Book Title: Adore

Author: Nina Lane

Series: Spiral of Bliss #4

Release Date: February 9th, 2016

Genres: Contemporary Erotica Romance

Liv and Dean West have always fallen together, but this time they might fall apart...

Liv and Dean have everything…almost. With a rambunctious toddler, crazy work schedules, and too many responsibilities, they’ve lost sight of their passionate, intimate marriage. And Professor West is none too happy about that.

Determined to lure his wife into hot new adventures, Dean struggles with his need to have Liv all to himself and the reality of sharing her with the world.

Then he gets an opportunity that could change their lives…and Liv is faced with the prospect of her white knight going places where she can’t follow.

Book Four in New York Times Bestselling Author Nina Lane's Spiral of Bliss series.

Book Review - Awaken (Spiral of Bliss #3) by Nina Lane

5 BLISSFUL STARS! ★★★★★

 

"And the most valuable lesson I’ve learned will forever live in my heart, right beside my husband. Love the one who proves to you that happily ever after is only the beginning.” 

I swooned, I cried, I laughed and then I cried more. But above all, I fell in love with Dean & Liv's story over and over again throughout the entire series.

I have no more other words to utter than I've already said in my previous reviews. The title of the series speaks for itself; it was truly a Spiral of Bliss.

Thank you Nina Lane for gifting us one of the most remarkable, unforgettable love story. For allowing us to experience Dean & Liv's story as it finally comes back to a full circle. For showing us the perfectly imperfect love.

*******

“My white knight. My beautiful, strong, brave husband who loves me more than I ever knew it was possible to be loved.

This man would give me the stars, the moon, the sun. He has slain monsters for me and alongside me. He’s battled through dark, tangled woods with me because he has never once wavered in his belief that we are meant to be forever. He would do anything for me. For us.

He’s a rare gift, my husband, perfect and flawed and completely, unreservedly mine.”

*******

PS: Sorry this isn't my usual wordy review. Perhaps one day when I revisit this book again, I'll rewrite it :) But as of now, I'd like to curl up in a ball and deal with the bittersweet feeling of this series ending ♥

Book Review - Allure (Spiral of Bliss #2) by Nina Lane

5 ALLURING STARS! ★★★★★

 

“Our relationship, our love, cannot and will never be perfect. It will, however, always belong only to us in all its flawed, intense beauty. Perfect in its very imperfection.” 

After reading that quote above, I knew THIS was definitely a winner for me. Once I put down the book, I was in complete awe as the last 20% completely blew me away. I could feel the tears pooling in my eyes and I just wanted to give a standing ovation to Nina Lane for writing one of the most powerful endings I've ever read. And sweet Jesus, this is only the 2nd book in the series but she delivered a mighty punch right there.

Honestly Nina, if you'd write 10 more books in this series, I'll buy and read all 10 of them. No questions asked.

*******

Allure picks up right after the shocking revelation in the first book. Liv & Dean are still trying to pick up the pieces of their troubled marriage but now they're back; stronger and willing to do whatever it takes to protect each other.

When a family emergency calls Dean back home to California, the couple is once again tested. With more revelations on Dean's past coming to light and fuelled with a series of shocking turns, will they finally reach their breaking points?

*******
I don't want to sound like a broken record and tell you how amazing the writing is. Everyone should just pick up this series and experience for yourselves all these wondrous feelings. Nina's portrayal of marriage is as real as it gets and even in the most perfect relationships, there will always come a time that there will be doubts. Liv and Dean are both flawed characters with their own fears and insecurities but trust me, they are some of the strongest characters I've read, both individually and as a couple.

"For despite our differences, our struggles, our childhoods at opposite ends of the spectrum... Dean and I were the same.”

Another strong winning point for me in this book is Olivia's character. She was ABSOLUTELY ON FIRE in this one! I admit in Arouse, I wasn't too sure of her; she wavered a lot and her insecurities were everywhere. But in Allure, this woman completely soared through and stole the spotlight (I still love you Dean, but your wife totally won me over in this one). Gone is that timid, unsure woman and here comes Olivia who's just one BAMF; burning with passion who's ready to fight for what she wants and above all, to protect her husband.

“I now understand the fierce protectiveness that Dean has always had for me. I know that white-hot burn of rage, the certainty that you would do anything, anything, to make things right. I hate the helpless feeling simmering at the edge of my anger, the fear that my husband could be hurt. I want to stand in front of him like some avenging angel, battling anyone who dares to try and destroy what he has worked so hard to build.”

