also book fell into the trap that derailed the previous book for me. All the characters sat around and talked so intuitively and with deep thoughts about how much Adrian and Gillian were in love with each other.
And finally, there are the love scenes. I've always thought this author wrote really nice, hot love scenes. This book is the exception. Yeah, the love scenes were still very explicit and graphic, but they read almost clinical to my eyes. There was a lot -- and I do mean LOTS! -- of dirty talk but it felt weirdly dispassionate. I actually skipped over most of the love scenes because they repetitive both in language and tone.
So yeah, not a good read for me.
The first couple of books were edgier, had a better conflict and I felt the characters all had sharper edges that made them interesting. These past two have felt like all the teeth have been pulled from the series.
This book is about the last Brown sibling,the famous rock star Adrian. He had a unmemorable one night stand with a waitress 14 years ago and the result was a child Miles. The woman, Tina gave the kid up for adoption to her sister Gillian and went on to live a life that was apparently one of partying and drugs. Gillian made a good life for her adoptive son, Miles. Periodically she would even ask Tina who the father was. Tina remained tight lipped until on her deathbed she tells Gillian who the father is.
The book opens soon after Tina's death as Gillian has tracked down Adrian to let him know he has a kid. Adrian is suspicious because since he's a famous rock star people are always trying to get over on him. He is so suspicious of Gillian's motives that he forbids her contact him, going through lawyers only and is generally an asshole.
Ok, so here is my first problem with the book. Oh, not the set up...that part actually works quite well. No it is what happens next. Erin (Adrian's sister whose book was the much better Laid Bare) decides she wants to meet this kid claiming to be her nephew. One look at him (he looks just like the Browns) and she is convinced no paternity test is necessary. So she convinces Adrian to eschew the lawyers and go meet the boy himself. When Adrian appears on Gillian's doorstep for the very first time the two are so over-taken with immediate lust for each other that they are practically sucking each other's lips off and humping right there in the front hall. Huh? He apologizes for being a jerk and that is the green light to third base?
So yeah. That was weird and...off.
But then there were other little things that niggled at me. The author must have just learned the phrase "I'll have to cut a bitch" because she had three separate, unrelated characters use it at different times throughout the book. Felt incongruous.
There was some weird editing things going on. Scenes shifted abruptly with no transition. At one point, a reference is made to Erin when I am sure it should have been about Elise.
And well, I thought everything and everyone was so darned shiny and perfect. All the kids were perfect, articulate and well behaved. Miles has to be the most well adjusted, understanding 13 year old boy in all the land. There were no adjustment issues with him finding out who his father was after 13 years. He never once fell into uncertainty or fear or acted out over the huge changes being wrought in his world.
This also book fell into the trap that derailed the previous book for me. All the characters sat around and talked so intuitively and with deep thoughts about how much Adrian and Gillian were in love with each other.
And finally, there are the love scenes. I've always thought this author wrote really nice, hot love scenes. This book is the exception. Yeah, the love scenes were still very explicit and graphic, but they read almost clinical to my eyes. There was a lot -- and I do mean LOTS! -- of dirty talk but it felt weirdly dispassionate. I actually skipped over most of the love scenes because they repetitive both in language and tone.
So yeah, not a good read for me.
January 8, 2019
2.5 stars
I love the set up for this story – hot rock star discovers he has a 13 year old son and falls for the boy’s aunt who has been caring for him since his birth. It sounds awesome, and knowing how hard the Browns fall in love – and all of the hotness and swoon that goes along with that – I was really looking forward to this one. But sadly I didn’t feel the chemistry, and the love story fell a bit flat for me.
Adrian Brown is the youngest of three siblings that make up the cornerstone of this series. They have been through hard times but have pulled through it together, and they are extremely close and all up in each other’s lives. Adrian is the rock star of the family and has achieved huge success.
Gillian has raised her nephew since her sister gave him up at birth, eventually adopting him as her own. It’s not until her sister passes away that she discovers who his father is, and she wastes no time in contacting him – knowing that it’s the right thing to do and wanting Miles to have his father in his life.
Adrian isn’t immediately accepting of the situation. He’s been fooled before, and he initially thinks Gillian is out for money, but one look at Miles and there’s no denying who is father is, and from that moment, he is a huge part of the boys’ life, fully embracing fatherhood and the little boy that he loves at first sight.
And with Miles comes Gillian and Adrian is only too happy with that arrangement. Gillian is not only attractive, but she’s highly intelligent, a wonderful mother to his son, and she challenges him in a way nobody ever has before. It takes no time at all for the two of them to hook up (seriously - it's super fast... with Miles hopefully asleep just down the hall at the time), and the rest of the book is them finding their way forward together – coming to terms with their new situation, battling their differences and figuring it all out.
But Gillian is shy and finds it difficult to open up, and she’s hiding a big secret from her past that could jeopardise the new family she has found with Adrian. And Adrian’s celebrity is a burden to him and he has been burned before. He has relied on his family and close friends to be his home and security, the touchstone that he so desperately needs, rarely venturing outside of that circle, so accepting new people into his life is hard for him – especially when Gillian seems so closed off.
There’s a lot for them to overcome, but I must admit that I found some of the conflict to be a bit contrived. I was rolling my eyes a lot, but it didn’t bother me too much because I didn’t really feel the love story in the first place. I’m not sure what it was, but I couldn’t feel the connection between the two of them. There was plenty of sex (though these two are not as kinky as they seem to think they are - but they do love the dirty talk), but the emotional side of things felt a bit cold and I didn’t really get invested in them as a couple.
I really liked Miles as a character, and I loved how he and Gillian were so effortlessly accepted into the fold of the family. The scenes with everybody were nice, but as I found with the previous book, there was a lot of talk between them about love and feelings and their almost pathological need for each other, and it didn’t feel real. And as nice as it was to catch up with all of them, again, I found myself disconnecting.
I really wanted to love this book. Of all of the blurbs for the books in this series, it was this one that really appealed to me, and I’ve been looking forward to reading it. But I found it kinda boring. And though the set-up was there, I just didn’t feel it.
2.5 stars – it was just ok.
I love the set up for this story – hot rock star discovers he has a 13 year old son and falls for the boy’s aunt who has been caring for him since his birth. It sounds awesome, and knowing how hard the Browns fall in love – and all of the hotness and swoon that goes along with that – I was really looking forward to this one. But sadly I didn’t feel the chemistry, and the love story fell a bit flat for me.
Adrian Brown is the youngest of three siblings that make up the cornerstone of this series. They have been through hard times but have pulled through it together, and they are extremely close and all up in each other’s lives. Adrian is the rock star of the family and has achieved huge success.
Gillian has raised her nephew since her sister gave him up at birth, eventually adopting him as her own. It’s not until her sister passes away that she discovers who his father is, and she wastes no time in contacting him – knowing that it’s the right thing to do and wanting Miles to have his father in his life.
