Saturday, February 15, 2014

Book Spotlight: Forever Yours (The Moreno Brothers #1.5) by Elizabeth Reyes


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Forever Yours
The Moreno Brothers #1.5
By:  Elizabeth Reyes
Published:  Jan. 22, 2014
Source:  Author
Mature Content:  18 & Up

GR's Summary:

Angel Moreno and Sarah Fiero fell in love in Forever Mine, but for a couple of high school sweethearts, forever is a really long time... 

Catch up with them and the whole gang in college as past insecurities resurface. As if dealing with her best friend Sydney wasn't enough, Angel now has two more men to deal with in Sarah's life. There's no shortage of edge-of-your-seat, angsty drama, tears, and laughter as Angel and Sarah's love is put to the ultimate test in this addition to the Moreno Brother series.




 The Moreno Brothers Series:


Lindy's Thoughts:

I have felt like I am part of the Moreno family ever since I read the first installment in the series, Forever Mine, Angel and Sarah's story.  I have been there every step of the way as Angel, Alex, Sophie, Eric, Romero, and Sal have fallen in love, gotten married, and had children of their own.  I have laughed,  cried tears of sorrow, when they encountered the heartache's and challenges that we all have to deal with in real life, and cheered them on when they found happiness.  Through it all, the Moreno's have become real to me.  They exist as much as my family and friends.  Ms. Reyes write's in such a way where when you read about these characters, you can see you own mother, father, sister, brother, and best friend's in these characters.  Every time I read another installment in this series, my heart just swells with joy for each and every one of these characters, and I feel like I'm being reunited with a great friend that I haven't seen in ten years, but once we are reunited, it feels like no time has passed whatsoever.

It was a huge surprise for me, when I found out that Ms. Reyes had decided to continue Angel and Sarah's story.  In Forever Mine, we got Sarah and Angel's story from when they were in high school.  In Forever Yours, we get a continuation of their story as college students.  In real life, when we meet someone, and fall in love, the real work in the relationship is just beginning.  Yet, many times novels read like fairytales, with the whole "and they lived happily ever after," ending.  We all know at the beginning of the relationship, when we are infatuated with that person, everything is really easy.  However, when you have been together for a while, reality sets in, and you have to work hard to make your relationship succeed.  I loved the concepts that Ms. Reyes addressed in Forever Mine.  She gave Angel and Sarah real challenges, and every time one of these challenges would appear, it read realistically, without everything immediately being wrapped up neat and tidy in a big red bow.

In this installment, Angel and Sarah are both really busy.  They both work at the Moreno's restaurant, go to college in San Diego full time, and try to spend as much time as possible together.  They are both still as in love with one another as they were in high school, and the loyalty and dedication that they have towards one another is admirable.  Alex, is still going back and forth with Valerie, and Romero hasn't settled down. Angel and Syd are still best friends, and even though Angel tolerates Syd, the friendship that his girlfriend shares, still bothers him.  He is pretty sure that Syd is in love with Sarah.  Then, Sarah is completely shocked to discover that her biological father, Omar, would like to get to know her.  She also learns that she has a half brother, Leonardo, that would like to get to know her better.  Sarah has always been a little envious of Angel's large family, and she is excited to get to know Omar and Leonardo.  However, Angel doesn't trust either of them, and is worried that they will break her heart. 

In Forever Yours, the characters were fully developed and the plot was exciting. I thought that for the most part, Angel and Sarah were very mature.  They communicated well with one another, and even though they dealt with jealousy in the story, they knew that they could trust one another, and remained loyal.  Sara was very sweet, patient, loving, and optimistic.  I liked that she was such a sweetheart.  At times, she came across as a bit naive, and very vulnerable.  However, that was a lack of life experience, and if anything, I thought her character was very refreshing.  Angel was a bit cynical, and I thought he overreacted with jealousy, and his alpha male tendencies came out quite a few times in the story.  However, it was obvious that he was madly in love with Sarah, and didn't want her to get hurt.  He treated her tenderly, listened to her, and really cherished her, (not to mention that the man could cook, and loved to make her breakfast in bed.  I loved how Sarah and Angel balanced each other out, and they were so good to one another.  The ending of the story was absolutely beautiful!  I felt myself tearing up, because I was so touched.  It really was the perfect ending to a such a great story!

