The Romance Cover: Release Day Blitz, Review & Excerpt ~ Loving Jade (Riverstone Estates #3) by Roya Carmen

Book Description:

I never thought I’d be able to leave Michael, but I finally worked up the courage. I’m not sure where I’m heading but I feel safe here with the Riverstones. This place is lovely and serene. There is so much beauty and love here.

Yet, I still don’t feel free – I know Michael will find me. It’s just a matter of time.

Love is the last thing I’m looking for, but Flynn is such a beautiful man, inside and out. He makes me believe that I can be stronger, that I can be fierce. He believes he can fix me with equine therapy but he has no clue how much damage has been done.

Yet, somehow, he manages to get through to me. With patience, love and understanding, he slowly peels off the hard layers of self-doubt and fear that have held me captive all these years.

Just as I finally start to get stronger, Michael tracks me down and sends us all into turmoil, and threatens not only me but the family I’ve come to love.

Author’s note:

Loving Jade contains explicit sexual scenes and some coarse language, and is intended for a mature audience.

Loving Jade also contains scenes of domestic abuse and violence which could be a trigger for some. The central theme of the story, however, is female empowerment and self-love. Equine therapy plays a large role in this story as I wanted to share this wonderful form of therapy with my readers.

Loving Jade is the last book in The Riverstone Series, and can be enjoyed as a standalone. However, if one intends to read all three books, it is best to read them in chronological order to avoid spoilers.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2qZcACC

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2qZT235

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4 stars

***ARC received for an honest review***

“…it’s all about taking control and not being afraid…being strong and fierce.”

Roya Carmen has charmed me with the Riverstone family over the last three books and to see a family so close and so supportive is very welcome. The setting is idyllic and while the Riverstone family seem to have their shit together it is their spouses that always seem to have the problems. Loving Jade is the story of Flynn Riverstone, the brother of Amber and Ruby who were the main characters in the previous two books. Flynn is the equine therapist, a cowboy doctor of sorts and was completely adorable.

“Hottest. Doctor. Ever.”

Jade has been married to Michael for ten years. Jade has been by his side in times of poverty and has witnessed his meteoric rise to immense wealth. The money certainly changed him and not for the better. While I have no doubt that Michael loved Jade, their love was toxic. Michael was a master manipulator, he had Jade on a short leash, was emotionally abusive and at times physically, but never enough to warrant a visit to the ER. Michael had battered Jade’s heart and soul, her self-esteem and her sense of self-worth. Jade was an empty vessel and now it was her time to fill herself back up.

Flynn is an Equine Assisted Therapist, a man that uses horses to help and heal those people that are damaged through things like PTSD, depression and stress. The power of animals is immense and it is this bond that helps people gain confidence and definitely brings them out of their shells. When Jade appears at the Riverstone Estate seeking refuge from her abusive husband, the family take her in with open arms…some arms more open than others.

“I’m in love. I’m in crazy love.”

This was a journey of self-discovery for Jade, for finding her true self away from her husband and trying to rectify the damage that he had inflicted. The support from the entire Riverstone family aids Jade in just that but with Michael a constant lurker in the background you always knew he wasn’t going to make life easy for her.

“My stomach sinks. Is that how I’ve been…a pathetic needy little dog.”

This book had a little more angst than the others but was also incredibly sweet too. Some characters really surprised me in this book, especially knowing them through the previous ones and for me did act a little out of character and not in a good way. I did enjoy the way the story went with Jade and Michael however, I did feel that this was a little rushed and would have liked a little more depth. None the less though, this was an easy read and a page turner. While this is the concluding book in this series I am hoping that at some point in time this adorable family is revisited. While this book can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading them in order so that you can appreciate the supporting characters, the family and their dynamic.

Excerpt:

“I’m sorry, Jade. I don’t know what game you’re playing but I’m not playing it. This thing with us… it’s real for me. And if it’s not real for you, if you’re just getting off on the drama, getting off on this cat and mouse game you two seem to be playing…”

I’m at a total loss for words. I wish I could say something but he’s rendered me speechless.

“If you’re just using me to make him jealous, hoping he’ll chase you and fight for you—”

“No… that’s not what I’m doing.” His words cut so deep. Is that really what he thinks?

He runs a hand through his hair. “If I’m just a pawn in your fucked up little game—”

“No,” I scream.

“I’m just tired of this shit. I’m tired of this guy. Is something still going on between you two?”

I inch closer to him and look up into his eyes – there’s so much hurt there. I hate that I’ve hurt him. It’s the last thing I want to do. “No,” I tell him softly. Doesn’t he know how much I care about him? “I filed the papers on Tuesday.”

His eyes darken. In an instant, he pulls me against him, hard. His mouth crashes onto mine, and the warmth of him sinks deep, melts me into a puddle. He’s hungry and wild as he slides his hot tongue across my jawline, down the curve of my neck. My mouth is frantic as it searches for his again. He tugs at my hair as he kisses me again, and grabs my ass as he pulls me hard, closer against him. I grind him, wanting more.

This is a Flynn I haven’t seen before, but I like it. I love it. I pull my mouth from his, breathless. “I want you, Flynn.”

With a dark gaze, he grabs my hand in his and pulls me behind him.

As soon as he closes the door behind us, he slams me against the wall. His loft is dark and smells of horses. It’s cold as hell too but I’m burning inside.

I’m wrapped around his hips, my feet off the floor, my mouth lost in his. He slides his hot tongue across my neck. “You’re a dark soul, Jade,” he whispers, his mouth pressed to me ear. “You get off on this. You like it hard, messy and complicated. Admit it, that’s how you like it.”

He’s not completely wrong. I know one of the reasons I’ve always been so attracted to Michael, so infatuated with him, is his darkness. I find it powerful – it’s so intense. He makes me feel alive.

Flynn drops me to the floor. He slaps a hand on my ass and jerks me around and flattens my face against the wall. He slides his warm hand under the skirt of my dress, up my thigh. “Is this how you like it?”

I close my eyes.

Yes…

Other Books in Series:

Loving Amber