Angst runs deep in this story of a woman carrying tons of emotional baggage who finds herself drawn to a rugged man with a heart of gold. Keep reading to get a glimpse of Passion Restored by Carrie Ann Ryan, along with my impressions of it, then get ready to add it to your bookshelf. In honor of this second installment in the Gallagher Brothers series make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a mystery prize too!
The Gallagher Brothers series from NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan continues with the one brother who thinks he can handle it all and the one woman who could change that.
Owen Gallagher likes everything in its place and is organized to a fault. While his brothers have each dealt with their own personal tragedies and stresses, Owen figures he’s had it pretty easy. That is until his perfectly ordered world is rocked at its foundation and he’s forced to rely on others. Now, he must heal his body and his soul while trying to ignore his delectable and utterly off-limits neighbor.
Liz McKinley is stressed out, exhausted, and not in the mood for a bearded and growly man in her ER. When she patches him up to the best of his ability, she’s prepared to push him firmly from her thoughts. Of course, that would be easier if she and her best friend hadn’t bought the house next to his. Now their paths seem to cross daily, and she is finding it harder and harder to say no to the injured and angry man next door. But she’s been scarred one too many times in her life, and even though this Gallagher looks good enough to eat, she knows that sometimes, sating that craving is the worst thing she can do.
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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Instant attraction brings together an organized, hard working man and a nurse weighed down by her painful past who's afraid to love in this scorching tale full of angst and unexpected twists and turns. From start to finish readers will find themselves mopping their brow as erotically-charged encounters are balanced with melodramatic moments to keep you on edge waiting to see what happens next. Add in familial interruptions and you'll find yourself charmed by the heartwarming support of the Gallagher family as the serious-minded Owen tries to catch the emotionally fragile Liz before she runs away for good.
Owen's the king of organization in the Gallagher family which leaves him the butt of jokes but also the one everyone relies on to get the job done. When an accident has him meeting the woman who caught his eye just an hour earlier though his life becomes very disorganized as he battles to recover as well as win the guarded woman over. It's a rocky journey to HEA as her past constantly has her running, but he stands beside her every step of the way and through every unexpected turn their relationship takes. His actions, his charm, and his tatted-up body with seductive piercings make him a delicious hero. His compulsive categorizing and list-making makes him endearing too and more readily relatable. On a whole he's the quintessential book boyfriend who was the highlight of the story for more and had me wishing he'd found a more worthy woman.
In contrast, Liz is a bit of a mess and hard to like at times. Growing up with an alcoholic mother and an indifferent father led to lots of loneliness, doubts, and feelings of unworthiness that haunt her still. She's a hard-working woman who doesn't make friends easily and with her job on the line, because of budget cuts and vindictive coworkers, she's constantly on edge. She too is very organized and when stressed she cleans frenziedly. The only time you see her relaxed is when in Owen's arms which is where she spends a lot of time throughout the story as they engage in lots of scorching encounters full of dirty talk. When their relationship takes an unexpected turn, and her father comes calling to bring all her old hurts back, she'll have to decide if it's worth staying or will she take the easier route and run yet again. Liz was very difficult to warm up to as she was a bit too gloomy at times. She'd closed herself off for so long that her attempts to interact with others felt stilted. She was so scared of getting hurt that she refused to rely on others, and at the first sign of trouble, she ran. Despite Owen never giving her cause to doubt him, she did just that which left me frustrated even more. Though I applaud her wanting to stand on her own two feet I felt that it was just another way to keep herself separate, instead of going all-in like Owen did. It wasn't outside forces keeping them apart, but rather her and her cowardice and assumptions keeping her from HEA which enhanced my disappointment in her.
