Ak Landow

I am going to be completely transparent - I had to emotionally prepare myself BEFORE I even started reading this book. As the warning at the beginning states, if you have read all five books - you know what happens. By this point, loyal readers have had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with Scott through his letters, flashbacks, and shared moments from his friends and family. For me, I could feel it in my heart that I wasn’t prepared to read his story with Darian, knowing the love they shared and how it all ends. Obviously I got past that but I can honestly say this was the first time I was nervous and anxious PRIOR to starting a book.

This story was beyond beautiful. Having read the previous books, we received more insight on briefly mentioned moments. We knew Scott and Darian met at the library but to see how that whole scene played out and how Cassandra played a role in it (and was a pivotal character in a lot of their sweet tale) was fulfilling. We got more background on what happened with Nelson, the origin of Reagan and Harley names, why Scott was the ONLY person allowed to call Cassandra "Cassie", and just the overall magic that created the foundation of an epic love story/tragedy that birthed a phenomenal series.

What I enjoyed most of all is the two sides of Scott. We kind of knew he was overprotective of women from what he taught his daughters and the situation that happened with Dalton. To witness that edgier side along with the gentle loving side we became accustomed to in the flashbacks gave us a much more well rounded idea of who Scott truly was and why Darian loved him so much. It was also interesting to see Declan and Darian as it makes their reunion bittersweet.

Like the Titanic movie, you know how it is going to end but that doesn't make it any easier to witness. I could feel my heart beating faster when I reached the last chapter. I knew what was coming but I still wasn’t ready for it. Like Darian, we have grown to know and love Scott so to witness his final moments, I had to keep taking deep breaths but the tears still came. To know what happens next, how Darian finds him, the next three years - ugh there are no words.

I knew this book was going to wreck me and it did. AK even threw in one of Scott’s classic letters to make sure we didn’t stand a chance to walk away unscathed. It makes Darian’s pain and loss so much more palatable than it was before and Cassandra’s role so much more essential than we realized. I am so happy AK will continue with this lovable group of characters. I’m not ready to walk away just yet.… (more)

Spoilers removed so review skips around due to large removals of text.

The record still stands with AK Landow’s books. 5 books, all finished within 24 hours – no matter what is going on in my life. I don’t know what it is about her writing but when I step into her stories, everything around me stops. I have to know what happens next! Her books take on a life of their own, so much energy, so much excitement, and I never miss an opportunity to hang with “the Brady Bunch”. This time around, we focused on the matriarch of the family – the one we have watched on the sidelines. Finally, we get to know who Melissa Knight is and what she is made of.

Three beautiful sons, two daughters in laws, grandchildren, and a loving ex-husband that kept his promise, giving her a life where she would never need or want. What else could a person possibly want? LOVE, that’s what! Melissa has watched Jackson fall in love with Darian and be someone she never saw in her own marriage. Make no mistake, she doesn’t blame Jackson for what their marriage had become. She was never in love with him but pregnant at the age of 19, they did what they thought was best for their unborn child. She has also watched that child and her twins grow up into gorgeous men – inside and out, and find the loves of their lives. She just wanted her turn. When would she find that breathtaking, heart-stopping, life changing love that she sees all around her! Date after fixed up date, internet date after failed meet-up, Melissa has all but given up hope until one brief escape leads her to an encounter that would change everything she has ever known about herself. One hundred and eighteen first dates, that’s how long it took before Melissa could finally begin writing her epic love story.

For four books, we have learned bits and pieces about Melissa, it was so interesting to be inside her head. As the reader, you imagine she is everything Darian is not which is why things didn’t work out with Jackson...

Now, her type – that was a shocker! Declan was…wow! I am with Melissa, I normally can’t tolerate the alpha male type but somehow Declan weirdly balanced the alpha male and super nice guy roles. He really was an unpredictable enigma which kept you laser focus on his antics and what else he had up his sleeve.

As for the spice in this book, come on – it’s an AK Landow book – of course it was hot! Declan’s take charge attitude and constantly pushing Melissa’s boundaries is what made it even hotter. I honestly can’t pick a favorite scene this time because they were all simply perfection.

Back to the characters, Declan was constantly haunted by the demons of his past. The inward look at the pain he carried and how he defined himself was eye-opening. This is the first time I have read anything that dealt with drug addiction and the fact that he was insistent on saying he “is an addict” not “was” and why it was phrased that way was something to notate.

