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RELEASE DATE: January 20th
eArc received from author in exchange for review
Twenty-five-year-old Sgt. Gray Phillips is at a crossroads
in his life: stay in the Marine Corps or get out and learn to be a civilian?
He’s got forty-five days of leave to make up his mind but the people in his
life aren’t making the decision any easier.
His dad wants him to get out; his grandfather wants him to stay in. And
his growing feelings for Sam Anderson are wreaking havoc with his heart…and his
mind. He believes relationships get
ruined when a Marine goes on deployment.
So now he’s got an even harder decision to make: take a chance on Sam or
leave love behind and give his all to the Marines.
Twenty-two year old Samantha Anderson lost her husband to
an IED in Afghanistan just two months after their vows. Two years later, Sam is
full of regrets—that she didn't move
with her husband to Alaska; that she allowed her friends to drift away; that
she hasn't taken many chances in life. Now, she's met Gray and taking a risk on
this Marine could be her one opportunity to feel alive and in love again. But
how can she risk her heart on another military man who could share the same
tragic fate as her husband?
Note: Although these books are
part of a series, they do not need to be read in order
********
Our Review
We jumped on the Jen Frederick bandwagon last year and we hope we never get kicked off! We've loved Bo and Noah...and now Gray...swoony, sexy, dirty talkin' Gray. If you haven't read the first two books in this series, it's not necessary but we HIGHLY recommend it..because these characters are so much fun to play with!
Dirty talkin' Gray. Holy crap, did he take that to an all time high. Those are some of the finest lines of dialogue, especially during sexy scenes, I've read in a while. Nothing wrong with a man who likes to talk dirrty, y'all. *swoons*
We got a little taste of Gray in Unspoken and I was instantly taken with his mysterious ways. We come to understand fairly quickly what has him all twisted up inside and going to The Woodlands to take a little time to get his head together...maybe have a little fling...a little R&R ..and hang out with the boys. Thankfully Jen Frederick had other ideas for him and puts Sam in his direct line of sight. (Thank gawd!!) Truly, I didn't even know I needed a Gray until we had those moments with him. I was all kinds of ready for Mal, or Finn or Adam to grace my life...but this direction was perfect. We got to know those guys a little bit more, or more or less find out about some of their conflict...while having Gray talk dirty to us. #Winning
Sam is two years a widow and beginning to come out of the fog that surrounded her in her grief. She's taking steps to make a new life for herself --going to college...figuring things out...Gray was certainly not anywhere near her radar. I mean he's military and not anywhere near the type of guy she thought she would want. Thankfully one interesting 'save' at the bar and she has a new type of guy: the Gray type. (Thank fuck!) That was a fun scene! Shit, most of them are fun scenes. But we have Gray ultimately putting his foot in his mouth time and time again! Shoot, that was awkward, but thank goodness Jen gave us such a great heroine.
These two have some smokin' hot scenes together as well as some sweet and tender moments. They have confusion and grief and decisions to work through but it's not angsty and over the top--I mean Gray definitely frustrated me but I could understand where he was coming from. I loved how strong Jen wrote Sam. She took brave and risky steps and tried things--I loved her courage and her willingness and her desire to keep living even after losing Will.
Their little adventures were fun, and a nice departure from other "oh how sweet" dates. He is an outdoorsy guy, but he found ways for them to have fun and do things they both liked. There is a couple of parts that I seriously almost had a heart attack and slapped my hands over my mouth in horror! Shit, Jen. Y'all will see when you read it...don't be afraid though. I will just tell you Gray is the best guy ever, until his foot goes too far into his mouth and he can't take it out and kick his own ass!
This book was a little different than the other two because Gray is an active duty military man but I loved having that aspect worked in. Kudos to Jen on all the research she does for her books--I remain in awe of how much she incorporates without it bogging down the story. Right! Love that. I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next. Thank God we found her writing!
Shelley: 4 1/2 Stars!
Courtney: 4 Stars!
Dirty talkin' Gray. Holy crap, did he take that to an all time high. Those are some of the finest lines of dialogue, especially during sexy scenes, I've read in a while. Nothing wrong with a man who likes to talk dirrty, y'all. *swoons*
We got a little taste of Gray in Unspoken and I was instantly taken with his mysterious ways. We come to understand fairly quickly what has him all twisted up inside and going to The Woodlands to take a little time to get his head together...maybe have a little fling...a little R&R ..and hang out with the boys. Thankfully Jen Frederick had other ideas for him and puts Sam in his direct line of sight. (Thank gawd!!) Truly, I didn't even know I needed a Gray until we had those moments with him. I was all kinds of ready for Mal, or Finn or Adam to grace my life...but this direction was perfect. We got to know those guys a little bit more, or more or less find out about some of their conflict...while having Gray talk dirty to us. #Winning
Sam is two years a widow and beginning to come out of the fog that surrounded her in her grief. She's taking steps to make a new life for herself --going to college...figuring things out...Gray was certainly not anywhere near her radar. I mean he's military and not anywhere near the type of guy she thought she would want. Thankfully one interesting 'save' at the bar and she has a new type of guy: the Gray type. (Thank fuck!) That was a fun scene! Shit, most of them are fun scenes. But we have Gray ultimately putting his foot in his mouth time and time again! Shoot, that was awkward, but thank goodness Jen gave us such a great heroine.
