Blog Tour: Say You're Mine: Diane Alberts
Say You're Mine (Shillings Agency #5)
Diane Alberts
Add to Goodreads
Expected December 7, 2015
She’s a challenge he can’t afford to lose…
Navy SEAL Steven Thomas has only ever been able to count on three things: waking up in the morning, going to sleep sometime during the night, and Lauren Brixton. She’s been his best friend since grade school, and what they have is the only relationship he’s managed not to ruin.
Until one drunken night puts that all in jeopardy.
Lauren’s watched Steven flit from one-night stand to one-night stand, seemingly not interested in something more. So when the long-ignored attraction between the two of them blows up in their faces, she does the only thing she can—she pretends she doesn’t want him. But all’s fair in love and war, and Steven’s not about to lose the only person in his life who matters…
This is a friends to lovers story that takes a twenty year old friendship, throws in some sexual tension, a bit of alcohol, and then opens the floodgates of lust and hidden feelings.
But they've both got issues...and they are supposed to be off limits.
Steven is suffering from PTSD, guilt, loss, and anger. He's restless, stubborn, slow to trust, and has a decreased sense of self worth. He is afraid of relationships. He keeps a lot bottled up. But to his best friends and his sister he is loyal, kind, and selfless. Unfortunately he is also coping with his problems in unhealthy ways with alcohol and women. He has always thought of Lauren as his platonic friend even when others think they belong together. He lives a bit in denial of his true feelings
His best friend, Lauren, is sweet, caring, witty, and devoted to him. She's his constant and one of the only other woman he truly trusts. She had abandonment issues that seem to keep getting reinforced. She has bad taste in men and tends to jump in too fast. But no other men ever measure up to Steven in her eyes.
One night brings these two to a point of either advance or retreat. They do a little of both and change the whole game. They are both confused, skittish, fearful, and worried about what the consequences will be. They are now dealing with new feelings, jealousy, confusion, fear, and possessiveness. They both have triggers that the other are in danger of setting off. They are both afraid of losing their long time friendship. He was in need of a wake up call about his choices and this makes it necessary to figure out what he wants, needs, and if he can change.
But what happens when things get too complicated and real? Are they really meant to be or will they ruin it all?
But they've both got issues...and they are supposed to be off limits.
Steven is suffering from PTSD, guilt, loss, and anger. He's restless, stubborn, slow to trust, and has a decreased sense of self worth. He is afraid of relationships. He keeps a lot bottled up. But to his best friends and his sister he is loyal, kind, and selfless. Unfortunately he is also coping with his problems in unhealthy ways with alcohol and women. He has always thought of Lauren as his platonic friend even when others think they belong together. He lives a bit in denial of his true feelings
His best friend, Lauren, is sweet, caring, witty, and devoted to him. She's his constant and one of the only other woman he truly trusts. She had abandonment issues that seem to keep getting reinforced. She has bad taste in men and tends to jump in too fast. But no other men ever measure up to Steven in her eyes.
One night brings these two to a point of either advance or retreat. They do a little of both and change the whole game. They are both confused, skittish, fearful, and worried about what the consequences will be. They are now dealing with new feelings, jealousy, confusion, fear, and possessiveness. They both have triggers that the other are in danger of setting off. They are both afraid of losing their long time friendship. He was in need of a wake up call about his choices and this makes it necessary to figure out what he wants, needs, and if he can change.
But what happens when things get too complicated and real? Are they really meant to be or will they ruin it all?
I liked them both and liked them together. They had a fun rapport, deep connection, and hot chemistry. But they were exploring a whole new side of each other and dealing with their own changes and responses. So there was no doubt that it would not be completely smooth sailing for these two. It had angst and issues, but it was not overdone. And each of them had opportunities to learn, grow, mess up, be stubborn, grovel, and even beg.
This is a quick and easy read about friendship, lust, love, trust, opening up, and honesty. It was told in dual pov and was funny, sexy, sweet and romantic. It can be easily read as a stand alone but characters from other books in this series filter through. Steven's sister Lydia and his their best friend Holt from the last book Taking What's His are featured.
This is a quick and easy read about friendship, lust, love, trust, opening up, and honesty. It was told in dual pov and was funny, sexy, sweet and romantic. It can be easily read as a stand alone but characters from other books in this series filter through. Steven's sister Lydia and his their best friend Holt from the last book Taking What's His are featured.
ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Steven Thomas and Lauren Brixton have been best friends since grade school. After his years as a Navy SEAL, Steven is struggling to cope with his survivor’s guilt, finally using alcohol and one night stands to numb his pain. Lauren watches her best friend run through women and booze like water and is worried about him.One drunken night changes everything between them, and the longtime feelings they have each ignored must be reckoned with, or their friendship will be wrecked forever.
I liked these two characters a lot. Friends to lovers almost always works for me, and this was no exception. Steven was so worried about messing up with Lauren and losing his one constant female friend. Though he and Holt have been friends for nearly as long, Lauren really is his rock. Lauren knows everything sordid about Steven’s past and as a result (and her own less than stellar record with men) is leery of opening up to him.
There was a lot of back and forth between these two, with minimal communication and the fear that one will not want as much from the relationship as the other leading to hesitation and hidden feelings. Normally that is something that bugs me in a storyline, but it worked for these two with their histories.
I enjoyed this quick, sexy read. While this is my first experience with the Shillings Agency, it won’t be my last. Between hints about Mark and Lauren’s attempt at matchmaking, and breadcrumbs about previous matches, I am intrigued by this group of men.
ARC provided by publisher in exchange for honest review.
Shillings Agency Series
Diane Alberts is a USA TODAY bestselling Contemporary Romance author with Entangled Publishing. Under the name Jen McLaughlin, she also writes New York Times, USA TODAY, and Wall Street Journal bestselling books with Penguin RandomHouse. She was mentioned in Forbes alongside E. L. James as one of the breakout independent authors to dominate the bestselling lists. Diane is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.
Diane has always been a dreamer with a vivid imagination, but it wasn’t until 2011 that she put her pen where her brain was, and became a published author. Since receiving her first contract offer, she has yet to stop writing. Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, and three cats. Her goal is to write so many fantastic stories that even a non-romance reader will know her name.
0 comments