Abby Niles

I absolutely adored Brody. Absolutely. Adored. He's amazingly loyal--to his best friend Ryan, and to his other best friend, Ryan's wife Scarlett. Unfortunately, his feelings for Scarlett have long stretched beyond the friendship zone, so he's quietly removed himself from her presence for the past year or so...which is part of the reason why he missed the fact that Ryan and Scarlett's marriage isn't just on the rocks; it has imploded.

So when Brody encounters a drunk and flirting Scarlett down show more in the Bahamas, he steps in to save her from herself and from the handsy guy she almost leaves the bar with. And when he calls Ryan--at 2 AM--and hears another woman's voice in the background? Suddenly Scarlett's--and Ryan's--actions are cast in a whole new light. And Scarlett has her champion back.

Brody starts out giving Scarlett some much-needed get-her-groove-back assistance, which when they're both back stateside turns into friends-with-major-benefits action, because Scarlett is clear on one thing: no more relationships. Except it's blindingly clear to everyone that a relationship is exactly what they both need and want, so they (thank goodness!) give in.

All serious deliciousness. There's geeky fandom fun! Cuddling on the couch while watching movies! White Persian kittens named Princess! Seriously hot sexytimes!

Except...

The relationship black moment is coming, thanks to an untruth that Scarlett tells, prompted by some over-the top "advice" given to her by one of Brody's (many) sisters. That's where the story goes a bit off the rails for a little while--there was major drama involved, and it felt heavy handed and more than a little over the top at times--it didn't seem to jive with the first part of the book at all. Fortunately they did manage to get beyond it (albeit in a somewhat clumsy and overhanded manner) and went on to a super adorable ending, but in between? Some definite head-shaking moments.

But still...Brody. :)

Knocked Out By Love is fifth in the series but would absolutely work as a standalone. It does set up who (I hope) will be the hero and heroine of the next book--Brody's cousin Blake and Scarlett's BFF Delaney--and I can't wait to see what's in store for those two!

Rating: 4 stars / B

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. show less

Will they or won't they...

The lure of the story is the electricity that fizzles between Scarlett and Brody. She's the scorned ex of his best friend, he's the man that may just ruin her plans.
Abby Niles is a new find for me. Knocked Out By Love takes a somewhat taboo subject and gives it a charming spin. A beautiful location, wicked temptation and a little fun in the sun. Abby Niles made all the right moves in this sensational second chance romance.

Startlingly original setting for a romantic mystery -- a sci-fi fan convention described in loving and realistic detail.

The heroine of the story is a reporter sent to infiltrate the convention and come back with a scoop. The hero is a best-selling writer whose fans have turned against him for killing off the main character in a highly successful series.

The mystery lies in his motivation for disappointing legions of fans, and the romance in his involvement with the undercover reporter sent to show more bring back a story.

A simple enough scenario, but the lavish and carefully researched details of the convention and its unconventional participants raises the book way, way above the average.

I couldn't help recalling scenes from the parody movie Galaxy Quest. Almost no similarity in characters or plot, but a shared and utterly authentic representation of sci-fi fandom.

Enormous fun to read and a fascinating glimpse into an unfamiliar world.

A joy to read. show less

My thoughts after reading Extreme Love by Abby Niles

Nearly every woman, unless she’s a supermodel, can think of a guy she felt completely flustered being around. The guy who she felt was totally out of her league. Who made her hands shake, heart flutter and stomach quiver whenever he was around. Just being in the same room with him was more stressful than a root canal. Well, that’s Dante “Inferno” Jones to Caitlyn Moore. He’s the toned, muscular fighter who oozes sex appeal and can show more have any woman he wants. She’s the once overweight, insecure girl who’s not used to attention from anyone but the “average Joe.” So when Dante sets his sights on Caitlyn it flusters her—and then some.

Extreme Love follows the relationship of Dante and Cait’s relationship. Dante is exactly what you’d expect him to be, gorgeous, muscled, tanned, self-assured. He could have any woman he wants and they all throw themselves at him.

Cait is the good girl. She’s pretty, but doesn’t see it. She’s always had a weight problem. Although she’s lost weight a considerable amount of weight and is physically fit, she still sees herself as the pudgy girl. She’s not at all self-assured and compares herself to the woman at the fighters’ parties who are dressed in “barely there” outfits. It’s at one of the after fight parties that she goes to with her friend whose boyfriend is a fighter, that she meets Dante. She can’t figure out why he keeps coming around her and it completely throws her off-balance.

Cait’s initial reaction to Dante doesn’t stop him from pursuing her, however. But it turns out there’s a few roadblocks in their blossoming relationship. A big one is that Cait hates what Dante does. She doesn’t like the fights. And he lives for them. Then there’s Dante’s training, his trainer, his opponent, and Cait’s ever present low self-esteem issues. The cards are definitely not falling in their favor.

The writing was done well. Characters came across as real and relatable. They were flawed, just how a character should be, because we are all flawed. Perfect characters aren’t relatable, Ms. Niles did a good job making sure her characters were “human.” Cait did get a little on the whiny side and at times became annoying, but for the most part it was easily over-looked.

I was very impressed by the weight issue and how it was handled in the story. I love that the female character wasn’t a size zero and actually had curves and was (gasp!) a size twelve (Oh, the horror!). And despite that fact, Dante was attracted to her…what? Really? A woman with curves can be attractive? Hell yeah! And thank you Abby Niles for writing two great characters showing us that! And let me just say…the love scene was so freakin awesome! Dante just made me swoon. He was so damn patient helping Cait get past her insecurities, but man, it wasn’t lacking in the heat department. Wow.

Bottom line: I enjoyed Extreme Love. Would I recommend it? Yes. Would I read it again? I just might. I liked the characters. I loved the weight issue that Ms. Niles addressed and how she addressed it. I was disappointed a little by the ending. I think the author was going for shock value and while I understand the intent to ramp up the ending, it kind of fell flat for me. Although, that’s just my opinion and based on the character involved (no spoilers here!) I can see why/how the story leaned that way.

FIVE stars: I loved the premise of the overweight girl losing weight but always feeling like the ugly duckling (been there, done that), based on that I give the book five stars. It was an enjoyable read and had a deeper meaning than most NA books on the market today. Abby Niles did a great job of telling young women that they don’t have to starve themselves to be a size two to be beautiful and wanted by a man. Curves are sexy, ladies. Rock ‘em!
show less