Adrian isn’t immediately accepting of the situation. He’s been fooled before, and he initially thinks Gillian is out for money, but one look at Miles and there’s no denying who is father is, and from that moment, he is a huge part of the boys’ life, fully embracing fatherhood and the little boy that he loves at first sight.
And with Miles comes Gillian and Adrian is only too happy with that arrangement. Gillian is not only attractive, but she’s highly intelligent, a wonderful mother to his son, and she challenges him in a way nobody ever has before. It takes no time at all for the two of them to hook up (seriously - it's super fast... with Miles hopefully asleep just down the hall at the time), and the rest of the book is them finding their way forward together – coming to terms with their new situation, battling their differences and figuring it all out.
But Gillian is shy and finds it difficult to open up, and she’s hiding a big secret from her past that could jeopardise the new family she has found with Adrian. And Adrian’s celebrity is a burden to him and he has been burned before. He has relied on his family and close friends to be his home and security, the touchstone that he so desperately needs, rarely venturing outside of that circle, so accepting new people into his life is hard for him – especially when Gillian seems so closed off.
There’s a lot for them to overcome, but I must admit that I found some of the conflict to be a bit contrived. I was rolling my eyes a lot, but it didn’t bother me too much because I didn’t really feel the love story in the first place. I’m not sure what it was, but I couldn’t feel the connection between the two of them. There was plenty of sex (though these two are not as kinky as they seem to think they are - but they do love the dirty talk), but the emotional side of things felt a bit cold and I didn’t really get invested in them as a couple.
I really liked Miles as a character, and I loved how he and Gillian were so effortlessly accepted into the fold of the family. The scenes with everybody were nice, but as I found with the previous book, there was a lot of talk between them about love and feelings and their almost pathological need for each other, and it didn’t feel real. And as nice as it was to catch up with all of them, again, I found myself disconnecting.
I really wanted to love this book. Of all of the blurbs for the books in this series, it was this one that really appealed to me, and I’ve been looking forward to reading it. But I found it kinda boring. And though the set-up was there, I just didn’t feel it.
2.5 stars – it was just ok.
November 26, 2011
Finally Adrian's story is here. While the picture on the cover is not how I imagined Adrian, it didn't stop me from devouring this book. I have a couple of dozen of books in my queue to read and yet I couldn't resist and had to place this up front. I've mostly drifted away from contemporary romances because they don't really do it for me. There are only a few authors I will read them from with greedy gluttonous delight - Ms. Dane is one of them.
I really liked Gillian. She's different than all the other women to date in this series. Yes, there are similarities but she is unique and an individual. I enjoy this greatly about Ms. Dane's writing. Her characters are different from each other. I can remember who each one is because they are created to be like real people. Each person is different with their own personality and skills. I can actually remember the names of each character because they become real to me. Of course, I do like the Brown siblings and this is my favourite book since the first one with Erin.
What I find interesting is that I don't like Erin too much nor do I like Adrian. It's the love of their lives that really pull me in. I love Todd and Ben. I ADORE Gillian. The reason why I don't like Erin and Adrian is despite Ms. Dane's characters insisting that Erin and Adrian are humble and down to earth, they are still prima donna rock stars to me. The fact that they are rock stars means they can be. But it doesn't mean I have to like them. Here's the thing. It's always about them and their life. Yes Erin had a terrible experience with her past and her daughter. So everything is about "her". Gillian who had no choice over her father and what he did, suddenly Erin's been hurt and betrayed by Gillian? What a f-ing self-centered be-yotch. Wah wah wah. Erin is all hurt again. So injured. Did she ever think about what Gillian has to go through? No, because she's a self centered be-yotch, just like Raven. Hello, Pot ... Kettle?
Adrian and his "she holds back" hang ups. What.the.hell? What part of her being English was hard to understand? Has he never heard the phrase "stiff upper lip"? Please. Get over yourself, Adrian. Gillian is too good for you. And seriously, he thinks make up sex is a good thing. *shudder* I loathe people who feel a great fight is awesome because of the make up sex after. Especially the ones who instigate a fight just to have make up sex. I guess it works for them, but really, do we need a reason to have sex? Words can not be taken back once spoken. Sex isn't going to fix the pain caused by careless and spiteful words. Brody is the only good sibling, thank goodness he can kick some sense into his younger brother and sister.
I'm so irritated with characters that don't even exist. This is the magic of Ms. Dane. She creates them so well that I want to treat them like real people. The situations flow and make so much sense that even if I know it's going to be a train wreck coming up, I'm still stunned when it happens. There are no surprises or twists and turns. This is a story which natural flows the way we'd expect. The beauty of it is the way it is presented so that we are pulled into a journey as avid voyeurs.
I recommend this book to romance lovers who enjoy a bit of kink and want a HEA. Ms. Dane does get a bit rougher in the sex, but it's still rather sweetly erotic. Nothing shocking. For fans of the Brown Sibling series, this is a must read.
I really liked Gillian. She's different than all the other women to date in this series. Yes, there are similarities but she is unique and an individual. I enjoy this greatly about Ms. Dane's writing. Her characters are different from each other. I can remember who each one is because they are created to be like real people. Each person is different with their own personality and skills. I can actually remember the names of each character because they become real to me. Of course, I do like the Brown siblings and this is my favourite book since the first one with Erin.
What I find interesting is that I don't like Erin too much nor do I like Adrian. It's the love of their lives that really pull me in. I love Todd and Ben. I ADORE Gillian. The reason why I don't like Erin and Adrian is despite Ms. Dane's characters insisting that Erin and Adrian are humble and down to earth, they are still prima donna rock stars to me. The fact that they are rock stars means they can be. But it doesn't mean I have to like them. Here's the thing. It's always about them and their life. Yes Erin had a terrible experience with her past and her daughter. So everything is about "her". Gillian who had no choice over her father and what he did, suddenly Erin's been hurt and betrayed by Gillian? What a f-ing self-centered be-yotch. Wah wah wah. Erin is all hurt again. So injured. Did she ever think about what Gillian has to go through? No, because she's a self centered be-yotch, just like Raven. Hello, Pot ... Kettle?
Adrian and his "she holds back" hang ups. What.the.hell? What part of her being English was hard to understand? Has he never heard the phrase "stiff upper lip"? Please. Get over yourself, Adrian. Gillian is too good for you. And seriously, he thinks make up sex is a good thing. *shudder* I loathe people who feel a great fight is awesome because of the make up sex after. Especially the ones who instigate a fight just to have make up sex. I guess it works for them, but really, do we need a reason to have sex? Words can not be taken back once spoken. Sex isn't going to fix the pain caused by careless and spiteful words. Brody is the only good sibling, thank goodness he can kick some sense into his younger brother and sister.