It is rare for an author to be five books deep and each one is better than the last. AK not only accomplished that feat but has an entire spin-off series that continues to highlight just how talented she is! I cannot gush over this author enough! Her books are absolutely incredible in every way and I plan on reading each and every one of them.… (more)

If you haven't hung out with the Lawrence/Knight clan - you are in for a treat! For 324 pages, you have the pleasure of hanging out with the most wonderful, loving, and insanely close group of people. Even though Daulton: City of Sisterly Love focuses on Reagan, we still get to check in with the rest of the family. That’s what makes these book so much fun. Each installment takes us further into their timelines and deeper into their lives. We watch them get married, have children, make new friends, and start new adventures. Through it all, AK Landow keeps you laughing, makes you cry, and fills your heart in the only way an exceptional writer can.

Reagan Lawrence is the firecracker, the wild child, and the rowdiest of the Lawrence girls but she is also smart, quick-witted, and a force to reckoned as an entrepreneur. Branching into franchising, paving her way as a young success story - Reagan is doing everything she can to follow in her late father’s footsteps and make him proud. The only thorn in her side is Daulton Enterprises. She can’t seem to figure out why they are so focused in taking down her business. If they aren’t trying to buy the building she is in, they are messing with her suppliers. Not easily discourage, Reagan doubles down and refuses to sell - making adjustments as needed to keep going as long as she can. Salvation arrives in one stunning package when Carter Daulton strolls in with a solution to all of her problems. Learning of the stipulations his father has placed on him in order to take over the business and desperate to get that despicable man out of a position of power - Carter proposes that he and Reagan fake date and fake getting engaged - helping him meet the “settling down/clean image” required by his father and also paving the way for Daulton to “takeover” Reagan’s business. Pulling from the vault of knowledge left by her father, Reagan isn’t interested in the idea and won’t sell herself out for peace of mind (no matter how gorgeous that "peace" is!) After negotiating terms (her rules or the deals off) and a bumbled trial run, Carter and Reagan decide to join forces to get rid of Thomas Daulton. They just have to make sure they don’t blur the lines between what’s real and what’s make-believe.

While I adore the entire Lawrence, Knight clan - Trevor and Reagan are my favorites! Seeing Trevor as super Dad was absolute adorable and watching Reagan own the world was inspiring. We always saw her contribute to others, joke around, ease the tension but to see her in her element, you could almost hear Beyonce's "Run The World (Girls)" playing in the background.

Not at all surprised, this book (as well as AK’s other books) are one day reads for me. I can never put them down. I start them in the morning, find myself picking them up every chance I get during my workday, and finishing them before I even realize it. They are that good. What's makes her books so engrossing is that she never lets up on the story as a whole. If we are not focusing on the present day timelines, we are taken back to where we get even more of Scott and how he was such a light in their lives. We are attending family get togethers, hanging out with friends, constantly moving the story along and keeping up the momentum until you finish and find yourself wanting even more. There are very few others that can capture your attention and hold it like that, AK is definitely one of them.

Speaking of talented writing, I will fully admit I am continuously in awe over half the things AK comes up when it comes to her spicy scenes. One scene (removed to avoid spoiler) - I had to laugh when my first reaction wasn’t “Wow that’s hot!” but “Oh my god that’s seems so dangerous!!” Don’t get me wrong, it was scorching to read but part of me was just hoping nothing bad happened to ruin the moment. I will confess once it was over and I knew everyone was ok, I read it again! Brody’s story though takes the cake! My mind just took that one and ran with it. I laughed so hard, I had to stop reading for a second to collect myself.

While the spice is always fun, it's the knowledge that AK drops that I love the most. The life lessons shared in this book should be placed on a poster and hung in every teens' room! The lesson about respecting other people’s time, phone etiquette, business relationships, all of it! I love the nuggets of truth and wisdom you find in these books. I especially loved the pressed upon lesson about a woman’s body and that no one has the right to touch it without her expressed consent.

I will admit here and now I was paranoid during the second half of this book! AK has a habit of sneaking in the drama and I kept waiting for that other shoe to drop.

I am so excited this series has a spin-off!! For now, I can’t wait to see what’s going on with Melissa and to go back and time to meet Scott. He has proven he was an absolutely remarkable man. It will be nice to get to know him even better and from his own point of view.… (more)

What I love most about reading this series is that you really get to know the characters within various circumstances. You have the opportunity to run the gambit of emotions and life situations – witnessing the Lawrence, Cooper, Knight crew at their highs and their lows. Over the last three books, I have grown to love and adore the energy of this family. They have gone through so much and yet they are stronger than ever, a gravitational pull bringing in yet more love, hope, and family. This time around we have a chance to dive into the foundation and heart of the Lawrence clan. Having hung out with Cassandra in two previous stories, you have to wonder if life is as fun, easy, and carefree as she makes it seem. Cass’s story takes us beyond the insane antics, the loyalty, and reveals a side we never saw coming.

