VAIN - Part Three

Vain #3

by Deborah Bladon

The final part of VAIN - a three part New York Times and USA Today best-selling series.

Alexa Jackson was falling hard and fast for Noah Foster. The world-renowned photographer had woven a path straight into her heart. He offered her another chance at love, and she offered him the path to a world that he no longer believed existed for him.

That all ground to a startling halt when Alexa came face to face with Noah's past. Not everything is as it seems, and as he helps her piece together the puzzles that exist within his world, they both realize that their needs might not match what's best for either of them.

As Alexa begins a new life away from Noah, she's faced with new opportunity, past reminders, and an uncertain future. He can't face what's happened to him. She can't face a life without him. Will they finally discover a way to help one another find love again?

Genres: Romance, Erotica, Novella, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance, New Adult

Audible Audio

First published August 25, 2014

About the author

Deborah Bladon has never read a romance hero she didn't like. Her love for romance novels began when she was old enough to board the bus, library card in hand to check out the newest Harlequin paperbacks. She's a Canadian by heart, and by passport, but you can often spot her in New York City sipping a latte and looking for inspiration for her next story. Manhattan is definitely her second home.

She cherishes her family and believes that each day is a gift for writing, for reading, and for loving.

Reviews

[Mirjana **DTR - Down to Read** · Rating 2 out of 5]

***2 Awkward Mess Stars***

Unfortunately, this series died a quick death for me.



I really enjoyed the first book. The setup was intriguing, the heroine was sassy, and we appeared to have a hot and broody leading man. It was a little wonky, but I was oddly entertained by the wonkiness.

Well, that luster wore off QUICKLY in the second and third books. So what started out as oddly intriguing and entertaining quickly turned into awkward and disjointed.

I'll start with one of my biggest issues with the series...NO CHEMISTRY. There was absolutely no chemistry, intensity, sizzle...genuine emotion...between the main characters. I just didn't feel it. Zip. Zilch. Nada. It was decently hot sex between a guy and a girl. That's it. That's how invested in the characters I was. I was TOLD how to feel, TOLD how Alexis was feeling, with no true emotion bleeding through. Since the series is from her POV, I should feel like I "am" her, like every one of her emotions is my own....but alas, that was not the case.



Lets discuss our leading man for a minute, shall we? Noah Foster...brooding leading man. Scarred both inside and out. Brilliant photographer of the naked female form. Hotter than the sun, and more troubled than a D-list celebrity. And practically ALWAYS NAKED.



Now, don't get me wrong....I'm all about a naked hot guy, but when I'm trying to eat, have a conversation, or just doing regular mundane things...I don't need to see a dick dangling in my peripheral.



There was never any REAL explanation of why? Why he feels the need to be constantly naked? Why it makes him more comfortable? He just stated that he preferred to be that way and it helped his creativity. That's it. Ta da. Dick dangling freedom. Weird...just weird. It was casual, but it was frequently brought up. Random sentences thrown in during conversation where he would pet his cock, or graze the tip, or tuck it between his legs when sitting...just awkward.



In addition to his weird nakedness, I don't feel he was fully developed as a character. He felt so cold and distant through most of the series. No genuine sincerity in his actions or his words. Almost robotic and mechanical. The words were there, but no emotion behind it. It was just....off.

Moving on. The story. Well, I don't want to give too much away since there are twists and turns and surprises along the way (some obvious and some I did not see coming). The blurbs for each of the books does a really good job at summarizing without giving anything away, so stick with that. What I will say is that there was no fluidity to the story. The transition and flow was choppy, incohesive and disjointed. This completely ruined the pacing of the book for me.

It's almost as though the author lost focus of the big picture. We needed to get from A to Z, but lost some direction along the way. Everything began to feel forced, especially the flow and dialogue. Like the author knew the main points she wanted to make and what events needed to happen, but wasn't entirely committed to the natural progression from one point to another.

Which brings me to my next issue: editing. This series needs it, more specifically, the second and third books need it. I think this ties in to my previous point about the flow. The second and third books feel like they were written in a rush, thus losing its footing with the story. A few sprinkled errors I can overlook, but there were too many here to ignore. "Head" instead of "hear," "us" instead of "up," "hands" instead of "hangs," sayings like "waiting for the other foot to drop." These are just to name a few. A poorly edited book is always a heartbreaker for me because it has the simplest solution...an editor, a beta reader, a friend...anything. Just someone else to give your book a perusal, that's all it takes.



