WHEN WE KISS by Darcy Burke: Review & Excerpt

Posted January 29, 2016 in Book Tour, Excerpts, Giveaway, Reviews / 2 Comments

WHEN WE KISS by Darcy Burke: Review & Excerpt

WHEN WE KISS by Darcy Burke: Review & ExcerptWhen We Kiss by Darcy Burke
Series: Ribbon Ridge #5
Published by Avon Impulse
Publication Date: January 19th 2016
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
Goodreads
Buy Online: Amazon  B&N  Kobo

Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.

Denver real estate mogul, Liam Archer, has always been a thrill-seeker, and the loss of his identical twin brother has only intensified his reckless behavior. Sky diving, heli-skiing, motorcycle riding…he’s tried everything once. Except falling in love. Liam doesn’t do relationships, but a no-strings fling with Aubrey Tallinger-the smart, gorgeous lawyer handling his brother’s estate-is totally his speed.

 

At first, hooking up with Liam whenever he’s in Ribbon Ridge is perfect; but Aubrey fears she could fall hard for the sexy daredevil, if he’d only stop refusing to acknowledge the demons he’s trying to outrun. To protect herself from heartbreak, Aubrey ends their affair. But this time, Liam isn’t leaving town and instead of seduction, he wants to be…friends.

 

The white hot attraction between them still sizzles but Liam knows that winning Aubrey back won’t happen in his bed. He’ll have to convince her that he’s more than the careless, adrenaline junkie she believes him to be. Because when they kiss, Liam feels whole again… and he isn’t ready to give her up without a fight.

 

Review

WHEN WE KISS is a story of loss, grief and love that will tug at the heartstrings and have readers sighing at Aubrey and Liam’s fight for their happy ending.

Liam Archer, playboy extraordinaire, thrill seeker and the bad boy of the Archer siblings. Liam holds himself apart from the rest of his family emotionally and physically. He left Ribbon Ridge as soon as he possibly could and his trips home are as quick and brief as his hook-ups. He prefers to keeps things casual, but this trip home is not usual because he can’t keep his mind of Aubrey Tallinger. Even his usual enjoyment of his extreme sports adventures is missing, but he knows that he can’t give her what she wants.

Aubrey enjoyed her no-strings relationship with Liam, but now she is ready to settle down and Liam does not make the shortlist for Mr. Right. Now she just needs to keep her eye on the prize and stop longing for Mr. Right Now. 

I have been looking forward to Liam’s story since I finished reading the previous book and I really enjoyed it. Liam’s relationship with his family is very complicated and the anger, guilt and grief he has refused to deal with have made it even harder to connect with them. Being the outsider in his family is nothing new, but for the first time he wants to fit in and enjoy what they all have. First, he’ll have to stop running and face his demons. Liam starts out as a selfish and reckless adrenaline junkie but experiences significant personal growth as he beginning to deal with the complex mass of emotions inside him. 

I enjoyed Aubrey’s character because she knew what she wanted, wasn’t willing to settle for less than she deserved and wasn’t a pushover where Liam was concerned. I loved their chemistry and how they fit together, especially when they accepted their feelings for each other. 

One thing I love about this series as a whole is that the Archer family is not perfect. Each person comes with issues and hang-ups especially Liam, whose issues are more deep-rooted than anyone knows, but their close bond provides them with the unconditional support they need to work through these issues. 

 

 

Excerpt

Aubrey Tallinger finished drying her hands and set the towel down. Lifting her head, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her hazel eyes stared back at her and seemed to ask what she was doing dawdling in the bathroom when a perfectly lovely wedding reception was going on.

Isn’t it obvious? I’m avoiding Liam.

She was proud of herself tonight. She’d done a good job of ignoring the one person who always seemed to command her attention: Liam Archer. It helped to have a date along. A date she should get back to.

She took a deep breath and opened the door. Liam stood on the other side of the threshold.

He grabbed her hand and dragged her to the left through a doorway. He let go of her to close the door, then stood in front of it, his blue-gray eyes narrowed. “Who’s the loser?”

Aubrey registered that they were in a sitting room attached to his parents’ bedroom. She wanted to turn and look at the sun setting over the garden through the back windows but couldn’t tear her eyes from Liam. Dressed in a crisp black suit with a natty striped tie, he was the sexiest best man she’d ever seen. His dark wavy hair was perfectly styled, and as usual, she had an almost irrepressible urge to mess it up.

