This was not one of my favorites but I finished the series.

Über die Calender Girl - Reihe der Autorin habe ich viel positives gehört und war auch gespannt auf diese. Da ich jedoch den Anfang verpasst hatte und bisher noch nicht dazu gekommen bin mir diese Reihe zuzulegen, habe ich bisher von ihr noch nichts gelesen. Umso spannender fand ich es jetzt zu sehen, dass eine neue Reihe von ihr erscheint. Also habe ich mir direkt den ersten Teil gesichert, um dieses Mal nicht den Anschluss zu verpassen. Auch klang der Klappentext für mich ansprechender und interessanter und ich wusste gleich, dass diese Geschichte genau meinen Nerv treffen wird.
Ich kam schnell in dieses Buch hinein und einmal begonnen zu lesen konnte ich auch nicht mehr aufhören. Gillian ist eine richtig sympathische Person, die ich mit ihren Freundinnen direkt in mein Herz geschlossen habe. Um ihre Vergangenheit wird lange ein Geheimnis gemacht und der Leser bekommt eine ganze Weile nichts konkretes zu erfahren. Auch Chase nimmt sich in dieser Hinsicht nichts, denn er will alles wissen, aber gibt von sich selbst kaum was preis. Er ist selbstredend der attraktivste Mann mit einer dominanten Art und er ist ein Kontrollfreak. Er ist Sex pur und lässt die Frauenherzen reihenweise höher schlagen. Sicher erfüllt die Autorin damit einige Klischees und ich höre schon jetzt die kritischen Stimmen, wie bei Anna Todd und E. L. James, dass es ja völlig überzogen usw. ist. Für mich war das allerdings nicht weiter störend und ich mag solche Story sehr gern. Chase seine dominante Art betrifft seine charakteristischen Züge und wirkt sich auch sexuell aus, aber dieser Roman kommt ganz ohne Fesseln und Peitschen aus. Ich glaube, das wäre auch bei der Vergangenheit von Gillian sehr unpassend. Ich mochte Chase seine Art sehr gerne und in der Beziehung der Beiden gibt es auch genügend Reibungspunkte, die die Story für den Leser spannend halten. Die sexuellen Handlungen fand ich jetzt für mich manches Mal schon übertrieben und alles wirkt ein wenig zu perfekt, aber es stellte sich schon ab und an ein erotisches Prickeln ein. Allerdings fand ich es gut, dass uns wie in manch anderen Romanen dieses Genre ein ewiges On-/Off-Spiel erspart blieb. Es kommen gegen Ende aufgrund von Gillians Vergangenheit auch unerwartete Probleme auf die Beiden zu, die mich komplett neugierig auf den zweiten Teil machen. Ich fand diesen Roman wirklich gelungen und warte nun sehnsüchtig auf die Fortsetzung.

Er war antrengend und nervig. Sie war naiv. Verliebtheit hin oder her, doch wenn sie einige Dinge merkwürdig findet, dann ist da wohl was dran. Ich traue ihm nicht über den Weg, wenn auch versucht wurde, ihn etwas menschlicher wirken zu lassen, als von seiner Vergangenheit erzählt wurde.
Noch 3,5 Sterne, da das Ende Spannung in Band 2 verspricht.

3 stars


Carlan can write hot sexy scenes and make you addicted to her writing but, Chase "Ass Hat" Davis is not a favorite of mine... Gillian (Is it pronounced Jillian or like Gill-Ian) goes back to another over-controlling guy. I don't know if I'm going to read the rest of the series.

5+++ #Superman Stars ~ I HIGHLY recommend BODY and Audrey’s “Falling” series.

This is one of those stories where as a reviewer, I have spent a fair amount of time contemplating exactly why this is a 5++ star read. Sometimes I think too much. It comes down to this. This is one of those reads where you feel everything and you know as your hitting the words “The End” that you’ll be reading it again and that alone makes it a 5++ star read.

BODY (Trinity Trilogy - Book 1) is the first book in a new series by Audrey Carlan and although I think it lands squarely in the erotic romance genre, I feel like I’m short changing it. Yes it is erotic and romantic, but Body is also a mystery and it tackles far more complex and sensitive subjects than the typical angsty romance.

