BRAVE ENOUGH
Series: Tall, Dark, & Dangerous #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: M. Leighton
Release Date: April 5, 2016
From the author of the New York Times bestselling Bad Boys novels comes another dark, sexy story…
Is she brave enough to give her heart to a man she only thought she knew?He was the most charismatic man I’d ever met. Strong, tough, brave. Bold as hell. Something told me Tag Barton could have anything—anyone—he wanted…and he wanted me. It didn’t matter that he was wrong for me in practically every way possible. It didn’t matter that my father would hate it.
I couldn’t resist him. Even if I’d known who he really was and what he was really capable of.
When he suggested we pretend to be engaged, I thought he was the answer to all my problems. He wasn’t. And, in his wake, he left nothing but scorched earth and me, just another casualty of my father’s war.
Can I believe him now when he tells me he loves me? Or is he nothing more than a beautiful, breathtaking lie?
The light rain bathes my face, the sweet scent of grapes scent the air and the heat of Tag surrounds me. I’m invaded by this moment, by this man. Invaded, body and soul.
Truth be told, I struggled with my rating for this book for days now. I’ve been marinating and marinating over what to rate it. Do I rate it as a part of the Tall, Dark, and Dangerous series which it didn’t seem to fit at all? Or do I rate it as a standalone I felt it should have been? After much deliberation, I’ve decided to go with something in the middle of the two. Because here’s the thing, while I did truly enjoy Brave Enough, I didn’t find it fit the series. Aside from Tag being a hero that was first introduced early in the series, there is really no other connection. The story felt different, the romance felt different, and the entire feel of it was just different.
Strong Enough was a heart pounding and intense read. Tough Enough was a lot more tame, but it did follow on the heels of a story arc that was first introduced in Strong Enough. Brave Enough was something else entirely. Those that have read the series will see what I mean, and those that haven’t, good news! You can easily read this as a standalone and miss nothing.
Weatherly O’Neil is seeking to escape her life for a bit and her father’s dictation of her life. Growing up in wealth and privilege, Weatherly never quite felt like she fit in that social circle. But now that her father is insisting that she marry someone for wealth and business reasons, she needs out; out from the pressures of her parents and her life. She finds that out in her beloved escape; her parent’s vineyard. There she comes face to face with the most charming, enigmatic and gorgeous man she’s ever met. His eyes promise the most delicious kind of sin, and his lips promise that she’ll enjoy the seduction.
Previous Special Forces and part of Delta Five team along with Jasper and Kiefer, Tag lives a different life now taking care of his ailing mother who works and lives on the vineyard as well as tending to the vineyard itself. Tag has never been the type to hurt for female attention but when he first lays eyes on
Weatherly he knows it’s a game changer. He’s determined to break down all her walls and ask her to be brave enough to take a chance on him. But Tag also has a secret, one that no one knows about and could cost him everything.
If you’re looking for a pure contemporary read with plenty of steam, this book will definitely hit the spot. It’s sexy and swoony and packed with plenty of feels. It’s also quite a bit slow paced and has the insta-lust/love thing going for it.
While I loved Weatherly and Tag’s connection, it was just too quick for my liking. There wasn’t enough relationship development for me to truly connect. Things get hot and heavy with these two pretty much straight off the bat, and doesn’t let up. At times I felt their physical connection was overshadowing their emotional one.
The book is also pretty slow paced, but on the flip side, I was never once bored while reading it. I was glued to the pages from start to finish and enjoyed myself the entire time.
I was really let down with the super rushed ending in book 2 of a particular story arc that began with book 2. A part of me had hoped that perhaps this would be fixed or further fleshed out with book 3, but alas there was zero mention of it here. It was like the first two books didn’t happen. Aside from cameos from Kiefer and mention of Jasper, that was all we got.
Ultimately it was the insta thing that brought down my rating. Their quick fall just didn’t feel believable to me. I found Weatherly overly naive and trusting and that was a source of frustration for a large chunk of the book for me. Tag was fantastic; a perfect balance of dirty talker and sweet, so that was certainly great to read. The ending was a bit heavy on the cheese and the entire relationship moved too quick for my tastes, but at the same time it fit this couple.
If you’re looking for a sweet romance with a swoony hero and plenty of steam, this will definitely hit the spot. My quibbles aside, I did still enjoy this book quite a bit and would recommend it to any fan of this author. One thing is for sure; M. Leighton can WRITE, and she most definitely gives good alpha.
READ THE SERIES IN ORDER
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