Ms. Vale continues to fly through the air with the greatest of ease in this second installment in the Welcome to the Circus series as a star pro footballer (and single father) finds himself drawn to a woman who's the star of the show...but clearly struggling under the weight of performing. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of
Freak Show by Lani Lynn Vale, along with getting my impressions of this emotional and charmingly endearing romance, then add it to your bookshelf too!
Slone Day, defensive end for the Longview professional football team, has a lot on his plate.
He’s at the peak of his career, he’s a single father raising a girl that’s border line genius and can’t seem to find the time to date. Let alone see someone seriously.He’s perfectly content living his life as it is.
Then he goes to a circus.
There, he meets a woman that literally takes his breath away.
And in one bold, crazy, this is probably going to backfire move, he not only asks the woman out. But he invites her to spend the next two weeks with him while she’s recovering from an incident.
***
There she is, a practical invalid who can’t go anywhere without being babysat, experiencing a crisis in the middle of a public setting, when she spots him.
The moment that Caristonia Singh meets Slone, she realizes her life is about to change.
Meeting men when you work in a circus is practically impossible. That’s why she’s the inexperienced girl that doesn’t know how to act around a hot guy.
A really big, really sexy, holy crap he could toss me over his head and make it look easy, guy.
From the moment he comes to her defense—family can be dicks sometimes—she starts falling.
But nothing good ever lasts when it comes to the circus life.
People come and go. No one ever stays.
But Slone is dead set on proving her wrong, but she’s learned firsthand that nothing good ever lasts.
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
The Welcome to the Circus continues to shine courtesy of its unique setting, a larger than life feeling when it comes to the storyline, and its delightful and immensely appealing main couple and its surrounding secondary characters. The Singh Family Circus offers a bit of something for everyone to see, but behind the scenes things don't run nearly as smoothly with personal issues and danger from an unknown person rocking the foundation the family has tried to build.
Caristonia "Ari" Singh is the Queen of the Big Cats, showing them off to the world while keeping them under control. Her home life is far from controlled however thanks to her less than loving family. In the first book in this series her family seemed caring and supportive for the most part, with the occasional family squabble. In this book however, her family was far less likable. They seemed almost cruel at times in their antics with her, particularly the behavior of her twin. With each hurtful moment one after another adding up, and with health issues becoming increasingly dangerous for her career and everyday life, she's desperate to get a break from her family and the circus...Enter single dad footballer, Slone Day who offers her sanctuary! Ari's an amazing woman, one who gets put through a lot with each turn of the page. She's a loving, caring, quirky woman who tends to be a bit quieter than her twin. Her family's mocking and joking antics sometimes turn cruel which left her with no support. These moments broke my heart and seeing Slone come on the scene to defend her had me cheering and instantly falling in love with him.
Slone Day first made an appearance in a previous book where his story of being a single dad began. That story expands here with him and those around him driving this story in this engaging and fast-paced romance. Slone's a wonderful hero with an equally delightful daughter, a super smart little girl who contributes many funny comments to the story. Slone accepts Ari quirks and all, accepts her unconditionally from the moment their eyes meet. He gives her the support and the protection her family should be giving her. He's a hero in every sense of the word, both as a father to his genius daughter and as a lover to Ari.
This was a fast-paced read with a romance that built over Ari's two weeks away from the circus. It was a combustible connection between Ari and Slone, balanced out by them actually getting to know each other. They shared their fears, their dreams, along with the reality of their lives and how their relationship might be affected. I loved all the past characters who made appearances and seeing how their appearance tied all of Ms. Vale's backlist together. While frantically turning the pages of this compelling romance my heart was beating crazily, waiting with bated breath for the identity of the stalker...while discovering another cliffhanger that left me screaming yet ready for more. Ms. Vale has captivated me, keeps me thoroughly entertained with heart pounding romances and compelling characters in a cleverly crafted world that keeps calling to me.
My rating for this is an A.
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
