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The Something Series- Box Set (Books 1-3) by Aubrey Bondurant – Review by Angela Hayes

The Something Series - Box Set Books 1-3: (Tell Me Something, Ask Me Something & Bet Me Something)The Something Series – Box Set Books 1-3: by Aubrey Bondurant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

The Something Series Box Set contains the first three books in the brilliant “Something Series by Aubrey Bondurant. I adore this series soooo much and can’t recommend these books highly enough. They are superbly written and are so easy to connect with the characters, who draw you in and have you investing in them and their stories within the first few chapters. This box set is a great way to introduce yourself to Ms. Bondurant’s work- and represents great value for money too…. Three books for the price of one #bargain!
The Box Set contains:

Tell Me Something
Tell me Something is the first book in the Something series, and it’s a superb contemporary/ Office romance.
Haylee Holloway has a heart full of grief, having lost both her parents in the space of five years, has left her not wanting to form attachments to anyone as she fears that they would eventually leave. Happiness is a fleeting thing and she won’t subject herself to that kind of pain, again.
The incredibly smart twenty-two year old is saving up to attend law school in the Fall, and in the meantime, to help make ends meet she has taken on a job as an assistant at an advertising company.
While on a shoot for a very important client, there is an issue with one of the models, so Haylee steps in so the whole shoot isn’t jeopardised. And if she didn’t feel awkward enough, the sexy owner of the company decides to show up. She can’t seem to take her eyes off him.
Josh Singer owns Gamble Advertising. He is broody, intense and smoulderingly hot. He is impressed by her loyalty, dedication, willingness to pitch in and can-do attitude; not to mention her natural beauty. He is quite taken with her.
Josh makes her an offer she can’t refuse- become his assistant and move to New York City. It really is an offer she can’t refuse. Knowing that there is an expiration date to their arrangement, due to Haylee leaving for Law School in the fall- they come to a mutually beneficial agreement.
But Haylee has issues that affect her ability to fully embrace a relationship and Josh has trust and commitment difficulties. Things he has yet to tell Haylee. Can they put aside their insecurities and embrace what they could have together, or will they let fear dictate their future?
I am really impressed with Ms. Bondurant’s vivid, emotive and descriptive writing style. This book is a real page turner; I didn’t want to put it down until I had finished the story and knew what had become of Josh and Haylee. The engrossing nature of the story is entirely due to the authors writing talents.
It was heartbreaking and emotional in places, but it also had funny moments; and times I had my heart in my mouth. Then there is the angst, it was so real, I felt it.
The author touched on a few sensitive topics, but did so considerately and respectfully.
I did get a little frustrated with Josh and Haylee at times. But mostly, I was cheering them on from the sidelines- hoping that they would find a future in each other’s arms.

Ask Me Something
Ask Me Something is the second book in the Something series. It is a contemporary, erotic, office romance- with a bit of a friends-to-lovers element to it.- When I said erotic earlier- I really do mean sizzling, nibbling your bottom lip, forget the outside world, drooling on your kindle, kind of erotic!
Sasha Brooks is the Vice President of the New York branch of Gamble Advertising. She loves her career and has worked incredibly hard to get where she is today. Sasha can come across as cold and unapproachable, does a great R.B.F and has a reputation as a fierce business woman. Sometimes appearances can be deceiving. There are things she has hidden, secret she’s kept from the world, her colleagues and even her family.
Brian Carpenter is the East Coast Regional Vice President for Gamble Advertising and Sasha’s boss. He is very easy going, charming and considerate. Working with Sasha isn’t always easy, but he wouldn’t expect it to be anything less- plus she is really good at her job. They have eight years of friendship behind them- a history of friendly and flirtatious comradery. They also have incredible chemistry. But being work colleagues, it is far less complicated and easier to just remain friends. Right?
When one of them seems to be seeing someone else, will it be enough to get them to admit how they feel? Or is it too late? What happens when ALL the secrets are revealed?
This book had me burning up the pages, soaking up every word- time seemed to stand still while I lost myself for a few hours in this captivating story.
It is quite funny and there were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments- some of the banter and antics were just hilarious.
The characters were wonderful; really well written and fully developed- with their own, individual traits. They grew from their experiences throughout the story and learned from their mistakes. They were realistically written, there was no sugar coating them- they were written with ‘warts and all’. That made the story that much more believable and allowed me to really connect to the characters and the story.
This book is told from Sasha’s POV right the way through till the epilogue, which is from Brian’s POV.
It’s a highly engrossing and very entertaining read!

