{REVIEW} UP TO ME (THE BAD BOYS SERIES #2) by M. LEIGHTON

Series: The Bad Boy Series #2
Publisher: M. Leighton Books
Publication Date: 1/6/13
Format: eARC
Source: Received from author for review.

Happily ever after doesn’t come easy.  But for love, it’s always worth the fight.

 

Olivia finds bliss unlike any she’s ever known in Cash’s arms.  He sets her skin on fire and melts her heart right inside her chest.  Unfortunately, their happily ever after is short-lived when a shadow from Cash’s past threatens to turn their world upside down.

   Dangerous people from his father’s world have discovered that Cash holds information that could put them away for a very long time.  And they’re willing to do anything—and hurt anybody—to get it back.  Giving it up means Cash must choose between the life of his father and the life of Olivia.

Having nearly overcome her wariness of bad boys, Olivia’s trust is shaken when this new threat arises.  Now she finds that Cash is not only a danger to her heart, but his family has associations that are a danger to her life as well.  She soon discovers that there are some situations in life where trust is a girl’s only option.  And this is one of them.  If she’s to live, she must trust Cash with her life.  But to Olivia, that’s much, much easier than letting go and trusting him with her heart.

 

 

** This review does not contain spoilers for Up to Me.**

 

 

Oh my gosh! It is going to be a tough, tough job to review Up to Me without giving spoilers! Hmmm... what can I say about Up to Me? It's scorching hot; this is Cash we're dealing with here. It's suspenseful, going in a direction I honestly never imagined when I began this series. And it is shocking. SHOCKING, I say! Yeah, I better stop right there because I seriously want to just shout it out. But I won't. You're welcome.

Okay, I really enjoyed Down to You, it was funny, sexy, and surprising. I didn't love every decisioin the characters made, but that's life. People don't make smart or logical choices at least half of the time. I also felt that Olivia was a little too accepting of Cash and his misleading lifestyle. Because of this, I was a bit scared to start Up to Me. Would all the lies be glossed over? Would Cash and Olivia be blissfully in love without a care about the past?

I am happy to say that Leighton handled the newly formed relationship between Cash and Olivia very well. Olivia is with Cash, and she does believe in him, but there are doubts. And questions. And even if I personally would push an issue like that with my guy, until we both went crazy, Olivia chooses to trust Cash, what she feels, what she sees in his eyes, and let her heart take the lead. I think she's made a great decision. ;-) And to that, I'll add: Really, there are no guarantees in love.

Besides the relationship between Cash and Olivia, we also have an insanely intense plot in Up to Me. Bad things happen. Shady people from Cash's past, not of his own doing, come back to take away what's his. There is a lot of maneuvering and manipulating to get through this doozy with everyone safe and sound. An upside to this scenario is Gavin, an old friend and ally of Cash's. He is so sexy and great with a funny line to ease the tension. I WANT MORE GAVIN. And like I mentioned at the beginning of my review, the shocker. I want to talk about this sooooo badly. *slams head on desk repeatedly*

Michelle Leighton delivered a real treat with Up to Me. Fans of Down to You are going to love it.



Favorite Quote:

  I run my fingers through my hair again. My hard-on isn't a problem anymore; the sound of Marissa's voice took care of that. In fact, it almost gave me a damned vagina.


  "It's me," he says softly. "Stop listening to everything else. Remember the way you feel when I'm kissing you and touching you. Don't think with your head. You know me. And when my lips are on yours, you trust me." As if to make his point, he dips his head and brushes his mouth over mine. Sparks fly between us. As always. "You trust me, when my hands are on your skin." He runs his palms down my arms and then over my waist where he pushes them up under the edge of my shirt. Chills break out down my back. "You trust me when you turn your mind off, when you just feel."


  "You're crazy, you know that, right?"
  "Of course. Was it supposed to be a secret?"
  "No, I think that ship has sailed."
  I turn my head slightly and bite his flat male nipple.
  "Ouch! Keep doing that and you'll get the best damn spanking you've ever had."
  "I've never been spanked befor, so the bar is set very low."


  No one says anything for a few minutes, not until Gavin breaks the tense silence. "Damn, that woman is one mighty bitch. I think my balls just now dropped back down." 

 

The Bad Boys Series

(click on cover to read my review)

 

 

You can purchase Up to Me at:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble


About the author:
I was born and raised in the United States, and I’ve lived in several of the fabulous fifty. Though I currently live in the deep South, I spent much of my childhood up North and hope to return there one day. A few other things about me: I believe that sometimes you have to look really, REALLY hard to find the good in people, but it's there. I believe that I'm shrinking (I swear five years ago I was two inches taller). I believe my husband is quite possibly one of the most amazing men in the entire world (I can't be sure because I haven't met all of them). I believe coffee and chocolate, when combined, could be the basis for world peace. I believe that Jesus rocks and communism doesn’t. I believe that white makes me look fat and black collects lint. I believe summer's too hot, winter's too cold and fall was made for football. I like dogs better than cats and the first movie in a trilogy is invariably the best. But most of all, I believe that love conquers all.

Connect with author M. Leighton at:
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