I'm so irritated with characters that don't even exist. This is the magic of Ms. Dane. She creates them so well that I want to treat them like real people. The situations flow and make so much sense that even if I know it's going to be a train wreck coming up, I'm still stunned when it happens. There are no surprises or twists and turns. This is a story which natural flows the way we'd expect. The beauty of it is the way it is presented so that we are pulled into a journey as avid voyeurs.
I recommend this book to romance lovers who enjoy a bit of kink and want a HEA. Ms. Dane does get a bit rougher in the sex, but it's still rather sweetly erotic. Nothing shocking. For fans of the Brown Sibling series, this is a must read.
October 3, 2011
~~~~AMENDED REVIEW~~~~~
Okay I am amending my review and changing my rating. Yeah Yeah I know I just posted it 5 minutes ago, but like the asshat that I am sometimes I was under the impression this was the last book in the series. I AM WRONG!!!! There is no epilogue because there is another book coming out. According to Lauren Dane's website it is called Sway and while not actually part of the Brown Siblings series but a series called Delicious, it will addres what I found so lacking in the ending of this book will be address.
Ms Dane I am so sorry for ever doubting you. I promise it will not happen again! Please forgive me….
I pretty much liked Gillian for the entire book. She was brave, strong, and unselfish up to a point where Adrian almost manages to use it against her. I have always liked Adrian, if nothing else for the fact that he didn't trust Raven. We see a some what paranoid side of Adrian, which is probably as close to the reality of a rock star's life as you can get. Together they have some amazing chemistry, and it is enjoyable to watch his relationship with his son Miles grow.
The big conflict that Adrian and Gillian had was a secret about her past that she keeps quiet until a d-bag from the press confronts her while she is with the whole clan. While I'll admit it is a pretty big secret, I felt that Adrian and Gillian had shared a lot up to this point and he, along with his sister Erin (who is still a tad annoying) should have been a bit more understanding. In the end it is Brody (what a God) who tells them to grow up a little and give Gillian the benefit of the doubt. He loses a few points with me for his actions immediately following the confrontation with the reporter.
Dane writes family so well that you as a reader almost fell like if you knew the Brown's and Copeland's. As I understand it now, since my head-out-of assectomy, there will be another book that will feature closure for Adrian and Gillian, so we will get more of the family dynamic that we have all grown to love.
Okay I am amending my review and changing my rating. Yeah Yeah I know I just posted it 5 minutes ago, but like the asshat that I am sometimes I was under the impression this was the last book in the series. I AM WRONG!!!! There is no epilogue because there is another book coming out. According to Lauren Dane's website it is called Sway and while not actually part of the Brown Siblings series but a series called Delicious, it will addres what I found so lacking in the ending of this book will be address.
Ms Dane I am so sorry for ever doubting you. I promise it will not happen again! Please forgive me….
I pretty much liked Gillian for the entire book. She was brave, strong, and unselfish up to a point where Adrian almost manages to use it against her. I have always liked Adrian, if nothing else for the fact that he didn't trust Raven. We see a some what paranoid side of Adrian, which is probably as close to the reality of a rock star's life as you can get. Together they have some amazing chemistry, and it is enjoyable to watch his relationship with his son Miles grow.
The big conflict that Adrian and Gillian had was a secret about her past that she keeps quiet until a d-bag from the press confronts her while she is with the whole clan. While I'll admit it is a pretty big secret, I felt that Adrian and Gillian had shared a lot up to this point and he, along with his sister Erin (who is still a tad annoying) should have been a bit more understanding. In the end it is Brody (what a God) who tells them to grow up a little and give Gillian the benefit of the doubt. He loses a few points with me for his actions immediately following the confrontation with the reporter.
Dane writes family so well that you as a reader almost fell like if you knew the Brown's and Copeland's. As I understand it now, since my head-out-of assectomy, there will be another book that will feature closure for Adrian and Gillian, so we will get more of the family dynamic that we have all grown to love.
September 29, 2013
The good in this book is based on how much I like Gillian, enjoy Lauren Dane's voice, love the cast, think Adrian is a great dad, and relish the reflection on parenting and merging lives.
Gillian is prim, shy, assertive, English, and a great dirty talker and a mother. I just adore her.
Adrain has rock star trust issues, a dirty mouth, a good heart, and an awesome beard.
The sexy times are hot and often and really I must say this might be my number one best read for dirty talk. Pitter patter back on forth. Yum.
However, Adrain has knee jerk reactions that are massively annoying. The sex and first kiss come way to soon. The pacing is just silly and out of plot and character.
The book is scrunched in the beginning and then in the near end where they elect to really date which would have made for some great scenes and then crunched again in the very end. The closing is crazy abrupt. You look for more pages abrupt. We end on make up screaming orgasms. There is so much that could have been done.
I liked this book enough to spend money and pick up some books in the Brown Family series I haven't read yet as well as some in Delicious Series which are connected.
However, I am little sad. This book could have been amazing but because of the compression and the cuts of real development of plot it caused, it was just candy melting on the tongue and then gone.
But at the current $2.99 price, I am overall happy.
Read
September 23, 2011DNF by page 150. The bowl full of condoms by the heroine's bed (she doesn't date and isn't sexually active) as she has sex with the hero within days of meeting him, after he calls her a money grubbing whore, while his 13 year old son sleeps upstairs, is where I begin to lose hope in finishing. A condom or two inside the bedside table I can understand, but a bowl full of condoms like M&M's is where I go, "huh?"
I stopped when the heroine and her 13 year old son are told his aunt (his father's sister) is happily married to two men...and not only is the extended family fine with it (instead of keeping it hush-hush) but, the heroine and her son are okay with it as well. I know this is fiction, but if I met a woman who introduced me to her two husbands, I would be icked out, unless the men were George Clooney and Ryan Reynolds, then I would totally understand.
The sex scenes are smokin' hot, but otherwise I was disappointed. I think Lauren excels best with her sci-fi romances.
I stopped when the heroine and her 13 year old son are told his aunt (his father's sister) is happily married to two men...and not only is the extended family fine with it (instead of keeping it hush-hush) but, the heroine and her son are okay with it as well. I know this is fiction, but if I met a woman who introduced me to her two husbands, I would be icked out, unless the men were George Clooney and Ryan Reynolds, then I would totally understand.
The sex scenes are smokin' hot, but otherwise I was disappointed. I think Lauren excels best with her sci-fi romances.
September 15, 2011
UPDATE...someone shared this link with me...it makes me feel so much better about the ending of Never Enough =)
http://www.laurendane.com/blog/2011/0...
I actually give this a 3-1/2. It's not my favorite of the series, however I love Adrian...something was just off for me with this one. I am so sad to see the series end. I do feel the ending was kind of abrupt and only hope maybe, Ms. Dane plans on doing a kind of "where are they" now book on the Browns.
http://www.laurendane.com/blog/2011/0...
