See Me (Phoenix, #4) by Stacey Kennedy Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews for the first three books in the series on my blog now: Watch Me, Keep Me, and Save Me. A list of content warnings can be found in the beginning of the book.

Lottie is much more than meets the eye, and with a secret past and life tucked away from her friends, she is not one to open up -- to Hunt, or to the cops. Which poses a problem, since Hunt is a cop and he notices right away that is haunting her. Hunt can tell that there is something beneath the surface, waiting to come out and show who Lottie truly is, but there may be more consequences than either could have imagined.

See Me is definitely more of a suspense book compared to the others in the series -- Lottie is hiding from dangerous people, and after years of silence she begins to hear from them again, With Hunt wanting nothing more than to protect her and make sure that she is safe, we learn more about Lottie and her past.

Right off the bat, Lottie and Hunt have this tension that quite literally fills the room whenever they are together or even near each other. They have their flirtatious little back-and-forths, which just scream will-they-or-won't-they. Hunt is on a mission to go further with Lottie than they have ever gone before, and Lottie wants the same, but with her complicated past and secrets, she does not want to even chance the idea that he might get hurt because of her.

Seeing all of the girls from the previous books was great -- I love how they always show up and are there for each other, especially because Lottie was somewhat of a minor character in the beginning of the series, whereas Elise and Hazel were already Zoey's friends from the start. Lottie having a great support system, especially with what she has gone through, really allowed her to create her own family when she had no one except Nessa.

I was upset with Archer and the way that he was originally treating Lottie after he found out her secrets -- when Zoey was able to get past Phoenix's vetting process, Rhys was impressed and told people not to worry about it. But when Lottie was able to do the exact same thing, Archer showed a lot more anger and held onto it longer than expected, especially considering that everyone had known Lottie for years and when they only knew Zoey after she showed up at Phoenix.

The smut throughout the book was great -- the final scene between Lottie and Hunt was *chef's kiss* and really showed how much they had grown together as individuals and as a couple. We only had a few scenes in Phoenix, but definitely were treated to our fair share of scenes outside of the club. I do wish the book was just a little longer, but I really did enjoy reading their story.

I loved the change of pace that See Me brought to the series -- as a fan of all of the books, it was really great to read something that had more suspense to it. There definitely was not as much drama or conflict compared to what you would find in a mafia romance, but this had the perfect amount of suspense, smut, and character development. I am so excited for the next installment in the series -- focusing on Nessa and Ronan -- to be released later this year!

You can add See Me and the rest of the Phoenix series on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

Save Me (Phoenix, #3) by Stacey Kennedy Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of Watch Me and Keep Me on my blog!

I have to say I was pretty excited to get to Hazel and Kieran's book, especially after the epilogue for Keep Me -- a firefighter who goes to a sex club and a journalist with a traumatic past surrounding a high school relationship -- considered me intrigued. I do not think I have ever read a book where the main male character was a firefighter, so I was definitely happy to add that to my list.

Kieran is already so protective of Hazel right off the bat, which comes to us as no surprise, considering how Rhys and Archer were so protective of Zoey and Elise when they first started getting together. With Hazel in Kieran's life, he is in for a new perspective and she is in for a total reevaluation of what being intimate really means.

I would say that Save Me has more toned down smut compared to the prior two books, but all of the scenes at Phoenix and other places definitely allow the story to move forward and let Kieran and Hazel to understand what they want in life and in a relationship. The scenes they share reflect how they are as people, and while they are steamy, you can tell that they have their own personal touch to it. Their living arrangement definitely proves that they have more on their minds than having Hazel find a new place, and their dynamic reminded me a lot of what is seen in The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata.

Save Me has a sweet undertone to it compared to the other relationships that we have seen in the series -- Hazel is much more innocent than Zoey and Elise, and when you learn more about her past, you understand why. I really enjoyed the depth that Kennedy went into when exploring Kieran and Hazel's pasts and their individual relationships with their parents. It definitely added a lot of character behind them, and as a reader you can really understand their way of thinking.

The friendship between Hazel, Elise, and Zoey is still just as strong as it was in the first two books, and we get to see how protective they are over Hazel as the very hint of someone hurting her. The same goes with Kieran, Rhys, Archer, and Hunt -- they all parallel the relationship the girls have with each other, and they are not afraid to put each other in their place.

If you are looking for a short and sweet story thats starts fast and then slows down as the main characters discover more about each other, this is the book for you. It was a great follow up to Keep Me, and once again the epilogue has me excited to read the next book.

You can add Watch Me, Keep Me, Save Me, and the rest of the series on Goodreads now. You can also follow the author to stay up to date on publications and releases.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

Keep Me (Phoenix, #2) by Stacey Kennedy Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Watch Me on my blog, here.

We pick right up from where we left off in Watch Me, now following Archer and Elise as they continue to instigate one another like their lives depend on it -- I can hear the wedding bells already. Almost immediately, Elise and Archer are basically going at it without actually going it at it, as Elise works on a job for Archer investigating a new member at the club after some suspicious activity went done a few days prior.

The smut definitely hits different in this book compared to Watch Me, and I can't tell if it's because we did get that mild build up of tension between Elise and Archer in the first book, or if just my love for the teasing-each-other-because-they-like-each-other trope. The way they are both so similar to one another yet constantly butt heads makes me love the pair even more, and their banter is just so entertaining to read.

Kennedy did a good job balancing plot and smut, as well as spending a decent amount of time developing the backgrounds of Elise and Archer. We get details of both of their past traumas that heavily influence why they do the jobs that they do, and get to see how they open up to one another about how they are still affected by their pasts.

Zoey, Hazel, and Elise's friendship really stood out throughout the book, and readers are able to witness how interconnected their lives are, especially with their involvement with the boys and their lives as well. It was great to read about the friend group that had a solid foundation, but that also did not have them so dependent on one another that they could not function without each other.

Another whirlwind romance to follow Zoey and Rhys -- but on the bright side, they knew each other for longer than Zoey and Rhys knew each other before they got engaged. I definitely think Elise and Archer, while still having a fast romance, did have that foundation between them that allowed their story to still be as raw as Zoey and Rhys, but have that extra cushioning that let you go into the book with justified expectations.

We are able to see both characters grow into themselves before they give in to one another, and the plot was just as fun to read as were Elise and Archer's more intimate scenes together. I was certainly in the mood to read something a little more spicy, but wanted to have at least the backbone of a plot, and I was not disappointed. Kennedy sets up the next book at the very end of the epilogue, much like Watch Me, and I plan on seeing this series through until the end.

Another quick read in the Phoenix series that leaves the reader wanting me but satisfied at the same time. I love a good interconnected standalone series that keeps the other characters involved but not so much that you feel like you're reading part two of another couple's story.

You can add Watch Me, Keep Me, and the rest of the series on Goodreads now. You can also follow the author to stay up to date on publications and releases.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!