The Now Series Blog Tour Kick Off
Now and Then
Now and Again
By Brenda Rothert
Now and Then
Now Emmaline Carson is a sharp, settled graphic designer who loves painting, cooking and girls’ night out with her older sister Layla. But then – in the years before she went to art school in Paris – she was a shy, awkward teenager with frizzy hair, a flat chest and a massive crush on the boy across the street, Cole Marlowe. Too bad her incredibly hot neighbor only had eyes for Layla.
Cole is now a confident, laid-back attorney who’s even hotter than he used to be. He’s planning to stay single while working his way up the corporate ladder – until he’s knocked off course by a chance run-in with Emma.
Everything is different between Cole and Emma now. He finally sees her in a way she only dreamed of, and their hot chemistry is fueled by a growing friendship.
But Emma’s deception of her sister – who wants Cole for herself – and the secret Cole’s been keeping for more than a decade threaten to tear apart what’s only just begun. Because sometimes the only thing standing in the way of now is then
My Review
4 Stars
I love the whole childhood crush turned to lover trope. Gets me every time. And Now and Then was no exception.
Brenda Rothert is a new to me author, but is now someone that is going straight to my auto-buy list.
Emmaline Carson was always the shy and awkward sister. How could she ever compare with her perfect, confident, and sexy sister Layla. So even though it’s not a shock to her when the object of her teenage crush seems more interested in Layla, it’s no less devastating.
But that was then. Now Emmaline is settling in good life and a job as a graphic designer, even though she’d much rather spent her time painting. She’s no longer the shy and awkward teenager she once was. It was great to get a heroine that wasn’t still the mousy and shy virgin. Emmaline was a woman that was confident in her own way, and she was not a stranger to men. Her time studying abroad in Paris changed her. But what happens when a chance run in with the crush from her childhood turns into something a little more?
Cole Marlowe is now a successful attorney. But his high school dating years and childhood were not quite what Emma always thought them to be. Although the last thing on Cole’s mind is a relationship during his climb up the corporate latter, he can’t seem to keep his mind off Emma.
Now things are different. Now Emma is receiving the type of attention she always dreamed of from Cole. There’s just one problem; she’s still convinced that she will lose his interest to Layla.
Layla was a bitch. A huge one! Everything that came out of her mouth made me want to beat her with my kindle. Usually when I read about a character like this, the last thing I’d want to do is read a book with her as a heroine. But here’s the shocker, I cannot wait to read about her and see her fall head over platform heels. The fact that Brenda Rothert managed to do this is no small feat.
I really loved the way that the past and present were interwoven flawlessly in the story. It added a little something to the book, the writing style was one of my favorite things about it.
So what kept this from being a 5 star read for me? Unfortunately Emma drove me up the wall with her behavior and thought process throughout the book. Her constant doubting of Cole, of herself, of Cole’s feelings grated with me. It took her almost until the very end to finally get her shit together. Cole was just wonderful. His treatment of Emma made his feelings so glaringly obvious. And the fact that Emma would chose the word of her sister over his almost made me lose it.
All that aside, this was still a very solid 4 star read, and I did enjoy it. I still can’t believe how much I’m looking forward to Layla’s story. Hope the hero really gives her a run for her money. The bitch deserves it. LOL!!
Now and Again
Once again, 26-year-old Layla Carson has the attention of a man eager to satisfy her. Ben Montrose, the hot, confident cop who gets off on frustrating her, is eager to show her just how arresting he can be. But as a reforming sexaholic, Layla’s sworn off casual hookups, and doesn’t miss the days of her early 20s –much.
Ben’s caught off-guard when the sexy, outspoken attorney turns him on and then turns him down. But the confident former Marine knows he can handle the simple seduction of a beautiful woman. He finds Layla’s weak spot – competition, which he happens to share – and challenges her to a game that could make them, or destroy them.
As they compete to crown the master of seduction, Ben and Layla discover there’s more to their game than power and foreplay. But as the stakes go up, they realize the game has changed, and they both stand to lose more than they bargained for.
My Review
4.5 Redeeming Stars
I’ll admit, I’m surprised how attracted I am to your combative nature. But you’re under my skin now. I don’t want a compliant woman – I want you.
I knew just one thing going into this book; how much I absolutely HATED Layla in book 1. How do I even describe the way she came off in that book? Ahh yes!