I actually give this a 3-1/2. It's not my favorite of the series, however I love Adrian...something was just off for me with this one. I am so sad to see the series end. I do feel the ending was kind of abrupt and only hope maybe, Ms. Dane plans on doing a kind of "where are they" now book on the Browns.
February 9, 2015
There is only one reason this book is getting 4 stars and that's Adrian Brown. Other than that the book was just ehh. The heroine annoyed me because she always excepted Adrian to bend and change and she didn't. Also, it felt like everything was too perfect. What conflict there was was small.
September 7, 2011
There are times when I start reading a book where on the first page I get a teaser. It can be a sentence, a thought, a vibe that puts me on alert what is to come. In Never Enough it was Adrian on stage, going in to the moment.
And in that moment, as I saw Adrian on stage in my mind, I simply and unceremoniously fell in love with him. Usually I’m a reader who is more easily attracted to a male then a female character but in Never Enough I met a man and a woman who were equally attention grabbing. Adrian Brown and Gillian Forrester are a match in spirit, passion and sensuality, and together they rocked my world.
From the moment Gillian and Adrian met their synergy was a live wire of feelings. Take the emotional rife situation of getting announced you were a father opposite the fear of losing your adopted son and the first encounters were volatile to say the least. Adrian and Gillian each came with their own issues and emotional baggage which created a formidable clash of strong personalities. What I think is so exceptionally well done in Never Enough is the characterization and the emotional depth. Adrian and Gillian exploded of the pages with razor-sharp dialogues, dynamite chemistry and blazing hot passion. The tension between them rocketed from their first encounter and kept building until the very end and I gobbled it all up! The reasoning behind their actions was something I came to understand over the course of the story and they both were so real and understandable.
Gillian is a guarded woman, she doesn’t have her heart on her sleeve and opens up very slowly to other people. She is self-sufficient, strong-minded with a no-nonsense attitude. A woman with a fantastic talent and a loving mother who provides a surrounding for her son to prosper in. She makes mistakes, she is deeply loyal and loving to her friends. Even though she is guarded she is far from uncaring or a coldhearted bitch. Gillian is a woman who touched me, made me cry, made me laugh. She is likeable, recognizable and she wow-ed me.
This incredible woman challenged Adrian Brown in every way possible. Due to his rock star status he has created a safe zone of people and of places to go. He has heart for his family, for his music and has hidden dreams buried in that big heart of his. He exudes pure charisma but threaten him or those he loves and he will show a whole other side of himself. He will judge you and verbally lash out so fast you never knew what hit you. In his own way he is just as guarded as Gillian due to all the stuff he has to deal with as a famous rocker. Adrian is a man who made me fall for the intensity and depth of his emotions. His dirty talking fired me up in more than one way and his growing pains in becoming a father endeared me to the core. I even loved him when he was a jerk and misjudged situations.
Gillian and Adrian come alive for me in this story like I never expected. The moments where Adrian reaches out to his son Miles, the first time they jammed together, the first time Adrian had to forbid Miles something. It enveloped me in this warm glow of the love a parent has for a child. Opposite you see Gillian gradually grow comfortable with sharing Miles. Of course next to the endearing, Lauren Dane also gave me blistering hot passion that seared my imagination. She masterfully painted quite the vivid scenes in my mind’s eye. Both Adrian and Gillian like a rough-and-tough tumbling between the sheets. They both like the dirty sexing and I really had to cool down a few times while reading Never Enough.
The plot is one of human conflict and it entailed the careful build-up of trust, of opening yourself up to the most vulnerable core. I understood Gillian and Adrian both because Lauren Dane provides plenty of backstory to make that happen. Towards the ending of the story the conflict culminated in a situation steeped in anguish and despair. Not only Gillian and Adrian were involved, and each and every ones emotions were magnified by Lauren Dane’s storytelling abilities. The discussion that followed between Gillian and Adrian was empowered by a range of feelings and I was completely involved in how it all would end. The ending was good but would’ve been exquisite if it would’ve involved an epilogue. Going through the motion with this cast of characters, on this emotional level, makes me long for a well-rounded happily ever after.
From the beginning I found a riveting story, steeped with sultry sexual tension and an unforgettable romance. Never Enough thrives in home, hearth and love in all its facets experienced by memorable characters who stole my heart from the moment I met them in Laid Bare. Next to a fantastic romance there was a supportive cast of family and friends who each has a magnetic personality. If you’ve read the previous stories you know Erin, Todd, Ben, Brody, Elise, Cope and Ella. There are children like Rennie, Alexander and Marti who complete the family vibe. But then Gillian brings some new friends to the story whom I instantly adored. Jules, Mary, Ryan are equally well-defined characters who add a new flavor to the cast.
Never Enough is an apt title for I couldn’t get enough of Gillian and Adrian in their blazing erotic romance story! A dynamic pairing surrounded by a fantastic cameo of family and friends deliver an emotionally riveting read.
4.5 stars
Quote:
That essential, vibrant magic that was music rode him. The pleasure of it, the joy at creation and manipulation. The way he sounded against the drums, over and around the bass. Music was alchemy. Music was sex.
And in that moment, as I saw Adrian on stage in my mind, I simply and unceremoniously fell in love with him. Usually I’m a reader who is more easily attracted to a male then a female character but in Never Enough I met a man and a woman who were equally attention grabbing. Adrian Brown and Gillian Forrester are a match in spirit, passion and sensuality, and together they rocked my world.
From the moment Gillian and Adrian met their synergy was a live wire of feelings. Take the emotional rife situation of getting announced you were a father opposite the fear of losing your adopted son and the first encounters were volatile to say the least. Adrian and Gillian each came with their own issues and emotional baggage which created a formidable clash of strong personalities. What I think is so exceptionally well done in Never Enough is the characterization and the emotional depth. Adrian and Gillian exploded of the pages with razor-sharp dialogues, dynamite chemistry and blazing hot passion. The tension between them rocketed from their first encounter and kept building until the very end and I gobbled it all up! The reasoning behind their actions was something I came to understand over the course of the story and they both were so real and understandable.
Gillian is a guarded woman, she doesn’t have her heart on her sleeve and opens up very slowly to other people. She is self-sufficient, strong-minded with a no-nonsense attitude. A woman with a fantastic talent and a loving mother who provides a surrounding for her son to prosper in. She makes mistakes, she is deeply loyal and loving to her friends. Even though she is guarded she is far from uncaring or a coldhearted bitch. Gillian is a woman who touched me, made me cry, made me laugh. She is likeable, recognizable and she wow-ed me.
