Release Blitz & Book Review: Against All Odds by Tracie Delaney

Against All Odds

by Tracie Delaney
Series: The Brook Brothers #2
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance / Enemies to Lovers
Release Date: October 10th, 2018

Blurb:

She’s trouble—with a capital T.
Not that it matters.
If she wants a war, she’ll get one.

Calum Brook is happy with his lot until Laurella Ricci, a smart, sassy know-it-all bursts into his perfect life and blows it apart.

Sure, he’s territorial. He’s earned the right to be. This pretender might think she has the upper hand, but he will come out the victor.

Laurella has spent the last six years clawing her way up the corporate ladder. Her latest challenge is exactly what she needs to forget her past, and Calum Brook, with his runway-model good looks and hostile attitude isn’t going to chase her away.

She’s survived worse than him… a lot worse. She’ll weather this storm too.

Let the battle commence!

Buy now:
Amazon: https://goo.gl/afd6Xq

 About the author:

Tracie Delaney writes contemporary romance novels that centre around strong characters and real life problem with, of course, a perfect Happy Ever After ending.

When she isn’t writing or sitting around with her head stuck in a book, she can often be found watching The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones or any tennis match, especially those involving Roger Federer. Her greatest fear is running out of coffee.

Tracie lives in the North West of England with her amazingly supportive husband and her two crazy Westie puppies, Cooper and Murphy. Any tips on stopping them chewing the furniture would be gratefully received.

Facebook Author Page / Facebook Reader Group / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter Sign Up / Goodreads / Website / Bookbub / Amazon

My review:

A perfect mix of intriguing characters, lots of heated emotions and strong characteristics. Asshole hero and unyielding heroine make for a sizzling story. A woman who stood strong to the arrogance and big ego of a man with hard edges but a soft core. It was like watching two competitors seizing each other up for flaws just to strike at the right moment. It was explosive!

There were a few ups and downs for me in the first half of the book which was why it took some time for me to warm up to the characters, especially to Laurella, but the second half was full on awesome, hot and captivating.

Laurella and Calum ran hot and cold while constantly butting heads and trying to get one up on the other. Both weren't willing to step down and give in even if it meant to go behind the other's back. Their boss wasn't happy with it as you can imagine as they needed to work as a team to be successful in the growth of the company.

‘”When someone who doesn’t even know me or the company I work for stands up at a board meeting and basically tells us all how wrong we’ve been running things for the past five years, forgive me if I don’t just bend over and take it up the ass.’”

Personally, some quarrelling was fun but I wasn't really into them being angry and mean to each other. I was very smitten though when they finally got along and their feelings turned into something positive. Suffice to say that I absolutely loved the second half of the book when the romance blossomed and their growing feelings were put to the test.

Laurella was a strong woman but had her fair share of ugly in life which is why she looked a lot stronger on the outside as to what she was really feeling inside.

Although one could say that Calum was cold-blooded and wicked, I actually found his character very refreshing. I also didn’t have the feeling of him being a big bad wolf but rather a softie in wolf skin. He had a warm heart and was as loving and caring as one would wish their partner to be. I think that he came across as harsh because he was only trying to protect himself from getting hurt. I'm sure that the loss of their parents was still hurting the Brook brothers even if they would deny it.

Give this story a go especially when you like hot-headed characters that have to work to find to each other, and even then need to learn how to juggle their feelings in the highs and lows of life.

The Story:

Calum was hotheaded and stubborn as hell especially when it came to his territory where he always had the last words to say and people following his orders. So, it was no wonder that he butted head with the spirited Italian woman who blew into his bubble like a hurricane and challenged him at every turn he took for granted until now. Laurella didn’t shy away from the cold stares Calum shot her way because she knew that the company needed her expertise to grow and she loved this new experience after having been so long in the same company.

For the success of Necron they both eventually had to find a way to get along. Did they get their act together in time or did it all blow up in their faces?

‘Something told him that getting rid of Laurella Ricci wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d first imagined. Still, understanding the enemy was the first step. Next step? Get creative.’

Thoughts:

I would have given this book a full star rating if the first half of it wasn’t such an up and down for me.

Was it wrong of me that I took Calum’s side in the beginning instead of hers?! I was rather pissed at Laurella how she treated him and went behind his back. Her cursing him made her very unattractive and I did not understand why she stooped so low. Regardless, I felt bad for what happened to her in the past. I grew to like how those two riled each other up and rooted for them eventually.

What bothered me was a certain scene with Indie. I’m sorry but no matter what Calum said to her gave her the right to react that way. Honestly, I get where he was coming from because of what she did. But that’s the story of book one so if you want to know what happened you have to read that one.

I just wanted to mention that I liked that the anger Calum felt toward Indie because of what happened in the first book was still present and not just swept under the table. I really liked this detail. But don’t worry, you don’t need to have read the first book to enjoy Calum’s story.

Anyway, the chemistry between Calum and Laurella was explosive to say the least. Work enemies that felt threatened by the other but at the same time were attracted to each other physically. Imagine the sexual tension there. For a brief time it felt like they were both playing childish games and I was rather annoyed by that, especially when they went and threw very angry and hurting words at each other. There was a time or two when it was all a bit too harsh for me but after they sorted everything out I fell head over heels in love with the characters. Their dynamic after they called a truce was electrifying because all their suppressed attraction finally broke out and that was when the story finally got juicier. They put all their energy into flirting with each other which was so fun to read about.

‘You’re attractive enough on the outside, I suppose, but so are dragon fruit, yet bit into one of those pretty little things, and they’re the biggest disappointment.’

I still feel spent after reading this book. The second half of it was just so perfect and I loved every bit of it. It could have gone on forever but I am also excited for Cole’s story because I have a soft spot for men in uniform.

-- I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book given by the author. --

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

View review on goodreads