Away From Me

by Sophie Oak and Lexi Blake

[Eve1972]

 
 
So funnily enough I JUST read this one for the first time a few months back. It had been sitting on my tablet for a LONG time and I just hadn't gotten around to reading it. It turned out to be one of my all-time favorite Lexi books. So saying I was super excited to get my hands on this "new" re-released version would be an understatement. I loved it then and I still think it is one of Lexi's best books.


 

~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~
As always with this author the writing in this one was fantastic. The pace was perfect. The plot was engaging and kept me turning the pages. It's a quick read. Longer than a novella but not as long as a full-length book. That said, it packs a lot of angst and feels within those limited pages. Also, do be aware that it does have a dead ex in it, but I never felt Gabrielle was second best. But I am not bothered by that scenario so that is just MY interpretation. This is the type of angst filled plot I ADORE. The hero's an a$$. The heroine gets hurt by his behavior. They separate. The hero gets his head out of his a$$ and goes after the heroine. There is some angsty back and forth and they live HEA. Or HFN in this case. I do wish there had been an epilogue BUT I believe we will be seeing this couple pop up in others books as the author re-releases them and goes about connecting them through the added material. 


~FAVORITE QUOTE~
"Such a nice man wouldn’t do anything bad." "You should be glad you live on an island, Jackie. You would be horribly murdered by the first serial killer to come along."


~HERO~
Cal (Callum)...So Cal is a bit of an a$$ to begin with. He doesn't want to love again. He doesn't want to marry again. He doesn't want kids. Gabrielle and Cal have lived together for three years they have a D/s relationship complete with a contract, but Gabrielle is in love. She rocks the boat. Cal doesn't respond well and acts like a complete a$$hole. Fast forward ten months later they meet again. He AGAIN pulls a douche move. So yea, he is a dickhead. That said, I LOVED him. He made up for his behavior by groveling and winning back Gabrielle. He was also a smokin' hot Dom AND he wasn't a manwhore at all. In fact, he had only slept with TWO women his whole life. His deceased wife and Gabrielle. 


~HEROINE~
Gabrielle was a very likable heroine. My heart broke for her at the beginning of this book and for all she went through the months they were apart. I like that she didn't immediately fall right back into Cal's arms (though the book is short so she didn't hold out too long). I like that she was moving on and standing on her own two feet. She was pining for Cal but was making plans to move on. She was a strong heroine.


~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
This one is a little light on secondary characters. I loved Cody though. I would love to see him get a book of his own. I also loved the tiny little Liam cameo that we got!


 

~HEAT LEVEL~
Medium. There are some hot sex scenes in this one. Bondage. Spanking. Anal play. The frequency felt right for the length of the story.


~ANGST LEVEL~
Medium to High. This one is fairly angsty but all that angst comes from the couple themselves. There isn't anything or anyone outside of their relationship that causes issues. There is no OW drama or OM drama. As I mentioned Cal has only been with two women his entire life and he was celibate for the ten months, they were apart. Gabi wasn't a virgin, and she was also celibate during their separation. 


~IN THE END~
I LOVED it. Like I said this is one of my all time favorites by this author. Well written and paced. Full of the type of angst I love. Tons of feels and hot sex. With characters that are extremely likable and who you will be rooting for to get a happily ever after. Two HUGE thumbs up from yours truly.