She tensed as she forced herself to present a cool demeanor. “I introduced you to him at the church.”

“Yes, Stuart the Accountant. But why did you bring him in the first place?”

She cocked her head and gave him a sarcastic stare. “Was I supposed to wait for you to ask me? You don’t take me on dates, Liam. You never have.” The dinner he’d surprised her

 

with at her house when he’d been home for the long Thanksgiving weekend didn’t count. Dates were public.

He frowned, and she was shocked when he didn’t fire a snappy comeback. “I might’ve, actually.”

Ha! She’d believe that when she saw it. “Too late. I told you on New Year’s that our little . . . thing was done.”

“It wasn’t a thing.”

“No, I think you’re right. It was a series of convenient hook-ups, and they are no longer convenient to me.”

She called them hook-ups, but they’d been more than that. Every time they were together, she’d felt as though they’d connected on some sort of intimate level that went beyond just sex. But that was stupid. While she’d come to know him at least a little bit, they hadn’t spent enough day-to-day time together to allow anything meaningful to spark. Except for Labor Day weekend. They’d spent the better part of four days in each other’s company, and it had been bliss. They’d laughed, they’d danced, they’d talked. And yes, they’d had a lot of sex. The physical aspect of their connection was so far the most powerful.

He prowled toward her, like a jungle cat on the hunt. She had no intention of being his prey. Nor did she want to run. She stiffened her spine and crossed her arms over her chest. Meager protection when she knew just how dangerous his weapons of mass seduction could be.

“Come on, they were a little more than hook-ups. We planned to hang out over Labor Day.”

That was true, but they’d both been going to the Dave Matthews Band concerts up in central Washington anyway. It wasn’t like they’d formulated and executed the trip together.

He stopped in front of her, his lips curving up. “And you have to admit it was pretty great.”

Incredible. Right up to the point when she’d suggested they see each other again soon.

 

He’d said, “Sure, I always call you up when I’m in town.”

Like she was a convenience. And there was that word again. She didn’t want to be anyone’s hook-up girl. She’d quashed her burgeoning feelings, but it had maybe been too late. She’d already been crazily infatuated with him. So much so that when she’d seen him at Thanksgiving, she’d allowed herself to be the convenience she didn’t want to be.

But no more.

She gave him an arch look. “So it was a great weekend. You still can’t argue it was more than a hook-up. I walked away from that without knowing when—or if—I’d see you again.”

He frowned at her. “That’s absurd. You’re our attorney. Of course you’d see me again.”

Was he being purposely obnoxious?

He put his hands on his hips. “I suppose you’re going to tell me Thanksgiving was just a hook-up, too? I brought you dinner.”

After they’d flirted all day at a winery event they’d just happened to meet at. She’d accepted his sister Tori’s invitation to attend without realizing Liam would be there. Wait, had he known? “Did you know I would be at the winery that day?”

He arched a brow. “Who do you think suggested we invite you?”

Damn it. She didn’t want to know that. “Now you tell me,” she muttered.

He flashed her a grin. “Am I wearing you down?”

She thought of what had happened next, after yet another spectacular night together. She tightened her arms across her chest. “No. Do you remember what we did after that night?” She watched his expression go from thoughtful to confused to blank. “That’s right. Absolutely nothing. You went back to Denver without a word.”

He winced. “Hey, I tried to see you at Christmas, but you weren’t here.”

Because she’d gone out of town with her aunt and uncle—the better to avoid Liam. With every hook-up, she’d fallen a little more under the spell of their attraction while he’d seemed impervious. She hadn’t wanted to lose her heart. She still didn’t.

“And I actually did try to ask you out for New Year’s, but you wouldn’t return my texts.

 

 

 

 

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About Darcy Burke

Darcy Burke is the USA Today bestselling author of hot, action-packed historical and sexy, emotional contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily-ever-after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations.
A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, their two hilarious kids-who each seem to have inherited the writing gene in some form-and two Bengal cats. In her "spare" time Darcy is a serial volunteer enrolled in a 12-step program where one learns to say "no," but she keeps having to start over. Her happy places are Disneyland and Labor Day weekend at the Gorge

 

 

 


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