What kept me going was Alexis. She could have easily been portrayed as a weak, immature and whiny lead. But she wasn't. She owned her mistakes, her actions, her desires...everything. She knew she wasn't perfect, she addressed and admitted when she was acting needy or clingy or obsessive about a situation. For being a girl in her mid-twenties...she was pretty well-adjusted. And I just loved her candid moments of snarkiness or sarcasm. I'm a big fan of heroines with some spunk!



So basically there you have it. A book with lots of potential and promise that unfortunately didn't deliver. My apologies for the overly long review, but with how much I enjoyed the first book, I wanted to explain where things fell apart for me.

[Krystel Theodore-Branker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beginning had us wanting more, the middle had us going WTF and the ending couldn't have been more beautiful. This book relates the strong emotionally driven relationship between Alexa and Noah and I loved it. Deborah is so talented at relating the "bigger picture" within the relationships between her characters that it gives you clarity when your finish. Am glad to know we will also be getting a free novella about life after...well done again Miss Bladon!!

[✴ Cindy ✴ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not pleased that Alexa never came straight out and asked if he'd called for the services of a call girl while they were separated for four months. I felt like he probably did and without that qualification, it kept me from rooting for them to have a HEA.

I wanted her to get jiggy with Alec or some other random dude. She owed Noah nothing after the way he treated her.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Noah tries to explain to Alexa the circumstances that has forced him to push her away, you can’t help but feel for him a little bit more. The Noah Foster that we’ve seen has been a contradiction. He isn’t as cruel as you first assume – your initial reaction is to hate him, to jump to your own conclusions.

But Alexa has to push forward. With a job offer to teach, she heads to NY where she waits tables and teaches. The only thing missing from her life is Noah. But Noah isn’t about to let her go so easily.

As the author brings the series to a close, she gives you a clear look into what drove Noah. His guilt over his past, his insecurities about his scar... all of it becomes crystal clear. But she also gives us a love story that forced him out of his comfort zone and a reason to try to be more than just the hermit that hid away in his apartment.

I really enjoyed this series and the fact that there was not a huge wait between books. The author published this the right way – giving us those cliffhanger endings could have backfired had the wait been endless. I don’t mind being left hanging. The anticipation often leads to me wanting the next book even more – but there is that sweet spot of timing that some don’t hit. The author found that sweet spot.

[Zeba · Rating 1 out of 5]

70%- This book is sucking so far. Wtf you haven't seen the guy in 4 months and you're that hung up??? Especially in her circumstances? (You know is the one where you walk into the apt of your bf to have a naked women answer and that you look EXACTLY like her.. And you find out she is THE ex.) You walk out of a date with a guy with some real potential to go fuck him only to be sent home right after bkuz he's 'tired'? This sucks so far. What a complete waste


100%- Is it possible to take away stars? Can I give a 0 star review? This fucking sucked. Good God. Nothing to it! No substance. Camilla moved out right after he kicked Alexa out of his apt. Ari moved to California with a bf? Brighton is giving his ex a second chance? THIS SUCKED


S. U. C. K. E. D.

JESUS CHRIST. Horrible fucking ending.

[Honey Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You're going to help me love you the right way."



I thought this series was really good! I would have gone crazy if I hadn't waited until they were all out, the cliffhangers! I love a damaged man (I say this over and over again in my reviews!) and I love a scarred damaged man even MORE! I think this is def worth a read!!

[Eda** · Rating 3 out of 5]

** 3-3,5 STARS **



That was...uhmm...how do I put this nicely...not what I was expecting? I feel lightly disappointed and...sadly, not impressed at all.



I love this series, you have no idea how impatiently I've been waiting for this, stalking Deborah Bladon's FB page like a damn stalker.



The connection that I was able to feel between Noah and Alexa in the previous books was lacking in this one. I didn't feel emotional in any part of the book, and wasn't excited about any of the answers we got to get in this book, which is surprising because I was jumping up and down while reading the others...



I always thought Alexa was a badass. She disappointed me the most in this book. She should have made Noah work more for earning her love and her trust again. She should have pushed him to change for the better, to come out of his shell. But she was too scared that he might push her away again that she just let him decide for them both. Her reaction for all the mess Noah made was, like:



...UGGGH! Not what I like to see in a female lead. Not at all.

Okay, enough with what I didn't like about this book. Let's get to the good parts:

I loved reading about some of our other lovely characters, like Sadie, Hunter, Nathan and Jessica, they made me smile :)



I wanted to learn more about what Ivy and Jax have been doing too, actually. Brighton was visiting his newborn nephew??? As in Ivy and Jax had a baby??? OMG OMG OMG!

