Readers have every reason to rejoice today with this exhilarating romance full of sizzling banter and lots of emotional highs and lows. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of People We Avoid by Lani Lynn Vale, along with my impressions of it, then add this second installment in the Don't Date Him series to your bookshelf too!
All Birdee Calvert wanted was to be normal.
She wanted the parents who didn’t divorce when she was a kid and make her life a living nightmare.
She wanted the sisters who actually liked her. She wanted to live in a town where everyone loved her and didn’t have a single bad thing to say about her.
That was not the life Birdee was given.
She had the exact opposite life. The kind of life where she slunk through the grocery store with a hoodie on so no one would recognize her. The kind of life where men like Creed Daugherty didn’t give her a second look.
After years of abuse and heartache, she built walls. Big, huge, thick ones that no one could ever breach. If she didn’t put forth the effort to get to know someone, she couldn’t be hurt.
At least, that was the theory.
She never counted on Creed Daugherty hitting her with his truck. Then, deciding that once he entered her life, he would never leave it.
Though Birdee should’ve known that Creed was too good to be true.
All it takes is one mistake on her part, and Creed freezes her out. Then forces the rest of the town to make it almost impossible for her to live in Sawtooth, Montana, anymore.
Birdee only thought it couldn’t get worse.
But Creed makes sure to show her that it can and will.
The thing about rock bottom?
Once you’re there, you have nothing else to lose.
And Creed Daugherty just made himself enemy number one.
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Readers once again need to hold on tight as you'll quickly find yourself on a rollercoaster ride of emotions! When a side character from the previous book takes center stage here readers will discover a slow burn romance full of unexpected twists and turns that will leave them breathless with anticipation and turning pages frantically. By the end, you'll be thanking Ms. Vale for another beautifully crafted tale that has you counting down the days until the next release in this series.
Birdee was a bit villainous in the previous book, someone who I wasn't sure could be redeemed, but I discovered a whole different side to her here. Birdee's life has been less than happy, with lots of hardships that leave her only able to count on herself. She's put a wall up around herself that makes HEA a hard-fought victory for the man set on redeeming himself too. Birdee truly evolved here, broke my heart in many instances as I learned more about her past, and she really deserved happiness after everything her family put her through. She was strong with the weight of the world on her and needed someone to put her first just once.
Creed Daugherty is living life as a free man after serving time for a crime he didn't commit. His time in prison has left him a bit bitter and a bit of a loner for much of the beginning of the story. Once Birdee comes into his life though we see a man of strong emotions. After his harsh demeanor early on, he comes through wholeheartedly for Birdee when she needs support most in a cheer-worthy culmination to their HEA. I might've been a bit unhappy with Creed at first, but I was in love with him by the end.
This was a gut-wrenching, multi-layered romantic tale. There was suspense, along with lots of unexpected twists and turns, to keep me fully invested in this story from start to finish. Both Birdee and Creed are strong and relatable characters, both redeemed themselves along their bumpy journey to HEA, and I was rooting for them every step of the way. Along with these appealing main characters there were some equally strong secondary characters who stuck out and left me breathless for what's coming next in the series. With its compelling ending, readers will especially be clamoring for more, and with her usual talent Ms. Vale will give readers exactly what they want!
My rating for this is an A-
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
Releasing On March 10th...
NOT A SIDE CHICK (Book 3 in the Don't Date Him series)
AUTHOR INFO:
Lani Lynn Vale is an American author of humorous romantic suspense novels. Born in the Great State of Texas, she has lived the majority of her adult life in East Texas where most of her novels are based. She’s married to her high school sweetheart whom her readers refer to as “LLV’s Bearded Half.” She published her first novel, Boomtown, in the summer of 2013 after the birth of her third child. She’s gone on to publish over 100 novels, with most of them going on to become USA Today Bestsellers.
