Name: Bethany Lacey's review of Sebring by Kristen Ashley
Item: Sebring
Rating: 5
Author: Bethany Lacey

Kristen Ashley

Nick Sebring has issues. Born feeling like an outsider in his own family, growing up under the shadow of a brother who could do anything, Nick isn’t that great of a guy. But when this culminates with Nick lashing out to hurt his brother through the woman he loves, Nick turns inward and makes some decisions about the man he intends to be. And as he does this, he falls in love and truly learns the man that he’s grown to be. When his love is murdered right before Nick’s eyes, Nick knows he has to avenge her. He knows how he’s going to avenge her. And he has no qualms using Olivia Shade to exact that vengeance. Olivia Shade has grown up on the outside of her family too. Her problem is that they don’t want her outside. They want her all the way in, right under their thumbs. She pays the price for seeking escape and learns her lesson—she’ll never see a dawn where she wakes up free. Then she meets Nick Sebring, and even as she fights it, the hope that died years ago starts to blossom. She can find love. She can have a man of her own. She can be happy. She can be free. Olivia hopes while Nick schemes. However, as Nick peels back the layers of all that is Olivia Shade, he finds something surprising. He understands its fragility. He falls in love with its beauty. He seeks to protect it. But he forgets to protect his Livvie from one thing: Nick Sebring.

Sebring

Bethany Lacey

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance 
  
    
  
  
    Summary 
  
 
Nick Sebring has come along way and has his own demons to fight. He has changed since being the rebellious Sebring brother. While working undercover, his fellow agent and the woman he fell in love with was shot in front of him and its been four years and he vows justice for what he has lost, losing the one person that changed him for the better. His target is to get a foothold in the Shade crime family, and bring down the man behind everything and bringing down their organization. Olivia Shade, is one of the two daughters of the Shade Crime Family. Olivia has been stuck in a tough position, she is different from her sister and her parents. Her hands aren't white clean, but she is a practical prisoner, she once tried to escape and her own father burned her back with oil and she knew she could never escape and will always be under their thumbs. Her only escape was a private club, where she meets Nick Sebring. Nick has ulterior motives, but soon his heart start to get involved with Olivia, and finding a way to be together with her family more dangerous than ever, might be impossible with their lives intact.
 
  
    Plot and Story Line 
  
 
In Sebring, the long awaited story of Nick's story. Now when we first meet Nick in the first book "Knight" he is a ass plain and simple. Like seriously, he isn't the type of bad boy you would want to be with. He has some serious issues with his brother at the time. Now, however he is a completely different person. Working undercover for the government and falling in love changed him for the better. We  get introduced to  a man that is heartbroken. He has just lost his girl in the most horrific way possible, and barely survived himself. This is what sets us off with the story so it really draws you in. Then we skip four years, where Nick has been watching the whole Shade Family. But his focus is on Olivia, she is his way in. Now I will say that as a whole I enjoyed this book quite a bit, however it is probably my least favorite of the series. I wasn't a huge fan of the way these two get together. Pretty much just have sex like bunnies for quite some time, it felt like a bit too much at times. Now I started to really enjoy the story when they start to open up to each other. So Nick was such a great hero in this book, I love seeing the good changes in his characters and seeing his closeness with his brother and Anya and their two little girls. Our heroine Olivia is actually quite likable. I like how she has a good heart especially when you see how crazy her father and sister are especially. She is in a tough spot but she does what she can. She has always dreamed of being safe and free and it was quite heart wrenching at times seeing what she goes through here. But I love how committed Nick is to freeing Olivia from her psychotic family.

  

  
    
      
        “And I’m the man who’s got two priority missions. To get you free of a life you hate and to get you to a place that you smile, frequently and easily.”
      
    
    

  

We see how their romance is very forbidden, since it could cost them their lives if they get caught. So yeah there is quite a bit of intensity and suspense in this story and this is where we see their relationship really develop. And this is where I started to fall in love with the story. I loved the way everything plays out in the end and seeing how hard Nick has to work and grovel to get to his HEA!!
 
  
    The Narration 
  
 
I just am loving this narrator so much, her voice is so pleasant to listen to and she really conveys the emotions just right for the story. Definitely looking forward to listening to more of her work soon.
 
  
    The Cover 
  
 
I absolutely love love LOVE this cover, such a beautiful scene here!!
 
  Overall View 
 
Sebring is a hot and intense read that will keep you on the edge of your seat, a story of sacrifice, healing and love!!

  

  
    
      You've made me safe. 
    
