Early Review of Love Will Always Remember (Shades of Love #3) by Tracey Livesay

Title: Love Will Always Remember
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Shades of Love
Format: eBook
Print Length: 257 pages
Publisher: Avon Impulse (August 29, 2017)
Publication Date: August 29, 2017
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
ASIN: B01GZS3624
Author's Website: http://www.traceylivesay.com/
Notes: I received an eARC loan from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All quotes need to be checked against the final version as they are subject to change prior to publication. All errors involving quotes are most likely my own.

Leighton Clarke is engaged to Thomas Moran. Together they hope to become one of  D.C.'s power couples. The only problem is that Leighton finds herself in the uncomfortable position of being extremely attracted to his younger brother, Jonathan. She manages to reign in her attraction, but when an accident leaves her with amnesia, things get complicated because Jonathan tells the hospital staff he is her fiance so she won't be alone...

"Leighton is in a coma, With a swollen. Brain." He emphasized the pertinent words, in case his brother hadn't initially understood their importance.(...) 

"I can't. The new system needs to be in place before the end of the fiscal year." 

"They can have someone else handle it."

"If they send someone else, I can kiss this partnership goodbye. I've given that firm ten years of my life. That partnership is mine."

"Your fiance is here, fighting for her life. You need to be here with her. Helping her. Not in London."

"Leighton knows how crucial this assignment is. I'll get valuable face time with some of the partners. She'll understand."

"How can she understand? I don't understand."

Love Will Always Remember is the third book in the Shades of Love series and it can be read as standalone. While the couples from the previous book make an appearance, their stories are self contained and no spoilers from the previous two are revealed in this one. You can go back and read them later and not feel like you know everything already.

This was a sweet and sexy take on While You Were Sleeping but with some major plot twists. At first I had some apprehensions about a woman falling for her fiance's brother, but quickly realized that Thomas and Leighton's relationship isn't as it should be. Thomas is too self involved and a marriage between the two is destined to fail. His reaction to Leighton's accident put the exclamation point on that sentiment.

The contrast between Jonathan and Thomas was interesting. Both are successful and smart, but their priorities and personalities differ drastically. Thomas' career comes before all else while for Jonathan those he cares for come first. I found it interesting that Leighton was attracted to these two similar yet very different men.

Leighton is a very complex individual. We find out early that she's changed a lot in the past several years. Because of her amnesia she's able to do something that few, if any, of us are ever able to do; look at her life from a different perspective--that of her six years younger self. What she sees disturbs her. As the mystery of how she went from who she was to who she became is revealed, we gain a deeper understanding of her relationships and choices. I loved how she managed to get a second chance at being the person she truly wanted to be.

Overall I gave this one 4 1/2 out of 5 roses. I loved how Ms. Livesay was able to capture how those people we trust and care about the most can have a profound affect on us. They help shape and mold us into who we are and who we'll become. How sometimes their decisions can make us question, sometime even alter, our own beliefs and choices, but not always in a good or positive way. I think this is my favorite book so far by Ms. Livesay. I loved the hidden depth flowing beneath the storyline. On the Lisarenee Romance Reading Scale, this one earned a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed.

Order of the Shades of Love series:

Early Review of Along Came Love (Shades of Love, #2) by Tracey Livesay

Title: Along Came Love
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre:  Contemporary Romance/Interracial
Format: Paperback; 384 pages
Publisher: Avon Impulse (November 29, 2016)
ISBN-10: 0062497820
ISBN-13: 978-0062497826
Author's Website: http://www.traceylivesay.com/
Notes: This one had a few word choices that lead me to believe it should be labeled erotic. I received an eARC loan from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I am also an Avon Addict which means I love the books that Avon publishes enough to volunteer to read as many ARCs and books as they can send my way. So you'll be seeing a lot of books reviewed by me from this publisher. Please note, however, that if I don't like a book, it will be truthfully reflected by a low rating.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

India Shaw is not the type of person who settles down or stays in one place. Nor is she the type to attach herself to anyone or anywhere. Some might call her a free spirit, but truly she's just flighty--afraid that if she commits to someone or something she'll be disappointed. She graduated with honors from  the school of hard knocks and she's still in a perpetual state of the fight or flight. She, of course, prefers the latter. The only exception being, Chelsea, her sister not by blood but by circumstances. The foster sister who is the only staple in her life. So when Indi finds herself in the delicate position of being pregnant, she turns tail and runs to her. The only problem is Chelsea's on her honeymoon, and when Indi finds herself in jail after breaking into Chelsea's posh San Francisco apartment she is forced to call the last person she'd want to have help her--Michael Black. He's the guy who is responsible for her current predicament. Can anyone saw awkward?