Bet Me Something
“Being able to stand on your own two feet, sometimes requires getting knocked off them completely”…….
Bet Me Something is the third book in the Something series. I really have fallen in love with this series; Ms. Bondurant keeps setting the bar higher with each consecutive book and nails it every time. This book is the best of the bunch so far, and that’s really saying something considering how much I have loved them all. I began reading and was immediately captivated by the story- reading it in one sitting, because I couldn’t put it down. It is a contemporary, erotic, romantic comedy.
McKenzie Lane (Kenzie) thought she had her life mapped out, at least for the foreseeable future. Having just graduated from college, she’s really excited to begin work the following week. Kenzie was the one applicant chosen from thousands for this internship and considers it a once-in-a-life-time opportunity. But instead, her controlling mother has other ideas and is bulldozing all Kenzie’s dreams. She has spent the past four years attending college in LA to get away from her mother, but also to be close to the guy she has been crushing on since the day she laid eyes on him, sixteen years earlier.
Colby Singer owns a successful movie production company in LA, he is very sexy and charming- popular with the ladies, he has a reputation as a ‘Player’. He and Kenzie have been friends for years, he’s always liked her- but because of their nine year age difference and the fact that she is his best friend’s sister, he has her relegated to the ‘friend zone’.
After Kenzie’s mother dropped the ‘bomb’, Colby was determined to get Kenzie’s mind off the stressful situation by taking her away for some fun. What he hoped would be a simple weekend of fun with a friend, was a lot more difficult than he had realised. Especially when Kenzie decides that this may be the only opportunity she will get, to determine if he could ever see her as more than just “his best friend’s baby sister”. It’s at this point where the story got really interesting- but no spoilers from me, you really should read it and discover all the captivating details for yourself…. You won’t be disappointed. read it to find out what happens………
Ms. Bondurant has a wonderful way with words, she doesn’t just write, she paints a picture with her words. She lovingly crafts her plot and the characters, giving intricately detailed descriptions in her scene setting and witty dialogue. There is a lot of humour in the way she writes and the story did have many hilarious moments. There were a couple of points through the story where I reached for the tissue box. There were some really touching and heart-warming moments in this delightful book.
All the characters are really well developed, well written, likeable and entirely enchanting. I loved that they learned, grew and ‘matured’ as the story unfolded. At the beginning Kenzie was being walked all over by her mother, but by the end she was really standing up for herself. I loved her sarcastic sense of humour and her sassy attitude. Colby is just adorable- I found him so swoony; he’s fun, charming and sinfully sexy with his trademark PDG (panty dropping grin). They really steamed up the pages with their sexy antics.
“…losing a bet to you has always turned out to be the very best thing to happen to me”….
Another wonderful addition to a seriously great series!

So, do yourself a favour and grab yourself a copy to read, you are sure to love them just as much as I have!

Thank-you Ms. Bondurant!

 

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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Tell Me Something (Something, #1) by Aubrey Bondurant – Review by Ashleigh Harrington

Tell Me Something (Something, #1)Tell Me Something by Aubrey Bondurant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tell Me Something, by Audrey Bondurant, is the first book in a new series called the Something Series. Each of these books is supposed to be able to be read independently of each other so there is no need to worry about cliff hangers. Tell Me Something centers around Haylee and Josh, with a hot boss assistant romance. The story had it’s moments were I absolutely fell in love with it, and other times were I just wanted to scream at my e-reader. Bondurant is a new to me author, and even though her stories frustrated me at times, the relationships were real, and that made the stories that much better in the long run. There was quite a bit of lead up to some of the sex scenes, and not all of the lead up made allot of sense but as the characters reveal their back stories it all came together.

I am excited to see where this series goes, and I hope that several of the ancillary characters from this story get to have their own book. This is a must add to the TBR pile if you love real characters that aren’t anywhere near perfect, hot sex that doesn’t overwhelm the story and just enough BDSM elements to keep the story sordid.

Reviewed by @toxikcupkake26

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Teach Me Something by Aubrey Bondurant – Review by Jenni Bishop

Teach Me Something (Something, #4)Teach Me Something by Aubrey Bondurant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*****Contains Spoilers*****

After low self esteem and self confidence with herself after a failed marriage, Catherine is at Club T to try to learn to live again. She finds herself second guessing about being there as she wasn’t so comfortable with the last person she met there. After facing her fears she goes ahead and meets Calvin who starts her on the path of self discovery. Catherine on her road to self discovery becomes closer with Will someone she has known for a while through friends and they become close friends. While Catherine is trying to heal and find herself her ex husband continues to interrupt her life. After his mother’s death Catherine is forced to reveal a few home truths to him to try to help him get back on track. Will is trying to make ends meet, after sending money home to Australia to his mother to pay for his brothers care, by modelling and working at a club. He has trouble letting people help him and thinks his brother is his responsibility to provide care for financially. Will Catherine find herself and love again? Will, Will be able to let go and realise that he is not responsible for his brothers care and be able to finally accept help?

OMG Aubrey is a true storyteller. I am glad to have read her work and strongly suggest you do to. I will certainly be reading more of Aubrey’s other work.