Think I’m exaggerating here? Not even close. Then there was Layla’s penchant of sleeping with pretty much every hot guy that crossed her path. Honestly!
She was selfish, arrogant, rude, and pretty much everything I should hate in a heroine. But see here’s the thing, I have never anticipated a book more than with her. There’s nothing more I love that a good story of redemption and imagine my surprise when I ended up liking Layla more than her sister Emma, from book 1.
After too much alcohol and a case of feeling sorry for herself lands her in the bed of yet another nameless man, Layla knows she’s finished with that part of her life. She’s done with meaningless sex and hookups. She’s sworn off bad boys, but she knows that deep down she may not be the kind of woman that the ‘nice guys’ would go for.
But of course, life never quite works out the way you plan. So when Layla meets Ben, the super sexy cop that isn’t shy about making his intentions known, she finds that resisting the bad boys is not as easy as it seems.
Ben was just…he was so….gah! *dreamy sigh* I frigging LOVED Ben. Did I happen to mention that along with being super sexy, a cop, the man also drive a motorcycle and has tattoos? Because let me just tell you, I about orgasmed from the sexy overload that was him.
When Ben first lays eyes on the outspoken and gorgeous attorney, he knows what he wants. He’s not the type to settle down, but he wants Layla, even if it’s only for a short while. But Layla is not at all what he thought her to be.
You’re the kind of girl who makes a list about her perfect man, and it has things like ‘dreamy’ and ‘sweet’ on it, and I bet every ‘i’ is dotted with a heart.”
Layla was only taken aback for a second. “How do you know my list doesn’t have ‘big cock’ and ‘filthy mouth’ on it?” she said, raising her brows at Ben.
His lips parted in surprise. “Does it?” he asked, his gaze darkening a shade.“Fuck yes.”
Knowing that the combustible attraction between them is going to be impossible to resist, Ben is determined to have Layla. So when he finds her weak spot with competition, he challenges her to a game that just might make them or destroy them.
This book was so much more than the synopsis. I did’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Layla and Ben were both such strong characters, yet both of them had their own hidden vulnerability that threatened to destroy them.
The two of them together burned up the pages
But beneath the sexy words and sexual tension, there was a fantastic story about 2 broken souls. I loved the relationship development between Layla and Ben. I am not a fan of insta anything, and I was so happy to see that didn’t happen here. Even though I thought my ovaries might explode from all the sexual tension at times, it was well worth the wait. Because when these two finally get together…
I loved that Layla was a converted bitch. It was a refreshing change from all the mousy and introverted heroines I’ve been reading about lately. She was confident, outspoken, and yet she had this layer of vulnerability to her that you couldn’t help but like.
If you enjoy steamy contemporary romances with dirty talking, sexy heroes and confident and outspoken heroines, that you really need to check this book out. A big rec from this girl!
Buy Links
Now and Then (Book 1)
Amazon I Barnes & Noble I Smashwords
Now and Again (Book 2)
About the Author
Brenda Rothert lives in Central Illinois with her husband and three sons. She was a daily print journalist for nine years, during which time she enjoyed writing a wide range of stories.
These days Brenda writes New Adult Romance in the Contemporary and Dystopian genres.
Where to find Brenda:
Author Website I Goodreads I Facebook I Twitter
Giveaway
Brenda Rothert is giving away:
3 ebook bundles for the Now Series (books 1 and 2)
1 ARC for Now and Forever (book 3)
5 – $5 Amazon gift cards
You do not talk about The Mansion. 
I never understood how you could spin that fast, that much without getting dizzy.”
A girl had to have a hobby. Hers just happened to be causing chaos for some of the world’s worst terrorists and criminals. It was fun. 
The one thing that I have loved in Lexi Blake’s books in the past was the super steamy love scenes. You could just feel the burning passion between the couples when you read it. I couldn’t seem to get the same thing here. The sex scenes between Ian and Charlie read almost mechanical to me at times. Like insert slot B into slot A, moan, breath, *insert dirty words here*, rinse and repeat. It took Ian pretty much the entire book to finally open up some. So maybe that was what was missing for me? I’m not even sure. Then again, this also might have been the case of my high expectations just being too high? Who knows. What I do know that is that in all the build up to Ian’s book, it didn’t quite meet my expectations in that.
