Jessica Reviews: All or Nothing (Love by Design #3) by Kendall Ryan

Series: Love by Design #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Atria
Publication Date: 9/9/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 272
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5 stars


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You’ve met Ben Shaw. Now meet Braydon Kincaid, the devil-may-care male model who nearly stole the show in Working It by New York Times bestselling author Kendall Ryan.


As one of the world’s most sought-after male models, Braydon is no stranger to the finer pleasures in life. The last thing he wants to do is limit himself, especially when it comes to women. His best friend, Ben, might’ve settled down, but Braydon doesn’t want to waste his youth on the messy complications of commitment. He wants fun. He wants easy.
 
Ellie isn’t looking for a casual relationship, but her tough and sassy personality instantly attracts Braydon, who proposes a “friends with benefits” arrangement. Unable to resist the powerful pull of the charming bad boy, Ellie eventually relents, though she longs for all-consuming love.



As the two spend more time together, Ellie soon realizes that Braydon’s posing skills extend off the runway. His carefully crafted façade masks a secret hurt that he’s reluctant to share with Ellie, even as they embark on a passionate affair that sends them hurtling toward a fate neither expected. Can Ellie risk her heart while she waits for Braydon to let her in, or will she be forced to demand all or nothing?


Jessica's Review

“Don’t make me fall for you…”

“I won’t bite, kitten. Unless you want it rough.”

Oh Braydon, Braydon, Braydon!

How do I love thee, let me count the ways. And show you those ways too. *snicker , snicker*

I have been waiting, ever so patiently, to read about Braydon Kincaid’s story ever since he graced us with his fine ass self in WORKING IT. I know I was supposed to fall head over heels for Ben Shaw but one hot strut from Braydon (and one UNFORGETTABLE THREESOME) and I was like “Ben who?”. Since the moment Braydon came into the picture, there was no one else for me. And apparently, for Ellie –our female lead AND Emmy’s best friend –as well. They had OUTRAGEOUS sexual chemistry and their banter was off the wall funny. These two were off their rocker!

“I could come over for a little while.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I thought this was what you wanted?”

“No apartment, no sex.”

“Why is that so important to you?”

“It just is. I don’t want to fall into the same pattern with you. Where you live is a huge fucking deal. Someone’s place says a lot about them. I don’t want to take the next step if you’re going to keep holding back.”

“Can’t I have just one secret?”

“Yes. Harmless secrets, like whether or not you pee in the shower—or if you’ve ever farted in the subway and blamed it on someone else.”

“You’re too much. You know that? And for the record, I don’t pee in the shower.”

“Yeah right. I thought all guys did that. It’s like a locker room thing—crossing streams and playing swords…”  

In CRAVING HIM, we were left on an Ellie/Braydon cliffhanger. A hot romp in the bathroom between these two sexy kids made ME wanting more (as all of you know, I love me some hot, steamy, will-we-get caught kind of sex in bathrooms). I was counting the days/weeks/months until ALL OR NOTHING was published. I was not disappointed. Not. At. All. Braydon and Ellie’s story was EVERYTHING!

 

“You need something, kitten?” His voice was deep and low. Too sexy for his own good.

“I’m fine,” I squeaked out. “You good?”

“Oh, I’m fucking fantastic.”

 

“Careful there, kitten, or that dessert isn’t the only thing that’ll be in your mouth.”

I loved everything about these two characters. Braydon was not only a sexy and delectable man, but he was also sweet, patient, loving, kind, and everything you could want in a gentleman. He’s the guy that can melt the underwear right off your body from just his hot kisses alone. He’s the guy that will one minute growl and dominate you in bed and the next minute be smooth and slow and make you scream so loud the neighbors will hear you. You feel the shiver from his look, his touch, his ways. And let’s not forget that certain “male accessory” that he knows how to use ALL TOO WELL. He was everything Ellie wanted and then some. However, he was also someone that didn’t want a commitment. Or did he?

 

“Let me ask you something. You feel this between us, right? This…connection? We owe it to ourselves to give in to this. It’s not always like this, you know? This chemistry we have. And I know you feel it, too.”

Ellie was AMAZING! She was the whole kit and caboodle. I loved her so, so much. This is odd for me because there is always something wrong, in my opinion, with the female lead of the book. Not in this case. Ellie felt real to me. I felt her anxiety and pain because they felt very much like my own. I think sometimes, as a single woman, you kid yourself in saying “I don’t need no stinkin’ man” or “I’m A-Okay just the way things are” but in reality we are really thinking “Damnit, I want the friggin fairytale too!” I felt so close to Ellie, that there were times that I wanted to go through the pages of the book and hug her. I wanted to bust out a bottle of wine, pour us a few glasses and just vent our woes. I wanted to shake her a bit and tell her that she is fantastical and that Braydon is a fool if he doesn’t see it. You are woman! Hear you roar! Twenty bucks says that Braydon would have agreed to hear that roar…in bed..after her third orgasm. (Yup. Braydon is THAT good.)

 

“Shh, it’s okay,” he said, his palm cupping my cheek. “You don’t have to be tough all the time, you know?”

I nodded slowly.

“I know you can take care of yourself, but who takes care of you, Ellie?”

He rarely, if ever, called me by my actual name, and the familiarity of it passing over his lips caused a little ripple of desire to dance in my belly. 

 

 

“You’re such a firecracker. So sassy, intelligent, and confident. You don’t take any shit. But then when we’re together, you turn yourself over to me fully. When I’m buried deep inside you, you submit to me completely…It’s incredibly sexy, kitten. Trust me.”  

Overall, this book was EVERYTHING. Where Ellie was sass, Braydon was sex. Where Ellie was witty and willful, Braydon was wicked and wild. Together they were FIRECRACKER and EXPLOSIVE. They were such a great couple to see flourish throughout. I loved their banter and back and forth verbal tennis. And I loved how they fell in love and finally have their own fairy tale ending. It’s a bit sad to see this series come to an end. The little bit of Epilogue in Braydon’s POV was the icing on a male model cake.

 

Favorite quotes and scenes

“I’m going to go change out of my dress.”

“Need a hand?”

“No. Sit. Stay. Good puppy…Boys are like puppies. You have to have lots of patience, plenty of discipline, house-train them…”

“Is that so? Does that mean girls are like kittens? Give them lots of snuggles and give them cream to lick up so they don’t get ornery and claw you?”

“Something like that. Be right back.”  

 

My eyes zeroed in on Braydon. His expression was pure pleasure, primal and carnal. His look was so erotic, my sex muscles clenched, throbbing uncomfortably. My stupid vagina missed him. She’d gotten me into this mess in the first place. Well, no more, missy. No soup for you!  

The Love by Design Series

 

    

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Kendall Ryan is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the contemporary romance novels Hard to Love, Unravel Me, Make Me Yours, and Resisting Her. She’s a sassy, yet polite Midwestern gal with a deep love of books and a slight addiction to lip gloss. 

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