This incredible woman challenged Adrian Brown in every way possible. Due to his rock star status he has created a safe zone of people and of places to go. He has heart for his family, for his music and has hidden dreams buried in that big heart of his. He exudes pure charisma but threaten him or those he loves and he will show a whole other side of himself. He will judge you and verbally lash out so fast you never knew what hit you. In his own way he is just as guarded as Gillian due to all the stuff he has to deal with as a famous rocker. Adrian is a man who made me fall for the intensity and depth of his emotions. His dirty talking fired me up in more than one way and his growing pains in becoming a father endeared me to the core. I even loved him when he was a jerk and misjudged situations.
Gillian and Adrian come alive for me in this story like I never expected. The moments where Adrian reaches out to his son Miles, the first time they jammed together, the first time Adrian had to forbid Miles something. It enveloped me in this warm glow of the love a parent has for a child. Opposite you see Gillian gradually grow comfortable with sharing Miles. Of course next to the endearing, Lauren Dane also gave me blistering hot passion that seared my imagination. She masterfully painted quite the vivid scenes in my mind’s eye. Both Adrian and Gillian like a rough-and-tough tumbling between the sheets. They both like the dirty sexing and I really had to cool down a few times while reading Never Enough.
The plot is one of human conflict and it entailed the careful build-up of trust, of opening yourself up to the most vulnerable core. I understood Gillian and Adrian both because Lauren Dane provides plenty of backstory to make that happen. Towards the ending of the story the conflict culminated in a situation steeped in anguish and despair. Not only Gillian and Adrian were involved, and each and every ones emotions were magnified by Lauren Dane’s storytelling abilities. The discussion that followed between Gillian and Adrian was empowered by a range of feelings and I was completely involved in how it all would end. The ending was good but would’ve been exquisite if it would’ve involved an epilogue. Going through the motion with this cast of characters, on this emotional level, makes me long for a well-rounded happily ever after.
From the beginning I found a riveting story, steeped with sultry sexual tension and an unforgettable romance. Never Enough thrives in home, hearth and love in all its facets experienced by memorable characters who stole my heart from the moment I met them in Laid Bare. Next to a fantastic romance there was a supportive cast of family and friends who each has a magnetic personality. If you’ve read the previous stories you know Erin, Todd, Ben, Brody, Elise, Cope and Ella. There are children like Rennie, Alexander and Marti who complete the family vibe. But then Gillian brings some new friends to the story whom I instantly adored. Jules, Mary, Ryan are equally well-defined characters who add a new flavor to the cast.
Never Enough is an apt title for I couldn’t get enough of Gillian and Adrian in their blazing erotic romance story! A dynamic pairing surrounded by a fantastic cameo of family and friends deliver an emotionally riveting read.
4.5 stars
January 11, 2016
I'm actually wildly disappointed by this story. I had so looked forward to adrian's story and i'm really bummed that it was sort of a flop for me.
Heroine: she was ok and I didn't hate her or anything but she really didn't have the it factor that makes all the other females in this series so amazing and interesting. Also for much of the book she was british and boring or bitchy and bratty with the only real in betweens being when she brought out the naughty librarian thing during sex. Shes too uptight for the group and she didnt mesh well for me. Her past is sad too but either it was too underplayed to get my sympathy or it just didn't seem as tragic as the other ladies'. She's a good parent but otherwise either an uninteresting or unlikable character for the most part.
Hero: I was even disappointed in Adrian in this book. He's been the rockstar with the golden heart for the entire series and in this book he turns into an asshole for a fairly significant portion and boring daddy/boyfriend for the rest. All the other men had other stuff going on whether it was security business, tattooing, or even beautiful carpentry and poetry but Adrian's other stuff sort of falls by the way side. The only scene where his work comes to the forefront is really just as a machine to cause the big fight not as something that makes him interesting apart from being a part of the couple. Honestly he was more interesting...and likeable as a secondary character in the other books.
Romance: To me there was 0 chemistry between these two. If you'll pardon my crudity for a moment here...they were either fighting or fucking. While it made for lots of makeup sex scenes it really isnt a romance not in real life (been there done that it sucked) and especially not in something i use to escape real life! And they pretty much didn't know each other at all beyond sex and being co-parents I mean they were together 4 months i think it said and went on a total of one date. Adrian whines and bitches about how she won't open up (and hello its only been 4 months usually you wait a little longer to bare your entire soul to someone but then doesn't trust her AT ALL. And even when he finds out that the stuff he dumps her over isn't true at first he's still not even going to apologize but then not only is he doing that he's proposing?! And she accepts?! It was pretty much a total shock to my system because A)I didn't feel like they had enough of a romance to warrant a proposal like that and B) If someone treated me that poorly I would definitely not accept a proposal especially if said someone didn't trust me at all because that is kinda sorta THE FOUNDATION OF A RELATIONSHIP!!!
Sex scenes: The saving grace of the book. While the couple had no chemistry for me out of the bedroom they burned up the bedroom...and the hot tub...and the...well you get the picture. Lauren dane knows her way around a sex scene let me tell you.
Plot: ehhhh not much of one beyond the initial surprise you have a 13 year old son oh and lets have sex with the adoptive mother thing. the romance is the primary plot with the oh i'm a father now thing coming in a fairly distant second. but because the romance didn't work for me and of all the fighting i feel more emotionally burnt out than satisfied with this book.
Writing: Fairly good but I had a few issues. The whole Gillian is british thing was overdone and got old fast. yes she gains an accent when she gets mad...then just do the accent don't tell us about it every time she does (especially when that's happening at least once a chapter). Then theres the use of British slang. I would've been ok with with this...but i had no clue what any of it meant and i couldn't look it up which always detracts from my enjoyment of something. Also some of the writing was awkward-especially in the sex scenes. Like a condom magically appearing. Or how she somehow magically disappears from underneath him on a bed to on her knees giving oral. Despite my overall enjoyment of the sex scenes the last one was not for me...him saying he wanted to "rut" on her was a total turnoff. Otherwise the writing was solid and I didn't notice any spelling/grammar issues.
Bottom line: while I will continue to go to bat for and recommend Dane because I love her work this one was not the pinnacle. Really only worth the read for continuity and seeing where the gang is for the start of the next one (oh and introducing a new series very slylike which i loved). Seriously hoping i have way nicer things to say about Raven's story!
Heroine: she was ok and I didn't hate her or anything but she really didn't have the it factor that makes all the other females in this series so amazing and interesting. Also for much of the book she was british and boring or bitchy and bratty with the only real in betweens being when she brought out the naughty librarian thing during sex. Shes too uptight for the group and she didnt mesh well for me. Her past is sad too but either it was too underplayed to get my sympathy or it just didn't seem as tragic as the other ladies'. She's a good parent but otherwise either an uninteresting or unlikable character for the most part.
Hero: I was even disappointed in Adrian in this book. He's been the rockstar with the golden heart for the entire series and in this book he turns into an asshole for a fairly significant portion and boring daddy/boyfriend for the rest. All the other men had other stuff going on whether it was security business, tattooing, or even beautiful carpentry and poetry but Adrian's other stuff sort of falls by the way side. The only scene where his work comes to the forefront is really just as a machine to cause the big fight not as something that makes him interesting apart from being a part of the couple. Honestly he was more interesting...and likeable as a secondary character in the other books.
