Undone by Her Tender Touch by Maya Banks

Let me just start out by saying that I have been a fan of the Pregnancy & Passion series ever since I've read Enticed by His Forgotten Lover. The last installment however? Not so much. I was really looking forward to Cam and Pippa's story... only to be sadly disappointed. Cam had always intrigued me ever since the beginning. He was such a pessimestic guy! What happened to him?! I had expected to be "dazzled" by him and be able to empathize with his character. Sadly, I did not. As for Pippa... Wow. I wanted to strangle her at times! The author writes her off as this independent, strong, and fierce woman but all I can see is someone who is way too dependent on her friends, rash, and has a temper problem. I could not connect with her character at all. I tried to like Pippa, don't get me wrong, but I stimply could not. Cam was just too wishy-washy and Pippa demanded so much from him when he told her from the very beginning that he did not do relationships. She wants a relationship while Cam wants no strings attached. What will become of them now?

Out of all the problems that I had expected Cam to have, it was definitely not this one. We all knew that from the very beginning, Cam was the one who often frowned upon his friend's relationships with their women. Apparently the reason why is because he had lost his wife and son to some unknown reason all those years ago. I'm not even sure if he ends up telling Pippa what exactly happened. Maybe. But I'm still confused.

Well anyway, Cam has been interested in Ashley's friend, Pippa, for quite some time. Ever since he met her at one of Devon and Ashley's housewarming parties, it's been attraction at first sight. Pippa has also been noticing Cam as well and these two hit off with sparks flying between them. They end up having a one night stand... and things take a turn. Ah, the usual type of scenario right? While reading this book, I ended up being so frustrated with these two that I'm not sure I wanted to continue. Halfway through the book, I still feel no sympathy whatsoever for Cam and Pippa. Pippa annoys me to no end because even though she comes off as this fearless woman who's not afraid of a fight, she's so weak when it comes to Cam. Oh, and don't get my started with Cam. After finding out that Pippa was going to have a son, he starts acting all jerk-like and cold towards her. As for the reason why, it's because he feels that by having a son with Pippa, it would be like replacing the memory of the son that he had lost with his first wife. Talk about a guy who needs to move on!

Overall, Undone by Her Tender Touch did not exactly leave me satisfied. But I'm truly happy that each and every one of the guys had their happy ever after.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for granting me access to read this book!

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss by Maya Banks

Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss is most definitely my favorite out of the Pregnancy & Passion series thus far. Reading anything with unrequited love in it has always been one of my weaknesses. I truly sympathize with Ashley in here because while Devon went into his marriage knowing it was a business arrangement with no rules saying that he should love her, Ashley whole-heartedly loved him and wanted to marry him because he was the man that she chosed. This third installment by Maya Banks was heartbreaking and very emotional like the last two but I actually felt a connection in this one. I hated how Ash had to find out about the truth during her honeymoon, after she got married for heaven's sake! That was really cruel.

Ever since the beginning, we've known first hand that Devon married not for love. He married Ashley due to a business arrangement in order for his company to merge in with her father's. Only... the end result was definitely not what he expected. I honestly believe that Devon started to fall in love with Ashley little by little without even realizing it. When she found out that their marriage was a farce, he repeatedly told her that he never wanted to hurt her. But is lying to someone truly a way to start a relationship? No, absolutely not. When Ashley starts changing her personality to become "the perfect wife" in regards to Devon's ideal, things take a turn for the worst.

In the end, to win back a woman's love and trust, there can only be one solution: you either grovel and beg for her forgiveness, you show her you love her and that you can't live without her, OR you can do both! Which is why, Devon Carter wins the title for Best Grovelling so far... and you shall see! Overall, I definitely recommend this series for anyone who loves Maya Banks, drama, romance, and some good old fashion grovelling! Last but not least:

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for giving me permission to read this ARC!

Rating: ★★★★★

Enticed by His Forgotten Lover by Maya Banks

To be honest, I was wary of starting this series. It sounded really cheesy, Maya Bank's highlander series was a prime example of that, and I wasn't exactly fond of the pregnancy idea. I decided to try it out and ended up really like it. It was very sweet and the relationship between Rafael and Bryony was well-done. At first, it was really hard to believe that Rafe could forget everything about the woman that he supposedly love. He doesn't remember anything about their love for one another, so what does that say about a person? I had my doubts about him and Bryony. She could be lying as well. In the end, one of them was certainly lying... but as readers, we don't know who. The only thing to do was to keep on reading!

I actually thing that through all their ups and downs in the relationship, Rafe and Bryony were worthy of one another. You could tell that she honestly loved him a lot. I don't exactly think that he appreciated it, thanks to the reveal at the end of the book. Betrayal and forgiveness was probably the two big themes in the first book of the Pregnancy & Passion series. We ended up finding out that Rafe had indeed been the one lying to Bryony and claimed he loved her when he did not. Anyway, Rafe did some groveling in the end because while he didn't experience the 'passion' the first time around, he certainly did the second time! Overall, this was a good book to the start of a series. I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of Rafe's friends future happiness in the next upcoming books!

Rating: ★★★★☆