Review ~ Pure Abandon by Jeannine Colette

Book Description:

Kathryn Grayson has it all—a beautiful husband, new baby, and a life most women would dream of. But after putting her career on hold for her family, Kathryn sets out to reclaim the woman she once was.

When Kathryn meets her new boss, Alexander Asher, Manhattan playboy and heir to his family’s fortune, a misunderstanding leads to friendship, the friendship becomes fierce, and soon Kathryn begins to question Asher’s motives … and her own.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/29t1SLo

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/29uiXXw

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 stars

“My mind knows this wrong, but my body can’t resist. I want this man. Hell, I need this man. I’ve never craved anything more in my life.”

Some of you may remember a few weeks ago I read Wild Abandon by Jeannine Colette, well that was a five star read for me and started me on a run of Jeannine Colette reads. There were two books written before Wild Abandon and the first was Pure Abandon. I fell in love with Jeannine Colette’s writing voice, sometimes you just read a book and you understand the author and that was how I felt when I first picked her work up. Sometimes an author speaks to me and their words resonate within me and when I get that kind of connection I make the most of it.

Pure Abandon was definitely different from Wild Abandon but that intense character connection was present and that emotive writing that I fell in love with was unleashed in spades. Once again, for me Jeannine Colette had written a winner. For those that do not like cheating, this may not be the book for you, but this was one addictive story for me, one I couldn’t put down and especially didn’t want to end. The love interest that didn’t get the girl does get his own book in Reckless Abandon and so guess what I did straight away…dived into that one. As the review for Reckless Abandon will be a huge spoiler for Pure Abandon I will post them a few days apart, but Reckless Abandon was another 4.5 star read too.

The characters in Pure Abandon were all relatable in some shape or form and I think that is what Jeannine Colette does best.  Kathryn was a woman that had put her career on hold for her husband, Gabriel. He was an up and coming lawyer and was working hard to prove his worth and make partner. His hours were long and he was hardly home. Having moved away to the “burbs” Kathryn was lonely and only had her baby for comfort and companionship, but now that he was a little older, she wanted to get back to work. She was good at what she did so when the opportunity comes up for a job working with an old friend and colleague Kathryn jumps at the chance.

“…you will always be the girl who dropped her books on a staircase and took my heart with her.”

Alexander Asher was a man running a billion-dollar company that had been left to him by his grandfather. Asher had taken the reins, albeit reluctantly, because Asher’s true passion was music. Both his parents had died, but his mother had instilled her passion for music in Asher. Asher is a prodigy on the Cello and so for his philanthropic efforts he centres around teaching under privileged kids the true beauty and passion in the classics and as a little rebellion towards his grandfather he has bought himself some music related companies, one being the company that Kathryn is now working for.

“It sounds kind of lonely, being your own empire.”

Asher’s presence is commanding around the work place; he rarely visits the company that Kathryn works for but when he does you could hear a pin drop. He has an aloofness and that feeling of the untouchable, he keeps himself to himself but can scare the pants off anyone if they cross him. While his business façade was certainly typical of a man in his position, from the twinkle of an eye you could tell that there was a lot more to the man behind the billionaire business man façade. I have to say I adored Asher, once you got to know him and his history there was nothing not to love.

Kathryn gives it to Asher straight, she doesn’t pussy foot around, she takes her job seriously and only wants to succeed. Asher appreciates her honesty whereas everyone else tells him what they think he wants to hear. Getting close on a particular project puts these two extremely close together and sparks fly. Not a clash of opinions, but a clash of hormones, attraction, chemistry, lust and maybe even love. Will they give in to temptation? Will they succumb to the forbidden?

“Truth is I never felt more displaced in my life. It’s like I’m riding on the border of two countries yet have citizenship in neither. It’s a terrible feeling.”

Jeannine Colette delivered a story with passion, the forbidden and that all-consuming battle of attraction. That push and pull and that inevitable fall into the unknown. It would be easy to support Kathryn choices if her husband Gabriel had been violent or controlling or something alike, but in honesty they had a typical marriage. Work taking over, the tiredness that comes with it, the sleepless nights with a baby that slowly leads to that lack of intimacy and connection just because you are too darn tired. There are suspicions on both sides and it is up to the reader to decide as to whether they feel Kathryn’s actions were justified. There are a few twists and turns that keep you engaged throughout and I loved the slow build to Asher and Kathryn’s relationship. But as with any love triangle there is always one winner and one loser. Who will Kathryn choose at the end of the day?

“After his office visit today, I was sure he would want to make love tonight. Instead, it’s the same story. I feel like Jackson’s building blocks. Build them up. Knock them down. Repeat.”

Please do not even look at the synopsis for Reckless Abandon as that will spoil this book, you have to live the choices that Kathryn makes through this emotional journey and experience it as the author intended. My trouble was I actually loved both guys, I would have been heartbroken for the guy she didn’t choose no matter, but I have to say I adored Asher and if I ever leaned to one side, it would have been his. So if you love a story that is written with emotion and passion, fantastic character connection with relatable characters and you don’t mind cheating, then this is a fantastic book and I can highly recommend it. Now onto Reckless Abandon…

Favourite quote:

“No, I closed the curtains after you went to sleep.”

“Did you also unplug the clock?”

“Yes.”

“Why in the world would you do that?”

“You said I could have you for one night, and I don’t want this night to end.” (SWOON)