Reviewed by @jennadb

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Teach Me Something (Something, #4) by Aubrey Bondurant – Review by Jana Teppih

Teach Me Something (Something, #4)Teach Me Something by Aubrey Bondurant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Teach Me Something is the fourth book in the Something series by Aubrey Bondurant and I have read all four of them by now and I cannot wait for the next one (as there will be a next one at some point later this year!)
WARNING! You do not need a magic eight ball to tell you that this is a highly addictive series and every time you finish a book you start thinking of characters you encountered that you hope that Ms Bondurant would give their own book to! When I finished the third book I knew that the fourth one would be about Catherine and I have to say that this is the best one of all of them!
I think that Ms Bondurant’s writing gets better and better with each book, the topics she touches upon become more and more complex and challenging and she does justice to them! In this story we have the older woman-younger man situation, how to find yourself after a divorce, how to find your confidence as a woman, how to deal with guilt that is actually not yours as you were too young to have a choice about the situation that brings the guilt about, difficulty with asking for help and feeling that you deserve the help and love … Ms Bondurant really tackled some hard issues in her story about Catherine and her man!
I read this book in one sitting, I could not put it down as I wanted to know how Catherine and her man find their way to their HEA … I am so happy to have been able to take this ride with them! I invite all you to take a chance and take the ride as well!

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Bet Me Something (Something, #3) by Aubrey Bondurant – Review by Jana Teppih

Bet Me Something (Something, #3)Bet Me Something by Aubrey Bondurant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bet Me Something is the third book in the Something series by Aubrey Bondurant and I have read all three of them and am impatiently waiting for the 9th of February when the fourth book is coming out!
WARNING! It is a highly addictive series and every time you finish a book you start thinking of characters you encountered that you hope that Ms Bondurant would give their own book to! I know Catherine is coming next but what about Mark and Will and… you get my drift! You become an addict thinking of your next fix.
As I have read all three books in the series, it feels as if the writing is getting better and better with each book, Ms Bondurant has truly grown into her craft and there is nothing in the book that I would take away or have an issue with or… I think she is great with building the story, showing how Kenzie is growing into herself and finding out what it is that she is supposed to be doing with her life, standing up for herself, her love…and Colby, a man child, vulnerable and playboy, needing to grow up and stop hiding and take a stand… Ms Bondurant does not write about being perfect and having everything come easy, she writes about that we need to work for what we want and what we deserve!
Some might say that the book is too long but I disagree, the journey to find one self is not short, relationships that last are not short so how could a book conveying all it to be short (also, I looove long books). I had to compromise a bit on my sleep but it was so worth it! If you work, I suggest plan a weekend with the book and tell your friends that you are not available! You will not regret it!
You can read Bet Me Something without having read the first two books but I really recommend to read the other two as well (they are available on Kindle Unlimited…. hint, hint…), you will get so much more out of the series when you read all three books.
SO, now I need somehow manage to last until the 9th of February – only 3 more weeks …. And then I will find out what Ms Bondurant has in store for Catherine…. hmm… I wonder what ….

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Ask Me Something (Something, #2) by Aubrey Bondurant – Review by Jana Teppih

Ask Me Something (Something, #2)Ask Me Something by Aubrey Bondurant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ask Me Something is the second book in the Something series by Aubrey Bondurant and it is the second book I have read by this writer.
I have to say that I was very much looking forward to this book after finishing the first one as there were quite a few characters in the first book that I thought that it would be interesting to see how their stories could look like. This book is a story of Sasha and Brian.
I was in no way disappointed, Ms Bondurant’s writing was even better, the characters were more complex, there were no embellishments, you were getting hit with emotions right and left…I cannot tell you how much I cried while I was reading this book… Don’t worry, it is not a bad thing, I think it gives credit to the writer’s ability to write so well that I could relate to what was going on to the extent it made me cry. I did laugh out loud as well, no doubt there!
Ms Bondurant does not shy away from the topics that many of us struggle with – control over being vulnerable, anxiety, panic attacks, being alone or trusting, keeping appearances or letting people in… I felt like I was living the life Sasha was living, feeling the pain, confusion, triumphs, love, sex…
The sexy scenes are plentiful and they fit into the story line. They show clearly how the intimacy keeps growing between Sasha and Brian. Nothing is wrong between two people if they there is an agreement and trust.
You can read the book as a standalone but why should you when there is a great first book that introduces you to the world Ms Bondurant is creating for us. Get a glass of wine and settle down for the long evening (or weekend) and enjoy yourself! Have a box of Kleenex at hand, you will need it if you let yourself to go on a journey with Sasha and Brian!
I am hooked on the series and the third book is already lined up in my e-reader! The expectations are high and I am sure Ms Bondurant will be delivering!

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