Shattered / Gifted (Lost in Oblivion) by Cari Quinn & Taryn Elliott-reviews

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SHATTERED
(Lost in Oblivion #4)
by Cari Quinn and Taryn Elliott
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 3, 2015

He’s shattered…and she’s the only woman who can help him pick up the pieces.

Nick Crandall has everything he ever thought he wanted. Tons of money, a glamorous lifestyle, professional admiration for making music. But all his success doesn’t erase the memories of who and what he’s lost on the road to fame and fortune. Nor does it stop his dream from shattering, right before his eyes.

Until the person he least expects pulls him back from the brink.

Lila Shawcross is obsessed with her work, which includes managing the drama-prone members of Oblivion. She’s definitely not about to let a hot-headed, hard-bodied lead guitarist wreck her orderly existence or dilute her focus. So what if she’s never craved a man quite this much? There are just too many complications, including the gold band on her left hand.

Except Nick is determined to possess her…and what Nick wants, Nick gets. Because this time, he’s not walking away.

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REVIEW: SHATTERED is the fourth full-length installment in the contemporary, adult LOST IN OBLIVION erotic romance series co-authored by Cari Quinn and Taryn Elliott focusing on the members of the rock band Oblivion. This is guitarist Nick Crandall, and band manager Lila Shawcross’s storyline. SHATTERED can be read as a stand alone but for cohesion and backstory, as well as Nick and Lila’s history, I recommend reading the series in order as all of the previous couples play a secondary and supporting role.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Nick and Lila) SHATTERED follows the forbidden relationship between Oblivion’s guitarist Nick Crandall, and their manager Lila Shawcross-Lila is married, and although she is for all intents and purposes separated from the man in question, there are reasons that her affair with Nick can never be made public. Lila’s ice-cold exterior hides a sensitive and damaged soul.

For months Lila and Nick have butted heads due in part to Nick’s attitude, and Lila’s ‘Dragon Lady’ managerial skills as it pertains to the band’s public relations and personal lives. But Nick’s reputation as a man-whore; a sexually aggressive rocker has played havoc with Lila’s thoughts and ideas about Nick. As their relationship begins to develop, Nick and Lila’s feelings and emotions for one another grow deeper but Lila’s broken marriage and Nick’s past keep rearing their ugly heads. Meanwhile, Nick’s family life continues to implode as he finds himself falling for the same old scams and heartbreaking betrayal brought about by his father and sister back home. We get up close with Nick as the demons from his past continue to control his present.

The relationship between Lila and Nick has been building for several story lines. Nick and Lila’s rapport with one another has been acrimonious and antagonistic. Lila blames Nick for a number of the band’s problems, and Nick sees Lila as a controlling shrew. The $ex scenes are erotic, sensual and provocative.

All of the previous story line couples play a secondary and supporting role as we get reacquainted with Deacon and Harper, Gray and Jazz, Simon and Margo.

SHATTERED is an erotic tale; the introduction to Nick and Lila’s forbidden romance that finds two people lost in a world of broken promises and broken hearts, misunderstandings, and betrayal. The premise is engaging, captivating and inspiring; the characters are colorful, dynamic and animated; the romance is provocative and intense. SHATTERED ends on a cliffhanger-there is more Lila and Nick to come.

Reviewed by Sandy

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GIFTED: Lost in Oblivion Christmas
Lost in Oblivion 4.2
by Cari Quinn / Taryn Elliott
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK Release Date December 16, 2015

All he wants is Christmas with his band and his girl…and a strand of pearls.

Rock star Nick Crandall is determined to make this Christmas the best of his life. So what if his beloved band, Oblivion, may be on the rocks? So what if his girl, Lila Shawcross, the band’s manager, has been freezing him out for days without telling him why? And hey, who needs snow anyway? In Southern California, it’s always hot.

Especially when the band gets back together for their kind of misfit family Christmas, and Nick and Lila reunite for one steamy night…

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REVIEW: GIFTED is a short Christmas story from Cari Quinn and Taryn Elliott that focuses on Nick and Lila’s tumultuous relationship during the Christmas holidays. The timeline falls between SHATTERED November 2015) and FUSED (February 2016).

It is Christmas time. The members of Oblivion have gathered for a family celebration, and Nick has yet to buy gifts so he embarks on a Christmas Eve shopping spree with Jazz, in the hopes of finding the perfect gift for Lila Shawcross-the band’s manager- and the other members of the band. Told from dual close third person perspectives (Lila and Nick) GIFTED is a sweet story line that follows Nick and Lila several days after the events and cliff hanger ending of SHATTERED wherein Nick is unaware of the events that transpired to push Lila in another direction. Nick’s gift to Lila will play an intricate role in tying Lila to his heart-a string of pearls that is representative of their relationship.

All the members of the band Oblivion play secondary and supporting roles; there is a new introduction to the Oblivion family; and Lila leaves Nick to believe in a future with the woman that he loves. The $ex scenes are erotic and inventive.

GIFTED is a sweet story about the joy and magic of Christmas; a glimpse into the dynamics of the band; the family of your heart; and friendships that will last a lifetime

Reviewed by Sandy