Romance: To me there was 0 chemistry between these two. If you'll pardon my crudity for a moment here...they were either fighting or fucking. While it made for lots of makeup sex scenes it really isnt a romance not in real life (been there done that it sucked) and especially not in something i use to escape real life! And they pretty much didn't know each other at all beyond sex and being co-parents I mean they were together 4 months i think it said and went on a total of one date. Adrian whines and bitches about how she won't open up (and hello its only been 4 months usually you wait a little longer to bare your entire soul to someone but then doesn't trust her AT ALL. And even when he finds out that the stuff he dumps her over isn't true at first he's still not even going to apologize but then not only is he doing that he's proposing?! And she accepts?! It was pretty much a total shock to my system because A)I didn't feel like they had enough of a romance to warrant a proposal like that and B) If someone treated me that poorly I would definitely not accept a proposal especially if said someone didn't trust me at all because that is kinda sorta THE FOUNDATION OF A RELATIONSHIP!!!
Sex scenes: The saving grace of the book. While the couple had no chemistry for me out of the bedroom they burned up the bedroom...and the hot tub...and the...well you get the picture. Lauren dane knows her way around a sex scene let me tell you.
Plot: ehhhh not much of one beyond the initial surprise you have a 13 year old son oh and lets have sex with the adoptive mother thing. the romance is the primary plot with the oh i'm a father now thing coming in a fairly distant second. but because the romance didn't work for me and of all the fighting i feel more emotionally burnt out than satisfied with this book.
Writing: Fairly good but I had a few issues. The whole Gillian is british thing was overdone and got old fast. yes she gains an accent when she gets mad...then just do the accent don't tell us about it every time she does (especially when that's happening at least once a chapter). Then theres the use of British slang. I would've been ok with with this...but i had no clue what any of it meant and i couldn't look it up which always detracts from my enjoyment of something. Also some of the writing was awkward-especially in the sex scenes. Like a condom magically appearing. Or how she somehow magically disappears from underneath him on a bed to on her knees giving oral. Despite my overall enjoyment of the sex scenes the last one was not for me...him saying he wanted to "rut" on her was a total turnoff. Otherwise the writing was solid and I didn't notice any spelling/grammar issues.
Bottom line: while I will continue to go to bat for and recommend Dane because I love her work this one was not the pinnacle. Really only worth the read for continuity and seeing where the gang is for the start of the next one (oh and introducing a new series very slylike which i loved). Seriously hoping i have way nicer things to say about Raven's story!
April 12, 2015
Gillian Forrester just found out who the father of her 13-year-old son, Myles, is. So now, she's not only dealing with emotions surrounding the death of her sister (his birth mother), but she must approach Rock Star Adrian Brown to tell him he has a teenage son. Gillian adopted her sister's child at birth, but her sister refused to disclose the identity of his father until she lay dying in the hospital. It's always been just Gillian and Myles, and she's afraid Adrian is going to try to take him away from her.
Adrian Brown has spent so much time trying to keep the outside world from coming in that he's insulated himself thoroughly. He wants what his siblings have - family, kids - but the way he isolates himself doesn't allow for meeting, or more importantly, trusting, new people. When he gets a mysterious message from Gillian he is immediately suspicious - What does she want from me? When she tells him he has a son he immediately denies it; he's had false paternity claims before. But there's something different about this woman, and with encouragement from his siblings he investigates the claim, which turns out to be true - he's got a 13-year-old son.
Adrian is immediately attracted to this sexy woman with the heavenly British accent. Gillian can't stop thinking about the sexy rocker who's going to be a regular part of her son's life now. But Gillian has secrets in her past that make it hard for her to open up, and Adrian has a lifestyle that makes it hard to trust. Can they each overcome their issues and make a relationship work?
My thoughts:
Wow.
Heartbreaking. Uplifting. Frustrating. Passionate. Never Enough took me through such an array of emotions, I was thoroughly wrung out by the end, and I loved every minute of it.
For me, Adrian Brown has been the slightly mysterious Brown brother; I never really "pegged" him in the previous books, just noted him as an interesting side character that would eventually get his own book. He turned out to be such a rich, complex character; I thoroughly enjoyed reading him: his passion for family, trust, privacy, love. Once he realized that Myles was his son, he began making up for missing the first 13 years of his life; he jumped into parenthood with both feet, right into the deep end. His relationship with Gillian was not as easy. The first impression he made was not a good one, and he had to atone for that, as well as overcome her fears of losing Myles.
Gillian was a complicated heroine. She had a difficult childhood, and when she came to the United States she immediately began trying to reinvent herself from the child of a mother was "familiar" with many of the men around town and a father who is a convicted murderer. Gillian has a small group of friends she confides in, and it took her years to get to that point. When she begins dating Adrian, the sex is scorching, and she likes him, but she can't seem to tell him about her past - even though she knows there are things he needs to know about her family.
While I found Adrian charming, I had a bit more trouble warming up to Gillian - I found her use of anger as a defense mechanism to be off-putting. Given her history, that's not surprising, but it did not endear her to me. I found myself frustrated with her actions time and again. BUT, by the end of the book, Ms. Dane brought me around...
The overarching theme of the story is Family. Not the family you're born with, but the family you make. From Adrian's siblings, to Gillian's circle of friends - they care for each other and watch for each other and call each other out when they're making mistakes. They love and accept each other for who they are, not where they came from, and they open their hearts to making their family circle wider.
I also loved the musical theme that ran through Never Enough - both Adrian and Gillian's careers are in music, as well as Miles musical interest, and his namesake. Love of music was a bridge that seemed to bring them all together when nothing else worked.
The Brown Siblings series is one of my favorite series. You can read Never Enough as a stand-alone, but you really get more of the depth and powerful writing that make up Never Enough if you read the whole series. Believe me, it's worth the journey.
Adrian Brown has spent so much time trying to keep the outside world from coming in that he's insulated himself thoroughly. He wants what his siblings have - family, kids - but the way he isolates himself doesn't allow for meeting, or more importantly, trusting, new people. When he gets a mysterious message from Gillian he is immediately suspicious - What does she want from me? When she tells him he has a son he immediately denies it; he's had false paternity claims before. But there's something different about this woman, and with encouragement from his siblings he investigates the claim, which turns out to be true - he's got a 13-year-old son.
Adrian is immediately attracted to this sexy woman with the heavenly British accent. Gillian can't stop thinking about the sexy rocker who's going to be a regular part of her son's life now. But Gillian has secrets in her past that make it hard for her to open up, and Adrian has a lifestyle that makes it hard to trust. Can they each overcome their issues and make a relationship work?
