Heaven and Hell (Heaven and Hell, #1) in The Indie Bookshelf

Jan 12, 2012 Splage rated it really liked it

Shelves: sex-erotica, cheater-cheater-pumpkin-eater, emotional-made-me-cry-lump-in-thr, hero-heroine-athlete-sports-hero, contemporary, hero-heroine-widow-er, hero-military-ex-or-current, spousal-abuse, hero-heroine-famous-person, ebook

3.5 stars A very beautiful love story and a good read, but I have been conditioned by the author to expect lots of action and sassy dialog. This was much more on the subdued side, I would have liked more, but you can't go 100 mph all the time. I did love that you got to travel the world in this one. Kia was a small town girl from Indiana who married the high school quarterback. He was a jerk, cheater, and liked to live in his "glory days". Thank God he got his head blown off! Kia takes his insur ...more

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Jan 23, 2015 PJ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance-standalone, 2015-books-i-ve-read, my-faves, romance-contemporary, romance-abuse

5 Heavenly Stars

Dammit! Every time I finish a KA book I swear that it, for real this time, is my favorite. And here I find myself ever so carefully balancing this on my KA most-favorite pile that nearly topples from it's inverted weight.

And, it is well-known that K. Ashley kills, guts, slices you open with her Epilogues. This one did that to me, once again. That very last bit was such a gift. One, I, and I'm sure other readers, didn't realize they needed. But once read, it would be one they'd t ...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Jenny - TotallybookedBlog rated it really liked it

I loved this book!
It did take me a while to read it due to not getting the time to sit and read and absorb everything that was so wonderful about it so I took a little time to bond with the characters.
This is no way reflected on the book, this was just something for me personally.
Once I did....wow! It was amazing. This book is quite emotional and both Sam and Kia have baggage from their past that they must deal with in order for their relationship to flourish.
Easier said than done.
I shed a coupl ...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Nance rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary-romance, books-read-2012, nance-rr-2012-challenge, favorites, all-time-favorite-romantic-reads

Kia Clementine marries directly out of high school and begins her young adult married life the victim of domestic violence. Circumstances prevail that set the young Kia “free” from her life of abuse with a surprising inheritance of a $5,000,000 life insurance policy. Desperate to go on a much needed vacation that would mean a break from her existing and not too pleasant hometown life, she heads to Paris, Rome, and Florence to experience something new and exciting. While eating breakfast in the h Kia Clementine marries directly out of high school and begins her young adult married life the victim of domestic violence. Circumstances prevail that set the young Kia “free” from her life of abuse with a surprising inheritance of a $5,000,000 life insurance policy. Desperate to go on a much needed vacation that would mean a break from her existing and not too pleasant hometown life, she heads to Paris, Rome, and Florence to experience something new and exciting. While eating breakfast in the hotel dining room in Lake Como, Italy, she spies her “celebrity crush”, Sampson Cooper, sitting at the table next to her. Sam Cooper is tall, dark and beautiful...every woman’s sexual fantasy! What is he doing there alone?? Well, one thing leads to another, and the couple visit some Italian sights together, party together, and eventually embark on an illicit heated affair together. As Kia finally confides in Sam her most disturbing and violent secrets, Sam continues to hold up his walls of privacy that involve his past devastation of losing his best friend, Gordo. Even though he wants Kia to share her past, he is unwilling to do the same. The only person who really knows what Sam has experienced, is his former friend’s widow, Luci, and it’s just not right for Kia to consult her knowing how much pain it would cause to dig up the past. So, Kia and Sam enjoy their time together in Italy for the time being. It’s a story of new found promises like none other with a love so exquisite that requires both partners to trust and be honest completely with each...no matter what the cost. Another stellar execution by the clearly admirable author, Kristen Ashley. One of the main ideas that this novel portrays is largely about trust. Sam had to finally trust Kia with his heavy heart that was possessing all his emotional afflications surrounding the harrowing death of Gordo. It was a sad occassion, but it finally allowed the couple to move on, no...not ever to forget, but to move on with their lives. Ms. Ashley is a genuine impassioned storyteller that leaves the reader blissfully content romantically. Looking forward to reading another novel from her romance collection!!
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