My Rating:

Forever Yours was filled with a great romance between Sara and Angel, as well as many beautiful, sweet, loving, tender, and emotional moments that took my breath away.  There were a few really sensual, explicit, and swoon-worthy love making scenes as well.  This story was definitely New Adult, whereas, Forever Mine was more of a Young Adult read.  As a longtime fan of The Moreno Brothers Series, and all things Elizabeth Reyes, you will not be disappointed!  We get plenty scenes with Alex, Val, Romero, Sal, Sophie, Eric, and Syd.  This installment has gotten me even more excited for Syd's story.  I grew to love and understand Syd even more in this installment.  He is so loyal, loving, sweet, considerate, and amazing!  I really want him to get his happily ever after.  I give Forever Yours, by Elizabeth Reyes, 4.5 Sweet, touching, Alpha Angel, Sexy and Swoon-Worthy Stars!







My Favorite Quote:

"Forever and always?" she asked, smiling against his lips, her hands still cupping his face.  

"I'm yours," he responded as she knew he would then added, "You're mine."  

"Forever and always," she assured him, kissing him even deeper."  

~Sarah & Angel





Ro's Take on this Journey:

Forever Yours, by Elizabeth Reyes, is the continuing story of Forever Mine, in the Moreno Brother's Series. In Forever Mine, the reader gets the beginning of the romance between Angel and Sarah, as they fall in love, and go through the high school years.  In Forever Yours, the reader gets the dual perspectives of both characters as they are going through the college years and working very hard at the Moreno's restaurant.  I love knowing what is going on through both characters heads at the same time, and who better to do that than the incomparable, Elizabeth Reyes!  She has the readers on pins and needles throughout the book, holding their breath, angry as hell, and filling the story full of romance, intrigue, mystery, heartbreak, and earth shattering drama, as only she can painstakingly weave.  These two characters are madly in love and it shows in everything they do.  Mind you that Angel is a hot blooded Moreno, and can't help but let out his, "Alpha Sparks," whenever his feathers get ruffled, and we see his crazed, lunatic, insecure male ego, Moreno style!!! (and believe me when I say, it happens a lot!)  Every extra moment they have, they are together, as always, their love and loyalty is apparent.

In this segment, there is a surprise in town and Angel is not very happy about it!  The green eyed monster glares it's ugly head more than Angel would like to admit.  Sarah and Angel have struggles that await them, and they are truly tested during this phase of their relationship, in more ways than one.  Sarah has a few surprises in store for her and a chance, she thinks, to develop what the Moreno Family has and she has always had and she has secretly envied, a family filled with unity and loyalty.  Unfortunately, Sarah is in for the roller coaster ride of her life and Angel is along for the ride.  Being the over-protective boyfriend that he has always been, Angel only wants her to be happy. While his concerns are valid, at times, he can get over the top, while trying be the keeper of Sarah's heart.  Sydney makes an appearance in Forever Yours, and quite an impression.  I think we might me lucky enough to see him again in the future.  He really is a good guy, always waiting in the wings for Sarah, with best intentions for her happiness.

A major upheaval develops, when Sarah is faced with deceit, where she is vulnerable and a bit gullible at times.  She is a wonderful character, filled with kindness and she is very unscathed with her thought process. On the other hand, Angel makes up for the qualities his innocent girlfriend does not possess.  He is the one always waiting for the other shoe to fall, always suspicious, always ready for the fight of his life.  In Forever Yours, Angel and Sarah have to find a way to pull their resources together and not let the bad fight win out and destroy their relationship in order to make it through this enduring avalanche of emotional turmoil.  It is wonderful, that again, the reader is brought full circle with the whole gang once again from the Moreno Brother's Series, along with a sneak peak at 5th Street Series, and Romero's classic thrust segment, that has all us girls at A Bookish Escape grinning from ear to ear, and lusting for more...

The character growth is great in this book, and romance is never in short supply, when it comes to the, "Queen of Romance" telling her wonderful stories.  There is always plenty to go around...  Sarah is the Yin to Angel's Yang.  They are truly soul mates and their love will endure.  Though Angel is hot headed, egotistical at times, ill tempered, pessimistic Alpha Male; he is also, nurturing, lovable, loyal, and know's hot to cook in more ways than one, and always keeps those home fires burning.  Get your hankie's ready, once again girls, because this is not a ride for the meek.  You will be torn from limb to limb when you are done reading this story and it's dynamic epilogue.  Give us some more Eli, we are holding our breath, waiting...

I give, Forever Yours, by Elizabeth Reyes, 5 Tear Jerking, Pelvic Thrusting, Earth Shattering, Love Making Stars!!!








Mikki's Review:

Oh, yeah!!! The Morenos are baaaaack!!!!!

This is the series that made me discover Elizabeth Reyes. It only took one click on my Amazon newsletter to discover this wonderful series that has become one of my top favorites. It all started with Forever Mine, which is book one of The Moreno Series. I have been devouring Elizabeth's books ever since that day. Everybody around me knows that when I'm in ''Reyes'' mode I can't be interrupted ... lol!!! The Morenos are more than just characters to me. I feel like I go back home to visit my family every time a new book comes out. I love visiting La Jolla and I really hope that I'll go back to visit many times in the near future!