Cassandra Blackstone is the embodiment of feminine energy, control, and power. Gorgeous, successful, and always up for a good time – her best friend Darian and her goddaughters idolize the essence that is “Crazy Cassandra”. A partner at her law firm and three times divorced, Cassandra always presents her life as satisfying, fulfilling, and dedicated to those she loves most. She helped her best friend survive the worst time of her life, she stepped in to assist with raising three wonderful girls that she loved as if they were her own, and she has met life goals that many could only dream of. Unbeknownst to most, behind that smile lurks a sadness shielded by years of practicing to be “on” for those around her. Deep down, only she knows how she once dreamt of having a man look at her how Brody looks at Harley and how Jackson (and Scott) look at Darian. The horrors of her past have put a padlock on her heart, never again will she even allow the possibility of a man getting close. Sure, if they can’t get close – they can’t love her but they can’t hurt her either. She has seen what “love” for her is like and she would rather not ever endure that heartache again. Instead, she would rather keep having fun with a certain Knight that makes her toes curl and mind explode. Trevor may be the joker of the group but he is all man when and where it counts. The problem is Trevor keeps wanting more and more from Cassandra. With a 24 year age gap, that isn’t going to happen. Even if she allowed herself to be delusional for a second, no one would ever accept them being together. He is old enough to be his mother, she knows – she’s met her! She just needs to make sure he understands that they can never be more, even if she finds herself feeling things she has hasn’t experienced since she shut the door on possibilities.

What I like about this book: As this is only the second age gap sub genre I have read, I wasn’t sure where it was going to go. We “know” Cassandra and from our time with her, we are certain of what her relationship with Trevor is and what it won’t be. We have also had the pleasure of hanging out with Trevor and know he takes nothing serious in life. It was flooring how the story blew what we thought we knew out of the water. Through each page, we realize how little was actually know about Aunt Cass – our knowledge is only what she has cared to share and for the sake of her family, it was always light and fun.

For Trevor, old soul doesn’t even begin to describe the insight and capabilities of that man. Sure, he has his moments but we would have never imagined who he really was (or capable of being) with half of the worldly wisdom came out of his mouth. A quick reminder that age is nothing but a number.

What I loved about it: (Spoiler removed). I also enjoyed the flashback of Harley! Seeing her as a ten year old – priceless and I wouldn’t have expected anything else from her. She was smart as a whip as a kid and while we assumed this from her story in Book 2, the vocabulary and sass from her as a child was insanely hilarious!
I LOVED how we got more of Scott in this book. He has been incorporated so well into the story that it took me a minute to realize, when they went back to graduation day, that he was alive! We have been hearing his words through letters thus far so having him back in the flesh felt surreal. You already understood why Darian loved him so much but to get a first hand dose of Scott, why did that make his death even harder to bear?! He was such an amazing man, not just to Darian and his daughters but to Cass as well.

As far as the heat – seriously, where does AK come up with these scenes. I am three books in and feel like I need to start taking notes. I swear she could write a nonfiction book alone on different ideas to spice up your sex life. Between the first and second book, I honestly went into this one thinking “Ok, there is no way she can top what she has come up with already.” There were three scenes that stood out. To prevent spoiling them, I will keep the descriptions generic but the first one, pretty average. The second – creative but nothing out of the ordinary. That third one though towards the end, I will admit right here and now that I have never been more jealous of a woman in my life!

Like the first two books, the depth of this story is unbelievable.

I will give AK credit, she snuck the drama up on me in this one. I should have known better! Everything was going so well – that should have been a red flag right there. When the crap hit the proverbial fan, I don’t even remember doing anything else but focusing on the story – I was pulled in and fully vested. You know this family, you love this family so when they hurt, you hurt and you want to be right there with them – waiting to exhale. You don’t even realize you are holding your breathe, that is just how captivating AK’s writing is. You are unaware you’re all in until you find tears streaking your cheeks and because thankfully AK is not a masochist, relief consuming your body when it is all over.

I have said in each review and I will say it again here, I love and adore this ever growing family. I can’t wait to continue reading and watching each member come into their own. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read Darian and Scott’s story (Book #6 – but technically a prequel); however, having a taste of Scott in this book – I realized the letters don’t nearly do him justice and I want to be a part of their beginning – even if I know how it ends.… (more)