DOUBLE REVIEW: Quinn I and Quinn II by J.C. Cliff

Kindle: bit.ly/QuinnIIKindle
iBooks: bit.ly/QuinnIIiBooks
Google: bit.ly/QuinnIIGoogle
Kobo: bit.ly/QuinnIIKobo

Blurb

QUINN IS BACK and pushing the limits on it all — suspense, sex, love, gut-wrenching emotions — with a fiery intense conclusion to his and Lexi’s story. The more Alexis runs, the harder Quinn fights for her.

It’s an undeniable truth; bad things happen to good people, and Lexi is not impervious to the realities of the life she left behind.

Keeping Lexi safe at all cost, Quinn remains unwavering in his duties, constantly putting his life on the line, time and time again.

Two tortured souls are pushed to the edges of their sanity and their love will be put to the test. Tempers flare, emotions burst, and love flickers, but after the ultimate explosion, can forgiveness be found amongst the rubble?

Alexis needs Quinn more than ever…and Quinn must decide if Lexi is truly his fate or if their romance was never meant to survive beyond his mission. One thing is for certain: neither Quinn nor Alexis will be the same after surfacing from the mountain trails. Now that they’ve survived the wild, can they survive each other?

Review

I jumped right into part II of Quinn and Lexi’s story because I was desperate to know what happened after that cliffhanger in part I. Quinn II was way more emotional and frustrating than Quinn I, and part of it is because it’s no longer just Quinn, Lexi, and Kimber…now they have to contend with those who want to split them apart and manipulate the situation for their own benefit, which they do in many devastating ways…ways that have severe repercussions for both Quinn and Lexi.

I have to say that Quinn pissed me off for most of the book, and while I understand his reaction to what happens and consequently his words and actions after, it didn’t stop me from wanting to punch him in the balls! With everything that Lexi and Quinn had already gone through, it just didn’t make sense to me why he took things on blind faith, regardless of how believable it seemed. It took me until the very end of the book to work through my disdain for him, which I still held onto a little, but his tenacity to make amends is commendable, even though it shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

Lexi is quite the woman in this series. She may have been sheltered and insecure but to make it through the things she did and still be so forgiving proves how strong of a person she is. I don’t know if I would have been able to get past all of the betrayals and nastiness like she did. JC Cliff does a good job of illustrating Lexi’s struggles through the latter half of the book; it was devastating to witness her battle and what made it worse was Quinn’s behavior. Quinn allowed his anger to consume his decisions, costing him a lot along the way, and those choices really appalled me, which made it difficult to cheer for him at the end.

A complimentary copy was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Poison Apples
Kindle: bit.ly/KindleQuinn
iBooks: bit.ly/AppleQuinn
Nook: bit.ly/QuinnNook
Google: bit.ly/QuinnGoogle
Kobo: bit.ly/KoboQuinn

Blurb

Fearless and determined, Quinn is the perfect man for the job the Moretti mob has in mind: track down missing mafia princess, Alexis Moretti, and bring her home.

What starts out as a simple task to repay an old debt turns into so much more than he bargained for… And so does she.

As Quinn and Lexi grow close, she becomes more than just his mission. But Lexi and Quinn are both keeping secrets–secrets that could destroy their blossoming romance just as quickly as it ignited. When Lexi’s past catches up with them, secrets and lies will be revealed, and the ultimate test of forgiveness will be upon them both.

Review

Quinn is a pretty intense read for its length, which only adds to the intrigue and suspense that JC Cliff creates, not only due to the lack of insight into what Lexi is running from but also from the misinformation that Quinn has going into this mission for Alexis’ father. What adds to the buildup of the storyline is the setting of almost all of the action. Alexis escaped into the forest of the mountains, and while there are trials to follow, she doesn’t have the first clue about hiking or roughing it and the dangers of her path don’t bode well for her surviving on her own out there for an extended amount of time.

Quinn definitely knows his way around the great outdoors, and he’s more than prepared for it, but what he’s not prepared for is the intensity of his attraction to Alexis or how he’s supposed to deny his feelings for her and not claim her as his own. Cliff does a good job of showing how palpable the sexual tension is between Quinn and Alexis and the risks of giving into those desires. Because readers are privy to both of their perspectives, it’s easy to understand that they will ultimately give into their feelings for one another, but although Lexi finally tells Quinn her secrets, the ones he’s holding might be too much for them to work through, especially when Quinn’s demanded honesty from her, and he hasn’t given it in return.

With the cliffhanger ending, it will be interesting to see how everything plays out. It’s clear that Alexis’ enemies are closing in, but it’s unclear if she’ll trust Quinn enough to protect her from who and what she’s running from.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

4 Poison Apples