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I am Lover of romance, who indulges in the romantic adventures of literature

My name is Renee, and I am the host of this site. I am a 34 year old woman, on the prowl for her mate, searching out the best of books, exploring the wilds of the imagination and delving into the heart of a beautiful love story.

 

Book Review-Deacon by Kristen Ashley

by | Feb 28, 2017 | Book Reviews | 16 comments

Book Review-Deacon by Kristen Ashley

Book Review-Deacon by Kristen AshleyDeacon by Kristen Ashley
Also in this series: Knight, Creed
Series: Unfinished Hero #4
Published by Kristen Ashley on September 23rd 2014
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Narrator: Stella Bloom
Length: 11 Hours and 22 Min
Pages: 216
Format: Audiobook
Source: Self Purchased
ISBN: 0692280200
Goodreads
AmazonLibrary ThingLibrary ThingLiteral Club
five-stars

Deacon has an ugly history, a history that broke him, leaving him a ghost of a man. Out of necessity, he left the normal world to descend into the criminal world and found he fit. So he stayed. Cold as ice and living off the grid, Deacon has no intention to connect, not with anyone.
Then he returns to some remote cabins in the Colorado Mountains and finds they have new owners. One of them is Cassidy Swallow, a young woman willing to work hard to live her quiet dream in a house by a river surrounded by aspen and pine.
Suddenly, Deacon finds he’s at war. Cassidy’s pull for him to connect is strong. He fights it, but he loses, always coming back for more. But when he does, he gives her nothing.
From the first time she sees him, Cassidy knows Deacon is dead inside. She knows he’s the kind of man who could destroy a woman. But one night when Deacon’s control slips, Cassidy takes a chance.
He might break her. He also might be her dream come true.

Summary

For six years, Cassidy has been drawn to the mysterious man who comes to her cabins for a few days and leaves for a while but always comes back to cabin 11. Cassidy is never sure if she can get through the wall  of ice that surrounds Deacon, but then one night everything changed for them. It was a night that terrified her but also brought them closer and Deacon started to slowly open up to her. Deacon has spent his life trying to escape his past, and immersing himself in his work and forgetting about the good things in life. Until he came to Colorado, and he was drawn into Cassidy’s world. Now he can’t resist her and will do anything to have her in his life. But Deacon soon learns that he will need to confront the terrors of his past and let it go so he can have the beautiful world he can have with Cassidy.

Plot and Story Line

I will admit I wasn’t sure how this book would play out. In previous books, Deacon is such a mysterious character and we honestly don’t know much about him other than the fact that he is such a badass and pretty scary at times.

“There was nothing there. He was standing. His blood was coursing through his veins. He was breathing. But that was it. He existed. He did not live. He did not feel. He did not smile. He did not laugh.”

Our heroine is a sweet heart and pretty strong willed. I loved her personality though. She dreams of owning these cabins in Colorado and being independent. At first we see her with a boyfriend who is lazy and selfish and yeah that doesn’t last too long. Cassidy works her butt off to get the cabins in shape and is willing to do it on her own if necessary. But she does have dreams to find a love that her parents have. Someone to share and build a life with. I really loved her drive and passion. There is so much you can relate with in her character. Once we have their pivotal moment and their relationship changes, things really start to build between them. I love the way they are together…seriously Cassidy knows how to handle Deacon so well.


“Fuckin’ beautiful, but a pain in my goddamned ass,” he muttered.

“Same here, Supreme Leader of the Badasses.

She knows he is a badass and likes that about him and definitely has him wrapped around her finger at times. Their bantering is fun and quirky and just pulls the reader into their interactions. Unlike some of the other books, this story is focused solely on the romance. There aren’t any crazy criminals after them or stunts of drug dealers hehe so you can just relax and enjoy these two and seeing them overcome some issues. It isn’t overly dramatic, and the drama that does happen is realistic and not too heavy and these two can be quite hilarious.

“If we have daughters I’m starting How to Deal with Badasses when they’re five.”

His eyes were lit but his expression was full-on tender when he returned, “We have boys, they get How to Deal with Stubborn Bitches Who Argue About Meaningless Shit starting at three.”

“Again, women dislike being called bitches,” I shot back.

“That’ll be part of my lesson to the boys.”

It can be heartbreaking at times seeing Deacon overcome his demons and they aren’t pretty. But I love how much closer Deacon and Cassidy become once they are fully open with each other and evokes some powerful emotions!!

“Anything. You want it, I got it in me to give it to you, you get anything from me.”

The Narration

I instantly knew I would love this narrator and I was so right!! Her voice is superb, so lovely to listen to and takes the emotions of the story so well. I love how she portrays the story and I just wanted to keep on listening to her.

The Cover

I really like the leaf effect of this cover, its different and probably my favorite cover so far in the series that I have read.

Overall View

Deacon is an inspiring and heart felt romance that brings out all the feels….beautiful, striking and emotionally packed….A TRUE WINNER!!

“It’s a beautiful war, baby.” He dipped so close, the tips of our noses brushed but his eyes never left mine. “And I…just… won.”

Books N Tunes Reading Challenge

Pick #7: Beautiful War by King of Leons—I chose this song because its the song that brings these two back together or one of them anyway.

 

Click To Buy On Amazon

About Kristen Ashley

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

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16 Comments

  1. Wickedly Delicious

    Her chaos series and mystery man series got picked up from a publisher. Surprised this series has not. It is so popular.

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      Yeah it surprises me too, but then she has so many series out there, I am surprised not all of them have gotten picked up from a publisher.

      Reply
  2. Lily B

    I think owning a Cabin could be fun 😀 that seems to be an original and interesting storyline. Glad you are enjoying it

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      oh me too and such a great landscape to live in right? Definitely different and I really loved the setting.

      Reply
  3. Ann Lorz

    Haven’t tried her before. Though her stuff looks good!

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      You would really like her Ann!! Definitely you should try her out soon.

      Reply
  4. Joyousreads

    50,000 points for the Kings of Leon song. LOVE, LOVE. 🙂

    I don’t get along with Kristen Ashley’s books, but I must admit that I miss migraine it gives me. 😀

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      hahaha yeah, I love them and this song is brilliant.

      Kristen Ashley isn’t for everyone though, her writing clicks with me so I can’t resist.

      Reply
  5. Heidi

    This sounds different. I am glad that Cassidy gets rid of the dirtbag boyfriend and moves on to someone with a sense of humor even if he does have some baggage.

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      It is, the whole series is different from what she has written but I am loving it. And yeah Cassidy’s man treats her so fantastic even if he has a closet of baggage to deal with.

      Reply
  6. AngieElle @ Ba_BAMB

    I’m glad you enjoyed this one. This series wasn’t for me, so I let it go with Raid, but a lot of people seem to love it. 🙂

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      oh sorry to hear that this series didn’t work out for you hun. I can see why though, they are pretty darker and edgy. But I just can’t resist this author.

      Reply
  7. Blodeuedd

    Woot Kings of leon

    Reply
  8. Sophia Rose

    I like what you’re saying about this pair. KA seems to make romance work with couples that shouldn’t work out.

    My first Kings of Leon song and it’s great.

    Reply
  9. Michele H

    I still have yet to start this series although there’s just something about Kristen Ashley’s writing that works for me. So I’m adding these onto the TBR for sure. It sounds dark, real, and swoon-worthy. Lovely review! 🙂

    Reply

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