Once Kissed

by Cecy Robson

• ASIN: B00TCI48WW
• Publish Date: 2015
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Format: eBook (Kindle)
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Once Kissed is the book one in the O’Brien Family series, bur it is not my first time hanging out with the members of this large, loud and tight family. I received my first introduction to this family in Save Me. Now with that being said, I must confess Once Kissed had been on my TBR shelf for a while. I am not sure why it took me so long to get to it; but I am glad that I finally attempted to pick it up. I had a blast with this beautiful and funny second chance romance.


SUMMARY

In Once Kissed, the focus is on Police Officer Curran O’Brien and law intern Tess Newhart. Curran is hardworking and well respected by his fellow officers. However, after an unfortunate event which almost ended tragically, his superiors placed him on temporary reassignment to work security detail in the District Attorney’s office. His assignment, protect his brother’s intern.

Tess Newhart faces potential danger because of the high-profile case his brother is currently working on. He took the assignment with a heavy heart, not that he had a choice, but when he laid eyes on Tess, his assignment took on a new life. If only she would loosen up and let down her hair.


Curran’s reaction to Tessa when he discovered her identity had me cracking up. You see, these two shared an interesting past. I couldn’t believe Tess had displayed such inhibited behaviour in the past. In this moment Tess comes across as a straight laced geek. She possesses many layers, and it took sometime to peel each one away. However, with each unpeeling, one learns to appreciate her and empathise with her circumstances. To some persons, she may appear weak, but in my opinion, it was the opposite. It takes strength to endure all she did and maintain a compassionate persona. Tess is definitely a survivor.

Curran is the type of hero one could easily fall for. Funny, flirtatious and generous. All was not well with him, though. The incident mentioned earlier led to him dealing with PTSD. He refuses to address it, but a big push from Tess had him seeking help to work through his issues.

The romance which developed between Tess and Curran was sweet, filled with heat and free of drama. I enjoyed their banter, which had me laughing out loud a few times. At first glance, it would appear they wouldn't make a great fit, but this was not the case. They made a great couple, and they brought out the best in each other. Curran showed her what it meant to be loved and helped to restore her confidence.

Curran was assigned to protect Tess, but her biggest threat had nothing to do with the case she was working on. It came from the one person who should have protected and loved her throughout her life. Instead, her father mistreated her and controlled every aspect of her life. He ensured that any attempts to breakaway would have dire results.

Robson weaved a little suspense and danger into the mix, which along with the antics and banter of Curran's family gave the story that extra oomph.

Once Kissed delivered a delightful read which will captivate you with its witty banter and endearing moments.

This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading

[EBookObsessed]

I like the O’Brien family. It is an interesting group of characters. This series is linked to her other contemporary series, Shattered Past. Just like Shattered Past, this first book features an abusive authority figure.

Curran O’Brien is a police officer who was on leave while an investigation was pending. His rookie partner was injured during an arrest gone wrong and everyone blames Curran, including Curran. After years of an impeccable record, his fellow cops now look away from him and whisper behind his back. That night weighs heavily on him. He isn’t sure if he should be more frustrated or simply relieved when his brother, ADA Declan O’Brien, wants him to play bodyguard to his assistant while he is trying a big case against a local mobster. Declan doesn’t think they’ll target Tess, but he doesn’t want to take any chances.

Once Curran is introduced to Tess, it doesn’t take him long to figure out why he feels like he knows her. Tess and Curran went to college together for a time and had a very memorable hook up where Tess ties him to the bed with her argyle socks. It apparently was an unforgettable experience. Curran was the big man on campus while Tess kept her head down and her nose in her books. Except for that one night. Tess didn’t think Curran even noticed she existed, but in fact, he had his eye on her for quite awhile.

Working together in close quarters brings back that sexual buzz. Hooking up with the woman he is supposed to protect won’t garner him the respect Curran is missing from his fellow officers, but he can’t help himself when things start to heat up between the two of them.

While Curran is busy protecting Tess from a possible mob hit, the real villain in this story is Tess’s father. A rich, real estate mogul, her father has controlled Tess all her her life. His abuse was both physical and emotional. Her father pays for everything that Tess has: her rent, her heat, her food, her clothes, everything. He doesn’t allow her to earn her own money. While you might think, “Wouldn’t that be great not to worry about things” Except, he keeps her calorie intake sufficiently low by only buying her just enough food. This way she doesn’t get too heavy. He controls what she wears by only buying her approved clothing. Tess can’t even buy a cup of coffee because she has no money. None. She has no credit card, no debit card, nothing, and if she tries to earn her own money, he will cut her off and toss her out on the street. This man is even willing to whore her out if it gets him the correct connections.