    

  
  
    
      You've made me free. 
    
    

  
  
    
      You've made me happy.
    
    

  

 
  
    
  
  Click To Buy On Amazon 
 
[foogallery id="25849"]

Link to Blog: http://laceysloveofliterature.blogspo...

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! It was simply elegant and amazing. I was wondering, and slightly worried, how Nick would avenge Hettie's death whilst falling in love and lying to Olivia. I was gearing myself up to heartbreak before reading it. But alas, Kristen Ashley did not disappoint; the whole plot was handled beautifully.

I really loved Livvie in this book. I could connect to her. She was so brave, but vulnerable. She was amazing. How she put up with her family, whilst they plotted and schemed and abused, I have no clue how she did it. She's so strong. Livvie is one of those kick-ass heroines that I wish was real so we could be friends.

Nick. Nicky. Sigh. I loved this redeemable asshole whole-heartedly. I felt his pain. His confusion regarding his mission and feelings for Olivia. His turmoil. Nick was so confident, he knew what and who he wanted and nothing, not even himself, would get in his way. I really admire Nick. How he was able to compartmentalise and separate Olivia from the Shades, and ultimately his goals of destruction. My heart literally swooned during the video clip of the mountains. (I want my own Nicky. No, correction, I need my own Nicky. Please Kristen Ashley? I'd be forever grateful ;) ).

This book was simply amazing. This whole series is amazing, and I am again sad to see another of Kristen Ashley's series ended. I can't wait to see what else is coming from her in the future.

(P.s. Deacon will always be my fave, not just out of KA's heroes, but he's my ultimate book-boyfriend <3).

Samantha Emery

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★Book Basics★ 


  Genre
: - Cont. Romance 

  Series
: - 5th in the series. 

  Love triangle?
 - (view spoiler)[No (hide spoiler)]

  Cheating?
 - (view spoiler)[No (hide spoiler)]

  HEA? -
 (view spoiler)[Yes (hide spoiler)]

  Would I read more by this author/or in this series? 
- Yes

  Rating 
- 5 stars

★Review★

Have to be honest, I was not massively looking forward to this. After all, Knight was my first and best KA hero, and Nick was mean to my Knight!

Also, I read the teaser chapters, and did not warm to the heroine Olivia.

And upon starting it I still did not warm to her. But then we started getting hints of her past and begin to realise that this was all a front. She was probably one of the most, if not THE most emotionally damaged of KA's heroines. She had shut herself down completely. Existing in a very narrow world, making no connections as she had learnt horribly, and horrifically just what can happen if she tries to break from her world and make a connection. So in a way, she just shut herself off. She is living in the dark.



And Nick, oh Nick, just how was KA going to redeem him. But Nick has grown up. He has realised certain things no longer matter, he has worked hard, he has known loss. But he wants revenge. He has a plan, and moves to start that plan, but not all is as he realises with The House of Shade and he soon begins to realise that Olivia is a prisoner in a gilded cage.



I loved this story, it was gritty and man was it HOT!

Nick and Olivia begin a battle of sorts, both needing and wanting control, not wanting to mean anything to each other, other than a means to an end.



But Nick cannot help himself from drowning in Olivia and Livvie cannot help but begin to hope she can be free. Nick soon begins to realise his plan for vengeance takes a back seat to his Livvie, and helping her be free. And Livvie, I have read some discussions where she is described as weak, but for me that is not the case. She lived a horrific life, having something awful happen to her at the hands of the one person in the world a girl should be able to rely on protecting her, and she survived, she lived, yes she shut down, but when an opportunity presented itself, she was strong enough to dare to hope again, and put herself on the line. Not one person in her life, until Nick, had ever been on her side. So what will happen when she finds out just how and why Nick came into her life?

There were so many times I made notes on my kindle of bits I loved. I adored when we had the interactions between Knight and Nick, seeing how their relationship had grown. 


   "Jesus, you're a bossy motherfucker," Nick muttered."Then again, you always were"
"You don't know the half of it," Knight muttered back but did it grinning.
He probably didn't know the half of it. What he did now was that he didn't want to.........................................................

...."You wanna meet my girl, safer for you to come to us first. But I'm no one-trick pony so it isn't gonna be steak."
"Now he disrespects my steak," Knight muttered.
"Get out. Got work to do"
Knight grinned and turned.
He was almost out the door when Nick called his name.
He had men out there, Bernadette.
He didn't care.
"Just so you know, love you too."
 


While as I said above, this was gritty, on the darker side, hard to take in places, it had some moments that just made me laugh or smile.



