March 14, 2014
This is the second book by J.D. Rivera. I had originally rated the first one a 4/5, but after reading the two of them I upgraded to a 5/5. I thought the second book had so much to offer. It was a true emotional journey for these characters and I applauded how the author was able to help them through it. Each character had a lot to offer to the story line and they all blended together seemingly so effortlessly. I very much enjoyed this series.


Defensive

J.D. Rivera

This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review.

We first meet Vanessa and Jackson when they literally crash into one another in Guarded. Even with Vanessa going through a divorce from her cheating, verabally abusive husband Shane, she and Jackson hit it of and fall in love. They have the start of something really special. A bump in the road appears when his ex-girlfriend Cynthia announces she is pregnant with his child.Well that will certainly put the brakes on a new relationship.But they perservere and continue on.

I love how this author presented us with bits and pieces that explained her relationship with Shane and the reasons for his horrendous behaviour. It was great that Vanessa was able to understand and find closure with that part of her life.

All is not clear sailing yet for her though, she has some very tough times ahead as she deals with some personal issues. It appears that Shane is going to be around to hold her hand and only time will tell how Jackson will react to that news. Will he be mature enough to allow her this new friendship or will he just want to rip his head off for all the heartbreak he was ultimately responsible for.

There are some serious issues that Vanessa needs to deal with, some trust issues that she needs to learn. Vanessa needs to be able to confide in Jackson when she needs to, and trust that he will be there for her. Things take a while as she pushes him away and tries to deal with everything herself. Will these two lovers ever just learn how to love. To just let go of all outside interference and just learn to rely on one another to truly appreciate each other for who and what they are and what they mean to one another.

The author did a great job with this series detailing the road to love and happiness is bound to have so many conflicts in it. That the true basis and life line in a relationship is openness, communication and trust.

I also really enjoyed the secondary characters and would love to see another story based on the relationship between her brother and her best friend. They have serious chemistry and history. I rated the first part of this series a 4/5, but I believe after reading them together that they deserve a 5/5.