Step Lover by Bella Jewel

There appears to be a plethora of books at the minute with this scenario playing out, and I have to say that if it hadn’t been for the fact that Bella Jewel had written this I would have probably steered well clear.

What I can say now that I have finished the book is that I really enjoyed the story.

Aria and Blade’s story is one that, to many on the outside looking in, may well be seen as being well and truly set in the realm of socially unacceptable.

But that is not to say that what they feel can be diminished or should be considered less significant, quite the opposite, because when you take on society you have to be 100% certain that you are fighting for a cause that has your heart in its hands.

Aria has been through a tragedy that was more than many would have been able to emotionally recover from but after years she is finally moving on with her life but meeting a stranger who steals her breath on a rare night out with her friend Mel, she is promised one weekend by her handsome stranger and she aims to collect on what he has offered.

Little does she know that, that one weekend will set her world spinning because as fabulous as their weekend dalliance is and as explosive as they are together she is left alone and knowing nothing more about him than the fact that her life before him seems to pale into insignificance, without even a name to go on, she resigns herself to the knowledge that he has just given her heart away.

What neither of them knew when he left the room was that, that wouldn’t be the last time they crossed paths- but next time the meeting would be more permanent. Their destinies were on a collision course that no-one could have ever predicted and which will leave them with a battle to not only face but overcome the connection that they have.

Blade set my teeth on edge for much of the book, I found his manner and reasoning difficult to get a hold on – I mean I understood that he was up for nothing more than a little weekend fling but there was no need for him to be such an ass about it. He didn’t have to just up and leave, over nothing more than the fact that he had an inkling that Aria liked him.

I fully understood that he was not the most romantically intuitive of men, preferring to keep his relationships if you could call them that casual but I found myself balking at his arrogance on more than one occasion. Really a good slap would have helped him remember is manners!!

Meeting not just Blade but his brothers, Aria has a family she has never had before and finally her mother is happy. With ten years of pain behind them they both deserve this chance at having a family life and neither Aria nor Blade is willing to be the one to throw that away.

The time they spend together is difficult, they have no choice but to fight the attraction they share and isn’t it always the case that you covet what you can’t have.

Aria does everything she can to steer clear of Blade, while he does little more than bury his head in the proverbial sand. It is painful for them both to live this lie but what option do they have – do they destroy their family in a bid to have their own happiness?

The story came to life in the second half of the book in my opinion – it was full of intensity and drama, it was painful to read at times but when the time dictated it was super sensual. The sex scenes were written with absolute mastery.

In as much as the direction of the book is predetermined from the outset – I mean we all knew where it was going after all – the title gave it away - I have to say that the book is fabulously written, and the secondary characters add more than a little spice and dynamic to the story.

I loved Aria’s best friend Mel – she was fabulous and the other brothers piqued my interest enough to have me hanging out for the next instalment.