Though this was a well-written romance I found myself less captivated by it than by Ms. Ryan's other works. The accident that put Owen in the hospital was hinted to be something bigger than it ultimately turned out to be which felt emotionally manipulative. Liz's father returning, and his unexpected connection to Owen, was melodramatic and again felt manipulative and was just another throwaway plot device that vanished as quickly as it arrived. My biggest issue with the story was Liz herself and her wishy-washy nature. Fear had her running while sex had her coming back. At times I couldn't see why Owen loved her as she didn't love herself and was always holding back while he wore his heart on his sleeve. It's Owen and his loving and supportive family that made this story a winner and that warmed my heart while putting a smile on my face. His interactions with them were sweet while realistic in their playful mockery which endeared them all to me. Owen's rugged and a bit rough with his look but he's the kind of guy you dream of. He was a sexy beast, a master of dirty talk, who rolled with every punch Liz threw at him out of fear and still stood by her wholeheartedly. He's another shining example of how delightful the members of the Gallagher family are and I look forward to younger brother Murphy finding love with Liz's roommate Tessa, who has baggage of her own, in the next installment.
Owen's the king of organization in the Gallagher family which leaves him the butt of jokes but also the one everyone relies on to get the job done. When an accident has him meeting the woman who caught his eye just an hour earlier though his life becomes very disorganized as he battles to recover as well as win the guarded woman over. It's a rocky journey to HEA as her past constantly has her running, but he stands beside her every step of the way and through every unexpected turn their relationship takes. His actions, his charm, and his tatted-up body with seductive piercings make him a delicious hero. His compulsive categorizing and list-making makes him endearing too and more readily relatable. On a whole he's the quintessential book boyfriend who was the highlight of the story for more and had me wishing he'd found a more worthy woman.
In contrast, Liz is a bit of a mess and hard to like at times. Growing up with an alcoholic mother and an indifferent father led to lots of loneliness, doubts, and feelings of unworthiness that haunt her still. She's a hard-working woman who doesn't make friends easily and with her job on the line, because of budget cuts and vindictive coworkers, she's constantly on edge. She too is very organized and when stressed she cleans frenziedly. The only time you see her relaxed is when in Owen's arms which is where she spends a lot of time throughout the story as they engage in lots of scorching encounters full of dirty talk. When their relationship takes an unexpected turn, and her father comes calling to bring all her old hurts back, she'll have to decide if it's worth staying or will she take the easier route and run yet again. Liz was very difficult to warm up to as she was a bit too gloomy at times. She'd closed herself off for so long that her attempts to interact with others felt stilted. She was so scared of getting hurt that she refused to rely on others, and at the first sign of trouble, she ran. Despite Owen never giving her cause to doubt him, she did just that which left me frustrated even more. Though I applaud her wanting to stand on her own two feet I felt that it was just another way to keep herself separate, instead of going all-in like Owen did. It wasn't outside forces keeping them apart, but rather her and her cowardice and assumptions keeping her from HEA which enhanced my disappointment in her.
Though this was a well-written romance I found myself less captivated by it than by Ms. Ryan's other works. The accident that put Owen in the hospital was hinted to be something bigger than it ultimately turned out to be which felt emotionally manipulative. Liz's father returning, and his unexpected connection to Owen, was melodramatic and again felt manipulative and was just another throwaway plot device that vanished as quickly as it arrived. My biggest issue with the story was Liz herself and her wishy-washy nature. Fear had her running while sex had her coming back. At times I couldn't see why Owen loved her as she didn't love herself and was always holding back while he wore his heart on his sleeve. It's Owen and his loving and supportive family that made this story a winner and that warmed my heart while putting a smile on my face. His interactions with them were sweet while realistic in their playful mockery which endeared them all to me. Owen's rugged and a bit rough with his look but he's the kind of guy you dream of. He was a sexy beast, a master of dirty talk, who rolled with every punch Liz threw at him out of fear and still stood by her wholeheartedly. He's another shining example of how delightful the members of the Gallagher family are and I look forward to younger brother Murphy finding love with Liz's roommate Tessa, who has baggage of her own, in the next installment.
My rating for this is a C+/B-
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Talon Pack, and Gallagher Brothers series, which have sold over 2.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over fifty novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not writing about bearded tattooed men or alpha wolves that need to find their mates, she’s reading as much as she can and exploring the world of baking and gourmet cooking.
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