These two have some smokin' hot scenes together as well as some sweet and tender moments. They have confusion and grief and decisions to work through but it's not angsty and over the top--I mean Gray definitely frustrated me but I could understand where he was coming from. I loved how strong Jen wrote Sam. She took brave and risky steps and tried things--I loved her courage and her willingness and her desire to keep living even after losing Will.
Their little adventures were fun, and a nice departure from other "oh how sweet" dates. He is an outdoorsy guy, but he found ways for them to have fun and do things they both liked. There is a couple of parts that I seriously almost had a heart attack and slapped my hands over my mouth in horror! Shit, Jen. Y'all will see when you read it...don't be afraid though. I will just tell you Gray is the best guy ever, until his foot goes too far into his mouth and he can't take it out and kick his own ass!
This book was a little different than the other two because Gray is an active duty military man but I loved having that aspect worked in. Kudos to Jen on all the research she does for her books--I remain in awe of how much she incorporates without it bogging down the story. Right! Love that. I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next. Thank God we found her writing!
Shelley: 4 1/2 Stars!
Courtney: 4 Stars!
********
Sexy
Excerpt
His tongue and mouth left mine to leave a hot, wet path from
my mouth, across my jaw line, and down to my neck. My leg lifted of its own
accord and he took it as a sign to hitch me up higher until both my legs either
dangled off the floor or wrapped around him. I chose to wrap my legs around him
and was rewarded with a thick hard column pressing into my sex. We both groaned
at the contact and I could feel his sound against my neck. The reverberations
sent minor shocks throughout my nervous system. Holding me up against the wall,
he began thrusting against me rhythmically, every impact of his hips making me
hotter and wetter than I remembered I could get.
I gripped him tighter with my legs and dug my hands into his
hair, using every bit of his body as leverage. He held me up with ease, as if I
were a feather. One hand was under my right butt cheek and the other was
exploring my left side, pulling out my T-shirt, only to find the tank
underneath. Needing his mouth back, I tugged on his hair and he took the hint
immediately. He fastened his lips over mine and we devoured each other, still
rubbing our lower bodies against each other as the bass from the dance floor
pounded the floor boards.
Whimpering, I begged in moans and small cries for more. A
familiar but almost forgotten tension was winding its way from between my legs
outward. All thoughts of storage rooms and hallways and strangers were lost in
a swirl of bright lights that were bursting behind my eyelids.
“I got you, baby,” he growled against my mouth. “Just let go.”
And so I did. I closed my eyes and let those long dormant feelings wash over
me, spreading from the inside of my legs to the nerve endings in my toes and
fingertips and the very top of my head. All the while, he kept grinding and
grinding and grinding against me, whispering in my ear how I was the hottest
thing he’d ever held, how he couldn’t wait to taste, how he’d die if he
couldn’t be inside me tonight.
Woodland
Series (Book 1 & 2)
Undeclared (Book One)
Blurb:
For four years, Grace Sullivan wrote to a Marine she never
met, and fell in love. But when his deployment ended, so did the letters. Ever
since that day, Grace has been coasting, academically and emotionally. The one
thing she’s decided? No way is Noah Jackson — or any man — ever going to break
her heart again.
Noah has always known exactly what he wants out of life.
Success. Stability. Control. That’s why he joined the Marines and that’s why
he’s fighting his way — literally — through college. Now that he’s got the rest
of his life on track, he has one last conquest: Grace Sullivan. But since he
was the one who stopped writing, he knows that winning her back will be his
biggest battle yet.
Unspoken (Book Two)
Whore. Slut. Typhoid Mary.
I've been called all these at Central College. One drunken
night, one act of irresponsible behavior, and my reputation was ruined. Guys
labeled me as easy and girls shied away. To cope, I stayed away from Central
social life and away from Central men, so why is it that my new biology lab
partner is so irresistible to me?
He's everything I shouldn't want. A former Marine involved
in illegal fighting with a quick trigger temper and an easy smile for all the
women. His fists aren't the danger to me, though, it's his charm. He's sliding
his way into my heart and I'm afraid that he's going to be the one to break me.
Impulsive. Unthinking. Hot
tempered.
I allow instinct to rule my behavior. If it feels good, do
it, has been my motto because if I spend too much time thinking, I'll begin to
remember exactly where I came from. At Central College, I've got fighting and
I've got women and I thought I was satisfied until I met her.
She's everything I didn't realize I wanted and the more
time I spend with her, the more I want her. But she's been hurt too much in the
past and I don't want to be the one to break her. I know I should walk away,
but I just can't.
Bonus Content: Upon reaching the USA Today Bestselling milestone, I wrote
a 10,000 word epilogue as a thank you to the readers who loved and supported Unspoken. I posted it for free on my blog but at the
urging of readers, I have added it to the original version.
Note: This is a New Adult Contemporary Romance with mature
content and sexually explicit scenes. 91,000+ words. Standalone novel.
Author Information
Jen
Frederick lives with her husband, child, and one rambunctious dog. She's been reading stories all her life but
never imagined writing one of her own. Jen loves to hear from readers so drop
her a line at jen@jenfrederick.com.
Giveaway
$200 GC to retailer of your choice
Full set of Woodlands print books (5)
with dog tags.
