SYNOPSIS:
For Allie Baxter, love was never
something she had to worry about. She was loved by her friends, her family, her
husband … until the day it was ripped away. Losing love was the deepest pain
Allie had ever endured, and it was an agony she vowed to avoid feeling ever
again. Crippled with guilt over her loss, for five years Allie served her
self-appointed exile from the daily comforts offered by friends and family,
only to return and attempt to fit herself back into their open arms—even if she
knew she didn’t deserve it.
Mike Lawson was not something Allie expected; the
love of a man was not something Allie was prepared to want. The spark of desire
that had long ago died inside her suddenly returned, bringing the memories of
her pain with it. She swore she would never allow herself to love again … but
how long could love be resisted?
REVIEW:
I have been waiting patiently for Allie Baxter’s story.
After reading Love Realized, I fell in love with this group and especially the
fire cracker, Allie. This group of friends have a bond that most wish they had
with their friends.
After the death of her husband, Allie shut down. She closed herself off from the world,
including her family. Allie moved away,
and distanced herself from everyone.
Allie blamed herself for Mar’s death even though it was an accident. Allie didn’t want everyone to look at her with
pity in their eyes, so Allie stayed away.
Did her friends and family look at her that way? Did her friends and family just miss the “old”
Allie that they knew and loved? Was the
look in their eyes, only concern? Could Allie allow herself to live a life
without Marc?
Allie Baxter had given up dating all together after the
losing Marc. Allie refused to put her
heart out there again. To give her heart
to another, only to have it destroyed once again. That was not going to
happen. Allie vowed to NEVER love again,
so Allie chose to build a brick wall around her heart. She was never going to allow herself to feel
the pain she felt when she lost Marc.
Mike Lawson was Allie’s neighbor. Mike went to dinner with Allie’s best friend, Gillian after she had separated from her husband, Logan, which is Allie’s brother. There wasn’t sparks between Mike and Gillian, however they became very good friends and he was welcomed with open arms to their group of friends. Mike’s personality clicked with this group. He fit in well with everyone. Mike was immediately attracted to Allie. There was just something about this woman that drew him to her. Mike has been trying for months to get to know Allie, the “real” Allie, not to smart mouthed woman he sees. He knows there is more to her, than what she is allowing him to know.“Love meant pain, and she knew she had to resist.” ~ Allie
"Her snippy comments were clearly a defense mechanism, and while he completely respected them, it was his new mission in life to break down that wall, brick by brick.” ~ Mike
Fortunately, Mike was a VERY patient man. He didn’t care how long it took him to break
down those walls, because Allie Baxter was definitely worth the wait.
Allie’s comments were always fueled by sarcasm. Sarcasm was her armor, and that is how she
fought every battle. Allie would put up her
wall, and hit the bitch switch. Allie
thought that if she was a bitch to Mike that her actions would push him
away. Little did she know, Mike saw
through her façade. He knew her game,
and he was ready to be a key player in winning her over.
“Keep running Allie, but eventually I will catch you.” ~ Mike
When Allie was around Mike, she felt different. She was beginning to feel alive again. She began to have butterflies in her stomach
which was overwhelming for her. Allie’s
walls were beginning to break, and Mike was getting to see the Allie that
everyone has been missing. Mike was
getting to know the “old” Allie, the Allie before she was broken. Allie didn’t know what to do with these
feelings, so she did what she did best, she threw the walls back up and pushed
Mike away. She would be bitchy to him
with the hope that he would just go away.
"Have I really been that bitchy? I didn’t mean to be.” ~ Allie
“Of course you didn’t, sweetie, but that doesn’t mean you haven’t been. I get it, I do. That guy over there has you all tied up in knots, and you can’t help but fight it.”
Gillian reached over and took Allie’s hands in hers.
“You said it yourself – he isn’t Marc, but that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to want him.” ~ GillianMike will stop at nothing to get Allie to open up to him, to allow him in. He knows that he must go big or go home. Mike had to put himself out there. There was a bet, and a nice wager. Mike had a point to prove, and the stakes were totally worth it. Who would win? Allie or Mike?
Allie is falling for Mike and falling hard. Allie was struggling to resist Mike, to resist
feeling again, to resist loving again.
Allie seemed to be stuck in the past, and was refusing to live in the
present. Allie didn’t want to look
forward to a future, a future without Marc.
“Feelings led to love, love led to pain, end of story.” ~ Allie
Was a future with Mike possible? Could Allie love Mike? Could Allie let go of the past and realize
that love isn’t so bad? Just because
love was taken from you once, doesn’t mean that it will happen again. Allie and Mike had a lot in common. They had both lost someone that they
loved. Did the circumstances in their deaths,
make it different? Is Allie ready to take that risk again, the
risk of loving someone?
I absolutely LOVE this series. Mike is absolutely AMAZING. He is perfect. His personality alone, is his selling point,
not to mention his fabulous body, and gorgeous looks. Mike seems to be exactly what Allie
needs. The only question is: Will Allie realize that resisting Mike is the
wrong this thing to do? Allie needs to
be able to let go of her past in order to move on with her future. Allie has resisted love for so long, could she
possibly have known that Mike was her new forever, her new future? It may not
have been the future she had seen five years ago, but it could be her future
now.
The spark between Allie and Mike is evident. I, as a reader
saw it, I was just waiting to see if Allie saw it. I loved how we got to see the entire group
again in this book. I love Allie and
Gillian’s relationship. Their friendship
is one that most of us wish we had. They
are not only best friends, but they are like sisters. They complete each other. I love the bickering between Jason, Jake and
Allie. They crack me up. The group has known each other since there
were kids and have been friends for a very long time. They are each other’s extended family. They all look out for each other and love
each other.
This series is a MUST read.
Love Realized is book 1 in the series and Love Resisted is Book 2. Get ONE CLICKING !!!!
This review was prepared by Heather.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Melanie Codina and her family will be donating $1 or each book of Love Resisted sold during the month of October.
ONE CLICK AND BUY LOVE REALIZED & LOVE RESISTED
Melanie is an amazing mother of four, an awesome and tolerant wife to one,
and nurse to many. If you don’t believe her, just ask anyone in her family,
they know what to say. She is also a devoted chauffeur, the keeper of missing
socks, a genius according to a six year old, the coolest soccer uniform
coordinator according to a twelve year old, and the best damn
‘mac-n-cheese-with-cut-up-hot-dog maker in the whole world. Well that last
title isn’t really official, but it’s still pretty cool to be called it.
When not being ordered around by any of the kids, you can find her with
her nose in a book or on the sideline of a soccer game cheering on one team or
another. But that’s mostly because she has a thing for the coach. When she is
not doing all of the above, you can find her obsessed with a group of fictional
characters all vying for a spot on the page of whatever she’s working on. It’s
a fun and crazy life to lead, but wouldn’t have it any other way.
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