Until You're Mine

The tough guy is about to get schooled. Shane is a fighter. He has battled his way to the top once and plans on making it back again. Whatever it takes, is his daily mantra. Until triple S walks through the door. Smart, sexy and sassy, Brooklyn knows the game, but breaks all his rules and complicates his life. The chase is on and the prize will be his most precious acquisition to date. Until You're Mine mixes street smarts and soft hearts with fierce battles and witty dialogue. No matter the canvas, Ms. Madsen let's her humor shine through in the strength of her characters and her dedication to winning readers hearts.

Until You're Mine is a lesson in self control. The chemistry between these two is off the charts hot! But past hurts have a way of rearing their ugly heads! Oh and that whole "I have a boyfriend" thing too. She maybe a painter but she has a whole lot of fight in her. He maybe a fighter but he thinks of her as the fight of his life. These two long for more in life and fear for the unknown. Doubts, fears, and dreams hold them hostage. Its hard to cling to something you don't even have... Until You're Mine had my inner hopeless romantic cheering, pouting, and ready to throw down!Don't let the middle aged, overweight mom vibe fool you- I will toss the gloves and come at you with crazy eyes for my HEA. I'm not the only one able to, but are they willing? Until You're Mine was filled with hot MMA fighters to make your curiosity roam but only one will make you beg...until Liam's story of course.

I received a free copy through the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion. 4.5 stars — OK, that one ended with a freaking bang man. I was actually a little wary at the beginning, b/c while I was enjoying myself, I worried it might not be a complete winner for me personally purely based on the focus on Shane’s muscles…which, you’re going to say, are you nuts Lenore? Well yes, I suppose I am. You see, I belong to this strange small subsection of humans (I was going to say women, but I’m sure gay men might feel similarly) who isn’t that attracted to large muscles. Tone? OH YES. Muscles? Ummm… *shrugs* Don’t throw stones. When it comes to the physical appearance aspects of a hero, my draws tend to be in eyes and smiles and cute butts. And quite honestly, personality and attitude always trumps all of that. So when Brooklyn obsessed over his muscles and his arms and his shredded abs, well…I might have felt my attention wandering. *gasp* right? What can I say, I’m a unicorn. So all that to say that I was worried that this would be a romance based mostly on the physical, which are cool, but don’t tend to be rockstar winners with me, you know? BUT THEN…OMG THEN… Then Ms. Madsen came out with the double whammy character clincher!! A hilarious kickass heroine, that I have basically zero in common with, but that made me laugh and feel for and root for; and a swoony hero, who despite his alpha tendancies, had a seriously kind heart and vulnerable chewy center, and did I mention he was also hilarious and a smartass? Yup, I was done for. Honestly, the two together had so many witty rejoinders, I was in “want to highlight it, but seriously Lenore why are you highlighting that?” heaven. I did rein myself in…a bit. And I was so freaking worried about the boyfriend!! Cheating is a button issue for me, so I dance around it like I’m walking on coals, people. But Ms. Madsen balanced it nicely so that I didn’t end up hating Brooklyn, or Trey, or Shane. She amped up the sexual tension to the max, but didn’t cross that line. And all without making anyone a bad guy, not easy to do… Well, except Conrad, but he was supposed to be. And the great thing about the way the plot was set up is that we got to see Brooklyn and Shane connect on a deeper level b/c they couldn’t initially give into their chemistry…which just made that moment when they finally good that much steamier. And damn, this one had good heart too. I totally got weepy a few times at the end. I loved the way it played out, even if I was worried for a bit. I thought the elements of MMA (which I don’t follow, though have watched a bit with my bro) and training really added to the story… I really loved how Shane saw Brooklyn as strong, and not just for a girl. And I loved the elements of her paintings that were added in, and I really kind of wish they were real, b/c I can picture them in my mind. I also really loved the way Brooklyn’s relationship with her Dad worked out. I don’t like easy magic turnarounds, and this was believable for me… And DUDE, Finn and Liam are da bomb!! I can’t wait for their books. I’m so curious about Liam and Chelsea, and I’m already halfway in love with Finn, so I want him to have a good love story too… Now for the painful waiting exercise…something I’m definitely not good at. So yeah, despite the rocky start with all those muscles, this one ended up being a total hit for me.