A Wrinkle in Forever (Love Under Wraps Book 3) by Charissa Stastny

What do you do when forever unravels?

Laurel Tremain never imagined when she ousted Everett Montgomery from student council that she would lose her heart to the arrogant, but oh-so-charming jock. That was the moment their love story began and flourished into a forever kind of love.

But a tragic accident the night before their wedding leaves Laurel broken, unable to give Everett what he most desires. When she realizes he will never be the one to walk away, she runs, placing a permanent wrinkle in the fabric of their lives.

Years later, a twist of fate brings Everett back into Laurel’s orbit. He’s struggled to move on since she disappeared from his life, and the forever he longed for has diverged far off course. But being with Laurel again proves that time hasn't erased his feelings. Laurel is still his perfect match.

There’s just one problem. Their second chance rests squarely in the forbidden zone.

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I have been loving this Love Under Wraps series.  The first two books were SO good.  I struggled with this one though and I really hate to say that.  I'm going to go with the good and the not so good for me.  This book is written in alternating perspectives and jumps back and forth through time.  Just make sure to pay attention to the dates to keep everything straight!  Oh, and this book is Looooooong.  Over 350 pages.

The good:  I feel like I really knew the characters- their motivations, their struggles, their strengths and weaknesses.  I was definitely sucked into the drama of the story and it was hard to disengage myself- especially in the first half.  I could picture the scenes in this book and felt like I was there with the characters.

The bad:  There was so much drama in this book.  So many depressing, hard and dramatic things happening.  All the time.  All the way through.  Just when you think there might be a speck of hope, nope.  Nada.  I had a hard time being in the throes of depression and hard things for the majority of the book.  As a reader, I really need to feel that hope and that light.  This book swirls in darkness most of the time.  It was depressing and I didn't like it.

I think the author threw in every single horrible thing she could think of into this book.  I was listing them all to my daughter and it almost got ridiculous saying them all out loud.  I won't list them all here because if you want to read this book, I don't want to give anything away but please be advised that I will be listing many things in my content head's up so read it or don't as you will.  I don't mind hard issues for characters in the books I read.  I love depth and growth but I really need a balance so the darkness doesn't become overwhelming.

The next thing I was surprised with was the swearing and sexual references in this book.  I wouldn't label it clean and I thought this was a clean romance series.  Also, there are a lot of potential triggers for people in this book so be aware.

I'm sorry to say I didn't enjoy this book.  I really am.  Every book is different for every reader and this one just wasn't for me.

Content:  swearing, sexual references (groping), innuendo, crass thoughts and words, drinking to excess, teenage partying and drinking, references to casual sex, drug abuse and addiction, suicide, overdose, rape, molestation, depression, marital affairs, child neglect.

- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Package Deal (Ruled Out Romances 2) by Charissa Stastny

Angels come in different packages. 

Single mom Spring is doing her best to raise her two-year-old daughter alone. She has no desire to date again, so is pleasantly surprised at her best friend’s wedding when a handsome man’s flirtations charm, instead of annoy her. But when her toddler runs up and calls her Mommy, she can tell by his reaction that her daughter is a deal-breaker. He can’t escape fast enough.

Hudson Sandel is proud of his bachelor status even as he attends his little brother’s wedding as best man. Too bad the only woman who tempts him has a daughter that rules her out. Instant fatherhood isn’t on his agenda. But when the kid throws a tantrum, he swoops in to help keep her from ruining his brother’s wedding. When the night ends, he can’t stop thinking about the gorgeous blonde’s expression when he played hero to her child. It made him feel uncomfortably good, and it doesn’t help that he keeps running into the angelic duo around town. Hudson knows Spring and her daughter are a package deal. The question is: Does he want to take on that responsibility, or will he stick to the road leading to professional success and glory?

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Hudson is a player and Spring?  Well, she is not.  Spring is firmly grounded in providing and caring for her daughter.  Hudson is living the bachelor life to the fullest while climbing up the career ladder as a lawyer.  They are at polar opposite places in life, with polar opposite ideas of what is important.  And yet, attraction.  

As Hudson and Spring keep running into each other at various places, Hudson helps with the monster two year old.  He is some kind of two year old whisperer, I guess, but his toddler magic helps Spring and as a single mother, that is very attractive to her.

Hudson wasn't a character I liked every minute but it was extra satisfying to see his transformation as he began to regain perspective by helping Spring.  He eventually remembered what was really important, what he really wanted to do when he started out as a lawyer and how helping others can make you feel whole.

I enjoyed the interactions between Hudson and Spring.  They all occur in very normal and natural circumstances that we can all relate to.  There was a very natural progression to their encounters and each one helped the characters move forward in some way.  I'm so glad there was an epilogue which helped wrap everything up for me with a pretty bow.  Yes, I'm a pretty bow girl.  I was reading another series at the same time as this book and it left me hanging so the pretty bow wrap up was just what I was hankering for.

Content:  mild swearing, innuendo, kissing, abuse (physical, emotional), bar scenes and drinking

- I received a complimentary copy of this book through ebooks for review.  All opinions expressed are my own.