Not enough.
Catherine Pope has never been enough. Every man she has ever loved abandoned her—from her father to her fiancé. She finally accepted the fact she would never be enough to hold any man’s heart and soul.
Then Catherine met Jackson Cole.
When her world literally collided with the sexy former Navy SEAL, everything she always believed is turned upside down and left scattered. He made her feel alive and desirable, consumed her with fierceness and loyalty—which completely unnerved her. Jackson got her in a way no one ever had, giving him the power to destroy her.
If she breaks down and gives him what’s left of her battered heart—will he protect it? Or will Catherine become an irrelevant part of yet another man’s life?
Will she get the one thing that has always evaded her – to finally be someone’s beloved?
To belong to someone. All I've ever wanted is to be loved. I crave it - need it, desire it - more than food and water. I long for undying love and affection. The kind of love that bonds souls. The kind of love that's so deep two become one. To be someone's beloved.
Beloved is the debut novel by Corinne Michaels and I couldn't be more impressed by it! It is told by the POV of Catherine. Catherine is a late 20's successful publicist in New York City and lives over the bridge in New Jersey with her friend Ashton. The story starts out with Catherine receiving the wedding invitations of her and her fiancé Neil. Excitedly, she rushes over to his house to share them with him, when she walks into her worst nightmare. She is heartbroken but that is compounded by Neil's lack of remorse.
With each thrust I feel the floor falling out from under me. I can hear them, see them, smell the sex in the air. Each slap of skin on skin, each grunt and moan tears through me like a knife slicing my veins open. I'm bleeding out, and there's no stopping it.
Jackson is a multi facetted man. He was a Navy SEAL and spent 8 years in the service after he lost some close friends in battle, he owns two companies and he is sexy as hell and won't take no for an answer when Catherine tries to deflect his advances. There is something going on between them that neither can explain or resist.
Every man in Catherine's life has hurt her. Every man has left her. She doesn't think that she can risk her heart again to another man, especially Jackson. Somewhere deep inside of her she knows that if she falls for him, it would only be a matter of time before he left her too, only this time it would destroy her.
I can't accept that a man like Jackson would ever want to have dinner with me, let alone anything more. I've never felt special. I was always second best. But the worst thing isn't that people told me those things - the worst thing is that I believe them. The only place I'm worth a damn is at work. Sometimes when you're told something long enough you eventually believe it.
I really enjoyed this book. Jackson is so hot and sexy and confident! But he has some serious skeletons in his closet. There is something that he is not telling Catherine. I have a feeling that I know what it is but I'm not 100% sure.
The book ends with a crazy cliffhanger that is told from Jackson's POV. So no happy ending with this book but maybe the next? I will have to read it and see - I hope that Corinne Michaels can write fast!
... all at once, we reach for each other, colliding in a haze of lust. I couldn't give a shit about being burned - right now, I'd gladly turn to ash. Hands, teeth, lips are everywhere. Jackson has me pinned against the wall as his mouth greedily devours mine. There's no finesse, no tenderness - this is primal raw, two people desperate for each other.... I need more.
Excerpt #1
Copyright © 2014 Corinne Michaels All rights reserved.
He weaves his fingers with mine and guides me toward the windows.
“I used to come up here after my run in the mornings,” he says quietly as we look out at the horizon.
“So you worked out and then climbed the stairs? By choice?” I ask with a raised brow.
His throaty laugh echoes through the building as he steps closer to me. “Not all of us find exercise dumb. There are lots of activities that can be”—he coughs and smiles—“enjoyable.”
Jackson’s playful grin causes my eyes to widen and my cheeks to flush. Him and his mouth!
“Well, only if you do it right.” I smile and slap him across the chest.
“I always do it right,” he says as he walks past me.
“I’m sure you do.” I mutter beneath my breath hoping he doesn’t hear.
“What was that?”
Of course he heard me.
“Nothing. Just admiring the view.” I lie and stare out the window.
Excerpt #2
“Tonight, when I’m alone, I’m going think about how good your legs felt wrapped around me, how your voice sounded when you screamed out my name. I’ll remember how it felt when my dick sunk into your hot, wet pussy.” He leans down and whispers against my ear, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand, “And I’ll be counting down the minutes until I have you again.”
Excerpt #3
Jackson takes a step closer to me, stalking me like I’m his prey as I counter with another step back. Once my back hits the car door … that’s it. He has me pinned and we both know it. He raises his arms, placing them on the frame of the car and caging me in.
His lips brush against my ear when he whispers, “Oh, but your body says otherwise.” His body closes in on mine and the last remaining space between us disappears. Heat floods my core, my face, my body—my lids flutter closed and I take a shaky breath. “Open your eyes, Catherine.”
Corinne is an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. She’s happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife. After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness. Beloved is her first novel due in June of 2014.