My thoughts:
Wow.
Heartbreaking. Uplifting. Frustrating. Passionate. Never Enough took me through such an array of emotions, I was thoroughly wrung out by the end, and I loved every minute of it.
For me, Adrian Brown has been the slightly mysterious Brown brother; I never really "pegged" him in the previous books, just noted him as an interesting side character that would eventually get his own book. He turned out to be such a rich, complex character; I thoroughly enjoyed reading him: his passion for family, trust, privacy, love. Once he realized that Myles was his son, he began making up for missing the first 13 years of his life; he jumped into parenthood with both feet, right into the deep end. His relationship with Gillian was not as easy. The first impression he made was not a good one, and he had to atone for that, as well as overcome her fears of losing Myles.
Gillian was a complicated heroine. She had a difficult childhood, and when she came to the United States she immediately began trying to reinvent herself from the child of a mother was "familiar" with many of the men around town and a father who is a convicted murderer. Gillian has a small group of friends she confides in, and it took her years to get to that point. When she begins dating Adrian, the sex is scorching, and she likes him, but she can't seem to tell him about her past - even though she knows there are things he needs to know about her family.
While I found Adrian charming, I had a bit more trouble warming up to Gillian - I found her use of anger as a defense mechanism to be off-putting. Given her history, that's not surprising, but it did not endear her to me. I found myself frustrated with her actions time and again. BUT, by the end of the book, Ms. Dane brought me around...
The overarching theme of the story is Family. Not the family you're born with, but the family you make. From Adrian's siblings, to Gillian's circle of friends - they care for each other and watch for each other and call each other out when they're making mistakes. They love and accept each other for who they are, not where they came from, and they open their hearts to making their family circle wider.
I also loved the musical theme that ran through Never Enough - both Adrian and Gillian's careers are in music, as well as Miles musical interest, and his namesake. Love of music was a bridge that seemed to bring them all together when nothing else worked.
The Brown Siblings series is one of my favorite series. You can read Never Enough as a stand-alone, but you really get more of the depth and powerful writing that make up Never Enough if you read the whole series. Believe me, it's worth the journey.
September 19, 2015
This review was posted at Under the Covers
It feels as if I've waited for Adrian's book forever. We've sort of fallen in love with him throughout the series as the reliable and steady presence. Funny, caring, a bit spoiled, but I really never saw him as THE stud of the series. Well, ladies be warned and prepared... Adrian Brown is amazing! He might just be Mr. Perfect for me! LOL With his tats, sexy arms, and more than talented ways, as well as pretty much no inhibitions when it comes to what he wants and what his girl wants.
First of all, I'm actually really happy he gets to have a family. Even though this is really a ready-made family, because he apparently got a girl pregnant 13 years ago, and wasn't aware of it. But to the kid's benefit, the real mother didn't raise him, but his aunt did, and she had actually adopted him.
So Miles, who is now a teenager, has his own little band and is a wonderful kid, finally gets to meet his father, the famous rock star, Adrian Brown, after his real mother confesses to his adopted mother, Gillian, who the father is, right before she dies.
Gillian goes looking for Adrian because she wants to give her son the opportunity to know and spend time with his father. And after an initial shock and setbacks, Adrian falls in love with both Miles and his mum. She pushes all his buttons, and everything she does turns him on.
The whole Brown clan is pretty involved in this story, and even though at times they can be overwhelming, they love Miles and welcome Gillian into their tight knit family.
But Gillian has secrets and issues to work through, as does Adrian, before they can be happy together. Although, this book didn't have a major event tearing them apart, and it's mostly a happy relationship between all involved during the entire book, which is something I usually don't like, it worked well for me this time. I didn't feel the need to all of a sudden have a huge fight break out or anything like that.
Adrian has some ass moments, and in my opinion those were understandable being that he is a big celebrity and there are things they should always watch out for and be careful of, or a certain lifestyle they are accustomed to and they cannot understand why they can't do what they want. But in the end his intentions were always good, he is truly a devoted father, a caring lover and he loves his family completely.
Gillian is the perfect compliment for him. She's prim and proper, with her english background, and she's an amazing mother. She is very grounded and that is exactly what Adrian needs. Like she said, she's not his fan, she's his lover and the mother to his kid. But behind that exterior she is just a WILD and DIRTY woman! And wow did that match Adrian to a tee.
These two steamed up the pages non-stop, in some extremely hot and creative ways. Adrian is very dominating, loves to dirty talk, and loves to please his woman! *fans self* He is definitely my second favorite man in this series now (of course, Brody still has the number one spot!)
Since we've gone through all the Brown Siblings I'm guessing the series is over now, but I can only hope there will be a spin-off since we didn't get to read Raven's story, and the girls needs to have a HEA and someone to fix her head a bit. But we also met some pretty cool girls that are friends with Gillian, Mary and Jules. We'll have to wait and see!
Favorite quote:
"She ruined him for all others, and that was fine since he didn't plan to have any others but her."
And the debate still stands as to who would be the perfect Adrian Brown? According to Lauren Dane's Facebook Page, it is Ryan Bingham
BUT, this is who I had in mind.... just add the tats a wee bit of muscle.
It feels as if I've waited for Adrian's book forever. We've sort of fallen in love with him throughout the series as the reliable and steady presence. Funny, caring, a bit spoiled, but I really never saw him as THE stud of the series. Well, ladies be warned and prepared... Adrian Brown is amazing! He might just be Mr. Perfect for me! LOL With his tats, sexy arms, and more than talented ways, as well as pretty much no inhibitions when it comes to what he wants and what his girl wants.
First of all, I'm actually really happy he gets to have a family. Even though this is really a ready-made family, because he apparently got a girl pregnant 13 years ago, and wasn't aware of it. But to the kid's benefit, the real mother didn't raise him, but his aunt did, and she had actually adopted him.
So Miles, who is now a teenager, has his own little band and is a wonderful kid, finally gets to meet his father, the famous rock star, Adrian Brown, after his real mother confesses to his adopted mother, Gillian, who the father is, right before she dies.
Gillian goes looking for Adrian because she wants to give her son the opportunity to know and spend time with his father. And after an initial shock and setbacks, Adrian falls in love with both Miles and his mum. She pushes all his buttons, and everything she does turns him on.
The whole Brown clan is pretty involved in this story, and even though at times they can be overwhelming, they love Miles and welcome Gillian into their tight knit family.
But Gillian has secrets and issues to work through, as does Adrian, before they can be happy together. Although, this book didn't have a major event tearing them apart, and it's mostly a happy relationship between all involved during the entire book, which is something I usually don't like, it worked well for me this time. I didn't feel the need to all of a sudden have a huge fight break out or anything like that.