When the story opens, we are immediately transported to a hotel bar in Chicago. My first impressions were so easy to get as Audrey’s writing is very descriptive, a true show not tell style. Which makes this a read that I call easy - you simply become a voyeur. So, there we are in Chicago, with one Gillian Callahan as she is trying to enjoy a simple glass of wine and unwind from her travels from San Francisco. Gillians inner dialogue gives us a great amount of information on her life, we learn that she works as a Fundraising manager for a non-profit organization and that she is currently single. But there's so much more to Gillian, and we spend the rest of the book getting to know her and how she feels - I felt that she’s a very transparent character and one that is easy to want to know.

We are also immediately introduced to one Chase Davis. Again with Gillians appraisal, we get a clear physical picture of Chase (YUM), but Gillian also picks up on something that is simply Chase Davis’s “superman” pheromones. Chase is all Alpha male and Gillian has caught his eye. Immediately it feels as if these two are pre-destined. So the story goes on where we watch their present and pasts entangle as they are set off on a path that unites them. Their story is definitely fun to watch, but it's countered with moments of pure heartbreak and a central theme that is not always easy to digest, that of the effects of domestic violence.

Audreys depiction of domestic abuse and the effects are handled by her with great sensitivity. Gillians non profit work is for a program supporting victims of domestic violence. The main reason she works for this organization, that she wanted to work for this organization, Safe Haven, is that she herself is a survivor and Safe Haven is the reason. Throughout the story, Gillian experiences flashbacks that are simply heart wrenching. Again, Audrey handles this with an amazing amount of grace and I don’t think this is an easy thing to do. It’s not glossed over and it’s not melodramatic. It feels like a very true picture of what one woman experiences at the hands of a monster. With Gillian’s character, Audrey touches on multiple aspects that the survivor of domestic abuse feels; guilt, shame, and self-doubt. But Audrey gives us a Gillian that has fought her way back to normalcy & stability and is giving back and finding her own peace.

With Chase now embroiled in Gillian's life, she goes from a now relatively drama free existence to a life filled with escapades that only a bazillionaire boyfriend can offer. But Chase also brings a new element of danger. His pure Alphaman-ness challenges Gillian. She has to fight for control of her life and Chase is not one to easily back down - he “owns” her safety. At times he’s smothering, but also very, very sweet. I adore some of Chase’s habits (cookies for breakfast), but he also has a bad habit if sending sending mixed signals. He does one thing and says another and these moments made me particularly anxious and quite frankly I was wholly annoyed and angry with him at times. But he does have charm and a way to make all the heartache go away *wink wink*. Gillian matures a lot throughout the story’s timeline and she valiantly tries to push back on Chase’s need to control everything. She succeeds a few times we made me immensely happy.

I have no doubt their road toward together is going to have more rocky moments than not. As a couple they are constantly challenged by his family, their work connection and a nearly matching pair of psychotic "his and her" ex’s. There is also a mystery element in the story-line when Gillian is threatened. This causes a chain reaction that is not uncommon with anyone who has been victimized, the need to lock-down and live in fear. Chase’s task of keeping her safe is now much bigger.

Finally, this story is nothing without Gillian's wonderful group of “BESOS” ( see the books special acknowledgements for full description) that keep their “Gigi” balanced. There is a lot of camaraderie and as we get to know her friends its very apparent they have developed a small family with each other and that these girls and “guy” have each others back.. Because of this, Gillian doesn't necessarily need a superman to protect her from the monsters in this world, but he’s a lot of fun to have around.

The story does end on a cliffhanger but book 2 ,which is called “Mind”, is expected to release in December.

Audrey Carlan ha uno stile incredibile capace di tenerti incollata ai suoi romanzi fino alla fine. Dalla prima all'ultima pagina non ha mai deluso le mie aspettative, anche se di storie del ricco miliardario che perde la testa per una giovane ragazza è pieno il mondo della letteratura specialmente nel genere rosa ed erotico, ma l'autrice si è distinta dalla massa, inserendo all'interno della storia anche un po' di suspense riguardo questo misterioso stalker. La scrittura è fluida e anche nelle scene erotiche non fa cadere l'attenzione del lettore, pur non risultando volgare. La storia di Chase e Gillian e' fatta di alti e bassi e scene da farti battere il cuore e avere gli occhi a cuoricino. Ma anche Chase ha dei segreti che non è pronto a rivelarle, cosa succederà nei prossimi volumi della serie?

I liked this book, but the character, Gillian, was so interesting I just wanted to read more about her/her job/her friends. The sexy stuff was almost distracting.