This was a sweet and sexy little story that could have turned out badly for India. Luckily, Michael was an absolute darling and handled everything quite well. While many men would question the paternity, he really didn't have a problem believing her. Michael had been free of a relationship when the two had gotten together, but since he'd gotten back together with his ex. This complicates matters as Michael was on the cusp of proposing to his long term girlfriend, Skylar. While Skylar seemed like his perfect match in so many ways, something was missing from the relationship. It's why Michael and Skylar had broken up at the time of Chelsea and Adam's wedding.

What was fun about the story was the reversal of roles between men and women. Three months prior, when Indi and he had gotten together, Indi had snuck out the morning after their fling and Michael hadn't heard from nor seen her since. Usually it's the other way around. Likewise, usually there are meddling mothers in books, but this time there were a couple of meddling dads.

Indi was a likable, complex individual with a lot of emotional baggage to deal with. Michael was an absolute doll who'd grown up with the knowledge that family came first and helps Indi to trust again. These two seemingly opposite individuals counterbalanced each other to make a great match. Her wildness counterbalancing his serious and controlling nature and vice versa. Interestingly, Indi wasn't the only one with some baggage and Indi helps Michael regain some of the joy in life he'd been missing.  

Overall, I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses. It was a lovely story that brought a smile to my eyes and a grin to my face. The chemistry between these two was scorching and they lit up the pages. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed.

Order of the Shades of Love series:

Love On My Mind by Tracey Livesay

Title: Love On My Mind
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Interracial Contemporary Romance
Format: Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Avon Impulse (August 23, 2016)
ISBN-10: 0062497812
ISBN-13: 978-0062497819
Author's Website: http://www.traceylivesay.com/
Notes: I received an eARC loan in exchange for an honest review.




"To be clear: If I make Adam Bennett presentable for the Computronix project launch in five weeks. you'll make me a partner?"

Chelsea Grant is the Executive Managing Director of the West Coast Entertainment division of Beecher & Stowe and she's up for partnership. When her boss calls her into his office she thinks he's going to let her know if she's gotten the promotion. Instead, he gives her one final task to prove her loyalty to the company, and it goes against her ethics. She's a master of spin, but part of her success hinges directly on her insistence of brutal honesty with her clients. With the promise of a partnership hanging in the balance, she reluctantly agrees to take on the task. As she gets to know the man behind the serious facade, she soon realizes just how much trouble she's truly gotten herself in as she finds herself falling for the handsome young genius.

This was a seriously cute and sweet romance. It brought to mind the movie Jerry Maguire although a PR spin doctor and a happy ending are about the only things these two have in common. Adam Bennett is a genius who can hold his own at a serious tech conferences, but doesn't suffer fools gladly. He was named People Magazine's sexist man alive beating out countless actors and models for the spot. His response to questions not tech related reminded me a bit of Mel Gibson's negative response to actress Janeane Garofalo's questions during an unrehearsed skit at the MTV Movie Awards in 1996. I vaguely remember Mel saying he was a serious actor and didn't care for the line of questions thrown at him. In both cases, the interviewee walked off leaving a poor impression of themselves in the public eye.

Adam is not only the developer of the product Computronix is about to reveal, he's also the CEO, and he suffers from Asperger Syndrome. This presents a real problem because he has trouble interacting with the media. He doesn't get social cues and takes things literally which makes his responses appear arrogant and haughty. Chelsea is a PR whiz and once she knows what she's dealing with she comes up with a plan. Seeing these two interact, get to know one another, and fall in love was fun to watch.

Overall I gave this one 4 1/2 out of 5 roses. This was a wonderful debut for Tracey Livesay. The characters were real and easy to relate to. The product Adam created spoke to my inner geek. As the wife of a person who co-founded a software related company, and a former computer consultant myself, I can see how you'd try to take advantage of the press' intrigue with the private entrepreneur named sexiest man alive by one of nation's most popular magazines when launching a game changing product. Could they have pawned the press conference onto someone else? Probably, but by utilizing Adam's claim to fame they got more coverage then if they hadn't, and that was a smart move. Plus, it made for an excellent love story with a little bump in the road. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed.