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Maddox by Melanie Moreland
Release Date: July 9th 2018 by Moreland Books Inc
Series: Vested Interest #3
Pages: 209
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
USA Today Bestselling Series
Three young men meet in university and form a lifelong friendship.
Their pasts dictate the men they are, but their present shapes their future.
What happens when these men meet the one person they are destined to be with? Can they fight their feelings and walk away? Or will they each succumb and learn the sweet agony of love?
Maddox
Brought up in chaos and fear, Maddox requires order and control to cope with life.
He has his career and two closest friends. That is all he needs.
Until Dee enters his life.
She brings forth feelings he has denied himself his entire life—and threatens his control.
He wants to hold.
Keep.
Love.
Live.
Damaged by her past, Dee cannot admit her feelings for him, fighting him at every turn.
Is he strong enough to show her—to prove love is worth the risk for both of them?
Three young men meet in university and form a lifelong friendship.
Their pasts dictate the men they are, but their present shapes their future.
What happens when these men meet the one person they are destined to be with? Can they fight their feelings and walk away? Or will they each succumb and learn the sweet agony of love?
Maddox
Brought up in chaos and fear, Maddox requires order and control to cope with life.
He has his career and two closest friends. That is all he needs.
Until Dee enters his life.
She brings forth feelings he has denied himself his entire life—and threatens his control.
He wants to hold.
Keep.
Love.
Live.
Damaged by her past, Dee cannot admit her feelings for him, fighting him at every turn.
Is he strong enough to show her—to prove love is worth the risk for both of them?
Purchase: Amazon, iBooks/Kobo/Nook
My Review:
I’m always excited to read any of Melanie Moreland’s books, they are full of charm and lots of feels! Maddox was no different, the author managed to write a story about new beginnings that will certainly leave you wanting for more.
At the beginning of the story we get to meet Maddox Riley, he is an accountant/co-owner of BAM. His days consist of being in the office all the time and that hardly leaves him with any time to date at all. Though he can have just about any woman he would like, Maddox doesn’t do relationships and can’t think about the possibility of falling in love. But that all changes when he meets Deidre Wilson. They met at Emmy’s birthday party and ever since then he wanted to get close to her. It was their friends that brought them together, yet they both seem to have expectations of their relationship right away. It’s clear that they don’t believe in falling in love, Maddox feels that love has the power to hurt and cause pain. It destroys trust and leaves one weak in his eyes. But the more time he spends with Dee, now that she lives in the same building as him, the more he is starting to question his feelings for her. When a person from his past shows up and threatens his relationship with Dee, Maddox has to decide if fighting for her is what he truly worth it or not.
Deidre Wilson refused to love anyone until she met Maddox Riley. He was the friend that he needed when she felt alone and the lover that she didn’t think he could be. They both know that their friends-with-benifits relationship cannot go any further, but when Maddox offers her his help by pretending to be together in front of their friends in order to keep a good face with her sister. She agrees only to have things backfired in the end when she starts to develop feelings for him. Now she has to convince him that they can truly be together before it’s too late.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Maddox, it was sexy and entertaining. It’s evident from the start that both of the characters have suffered in their pasts, but when they are together they’re able to help each other move on. Since this is Maddox’s story, we only get to see his side of the story (at least 90% of the time). There are very few chapters in Dee’s POV, but it didn’t affect the story at all. I enjoyed reading his perspective and we truly get to understand the real Maddox that we get to read about in the previous books in the series. He is kind and a complete gentleman to Dee and it’s swoon worthy! The story was truly well thought out and the ending will definitely leave you wanting for more. It was sweet to see all the characters and a bit of their future. It’s crucial to read the previous books in order to get to the full effect of the series, especially in this particular ending. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, it’s going to be awesome! :)
***ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.***
My Rating:
{EXCERPT}
Studying a book jacket, I was distracted when a woman’s silhouette caught my attention. She was lissome and pretty, the sunlight catching her light red hair. She was reading the back of a book, her finger running over the spine. Something about her beckoned to me yet seemed familiar. With a grin, I realized it was Dee, and I approached her. “Find something good?”
She glanced at me, startled. I was close enough to see the flecks of brown in her wide green eyes. She smiled and slid the book back onto the shelf. “Not really.” She indicated the books I had in my hand. “I think you’ve had better luck.”
“You can borrow one if you like. I tend to buy in batches.”
She tilted her head, silently mouthing the titles. She looked up with a smile. “That would be lovely.”
“I was gonna grab a cup of coffee. Can I interest you in joining me?”
“I’d love to.”
Seated across from her, I realized it was the first time we’d ever been alone.
“You come here often?”