And I'd like to read about Brighton more, too. I feel a little sad for him.



Alec Hughes sounds interesting... Can't wait to read his story in "Solo"! Let's hope for the best!

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was like the third erotic novel I had ever read. And the first two by Joya Ryan were awesome and just blew this one out of the water. The first thing that truly annoyed me was that Noah, the main character guy who puts the vain in the title, was constantly strutting around his apartment naked BUT he wouldn't go outside in public because he was too conscious of his facial scar from a violent attack from his past. That totally does not compute with me. I mean, put some clothes on, dude. Who opens their door to a delivery person and is stark naked? That is just wrong.

If I was this Alexa chick, I would have turn and run the other direction. The only thing she likes about this man is the sex and you really can't base an entire relationship on that. By book three, Noah still had not grown through the book series. He was just as stuck in his old ways as he was in the beginning. He was rude and uncaring at many points in this novel and that is just uncalled for when you claim that you love someone. It's not all about you all the time. Then low and behold when the epilogue happens, Noah has changed. I was like.. WHAT? Excuse me, I would have liked to seen Noah grow into this change not just get a blanket "they lived happily ever after."

This novel really disappointed me. I am posting these three books in one review because they are basically one story all about the same characters.

3 stars (probably 2.5 but I upped it half a point for the outstanding covers)

[Brittany L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-3.5 oh Nathan stars, yes Nathan!

I hate that I feel so torn about this review, this is one of my favorite authors, and her work is always so amazing. I have been a huge fan of this series. I love Noah, really I do. However, This book lacked that smoothness that I have grown to love so much. and I felt like the first 3 chapters were really rushed.

I am not trying to be insensitive, I know that the loss of a loved one is absolutely devastating and distracting. Being a writer is very demanding (especially if you also self publish), and I know from reading the comments on her Facebook page. As a reader, I get slightly disappointed for delayed releases.. but when I really think about it.. I actually love delays, it shows me that its creator hasn't found their masterpiece just yet, and that's okay with me.

[The Junkie's Fix is Reading (it's Em) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book wherein you tell yourself that you need to stop purchasing that series because it will just make you poor? Well, that happen to me. I can't stop reading these short stories by Deborah Bladon. Her stories were not extraordinary yet, I can't seem to stop. I definitely love her heroes. You can't help but drool, yah, drool as in. You hate them, love them, hate them all over again but at the end of the day, they'll capture and keep your heart!

5 superhotnesss stars! #highlyrecommended

[Katty Suero · Rating 5 out of 5]

This conclusion to Noah and Alexa's story did not disappoint me I absolutely loved it I am definitely excited about the free novels Deborah is going to give away in October really looking forward to what happens next in this relationship...

[⚜️Charlotte⚜️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!
I love this author, but sadly this book
Was not up to her normal standards, but
I needed an ending, and it had a HEA! So, I will continue to be a fan knowing she is capable of great writing! :)

[Nikki M (Hot books and Sassy girls) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alexa wants answers but Noah does not give them. Deciding to move on with her life she moves to NY where she takes up a job as a substitute teacher along with waitressing. Months later, Noah makes contact with her; she goes running back to him. And for me personally this is where the book fell flat. Noah explains his insecurities and his guilt for his past. While I can understand this, it does not explain everything. What was his obsession of always being naked? With his insecurities, why then, did every girl look like his ex? There is a love story but for some reason there was no chemistry. I also did not feel that Noah paid for his sins with regards to what he put Alexa through. Especially knowing what she went through with Beck.. I wanted Noah to step out of his comfort zone and fight for Alexa, which he did not really do. Instead Alexa always went back and never really made him work for her love. The third book for me was not great, there were editing issues as well as the story felt forced. We do get our HEA and the author wraps up the story, but again I felt like something was missing. Overall it was okay.
Reviewed for Hot books and Sassy Girls book blog

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Caution this review may or may not give away story details**
In this 3rd installment of Vain author Deborah Bladon has done it again giving readers a mind twisting, soul searching, romantic love story between a broken man "NOAH" and his true love "Alexa". The second book leaves readers wondering if NOAH has lost his mind as is breaking it off with Alexa and the third book does not start out much better but is quickly resolved as we are shown the deep reasons NOAH has behind his breaking it off with Alexa even though he never truly left her.
As Alexa attempted to move on with her life and even moved to a different state, little did she know, NOAH was never far behind keeping an eye on her and trying to gain the courage to come out of the shadows and be with his true love. This book shows us that NOAH is a scarred man not only physically but emotionally and carries baggage from his past that he is having trouble leaving behind and conquering ...
Alexa faces her own challenges when her friends all tell her to forget about NOAH and move on.. That she was with him a shorter time than they have now been apart ..

