Blue Lines by Toni Aleo Series: Assassins #4
Published by Random House on December 9, 2013
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
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Opposites do more than just attract in Toni Aleo’s latest Nashville Assassins novel about a very bad boy and the good girl he can’t resist.
The instant Piper Allen sees Erik Titov, she wants him—wants his rock-hard body, sure, but the strength and mystery that lies behind that superstar hockey jock demeanor, too. So when he sidles up to her at a bar and slinks his arm around her waist, she’s lost. What follows is the wildest night of her life . . . followed by inevitable heartbreak the next morning. And then, a few weeks later, a very big surprise: two blue lines on a pregnancy test.
Only a check to the head could make Erik fall for a nice girl like Piper. But since their crazy-sexy night together, he’s been trying to forget about her alluring body by falling into bed with every woman in Nashville, and it’s not working. So when Piper shows up at his house with a baby-bomb to drop, it doesn’t take much for Erik to suggest the nuclear option: marriage. While it’s supposed to be all for show, the second they say “I do,” the ice between them starts to melt into sizzling steam.
Liezel’s Thoughts:
“I don’t ever cry, and I have never told anyone I love them, but you, you’ve changed everything, Piper. You’ve made me realize that I can love, that I can be a great father. I couldn’t have done this without you and I don’t know if I can go on without knowing that you are with anyone else but me…”
I participated in this pre-release book blitz and saw on Goodreads that it already had hundreds of reviews and it hasn’t even been released yet! My curiosity got the best of me and I just had to read and do an early review for this one.
So what is it about? Piper Allen is Elli and Audrey’s best friend ( featured in Book 1: Taking Shots and Book 3: Empty Net ). She had her eye on Erik Titov of the Assassins for years. She knew she never stood a chance given how popular he was with the ladies. Erik noticed Piper too but ignored that temptation because he knew she had the potential to become a game-changer. One thing leads to another and they end up giving into a night of passion. After an amazing night together Piper expected that he was finally willing to commit but Erik had other ideas. Everything would have been fine and dandy but a month later she finds her pregnancy test with two Blue Lines.
I haven’t read the entire series and I am not sure if Erik’s background story was shared in the previous books. That being said, not knowing these details added a certain element of surprise for me. Erik was confusing in the beginning and I was quite annoyed with Erik for the first couple chapters. There were moments when he selfless and caring then he became this heartless douche when he found out about Piper’s situation. After finding out about his traumatizing childhood – he did a total 180 for me.
I finally understood why he thought he wasn’t the relationship type, why he wasn’t willing to commit even if he had the perfect woman right in front of him. Piper knew from the start how much pain and guilt Erik endured growing up. This was one of the reasons why she remained patient with him. Time and again he would say hurtful things but she stayed because she knew that he deserved so much more that he thought he did. She recognized early on that they were exactly what he needed.
Because of that, I thought their pairing was terrific. Early on the passion that they shared was fantastic and as the story progressed it got even better. This is one of the reasons why I came to admire Toni Aleo. That and the amazingly hot preggy sex. Ha! Most stories that I’ve read that have such situations read awkward but this one sure didn’t. I loved that Piper took what she needed and Erik (although he had some doubts in the beginning) he was more than happy to oblige. Yay for being led by wayward hormones. Sexy as hell.
Another thing that I loved about this book was the intertwining relationships. Most of Piper’s relations had their reservations about the relationship and they never hesitated to express their doubts just because they simply cared. They both had the support and encouragement that they needed especially on Erik’s side. His adoptive parents were wonderful.
All in all, I would have to say that I more than enjoyed this hot and steamy hockey romance and look forward to reading Phillips story next.
The Verdict:
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dawn ruchel
love this cover a lot…