Thursday, September 6, 2018

Blog Tour & Review: Ten Reasons to Stay - Candance Knoebel

TEN REASONS TO STAY
by Candace Knoebel
(The Risky Hearts Duet #1)
Published: August 29, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance

One day a week—Thursdays—my husband and I could do whatever or whomever we pleased.

Protection was non-negotiable.

And no matter what, we had to be home by midnight.

Jack was the one who wanted an open marriage, but we were supposed to keep things simple. No strings. No commitments. It seemed so easy…until it wasn’t.

Devilishly handsome Cole Blackwater was only supposed to be a fling, but everything about him made me feel alive. Wanted. Seen. When I realized he was my husband’s boss, I should have broken things off right then…but I didn’t.

One day a week, I could pretend that I was his and he was mine…until Cole wanted more.

But how could I decide between the man I’d promised to love, honor, and cherish, and the man who tempted me to break every single vow I’d made?

Get your copy of TEN REASONS TO STAY today!
Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Amazon AU
 Add TEN REASONS TO STAY to your Goodreads TBR here!


Review
4.5 Stars
Corrine loves her husband and Jack seems to love her too, but things in their marriage have gone a bit dull and he's suggested they open up their marriage. One night a week they can do whatever and whoever they want, as long as they return home by midnight. She thinks it'll be a one time thing for her, she doesn't anticipate falling for Cole Blackwater and wishing he was who she spent the other six days of the week with. She's tempted absolutely, but she made vows and she still loves the man her husband used to be. Corrine must choose, but she may lose it all along the way.

"'I'm sick of ignoring that part of myself.'
'What part?'
'The selfish part.'"

I am the opposite of most readers, I love a good marriage-in-trouble read, especially if it involves other men or other women in the picture. No, I don't really want this to happen to anyone, it's more of a I've been there, done that, I made it to the other side and I connect with stories that portray it well. Candace Knoebel does just that, weaving a story about a woman willing to go to the ends of the earth for her partner, a man who has strayed in the past and seems to be taking things a step too far with their agreed upon arrangement, and an outside who wants to give that woman everything she deserves and more. As readers our hearts ache for Corrine, she struggles to do everything for Jack and receives so little in return. She's a wilted flower, a rose specifically, and Cole becomes the water that brings her back to life. I loved her transformation in this book, we're told she used to be sassy and funny, but her dim light and carefully controlled exterior doesn't show that side of her, not until someone else encourages that side of her to return. Cole is handsome and the sweetest other man I've ever had the honor of reading. He loves fiercely, despite giving off this unattached vibe. He charmed my pants right off. And Jack, well in time he becomes secondary and every time Corrine thought of her vows I wanted to yell at her to go sign some divorce papers. It is difficult to read about marriages in trouble, but it's even more difficult to read about a woman who continues to accept the worst when she clearly deserves the best.

"He liked taking what wasn't his, and I liked being taken by someone who couldn't have me."

An angst through and through, Ten Reasons to Stay puts your heart out on the line, drawing you into a romance that's guaranteed to hurt somebody. Place your bets, people, because someone is going to get the girl. Candace Knoebel gifts us with lyrical writing and descriptive scenes that truly make you feel like you're one of the characters, whether it be aloof Cole or seductive in red Corrine. Their affair became a living, breathing thing for me, making me beg Corrine to see that someone loves her desperately and that that man wasn't Jack. Of course, like all marriages and affairs, things have to go south a bit and couldn't have predicted how the book played out at all.

"'Give the meetings to Jack.' Keep him busy for me, I thought with a wicked grin."

Ten Reasons to Stay might have been my first read by Candace Knoebel, but it certainly won't be my last. Books that take you on a journey, even if it's one most of us would never want to go on personally, are my favorite. I love the struggles the characters face in Ten Reasons to Stay, I love the detail that went into the emotions and the way everything played out on the pages, I just am obsessed with this book. Candace tells us a story that is believable, that rips at your heart and makes you want for something you know you shouldn't be allowed to have. I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who likes their romance to keep them on the edge of their seat, desperate for their desired outcome to happen.

 
Don't miss FIVE REASONS TO GO, book two of the Risky Hearts duet, out October 25th!
Add it to your Goodreads TBR today!

 About CANDACE KNOEBEL
Candace Knoebel is a hopeless romantic with an affinity for whiskey and good music. Her love of words began when she met the boy who lived in the cupboard under the stairs. She's a self-proclaimed Lost Girl. Words are her mirror.

With two completed series, her work ranges from paranormal to contemporary, all centered heavily around romance. Currently she lives in Florida with her husband and two children, and has just completed her thirteenth novel, The Taste of Her Words.


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