Take Me (Take Me #1) Review

Take Me by Bella Andre

Book description...
 
Lily Ellis has curves -- soft, beautiful curves. The kind of voluptuous body she fears Travis Carson, the man she's always loved from afar, would never crave. But Lily is about to be proven wrong. Her adventure begins when the demure San Francisco interior decorator agrees to model a plus-size dress for her fashion designer sister. Watching this sensual beauty move down the runway, Travis can't believe it's the same Lily he's always known -- and always rejected. In a whirlwind of electric attraction, Lily is soon moaning Travis's name in his bed, not just in her wild fantasies. But Lily is all too aware that she's nothing like his past lovers.
Determined to beat Travis at his own game by guarding her true feelings, Lily partners with him on a business deal that takes them all the way to Italy. In the seductive warmth of the Tuscan sun, Lily plays a game of desire with the hot-blooded Travis. Will she be burned by an all-consuming ecstasy or will Travis open his heart to the sexy, exciting, and lasting love she has to offer?

Have you ever read a book and the heroine is just perfect... she's the most beautiful woman in the world, her body is perfect, she's got perfect hair, the most infectious smile, and every man wants her?   It seems that most books out there give us exactly that and I have to say that sometimes it gets old!  Personally... because I'm just crazy like that... I like to picture a real woman... a woman with beautiful curves, a woman who can embrace her beauty no matter her size!  THAT, is exactly what I LOVED about this book....

Lilly.... sweet, kind hearted, beautiful Lily!  She's a woman with natural beauty and natural curves but she doesn't find that beauty in herself... well at least not entirely until the night her baby sister needs her to stand in for a model who was unable to show up for a fashion show.  Lily embraced her outer beauty for the first time... wearing a dress her sister had made... she, for once, felt beautiful and even took in the joy of others complimenting her on how wonderful she looked.  Then she comes face to face with the man she has been in love with since they were kids... the man who has looked right through her since his mother died and he began to shut her out.... the man who also happens to be her best friend's (Luke) twin brother.

Travis.... oh how you are the type of man I love to watch get knocked down a few pegs... he's arrogant, completely full of himself, and has this ridiculous standard when it comes to women... a standard that Lily doesn't even come close to....  well until he gets a good look at this gorgeous woman walking down the run way with some "luscious" curves that he just has to have.

So they have their one night stand where Lily takes off before Travis wakes up.  He's feeling a bit self conscious over this... in fact he can't seem to get Lily or how right she felt in his arms out of his head..... and then.... his brother puts some self doubt about his "performing abilities" in his head.  I find it hilarious when a man thinks he is not only God's gift to women but also the Man in bed.... I honestly could not help but laugh and snort while reading all these thoughts going through Travis' head.  I mean he truly believes he is the best lay in town and that women come to him and beg for what he can give... and then with a combination of Lily leaving, him not being able to get her out of his mind, and his brother planting some amazing ego knocking thoughts in his head... Travis becomes determined to give Lily the best orgasm of her life... whatever it takes.

And boy does it take them somewhere... after a little work and convincing he manages to get Lily agree to work with him and they take off for Italy.... and that's where it all happens.  Finally able to realize how he feels Travis gets taken on one heck of an emotional ride... and quite frankly my favorite kind of ride to watch when it comes to these overly cocky heroes....

The story was actually beautiful in the sense that this man is coming into himself for once in his life since his mother died... he's facing the facts and he's doing it without the emotional guard he's kept up all these years... which include how he has treated Lily since they were 10 and he decided to shut her out, and most importantly he's facing falling in love, not only falling in love but realizing the feelings he's had for Lily the entire time he's known her.  The other beauty was watching an insecure yet beautiful woman realize she not only has the inner beauty of an angel but has the outer beauty of a goddess.  When these two come together it's explosive and when feelings are admitted they are sensational.

There was only one thing that bothered me... it wasn't big, quite frankly it's just me being a pain in the ass, but it did bother me.... At one point Lily hears people talking about her and basically confirming her own thoughts she already has about herself... they were hateful and ugly things to say about anyone and I wish Travis would have heard them or at least heard about it so he could go all alpha male and tell these people where they can shove their ugly comments... and then list all the things about them that make them ugly.... Okay, so I'm a tad vindictive but whatever

Take Me by Bella Andre was a great little read.... it was light and easy with just enough smut to have me yet again question myself on why I read these books while my husband is out of town.  I love Bella's writing style, she gives us wonderful light reads with just enough sugar sweet to make you smile that sappy romantic smile without being too sweet you're afraid of a cavity!  The next book in this series Love Me (Take Me #2)... which is free on Amazon right now, hurry and download it before it's no longer free!!!!!... is Luke and Janica's story.  So I'm hoping to see more of Travis and Lily and how happy they are together!

Happy Reading!