Adrian has some ass moments, and in my opinion those were understandable being that he is a big celebrity and there are things they should always watch out for and be careful of, or a certain lifestyle they are accustomed to and they cannot understand why they can't do what they want. But in the end his intentions were always good, he is truly a devoted father, a caring lover and he loves his family completely.
Gillian is the perfect compliment for him. She's prim and proper, with her english background, and she's an amazing mother. She is very grounded and that is exactly what Adrian needs. Like she said, she's not his fan, she's his lover and the mother to his kid. But behind that exterior she is just a WILD and DIRTY woman! And wow did that match Adrian to a tee.
These two steamed up the pages non-stop, in some extremely hot and creative ways. Adrian is very dominating, loves to dirty talk, and loves to please his woman! *fans self* He is definitely my second favorite man in this series now (of course, Brody still has the number one spot!)
Since we've gone through all the Brown Siblings I'm guessing the series is over now, but I can only hope there will be a spin-off since we didn't get to read Raven's story, and the girls needs to have a HEA and someone to fix her head a bit. But we also met some pretty cool girls that are friends with Gillian, Mary and Jules. We'll have to wait and see!
Favorite quote:
"She ruined him for all others, and that was fine since he didn't plan to have any others but her."
And the debate still stands as to who would be the perfect Adrian Brown? According to Lauren Dane's Facebook Page, it is Ryan Bingham
BUT, this is who I had in mind.... just add the tats a wee bit of muscle.
September 24, 2011
I am conflicted about this book, for the most part I really liked it but I did want to reach through the pages and slap Adrian more than a couple of times and even Gillian a time or two.
I really liked the two of them, I thought that Gillian was doing a great job with Miles and adjusting to her new situation with grace. I knew that Adrian was jealous of his friends and family and how they had all paired off in the last couple of years and how he wanted that. I really liked their chemistry together. But Adrian acted like a spoiled brat time and time again. I have always thought people's first reaction in times of stress is telling, more so than when they can think things through and Adrian did not pass this test.
It seemed like he was always whining about Gillian not sharing with him. Well, she had good reason to, her past. That is something he should understand as he and his family have difficult pasts, and things have to come out in there own time.
I also got tired of Gillian being the stick in the mud. Yes there were times that she needed to reign in Adrian, but others she didn't have to fight with him so much.
A big plus to this book was all the interactions with both families, the Browns who we have come to love and Gillian's who fit right in with them.
I really liked the two of them, I thought that Gillian was doing a great job with Miles and adjusting to her new situation with grace. I knew that Adrian was jealous of his friends and family and how they had all paired off in the last couple of years and how he wanted that. I really liked their chemistry together. But Adrian acted like a spoiled brat time and time again. I have always thought people's first reaction in times of stress is telling, more so than when they can think things through and Adrian did not pass this test.
It seemed like he was always whining about Gillian not sharing with him. Well, she had good reason to, her past. That is something he should understand as he and his family have difficult pasts, and things have to come out in there own time.
I also got tired of Gillian being the stick in the mud. Yes there were times that she needed to reign in Adrian, but others she didn't have to fight with him so much.
A big plus to this book was all the interactions with both families, the Browns who we have come to love and Gillian's who fit right in with them.
April 30, 2019
Oh yeah, this definitely lived up to the previous books' reputation, and that reputation would be books with love scenes so hot you could fry an egg on them! Throw in a strong, take-no-prisoners heroine and a tattooed rock star who likes to sing love songs in bed, and you have a story that could be damn near perfect.
That being said, the only reason it wasn't perfect was the hero. Adrian Brown got his panties in a wad over the dumbest things. As his relationship with Gillian progressed, he constantly jumped to the wrong conclusions that had to be pointed out to him. He was quite the self-centered drama queen at times.
But...as I normally despise those who act this way (even in made up people in the books I read), to the point where I will just write them off, I just couldn't do it this time. His other qualities were so amazing, they actually made up for the bad ones. (The man sings to her in bed. Need I say more?)
So, given all this, I still give the book a strong 4.5 stars, because when Adrian Brown acted his worst, he was still hot as hell, and everything worked out perfectly at the end.
That being said, the only reason it wasn't perfect was the hero. Adrian Brown got his panties in a wad over the dumbest things. As his relationship with Gillian progressed, he constantly jumped to the wrong conclusions that had to be pointed out to him. He was quite the self-centered drama queen at times.
But...as I normally despise those who act this way (even in made up people in the books I read), to the point where I will just write them off, I just couldn't do it this time. His other qualities were so amazing, they actually made up for the bad ones. (The man sings to her in bed. Need I say more?)
So, given all this, I still give the book a strong 4.5 stars, because when Adrian Brown acted his worst, he was still hot as hell, and everything worked out perfectly at the end.
May 24, 2020
a very favourite series that i have not read in quite some time - also love the spin offs (Delicious & Hurley Boys). great writing, great stories, beautiful romances and wonderful characters. super hot action in every book .... a huge range of emotion ... and an overriding theme of family - both the one you are born to (which may or may not be great) and the one you choose. this one is def my fave of the series .. one of those really memorable books that come to mind often
13.6.19 - needed a favourite today, something I knew I loved and could read again and again and this was it. great story, beautiful romance and a great book to get lost in
25.05.20 - this is a particular fave as an audio and was just what i needed in the car this week. this is a book i really love and can read over and over again. next up for the car is raven's book and then i think delicious and the hurley boys are due for a reread
13.6.19 - needed a favourite today, something I knew I loved and could read again and again and this was it. great story, beautiful romance and a great book to get lost in
25.05.20 - this is a particular fave as an audio and was just what i needed in the car this week. this is a book i really love and can read over and over again. next up for the car is raven's book and then i think delicious and the hurley boys are due for a reread
August 19, 2011
I was lucky enough to have a won an ARC of this story. I LOVE the Browns! Below is my spoiler free review.
This series will turn your non-reader friends INTO reading fiends!
The characters are real and quite raw, both flawed, and flawless and utterly unforgettable!
Never Enough is Adrians and Gillians story. With these two, your never sure whether to hug em or hit em!
Ms. Dane is a master at her craft leaving one feeling shocked to finish the story only to realize they aren't real... and that there is Never Enough stories of the Browns!
This series will turn your non-reader friends INTO reading fiends!
The characters are real and quite raw, both flawed, and flawless and utterly unforgettable!
Never Enough is Adrians and Gillians story. With these two, your never sure whether to hug em or hit em!
Ms. Dane is a master at her craft leaving one feeling shocked to finish the story only to realize they aren't real... and that there is Never Enough stories of the Browns!
September 20, 2011
It was ok. There was a lot of superfluous explanation of motives and emotions that dimmed the impact for me. Sometimes the tension can be tighter without all that overt explanation. Also, the sex scenes came across as rote and mechanical for me. I didn't feel emotionally invested in the characters all that much, and didn't feel like they even really connected with each other. Not one of my favorite books, but not horrible either.
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