The questions are does Alexa take her friends advice and give up on NOAH? Is NOAH simply VAIN because he doesn't want people to see his scar and chooses to live a life behind doors stuck in his apartments... Or is there another reason this scar bothers him that keeps him from moving on? Will Alexa help NOAH overcome his past? Or is there simply too many obstacles in the way for these two to have their happy ending?

Pick up your copy.. Or if you have not read VAIN parts one and Two start there .. And finish with Part three you will not be disappointed..Deborah Bladon is a wonderful author who puts everything she has into her characters

[Karim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vain - Part Three

Some spoilers ahead:

Here it is the conclusion to the story of Noah Foster and Alexa Jackson. In the last book, we were left with Noah and Alexa breaking up. and that's where the book start. Alexa, still in front of Noah's apartment, trying to figure out why all of this is happening and Noah does the best he can to explain.
Few chapters full of emotion. Heartbreak and confusion.

- "I can't make you happy like that. I can't bring a smile like that to your face."



Still few unanswered questions that seem never to resolved themselves. Alexa, now in New York City, is trying to move on with her life. When you think that maybe Alexa isn't going to get her ever after, in a wink of an eye everything resolves itself, and here it's the problem for me. I think that the author resolved it too quickly. The conflict of Noah's and Alexa's problems were resolved in few words. For a moment, he wasn't there and suddenly she was.

I still loved this book. The way that true love changes Noah, in all the ways he needed to move forward and embrace himself, who he is now.

"I fell for you Alexa. So hard, so fast and so completely. I'll never stop. I love you so much."

In the end, was a great read, lovely story and better yet it seems as the author is going to gives us another novella with the after story for this two.

[Meghna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good ending to yet another Deborah Bladon series.

VAIN was definitely different from the other series in that the male protagonist was much more vulnerable. He was not the stereotypical alpha male and I can see why that may be a bit of a turn off to some readers. To me, he was a breath of fresh air. Still very much a man but more open to showing his feelings for Alexa. Unfortunately, he is still what most men are-dumb. Lol. Noah thought he couldn't give Alexa what she wanted but didn't really make any attempt to listen to what she had to say. Like I said-dumb.

Yes, I agree with another reviewer who said that Alexa and Noah were broken up through most of the book but I think that was to show how they both grew as people. No, there wasn't as much conflict as Ms. Bladon's other books and sometimes it did seem a bit forced but that didn't really bother me much. It was a nice change of pace. Besides, Ms. Bladon is such a wonderful author that I could probably overlook almost anything. Lol.

For those you who are looking for sex, you're not really going to find it in this book. It really wasn't about sex this time around. I normally look forward to all the steam that Ms. Bladon generates in her books but I was perfectly ok with this one not having much.

All in all, another great series by Ms. Bladon. Now, I cannot wait for Impulse and SOLO!

**ARC given for honest review**

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

As soon as I found out this book was here I downloaded it. I couldn't wait. I'm glad it turned out the way it did. I don't want to give away any spoilers so I have to be careful.

I am a little let down by this last book. I can't put my finger on it. Something was missing. So here is what bugged me,
One of the biggest characters mentioned in this book " a lot" never made an appearance. You were just told he did. The story of Camille and Ari never quite made sense to me. And as much as I hate to say this..at a couple points during the story I wanted to slap our hero a few times in the head and tell him to "Get Over It"! I would have washed my hands of the whole lot of them.

Anyway I did like the series and I'm glad we will be getting a novella. I know it sounds like a lot of complaining but hey we are suppose to discuss these books right????

What cracked me up was I have never seen a hero in a book more obsessed with his own "dick" like the one in this book. I laughed so hard sometimes when reading.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was offered an ARC for a honest review.

I read this story quicker than the first two bc I couldn't stop reading it. From start to finish it was just perfect. Seeing characters from Exposed again and now from Pulse and mentions of characters from Obsessed were just perfect. Everything has finally come together in away btwn all 4 stories. I can't wait for the special novella in October and also for Solo and Impulse.

