At Peace (The 'Burg, #2) in The Indie Bookshelf

Dec 17, 2011 Splage rated it it was amazing

Shelves: cheater-cheater-pumpkin-eater, jealousy, emotional-made-me-cry-lump-in-thr, sex-medium-to-very-sexy, contemporary, 3rd-party-mistress-boyfriend-girlfr, hero-heroine-widow-er, divorce, hero-big-time-player-man-whore, had-earlier-relationship-broke-up

I am running out of words to review Kristen Ashley books. I love them, but what more can I say or praise can I give??

There are many constants throughout the books I have read by KA and this one tends to follow the rule book. YES her rule book really works for me; over the top alpha, matched beautifully by a strong heroine, secondary characters are written just as detailed so you can feel them. The dialog is raw with edgy and rough sex scenes. The romance is usually pretty much wrapped up by mid I am running out of words to review Kristen Ashley books. I love them, but what more can I say or praise can I give??

There are many constants throughout the books I have read by KA and this one tends to follow the rule book. YES her rule book really works for me; over the top alpha, matched beautifully by a strong heroine, secondary characters are written just as detailed so you can feel them. The dialog is raw with edgy and rough sex scenes. The romance is usually pretty much wrapped up by midway throughout the book, but you get glimpses of deep love and the sweetest heartfelt confessions until the end, the second half of the book leans more towards the mystery and action. The suspense at the end is "edge of your seat" and then the epilogue gives you wonderful looks into the characters’ futures. It is completely satisfying.

At Peace followed this format. Joe Callahan was a prick. I didn’t like him, I knew that eventually I would, but it took me longer than usual. He did and said some things that were pretty harsh and I didn’t buy into his explanations. Violet was written strong, but ironically I felt she was dangerously fragile- which who could blame her. Her husband, a cop, was recently executed by a mob boss and then the mob boss became an obsessed stalker who wanted Vi for himself. So to get her and her two teenage daughters away from the madman she leaves Chicago and moves to a small town in Indiana right next store to Joe. Their relationship revs up really quickly and even though Vi thinks Joe is a jerk she can’t stop herself. Joe is unavailable emotionally to her except for sex, when he sees her getting close he hurts her. It was hard for me to forgive him as he does it over and over. Eventually Vi moves on to greener pastures and I actually liked her other love interest better. This woke Joe up and he came back with a vengeance, an available heart, and a great love for Vi and her daughters. I think what did finally soften me to Joe was his relationship with Vi’s daughters. He was a very good father figure.

I had a few laugh out loud moments with some of the characters throughout the story. Vi’s youngest daughter would just let things fly out of mouth with no filter on her thoughts. I also loved how she gave Joe the cold shoulder after he hurt her mother. The other character that had a late appearance was the G.I Jane receptionist. I hope she has something in future books – a total kickass riot. I also was brought to tears a couple of times which makes a book legit for me. It did seem lengthy and at times random sequences were throw in, such as visits from relatives or past problems that appeared and then had nothing to do with the rest of the story.

Time to take a break and read a few other books. It makes me appreciate Kristen Ashley’s story lines and heroes.
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Dec 15, 2011 Anne OK rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012-reads

This one started off a bit rocky for me. Who knows - maybe I've reached overload. I've certainly binged on Kristen Ashley's books since the first of the year. After putting this one aside several times, I picked it back up and continued on. And I'm ever so glad that I did!

The biggest negative in "At Peace" was that Violet's behavior wasn't ringing true for me. Her personality and her actions just didn't balance. Prior to Joe, a man she feared, she had only one other lover -- her husband. In wha ...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Cindy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2012, hot-hot-hot, favorites, contemporary, alpha-male-hotties, sassy-heroines, re-reads, book-boyfriends, badass-heroes, glass-case-of-emotion

5 bright shining stars!

I loved this book. The first book in The 'Burg series, eh. Not so much. This book and it's tone and especially JOE CALLAHAN spurred the Dream Man men, I'm sure. Set this book in Denver as opposed to small-ish Indy border town and this book reads exactly like one of the Dream Man series. And not Mitch or Brock. I'm talking Hawk & Tack here.