Just when I was starting to relax and enjoy the story, I could feel my blood pressure rise each time her father shows up. Every time you though he couldn’t say or do something worse, he found something else to do to her.

For a woman with an Ivy League education, you would have thought she would figure a way out from under his thumb. I know she was afraid of him, with good reason. Added to that, I am not certain if Tess was just socially awkward or her father didn’t allow her to make friends. Tess had no friends and barely any work acquaintances since they were jealous that Declan picked Tess to help on the mob trial. Tess spends her time counting down until her graduation so she will break free of her father once she has her law degree in hand. Until then, her life is in the awful holding pattern of doing whatever her father tells her, eating what he tells her, and wearing what he tells her, and being seen with who he tells her. As you can imagine, Curran is not an acceptable part of her father’s plan and if he finds out, Tess could lose everything before she gets to graduation.

THOUGHTS:
Cecy Robson has a wonderful writing style which draws you into the world she has created. After reading one book, you are invested to see where everyone else will be going. In fact, I am rather pissed at myself that I didn’t read the other two books in the Shattered Past series because now I need to go back. I need to find out what happens with the other characters we were introduced to in the O’Brien family as well from the prior series.

It is not that I had no interest in reading the other Shattered Past books. I looked at them more than once. The reason I skipped Once Loved and Once Pure is simply because of the abusive father who it seemed to be allowed to continue his actions with no consequences. In Once Perfect, Mateo finally fought back against his physically abusive father, but then he was so tormented over it. “You don’t hit your elders. I’m an awful son.” All I could think was “Are you fucking kidding me?” Then knowing the father would be repeating his abuse in the other stories kept me away. Except now I see that I missed out especially since Once Pure is about Curran’s brother, Killian.

I hope that the other O’Brien stories will work away from the abusive father theme, but it does make me appreciate mine all the more. :)

ADA Declan O’Brien makes an ass out of himself with a woman who you knew was going to be coming back into the story and I am certain when it is Declan’s turn in the spotlight, he will be forced to eat a lot of humble pie to win the heart of the woman he insulted and made a jackass out of himself in front of. I can’t wait to see how that works out.

I can’t tell you that I loved Curran and Tess but I enjoyed the unfolding of their story and the world that Cecy has created in the O’Brien family and I am looking forward to reading Let Me, which is the next book in the series.

Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[kimbacaffeinate]

There are seven siblings in the Irish O’Brien family and Once Kissed focuses on Philadelphia Police Officer Curran O’Brien. Curran is a natural and respected and admired by fellow officer, but after a rookie he was assigned to is almost killed Curran is temporarily reassigned to security detail. His first assignment is for the DA’s office, where his brother Declan is working on a high-profile case involving a mobster.

Tess Newart at first glance is a meek, geeky intern working for the DA's office while finishing law school. Tess is working exclusively for Declan and this may be the case to help her secure a much-needed paying position. I was not sure of Tess at first, but appreciated her attitude when dealing with catty co-workers.

Curran is assigned to security detail for Declan’s assistant Contessa. He is not thrilled but oh lord wait until you see his reaction to Tess and hers to him. It is priceless and Robson had me giggling aloud as we learned about their shared past. At this point, I am all in. Did I mention the banter between Curran and Declan? I adore siblings and all the ball-busting that goes with it.

Typical of new adult Once Kissed has two damaged characters who are good at the core, and through each other, they become stronger. I love Robson's approach to her stories and the depth she brings to her characters. You get to know them, want to friend them, and ultimately care about them. Tess has been controlled her whole life and her Daddy holds the strings. She resents it, but has her eye on graduation and freedom. As I said, Curran is dealing with the rookie incident and the emotional impact. Robson avoids relationship drama and instead focused on their personal issues and suspenseful storyline. I was simply delighted that she had her character's recommend outside help, instead of the "love fixes all" approach. Brilly! She then weaved in danger, a little suspense and a whole lotta love.

The romance is sweet, hot, heated and at times downright cute. Curran is hilarious but also gentle and sensitive. There is so much more to Tess. She is strong, brilliant, and clumsy. At times, her deadpan comments had me laugh aloud.

Robson weaves in the O’Brien family and I loved this loud, genuine, foul-mouthed family. They tease each other relentlessly, but make a move against one of them I dare you. Declan’s story is next, and a couple of scenes hinted at what is to come. I have a feeling it might be a hot, heated, haters to lovers story and I am giddy at the prospect.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer