I read Shiloh Walker's Her Best Friend's Lover (ebook) towards the end of the 2007 Challenge and really, really loved it. But there was a lot of the H's past that related to a Nikki and Wade. I eventually found out that Nikki and Wade had their own story ~ No Longer Mine ~ that was no longer in print. Well, shoot! Then, at the beginning of this Challenge, I read Shi's latest release Always Yours and loved it as well... turns out that this book, too, is a subsequent story to No Longer Mine. Now I really had to find this very elusive book... thank heavens for eBay! So I found, and got the book, and it sat on my TBR shelves... until my reading slump of last week. Of course once I got into the book I was able to understand a little more about the connections to the two books that I had read previously... which I decided I had to read again in the proper order.
Nikki Kline and Wade Lightfoot's story spans several years, a LOT of heartbreak and extreme emotional turmoil... but holy moley it grabbed my heart and refused to let go. I read this book as close to straight through as I could; it was near to impossible to put down. It sure gave me a lot more of the background to both the following stories ~ which I will also review here... just 'cause. Excellent and extremely riveting story... there were times that I wanted to throttle Wade, but he redeemed himself. Neither Nikki nor Wade loved easily, and this is a stellar tale of love lost and found again, of second chances, of love too powerful to turn your back on.
RATING:
Excellence: Excellent ~ 4.5 stars
Steaminess: Heat Wave
BOOK READ:
Shiloh Walker; No Longer Mine; Triskelion Publishing; 2006 (orig. ebook Jan 05)
FROM the BACK:
What was Nikki supposed to do? The man she loved years ago shows up in the place she made her home, hundreds of miles from where they met, reminding her of the love they had shared and lost. Nikki doesn't think she can cope with having to look into Wade's eyes and see the love there. All she wants to do is be left alone to protect what is left of her heart. But Wade doesn't seem to want to take no for an answer.
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BOOK READ:
Shiloh Walker; Her Best Friend's Lover; Ellora's Cave; 2003 [ebook - 147 pages]
FROM the website:
Dale loves women, and they love him. His love life is a revolving door. No one special, no one stays, except Lauren, his best friend. She's a sweet, beautiful, talented woman. His rock, the steadying influence in his life. So why is he starting to see her differently? Where are these lustful thoughts coming from? Guys don't sleep with their best friends.
Lauren has loved Dale for five years, from the moment she saw him. She loves his smile, his walk, his deep, sexy voice. But he isn't in love with her. She's his pal, his confidant. Until one hot, steamy night…
Rating: (from 2007 challenge review)
Her Best Friend’s Lover was amazing. It was sexy, emotionally laden at times, humourous and a very good story, definitely in keeping with Shiloh Walker’s other books that I’ve read. This tale was especially about two people who, knowing each other, sometimes didn’t really know the other ~ or even themselves. Definitely a personality-driven story and, while it extends over a period of about a year, it works… most of us sure don’t have lives that merit an hour by hour recounting ~ that’s why this story seems to an even stronger experience. There’s nothing major that occurs, just a story about Lauren and Dale. Touching and Hot… great combination!!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!
And now, having read the first story in the series, boy... so much more of what happens in this story makes a TON more sense!
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BOOK READ:
Shiloh Walker; Always Yours; Samhain Publishing; Sep 2007 (ebook May 2005)
SYNOPSIS: (from earlier review ~ ** addition to previous review **)
Kirsten (Kris) Everett has often had dreams that she can’t ignore, but she usually doesn’t have enough information to do anything until it’s too late. That is, until she has a dream where her best friend’s very attractive younger brother life is in extreme danger on his next mission. This time she's able to issue a warning: Too bad Dylan didn’t listen.
Dylan Kline is an Army Ranger and has been extremely attracted to his older sister’s best friend, and editor, for many years. But even so, the warning that she gave him from a dream just doesn’t make sense ~ until he’s lying on the ground with a bullet in his back.
Even once Kris and Dylan find each other again, there is danger very near. Will they have a chance at love, or will they lose everything?
MY NOTES:
Wow…. This story was way more than I had thought it would be. It’s got a strong paranormal element to it which adds greatly to the suspense throughout and the romance, like much of Shiloh Walker’s books is steamy and wonderfully erotic.** I enjoyed how, for the most part, Dylan and Kris' relationship was a given from early on in the book... the suspense was directly related to Kris' psychic abilities and what she was learning regarding the disappearances of a number of teens and young women. But even as Kris and Dylan were together from the middle of the book on, there were some obstacles that had to be overcome. ** Excellent adventure all the way through… and I really, seriously hope that there are more stories coming out about some of the other characters ~ YoWZA!
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One minor point... and I didn't notice this previously because there was a fair bit of time between readings... in No Longer Mine Kris' last name was Everess... and even in the blurb on the back of the book her name is written as Everess, but in the story it's "Everett". Picky? Yeah... but it still annoyed me a bit.
Books read in April: 16
Har / Sil ~ 5
Others ~ 11
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kalyko ~ Reading: One of life's little joys and a much needed reward!