*******

Absolutely phenomenal writing from Nina Lane. The weaving of the past and present continues to be perfectly executed and I can see it coming back to a full circle soon enough. There were just so many beautiful quotes that I almost highlighted 50% of the book.

To keep it simple and short, this book completely surpassed all my expectations. I know all my GR ladies and my book bestie kept telling me how amazing this series was but I still had my own tiny reservations. But after putting this down, I whole-heartedly concur with all of you ;)

In that place of us, Liv and Dean, love has its own poetry and language. Allure, quatrefoil, fleur-de-lis. Right here. PR9199.3 R5115 Y68. My white knight. I’m yours. Give me a kiss. Pie love you. I remember. Professor. Beauty.

Book Review - Arouse (Spiral of Bliss #1) by Nina Lane

4.5 BEAUTY STARS! ★★★★☆

 

“I want to learn how to trust a man. I wanted to know what true, physical pleasure felt like. I wanted to find the courage to be vulnerable on my own terms, as my own choice.” 

So I've finally made it to the Nina Lane party & after reading Arouse, I can definitely see what's the hype about ;) Also, GR really needs to start implementing the 0.5 stars in ratings because while I really did enjoy this book, it just didn't give me the 5-stars winner feel that I was hoping for.

******
Arouse is the story of Olivia & her husband, Professor Dean West. Being in marital bliss for 3 years, their marriage began to hit a rough patch when a certain event occurred which in turn, triggered a series of events that would lead our blissful couple to question everything about their relationship.

With secrets and old pasts coming to light, the question is, will their marriage survive through it all?

******

I'm starting to think that I really enjoy reading these marital books because they deal with the real issues everyone faces in their relationships. I love how realistic and relatable these stories are, we get to see that everything is not all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes, the imperfections are what make all these reads very honest and real.

Our marriage has always been an island, a safe place where sea-dragons and monstrous creatures can’t reach us. Now we’re letting them in, gnashing teeth and all, and we are failing to protect each other.

Arouse is exactly the type of story that I described above. It's beautifully written and despite them being a married couple, Nina Lane still managed to portray their relationship as a passionate and intense one. Sure there were moments that were a bit slow-moving at the beginning, but overall I found the story to be well-paced and did not rush into anything that is overly dramatic.



Also, I must commend Nina for doing a damn fine job in weaving the past and present together very well. Usually I'm not a huge fan of these past/present flashbacks because they confuse me and might give me a whiplash. But in this one, I thought it was brilliantly done at the right moments in the book, allowing us to experience and understand the very strong foundation of their relationship in the first place. Reading the past flashbacks definitely gave me the flutters as I witnessed first-hand their courtship days and how their relationship blossomed beautifully.

"For years, Dean has been my best friend , my confidante, the love of my life. We’ve fought for each other. My demons have cowered in the face of his strength. My secrets have always been safe with him."

Well, what can I say about Professor Dean West? A sexy professor is definitely someone right up my alley! He is wonderfully described as the white knight in this story; he's protective of Liv and you can just sense how strong his love is for his wife. The way Nina wrote Dean's character has certainly got my heart all mushy and nothing short of swoon-worthy. Sexy, brilliant, confident and possessive; Dean West fits the bill perfectly of my kind of man ♥

“Liv,” he said, his voice rough with tenderness, “you don’t have to be afraid.” “Why not?” “Because I’ll slay monsters for you.

Honestly, I thought I was going to settle for 4-stars but once I hit around 70% and the author gave us Dean's POV, that really made me upgraded my rating a little. Having it from Dean's perspective and understanding what he's equally going through really tugged at my heartstrings. Also not to mentioned, Kelsey was an amazing secondary character. Trust me, we all need someone like Kelsey in our lives ;)



Only a minor thing that bugged me was how the miscommunication between them was being dealt. I wasn't entirely happy when either one always walk out on each other after an argument and well, I kinda expected better from these two. But that's just my personal opinion ;)

******

Overall, Arouse is the first instalment of a heart-achingly beautiful story of Liv & Dean as you watched them overcome the trials and tribulations of their marriage. It also has the perfect balance of angst and erotica which keeps you captivated throughout the book.

Although it ends off with a minor cliffhanger, this book seems to be a very promising start to a great series.