In Forever Yours we follow Angel and Sarah. It's essential to read Forever Mine before you read Forever Yours. The first book is about how they met in High School and fell in love. Forever Yours is set about three years after Forever Mine and we catch up with them in college. In Forever Yours Angel and Sarah's relationship is put to the test. Old insecurities come back to haunt Angel. He  always suspected that Sydney, Sarah's best friend, was in love with her. When he shows up again in her life he sees fire. He can't stand that his girl is so close to another guy. Sarah knows that Angel is doing his best to accept her friendship with Sydney. While she is trying to balance everything in her life she gets some unexpected news that leaves her speechless. Her dad wants to meet her and she finds out that she has a half brother by the name of Leonardo. When these two mens come into her life, her world is turned upside down. Sarah is literally caught in a tornado of emotions. Angel and Sarah will have to overcome many obstacles to find their Forever and Always. Lies, betrayals, drama, deceptions, love, romance, Forever Yours is a roller coaster of emotions you don't want to miss!

Ok. I need to be honest ... When I found out that Elizabeth Reyes was releasing a second book about Angel and Sarah, my first reaction was ... Yay!!!!!! My second reaction .... Oh God! They have been through so much in Forever Mine ... How much more can they handle?!?!?! Well, let me tell you something ... They can handle A LOT!!!! I had mixed emotions about this book, but I am happy to say that this was a great idea. I never realized how much more there was to find out about these two lovebirds. I am so happy Elizabeth Reyes made the decision to write the continuation of their beautiful love story. This book made me laugh, scream and cry!! It never fails .... Elizabeth Reyes knows how to captivate her readers from beginning to end! It was amazing to reunite with Angel, Sarah, Alex, Valerie, Romero, Sofie, Eric, Sal and Sydney. I love that these characters (who are like my family) keep me glued to the edge of my seat every single time!

If there is one thing that Angel and Sarah learned from their college years it's the meaning of the word Trust.  They had to deal with a lot of situations that are not easy. At the end of the day their love and trust in each other won over all the insecurities that they had. I won't deny that Angel drove me nuts with his jealousy issues and his hot temper. I was screaming: ''Chill out man! Your girl loves YOU!'' But, hey! He's a Moreno and these boys are alpha males to the core!!! Sarah and Angel are just perfect for each other!  Where do I start with Sydney??? He absolutely stole my heart!!! He's such an amazing man!!! He needs his HEA ASAP! I really hope there is a book in the near future for him ;) My biggest surprise of all was the connection I had with Leonardo. I kept on changing my opinion of him. One minute I loved him and the next I wanted to send him a virtual slap!! I think I might be crazy because I want to see more of him. I hope he gets his own book too! I'm getting the same vibes from him that I got from Brandon. Bad Boy turns into a swoon-worthy boyfriend ... Yup! Elizabeth Reyes sure knows how to make these characters get under our skin ;) Don't even get me started on the Epilogues she writes ... Oh, my squeeee!!! They are the best!!! I loved every single word of that Epilogue and I cried like a baby!! It was romantic and beautiful! <3 Forever Yours was the perfect addition to The Moreno Series!

Two of my favorite moments that put a huge smile on my face ... 

1-The 5th street moment included in the book <3
2-Romero's famous violent pelvic thrust. I LOL for a good five minutes ... Eeeeep!!! Bow chicka wow wow! Romero TE QUIERO!!!! 



My Rating:

I give, Forever Yours, by Elizabeth Reyes 4.5 romantic, sexy, emotional, fantastic, forever and always stars! I can't get enough of these characters! I think I might move to La Jolla pretty soon and eat some menudo with them ... LOL!!! ;)







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About Elizabeth Reyes:

USA Today Bestselling Author, Elizabeth Reyes continues to answer to her calling on a daily basis. Since releasing her debut novel Forever Mine (Moreno Brothers #1) in 2010 she has now published 9 full length novels total and fast at work on the next. The excitement her Moreno Brothers, 5th Street, and Fate series have garnered has far exceeded her wildest dreams. It is with as much excitement that she'll continue to put out books related to these series as well as introduce brand new ones very soon.

In 2014 she will take her next step in the exciting world of writing and publish her first traditionally published book with Simon & Schuster/Atria. But she will continue putting out self published books as well.






2 comments:

  1. Yeah, ladies! This is a series I really best to start. I have most of the joins already, just need time. Great reviews!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Andrea! I can't wait for you to read her books!!!

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