Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Publication Date: 28 February 2017
Publisher: Self-Published
Series: The Gallagher Brothers, book 2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Recommendation: 17 and Up
Rating: 3.5 Stars
~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~
Book Description:
The Gallagher Brothers series from NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan continues with the one brother who thinks he can handle it all and the one woman who could change that.
Owen Gallagher likes everything in its place and is organized to a fault. While his brothers have each dealt with their own personal tragedies and stresses, Owen figures he’s had it pretty easy. That is until his perfectly ordered world is rocked at its foundation and he’s forced to rely on others. Now, he must heal his body and his soul while trying to ignore his delectable and utterly off-limits neighbor.
Liz McKinley is stressed out, exhausted, and not in the mood for a bearded and growly man in her ER. When she patches him up to the best of his ability, she’s prepared to push him firmly from her thoughts. Of course, that would be easier if she and her best friend hadn’t bought the house next to his. Now their paths seem to cross daily, and she is finding it harder and harder to say no to the injured and angry man next door. But she’s been scarred one too many times in her life, and even though this Gallagher looks good enough to eat, she knows that sometimes, sating that craving is the worst thing she can do.
My Review:
So yeah....I love Carrie Ann Ryan, I have loved the Montgomery Ink series and in turn the spin off The Gallagher Brothers but Passion Restored didn't hit the same mark that the others have.
I think a lot of my challenge comes with the fact that everything just happens so fast in Passion Restored. Moody man sees moody woman at bar, next thing you know moody man is suddenly in the hospital and guess what moody woman is his nurse. Moody man comes home from hospital and discovers moody woman is new neighbor. Moody woman comes over for a get together and moody man immediately finagles his way into her pants while moody mans family is just outside the door, two of them listening. I love the family dynamics in Carrie's books but the teasing of Owen in this one came across as crass and extremely embarrassing to the heroine. The Heroine Liz, she's got a lot going on but I struggled to like her, honestly I think you can only have so much moody in one book and her moody with Owen's moody just made me want to shake someone.
I felt like the storyline of why Owen ended up in the hospital fell flat, it was too easy, it was there just to get him into the hospital to see Liz again...but considering she turned out to be his next door neighbor in the end I am not sure it was necessary. The storyline with Liz's father never seemed to get fleshed out, and then the storyline with Liz's job just made me frustrated. She went through so much, she was treated horribly and yet her two antagonists end up getting what they want with absolutely no backlash or consequences in the end, even Liz's rightly deserved rant falls flat because absolutely noting comes of it. It felt like we had all these pieces that were supposed to make up another amazing Gallagher story and none of them were fulfilled, they were just pieces put in to make the story work and it worked, it just didn't feel complete.
There were things I loved, the steamy scenes between Owen and Liz....Carrie Ann Ryan knows how to write a swoon worthy sexy scene. The relationship between the brothers, the relationship between Liz and her best friend, the hard world that the characters put in, their ethics, their desire to live a truly happy and good life. I love the 'nerdiness' of Owen, his need to plan and organize, I can totally relate to him, I loved the that Owen was willing to be the pillar that Liz needed, that he didn't give up on her every single time (and it was a lot) that she ran. I love all these things, they are hallmarks of a Carrie Ann Ryan book and it wouldn't have been the same with out them. I just wish that the plot lines had felt more developed and that more came of them. Instead flowing through and creating the story they were just points to be made and gotten through so we could get to the end.
It's frustrating when an author you love falls short on one book in dozens, it's bound to happen when you have written as many as Carrie has, I just hate that it was a Gallagher Brother book, lol. This won't keep me away from her or this series and as always these are simply my feelings you may find this book to be completely different than I did and I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
~ HAPPY READING ~
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Excerpt:
“Looks like your new neighbor is finally settling in,” Blake said. “I would have thought they’d have gotten their stuff before now.”
Owen almost shrugged but thought better of it at the last moment. “I was busy before the accident, and I think whoever moved next door must have been too because I haven’t even seen them yet. They may have been around more this last week, but I wasn’t here. Maybe it just took them this long to find time for the movers or something.” He could understand that since his job tended to take over his life, as well. Not that it had recently since the others had cut him off. However, that would change just as soon as his family got in their vehicles and left.
He looked over at the other house again and froze when a familiar blonde head popped up from behind the truck. His heart raced and his throat went dry. Holy hell.
“Holy shit,” Murphy murmured from his side. “Is that the hot nurse from the bar? Liz, right?”
Maya leaned over so she and Noah could get a better look and smiled. “Well, look at that.”
“You didn’t know she’d moved next door?” Blake asked.
“No,” Owen said softly, trying to get his brain to catch up with the rest of him. Hell, he’d forgotten how beautiful she was, considering he hadn’t seen her since they wheeled him away for surgery, and he’d been a little drugged up at that point. He wasn’t drugged up now and his dick was about to stand at attention just at the mere sight of her. “Maybe she’s just helping her friend?”
The brunette from the bar walked out of the house at that point, and Murphy let out a soft laugh. “Maybe Tessa moved next door instead. Come on, man, let’s go meet the neighbors.” Murphy turned to him. “You okay to walk, or do you need me to grab the wheelchair.”
Owen set his jaw. “I’m good.” He would be, damn it, even if he ended up sweating through his shirt from the exertion. He wasn’t in that much pain, it was just uncomfortable. Thankfully, his incision site barely hurt anymore. And since he’d caught sight of Liz, he wasn’t thinking about pain. No, the endorphins running through his system just from seeing her were taking care of any discomfort he might have.
“Hey, ladies,” Murphy called out, and Blake sighed from Owen’s side.
“He is seriously going to flirt with your neighbors right now on their moving day,” Blake said with a laugh. “You can’t take him anywhere, can you?”
“That’s why we love him,” Owen said with a smile. Of course, he only had eyes for Liz at that moment, who had turned at the sound of Murphy’s voice to look at them. Her eyes had gone wide, and her face paled slightly. He hoped she was just surprised.
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About Carrie Ann Ryan:
Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Talon Pack, and Gallagher Brothers series, which have sold over 2.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over fifty novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not writing about bearded tattooed men or alpha wolves that need to find their mates, she’s reading as much as she can and exploring the world of baking and gourmet cooking.
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