She shook her head with a wry grin. “Is that your best pick-up line, Maddox?”
I chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in here until today.”
“I was in the office for a short while, then dropped in here. Usually I browse on my lunch hour.”
“That makes sense.”
Silence fell as we sipped our coffee, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. I noticed she nibbled at the end of her thumb, and it struck me as odd. Given her stoic persona, I found it rather endearing.
And I found my thoughts strange. Endearing wasn’t a word I used often—if ever.
She met my gaze. “So, is it?”
“Is it what?”
“Is that your best pick-up line?”
I studied her as I drank my coffee. “I don’t typically do pick-up lines.”
She smirked. “I’m not surprised.”
“Sorry?”
“With that whole silver fox thing you’ve got going, I’m sure you don’t have to.”
I frowned. “Silver fox?”
“Maddox, the silver fox. Young, sexy, wealthy, plus that premature gray? I bet you beat them off with a stick.”
I shook my head, amused at her thoughts. “I’m sorry to disappoint, but no.”
“Really? I’m surprised.”
I sat back, crossing my legs, swinging one foot. “What about you, Deirdre? All prim and pretty. You drive the lawyers crazy at your firm?”
She laughed. “Dee. No one calls me Deirdre. It’s stuffy and formal.”
“No. It’s a lovely name for a lovely woman. It suits you. The lawyers you date don’t call you by your full name?”
She ignored my comment about her name. “I don’t date lawyers, or anyone else at my firm,” she stated firmly. “In fact, I don’t date.”
“Ever?”
She hesitated, then shook her head. “No. Love, romantic love, isn’t for me.”
I took in a deep breath and spoke. “Why is that?”
“It’s dangerous. It overwhelms and kills you.”
At my raised eyebrow, she continued.
“I’m not saying I don’t see people. I have…needs. But I don’t do romantic relationships. I’ve seen the way love destroys people.” She held up her hand before I could speak. “I know it works for some, but I’m not built that way.”
I drained my coffee, then leaned forward. “Neither am I.”
She widened her eyes. “Really?”
“Love equals power. The power to destroy. The ability to hurt and cause pain. The chaos it causes. That’s what love means to me. It destroys trust and leaves you weak.”
“You feel that way about everyone?”
“There are a few exceptions. And I will never break them for a woman.”
Our eyes met, silent understanding passing between us. The air shifted, and I felt our mutual desire grow. It stretched out, pushing tentatively against the boundaries we had erected. She propped her elbow on the table, lifting her thumb to her mouth. Her small teeth gnawed at the flesh. It was an innocent gesture, yet I found it provocative.
“I have needs too,” I murmured. Reaching over, I tugged her thumb from her mouth, inspecting it. From the roughness of the skin, and the fact that it was the second time she’d done it since we sat down, it was clearly a nervous habit for her. I slowly dragged my fingers across her palm, then laid her hand on the table.
Her breathing hitched. “I’m older than you are.”
“Three years,” I scoffed. “It’s nothing.”
“I’m serious. I don’t do relationships.”
“Nor do I.” I bent forward, lowering my voice. “May I be blunt with you?”
“I prefer blunt.”
“I find you incredibly attractive, Deirdre. Very sexy in your buttoned-up clothes and calm exterior. I’d like to see what happens when you’re naked and aroused.” I tilted my head, studying her. “Like now—are you aware in the past few minutes, your breathing picked up and your eyes darkened? You have the loveliest color across your cheeks. Even the tips of your ears are pink. I wonder how far down I could make you flush that way.”
Her color deepened, but she didn’t flinch. She shifted closer, our knees pressed together under the table. Her normally husky voice was even lower, turning me on. “You want honest?”
I nodded.
“I think you’re one of the sexiest men I’ve ever met, Maddox. I see how your toned body moves when you walk, and I imagine you moving in me. You use your hands a lot when you talk, and I want to feel them on my skin. Your muscles flex under your expensive suits, and I want to feel them tighten under my touch.” She ran her finger over her lips. “I want to taste you and watch you fall apart.”
“Then maybe we should go and explore each other.”
Author Bio:
While seriously addicted to coffee, and highly challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties, and also enjoys traveling, here and abroad, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip.
Melanie loves stories, especially paired with a good wine, and enjoys skydiving (free falling over a fleck of dust) extreme snowboarding (falling down stairs) and piloting her own helicopter (tripping over her own feet.) She's learned happily ever afters, even bumpy ones, are all in how you tell the story.
Melanie is represented by Flavia Viotti at Bookcase Literary Agency. For any questions regarding subsidiary or translation rights please contact her at flavia@bookcaseagency.com
