Reviewed by both Heather and Sarah
Title: Drawn Together
Series: Brown Siblings bk 6
Author: Lauren Dane
Genre: Erotic Contemporary
Beauty is more than skin-deep…
Tattoo artist Raven Smith is blunt and hard, broken and jaded, dark and beautiful. While she doesn’t hide her painful past, she does keep a wall around her heart. She’s free sexually—but no one gets to the real Raven beneath the prickly exterior.
With a voice like smoke, Jonah Warner is a smooth-talking, highly successful attorney, with a body that should never be hidden by a suit. He’s the kind of man who never takes no for an answer and always gets what he wants. And what he wants is Raven. She’s a survivor, and he finds that incredibly alluring.
Jonah gets under her skin in a way Raven has never experienced. He makes her break all her rules—including her no-monogamy rule.
But when a figure from Raven’s past shows up at the tattoo parlor and drops a bomb into her life, their relationship will face the ultimate challenge…
Review by Heather: Lauren Dane has firmly planted herself on my autobuy/autoread list. She writes characters that fully engage all our emotions.
I’ve loved every single book in this series, and until now Coming Undone has been my absolute favorite book in the series, but this book, it is now tied with that book for my favorite in this series.
Raven has been a character I’ve tolerated from book one, however after reading Drawn Together she is now one of my favorite characters. The reason being, because we finally get the full story of this person and I have to admit now she’s one of my favorite characters. Her story is one that breaks your heart and cheer when she finally gets her HEA.
Jonah has intrigued me ever since he showed up in Cherished. I’ve wanted his story. I have to say he lived up to everything I wanted him to be. Putting his daughter before his own happiness made him that much sexier. His determination to crack the shell around Raven showed that he knew there was more to her and he was willing to put in the work to make her his.
One of the side stories I was happy was resolved was the marriage of of one of Jonah’s brothers. If you read Cherished you know who I’m talking about. And Jonah’s mom, man she freakin’ rocks. She rules her family, but they all know it’s from a place of love.
This is one of those awesome Lauren Dane books you HAVE to read, especially if you love the Brown Siblings. I will admit I really want Lauren to write the rest of the Warner brother’s stories. And I really hope Jonah’s daughter gets her story some day.
Grade A+
Review by Sarah: This is only the second novel that I have read from Lauren Dane. I read Laid Bare awhile back, and while it was okay for me, it didn’t really leave me panting for more. It was good, but not captivating. The blurb was what caught me into and pulled me to the story but the book didn’t live up to it for me. I don’t really know why….all the elements of a good story were there….it was original, it had a whole new take on things, the characters were interesting, etc. But somehow I just failed to fall in love with that book. So, when I came across this one, my first question to myself was – did I want to chance reading another one?
I decided to take another chance here and hoped for the best….and in this case I was not disappointed. The story itself didn’t stand out for me – but the characters did. And boy, did they stand out! I absolutely LOVE Raven….she’s strong, honest, blunt, and loyal. I loved her remark, “My goodness, I already let you see my boobies.” So funny, so real, so Raven! She’s just such an amazing character. She’s been through the fires of hell and is stronger for it. She’s tough on the outside, yet a sweet marshmallow underneath. And if you take the time to get to know her, making your way past her gruff exterior, you’ll have a friend for life. She’s been hurt in the past and she’s messed up in alot of ways because of it….but she doesn’t let it rule her life. And Jonah was a perfect match for her. He was determined yet patient, loving yet willing to push her when she needed it, and most of all he was always there for Raven when she needed it. These two will stand out in my mind for a long time to come.
I loved how Dane captured the essence of these characters. I loved the ‘realness’ of their actions and responses…and the ‘realness’ of Raven’s fears. Beyond her gruffness, she was a character that was vulnerable in many ways. And the way Jonah helped her work through some things was simply heartbreaking.
My only complaint was the mention of numerous characters from previous books. For someone not an avid follower of her books, it was a bit distracting from the story itself. I thought many of the names and characters could have been left out, as they really didn’t pertain to the story at all. Some of them actually contributed to the character building and/or the plot, but many were unnecessary. I particularly enjoyed watching Erin rip into Jonah and his brother to protect her friend. It was a wonderful scene. I want a friend like that!…:)
Bottom line – the characters are what makes this book. This book has made me do a complete about-face when it comes to other books by this author. I’ll be doing some back reading after this!
Rate: A
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