Review and Giveaway: Theirs to Keep: Maya Banks
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When Cade Winslow and Merrick Sullivan find Elle hiding in the cabinet of a gun store, they know they can’t just walk away from the fragile woman with no memory of who she is or who tried to kill her. Merrick is training for the title shot in the heavyweight division as a mixed martial artist and can’t afford distractions, but neither can he turn his back on the woman who tugs at his heartstrings.
Elle feels safe with her two protectors, and the longer she spends with them, the more she realizes that she has no desire to remember her past. Not when it could compromise her future with Cade and Merrick.
Cade has his own set of concerns when it comes to Elle, and it quickly becomes clear to the two men that for the first time in their friendship, a woman is coming between them. But what if they just kept her there? Between them. Where she belongs.
Thanks to Maya Banks and Sullivan and Partners, for providing an ARC of Theirs to Keep in exchange for my honest opinion.
Theirs to Keep kind of shocked me a bit. Not sure what I was
expecting when I went into this story other than it's a Maya book, and well, I
am a HUGE Maya Lover. I have loved her Sweet Series, I have doubly loved her
KGI series, but her Breathless series left me a little wanting, so with this
one I wasn't sure which side of the spectrum Elle, Cade, and Merrick would end
up on. I am excited to say that I actually enjoyed the route Maya took with
this trio. Theirs to Keep has a certain vulnerability to it. I‘ve never read
her other ménage books, but compared to her other series this one definitely
has a different tone to its execution. I found Theirs to Keep to be a softer
set story, not overly angsty, and while the heroes are without a doubt alpha
Cade and Merrick weren't so overbearing that their personalities screamed over
the top dominating (such as Gabe from Rush).
There’s just something about the idea of love at first sight
(if written right I thoroughly enjoy these types of stories). Kudos to Maya
Banks, this time around she nailed it! For Cade and Merrick there wasn't any
doubt they found their soul mate the instant they laid eyes on her broken body
and soul. Yes, it was instantaneous for the men, but have no worries this isn't
a book based on insta-love. The relationship was built up over a period of time
offering cautiousness, protectiveness, support, and stability, tenderness, as well as the growth of friendship. Nothing about them ever felt rushed, and I
didn't feel the need to roll my eyes over their interactions or connection at
any point.
Cade and Merrick. Hmm, delicious male perfection times two…they
were so damn sexy and yummy! There wasn't a moment I didn't adore and love them for exactly who they were. Strong captivating and intriguing dominant men who showed so much affection and compassion. Not just with Elle, but with each other as well. Definite book boyfriend material.
Elle’s really sweet, she wasn't one of those annoying grate
on your nerves heroines. This is always refreshing in my opinion. She’s a strong
character and although she’s a "victim" Elle doesn’t let that define her.
Elle has amazing inner strength; she wasn't going to ever become anyone's
victim again. In my opinion, Elle is a true survivor. I loved that she didn't
whine, she didn't have a pity party, nor did she play mind games using her
situation to maneuver all the players to her advantage. She took life as it was
handed to her, made the best of it, and used those lessons to move forward as
best as she could with her two loves. She flourished and glowed under the care
of her men. Cade and Merrick’s adoration for this lost and damaged girl showed
with their every action and response, they thought the sun rose and set with
her. One of my favorite parts about this book was how wicked sweet, gentle, and
patient they were with Elle, never once did I doubt their love for her. She was
one treasured girl, gotta admit I’m kind of jealous.
I liked that it held some suspense as well as some action, between
Elle’s amnesia and the guys’ profession being under fire. I think it added a
certain twist to their relationship, as you never knew exactly when their world
would crumble out from underneath them. I grew to adore these two men, as well
as Elle, and I didn’t want any of them to shatter. I sat on pins and needles
waiting for either the next surprise attack, the moment she regained her
memories or someone showed up to claim her. All I could think about was the
impact it would finally have on all of them if their world were rocked beyond
repair.
I loved both Merrick and Cade equally, however, I wish we
had gotten to know Cade a bit better; I wanted a bit more depth and development
to his character. Sometimes it seemed as though Merrick ran the show and Cade
was an afterthought. We learn a lot about Merrick in this book, and when push
comes to shove everyone concedes to Merrick‘s wants and needs. Even with Elle,
Merrick was the front man, and while I thought it was wicked sweet that Cade
conceded to his best friend when it came to the marriage issue I wish he
hadn't. I wanted and needed to see a more assertive Cade. If only he had stood
his ground when it came to his own desires and demanded equality my rating
would have been higher.
Other than that everything else was there. As always, Maya
is an amazing storyteller, and she always manages to suck me straight into her
world of fiction. I really adored this trio, and I am looking forward to Always
Mine. There is a cliffhanger, Maya left us with a few questions, but nothing
too major. I promise it won’t have you swearing a blue streak, I HATE
cliffhangers and try to avoid them at all costs. As I said this one wasn't too
bad, and the sneak peek blurb for book two has me chomping at the bit.
About the Author:
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My name is Maya Banks and I live in Texas with my husband and three children and our assortment of pets. I’m more of a cat person, but my daughter became convinced she NEEDED a dog. So convinced in fact that it became her mission to convince her father and me. She prepared a two page handwritten proposal that detailed WHY she needed a dog, and well, after I sent her to her father (I knew he wouldn’t tell her no) we embarked on the search for the perfect dog. The journey that was two hours away and that I got pulled over for speeding while I was on the phone with my agent who had an offer from a publisher for one of my books… The officer wasn’t impressed. He wrote me a ticket anyway. Thus, I now tell my daughter that her dog turned into one very expensive concession! But isn’t he cute?
When I’m not writing, I love to hunt and fish with my family. We all love the outdoors and go on family hunting trips every year. We also love to travel. One of our more recent trips was to Scotland, which was every bit as comical as National Lampoon’s European Vacation. You know the part about “Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament” as they went round and round the roundabouts? Yeah, that was us, only we couldn’t even get out of the airport in Glasgow without hitting three of those suckers.
Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of a writing career is getting to meet so many wonderful readers. There’s nothing better than dishing books with someone who loves the romance genre as much as I do. Romance readers are passionate and vocal. We love our books, love our happily ever afters, and we love to spend time talking to others about our favorites. THIS is why I love my job so much, and I’m so grateful to readers who gave ME a chance when I began my career. So thank you.
Giveaway
(1) Digital Ecopy (International) and (1) Paperback copy (US ONLY) of Theirs to Keep: Maya Banks
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Age 18 and over please. Ecopy giveaways are international. Signed or paperback giveaways are US only unless otherwise specified. Giveaway will run 11/16/13 to 11/30/13 closing at 12:00 a.m. Winner will be notified via email. Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize; otherwise, a new winner will be chosen. Please allow time (up to two weeks, unless stated otherwise) for the delivery of your book. If you have not received your book within the started time please notify us. In addition, In addition, if the book has yet to release please keep in mind that the book will be distributed within two weeks of it's release date.
8 comments
Thanks for the giveaway
ReplyDeleteMaya Banks is a fantastic author. I love her KGI books, they are fantastic. Sure enough she also has a Historical Scots Series The Armstrong's and Montgomery's are the flipping awesome!. Highly Recommend them :)
ReplyDeleteI love Maya Banks and this book sounds really interesting. I loved the Breathless trilogy! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI love Maya Banks and can not wait for this one! I sure I win...I am keeping my fingers crossed for this one! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI've heard a lot of great things about this book
ReplyDeletei am a big fan of all maya's books
ReplyDeleteI love Maya Banks books!
ReplyDeleteI loved Rush, Fever and Burn and would probably enjoy this too.
ReplyDelete