Sunday, June 15, 2014

Lisa's Book of the Week: Taming the Playboy by MJ Carnal


Taming the Playboy
M.J. Carnal

'Taming The Playboy' is not your typical bad boy, confirmed bachelor, who meets his match story.  Oh no this book takes on an emotional rollercoaster that is rarely seen.  This is the second in the Moretti Series about a group of male friends who swear that they remain single and enjoy the beneftis of being single.  While the first book in the series was and set the scene perfectly for what was to follow, it didn't blow my socks off like 'Taming The Playboy' did.  That being said it is well worth a read to see the very shy Sophie grow in confidence under the attention and love of Mark.  You did need to read 'Taming the Bachelor' to understand what is to follow. 

This is Ryan's story and his journey as he falls and falls hard for Layla (Sophie's sister).  We follow him through the stages of denial, jealousy and uncertainty until he finally admits how he feels.  Now one thing is clear is the women who fall in love with the Moretti clan have trust issues, which are not helped by the boys' pasts.  These trust issues have almost tragic consequences for one of the characters. 

Ryan has battled and won against a form of cancer twice in his life and his life was saved by a donor.  Let's just say that she feels more for Ryan than he does for her and she stoops to some unbelievably low stuff to drive a wedge between Ryan and Layla.  Her attempts are sickening.  Personal tragedy strikes again for Ryan and leaves Ryan and Layla with some difficult decisions to make and the chance that their life together may be cut unbelievably short.   

What makes this book so awesome is the family like feel between the characters, even though they are not blood relations.  They will be there for each other through thick and thin, the good times and the bad.  And once you are in the family, you are brought under their wing.  You feel for the characters as they run through a raft of emotions and you have a vested interest in their happiness.   
Several times in this book I cried and I cried ugly tears as circumstances impacted on their lives; as they battled to come to terms with the crap life had thrown at them. I have found most books concentrate on the tragic lives and the issues of the female lead, but this one is different.  Yes, the female lead has issues but they are not the focal point of the story.  It the male lead's story that is the focal point and this gives us a new perspective on those bad boy, alpha male, who seem to go through life without much of a care in the world.  There are exceptions to this and this is certainly one of them.  This book hit me and hit me hard because the battle was so personal and not caused by outside influences.  There was no stopping it.  Ugly tears running down my face again as I write this. 

This was incredibly poignant and moving story.  It is one of those rare books that affects both your head and your heart long after you have finished it.  The whole series so far is brilliant but this one stood for out for me, heads and shoulders above the rest. 

Taming The Playboy (Moretti Novels, #2)

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Moretti Series

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