And hot? Oh lord - Scorching! I think this book might have the most sexy times of any KA book I've read, and I've read over 3/4 of her ...more

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Apr 25, 2014 PJ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014-books-i-ve-read, romance-erotica, my-faves, romance-contemporary

5 Huge Stars

This gets shelved alongside my Faves.I absolutely loved it. I adored Joe and Violet and every last character, even Tina and Susie, as wretched as they are. But Kate and Kiera were my most favorites. They were sweet, smart, funny and lovely. I had some trouble with For You, the first book in KA's 'Burg series, mainly with the lack of communication between Feb and Colt, but I still loved all of the characters and I think KA is going to have to release a cookbook with all these recipes ...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Dee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015-reads, also-book, 1-r, romance, 1

4.5 Stars

Very emotional story which at times had me sobbing like a baby....I just wanted to wrap Violet up in my arms and hold her!

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Sep 13, 2013 Betsy rated it it was ok

Shelves: romance, contemporary-romance

Oy! Buddy!? Come on. If a guy called me that it would spell doom for our relationship. I'd punch him straight in the teeth and never see him again. How unsexy can you get? That's what you call kids when you're trying to convince them to eat their vegetables. The thought of using that in a sexy way actually kind of creeps me out.

I've also just read some unsettling news: KA does in fact have an editor, which means that they are intentionally leaving her books riddled with grammatical and structur Oy! Buddy!? Come on. If a guy called me that it would spell doom for our relationship. I'd punch him straight in the teeth and never see him again. How unsexy can you get? That's what you call kids when you're trying to convince them to eat their vegetables. The thought of using that in a sexy way actually kind of creeps me out.

I've also just read some unsettling news: KA does in fact have an editor, which means that they are intentionally leaving her books riddled with grammatical and structural errors. All those extra pages of nonsense description are there for a reason. For what purpose?! So then I thought, perhaps she hadn't been picked up yet when this book was released, since it's older. But then I remembered that I recently attempted her newest, (or next newest) Own the Wind. That was ALSO a writing disaster. One so bad that I don't even think I finished it. It convinced me not to inflict her books on myself anymore.

I said I was going to stop reading her books. I am going to stop reading her books. This is it. Reading her books feels kind of like the morning after heavy drinking. You think you had fun, but really you're not sure and mostly you're just slightly unwell. (That might be a bit of overkill, but then again maybe not.)

The editing, excessive length and repetitive characterization get in the way of a good story. It's a real shame because the woman can tell a damn fine love story. And you gotta love her alphas. But as others have said...unfortunately they are always the same alpha.

That's not even the biggest problem for me- I think most people read KAs work for exactly that- the hot, controlling alphas males who come take what they want and don't take no for an answer. What I do have a problem with is the hot mess that is her prose. I try to read and look past it and just see the story, but I can't do it. It's just a mess. Her editor really should help her out- cut down her work and tighten up her prose. There is just no excuse for bad writing. I'm sure it would expand her fan base. I'm not a fan now, but I would be if she'd clean things up. ...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Daisy Sloan rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2013, borrowed-2013, romance, suspense, erotic, bad-boys, jerk-of-my-dreams, msrbr

Kristen Ashley has this ability to write stories that suck you in and keep you there until the bitter end. Her characters are flawed, they’re brutal and their loveable. At Peace is no different.

At Peace is the second in the The ‘Burg Series. One of the things I love about this series is the age of the characters. They’re in their late 30’s and sometimes 40’s. These are characters who have experienced some of life and are still trying to find their way.

Violet Winters lost her husband 18 mont ...more

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Sep 03, 2013 Amy Morrison rated it it was amazing

And Kristen Ashley does it again!! I love that most of her lead characters are a little older (like me). They have real problems and life lessons. This was just another amazing example of her amazing writing. Violet has been through it and then some. Joe has also had his share of hell in life. These two came together under different circumstances, but you could feel that they were something different. I loved their progression, the ups and the downs. And the relationship between Joe and Vi's dau ...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Shawn Baker rated it really liked it

Great, Great Read! I love alpha male type books and this was one heck of an alpha male book. Only complaint was it could have been shorter in parts and not drug out with a lot of filler but it was a great read. Keep it up Kristen.

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Mar 15, 2012 Ellen W-S rated it it was amazing

Shelves: great-love-stories, will-read-again, kindle-bk, hot, contemporary-romance, series, over-4-0-gr-rating, read-in-2012, highly-recommended, auto-buy-authors

I cannot remember so many tears of sadness and joy in one book. When they all huddle together during their loss , I lost it. I loved Joe and how protective he was of the girls. This wasn't just a story of Joe and Vi... I loved the girls and the family dynamic... I want more Joe! ...more

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