   There he was.
He'd made it.
He'd fucking made it. With his own hands, sweat, balls, gut and brains.
He'd made it and he'd earned it and there he was......
Living it.
His perfect word.
 



A perfect end to the series.

Lynn Braden

Of all the books in the Unfinished Hero series, this one was the best. Nick Sebring had to witness the death of his lover, FBI agent Hattie, when their covers were blown. He vows revenge on the Shade crime family when he is rescued. Nick uses Olivia Shade's visits to a local sex club to instigate a meet as a way to get her into his bed and find out more about her family's organization. Olivia has spent her life trying to live with and work for her crime boss father and crooked sister. Her father went so far as to torture her and her lover when she dared to try and leave. Olivia doesn't believe in the possibility of a normal life until she and Nick start to get closer, but what will happen when Olivia finds out that Nick used her as a way to get back at her family for what they did to Hattie?
This was a very good story with many heart tugging scenes. Nick and Olivia have both had their share of heartache caused by the Shade family, giving them common ground from the start of their relationship. This story included all of the Unfinished Heroes from the series and concluded each of their stories in a satisfying way. Overall this book was good way to bring this series to a close.

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

I freaking LOVE Kristen Ashley’s audiobooks! They’re always super long and always worth the credit. Sebring is another winner from KA – the narration is fantastic, the story and characters are addicting, and best of all, KA made me fall in love with a character I always thought I’d hate. If you’re looking for the next audiobook to use your credit on, you definitely need to get Sebring!

Sebring is the final Unfinished Hero novel, featuring Nick Sebring, and though I’ve only read the first two books in the series, I had no problems going into this audiobook as a standalone. I would recommend, though, that you at least read the first book (or listen – the Knight audiobook is AMAZING as well), though it’s not entirely necessary. Nick is Knight’s brother and is first introduced in that book, but again, you don’t need to read Knight before getting into Sebring.

It’s been four years since Nick’s woman was murdered right in front of his eyes, and he’s on a plan of vengeance for his lost love. The Nick we know now is completely different than the one we knew back in Knight – he’s matured, taken responsibility for his actions, and become a MAN. He’s not exactly a good guy, but he’s much better than he was before. But his quest for vengeance is what fuels him now, and his target is Olivia Shade, the daughter of the man who ordered Nick’s woman to be killed. He plans to use her to get his revenge, but what happens when he starts to fall for his mark?

Olivia is an ice queen – she has to hide all her emotions to live the life she has as the daughter of a notorious criminal. She’s not the most likable heroine, but she’s understandable, and as I got to know her, I loved her character more and more. This woman has lived a hard life – her father physically burned her, the man she loved left her and married someone else – but she’s a survivor. And she doesn’t want anyone to get involved in her life at the risk of losing them to her father’s wrath. But the moment she meets Nick Sebring, a fiery-hot chemistry explodes between the two of them, and Olivia starts to believe that she can have a life she’s always imagined having.

I believed.
For one magnificent second, connected to Nick Sebring, I believed.
I believed in a better world.
I believed I could feel complete.
I believed I could have someone by my side.
I believed I could feel safe.
I believed I could be happy.
I believed I could be loved.
I believed in a dawn coming where I would open my eyes and have all of this only for it to lead to another day dawning where I’d have it and then another day…
And another…
And another…
And another…

What begins as a seduction and emotionless sex (which, between Olivia and Nick, is seriously hot) slowly turns into something more and something meaningful. Nick and Olivia open up to one another and start to care… but when Olivia doesn’t know that their growing relationship is built on lies, can they last? Or will these two be forever destined to life a life devoid of love and happiness?

“I live in dark. Dawn never comes for me. There will be no new day where I wake up complete. Happy. Loved. There is no other side to make my way to. There is no believe. It just isn’t for me.”

I loved Sebring. This story gutted me and healed me. I honestly couldn’t stop listening to this audiobook – Stella Bloom’s narration is so on point. Her voice is easy to listen to and she did a wonderful job of distinguishing the dialogues between different characters. The romance itself is captivating and heart-wrenching and beautiful – I fell in love with Olivia and Nick and rooted so hard for them to work. Sebring made me realize just how much I love KA’s books and missed reading them. All in all, Sebring is another brilliant story from KA and the narration made it all the more special. I seriously need to catch up on the series!

“I love you, Olivia. And I can make you safe. I can make you happy. I want a lifetime of nothing but that.”

Audible: http://amzn.to/1RbMy3s
Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1QqYEdh
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/22yHtLA

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