With this new book. We deal with what Alexa walked in on at the end of part 2. We deal with the lows and highs of Noah and Alexa's relationship. Things get more intense btwn them for the better and worse. We see a lot of character growth in this book btwn all characters across all books. And possible introductions to new characters for coming books or series. I can't wait to see where everyone is headed in their lives btwn all books and characters we see them again in the free novella in October!

[Warpedmind · Rating 5 out of 5]

It left you wanting more!

I will say that I was truly impressed with this story. Usually novella can grab my interest but not a 5 star interest like this one did. One thing I will say is.... I'm glad I waited for all the books to be released before venturing into this story. After reading this book I had to know what will happen next. I actually fell in love with Alexa and Noah. Alexa had a knack of attracting some arrogant-ass men, Noah included. You will think Noah is weird, arrogant, alpha-male, nudist, sexy, and flawed. And you will be right on all counts! A recluse meets a sexy independent woman. I will recommend this series. It is worth it.

At the end Ms. Bladon gave you a peek of her new book coming out September 26, 2014 called SOLO. I hope this is a full on novel.

[hugsandcookies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall the Series deserves a 4STARS.

Deborah Bladon is an author that I kind of am enjoying at the moment cause of her short stories and they connect onto her books. So I'm enjoying that her stories are precised and she doesn't have to really delve into all these long chapters.

The series is pretty good, a little trying (I mean I had to stop rolling my eyes at how annoying she was at times) aaaaand should I complain that there was too much sex for me um hell no but hey can't complain if Noah wants to flaunt by all means let it all hang out *winks*.

[Stevie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me. I'm also not a fan of the 3-books-that-should-have-been-one trend. Luckily they were lent to me. I read this waiting for something to happen. Given the hype and rating, I figured at some point this would actually go somewhere. I rated the first two with 2 stars with that thought in mind, but I was sadly disappointed. This was the never-ending gloomy day, in the middle of a gloomy winter. Just painfully monotonous. No peaks, no valleys, just dismal flat desolated landscape.

[Curly's Ramblings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice love story......but I have to agree with some of the other reviewers. How many professional women would give a guy a second chance so quickly by jumping back into bed with him on day one then keeping your distance???....likely would be the other way around.....make him work for it and prove he wasn't coming back because some other chick just dumped him.

[My Little Nook · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars...just because I feel like the story was cut by the end...I think I wanted to witness Noah's change in leaving the house more often and gaining more confidence in facing the world.

For the rest I enjoyed every page of it...and I'm happy Deborah is going to give us an other book about them in October.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alexa and Noah get their HEA. I would have liked to see Noah's transformation. Detail his thoughts going out for the first time or when he went to see the children. It could have been a more in depth emotional read if we could experience that and see Alexa helping Noah through that transition.

[Alla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conclusion to Noah and Alexis story.
I liked this serie. It was fast paced, no dragging things out, just straight to the point.
It was a fun, enjoyable and quick read, like most of Deborah´s Bladon books are.

[Gabriela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending on the second part left me with a stomach ache !! it was terrible , but I just hope that i would get better , and it did thank god !!
This series was better than I thought it would be so much so that i bought all Deborah Bladon books , and I'll read all of them.

[books_and_brew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read with a happy ending to follow (pun intended) I will most definitely be reading more from this author!

[Essie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this serious was lovely! I loved the passion between the two of them. It was a bit much sometimes. He was obsessed with the fact that she was "perfect". It made me think that him holding her to an unrealistic standard would be a big problem but i'm glad it wasn't. He describes her very beautifully(as does she) and I loved how vocal they both are. Alexa showered him with praise, praise that he so very clearly needed.

The main thing I didn't like was that Alexa was basically begging him not to leave her and then hounded him through the phone months later. I get he's fragile but please girl, listen to your friends advice and forget that man until he has a reason for you to remember him. I'm glad it wasn't him who chased her down later, tho. There was never a doubt in my mind that they didn't love each other(even before they said the words).

Overall, a very open book. Loved how comfortable they both were with their nudity(too much from Noah but if you got it, flaunt it, ig). Dialogue was great, too!

[Bellafyre · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, so I pretty much skimmed the last two books in this series. Everything just goes around in a circle, we're talking about the same shit, just a different day. And i'm so over the angst and miscommunication and misleading events that this author writes. I think I'm going to go find a real romance book now.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

💕💕

Ahhh I bloody loved this ending! I think Noah & Alexa may be my absolute favorite series yet. I enjoyed getting to know the real Noah and finally understanding his fears and struggles. The way Alexa loves him and encourages him is truly inspiring. Great work Deb!