He's amazingly wealthy, sinfully gorgeous, and can bring her to heights of pleasure she's never before known. For Livy, there's no turning back. She's determined to be the light in Miller Hart's dark world. Yet this new life comes with a steep price...
Miller knows that the power he possesses hasn't come without sacrifices-but he won't let Livy be one of them. Though he wants nothing more than to have her in every way, his first duty is to protect her at all costs...from his sins, his enemies, and especially himself.
But as their insatiable affair intensifies, the two attract the attention of an obsessive-and dangerous-third party. Discovering new revelations about Miller that rock her to the core, Livy will have to decide whether he's ruined beyond repair. And he must face his fear that in order to save her, he may have to lose her after all...
Miller knows that the power he possesses hasn't come without sacrifices-but he won't let Livy be one of them. Though he wants nothing more than to have her in every way, his first duty is to protect her at all costs...from his sins, his enemies, and especially himself.
But as their insatiable affair intensifies, the two attract the attention of an obsessive-and dangerous-third party. Discovering new revelations about Miller that rock her to the core, Livy will have to decide whether he's ruined beyond repair. And he must face his fear that in order to save her, he may have to lose her after all...
I know I look out of place as I stand near the gym entrance, clearly hesitant, and looking a little
overwhelmed. All the machines look like spaceships, hundreds of buttons or levers on each
one, and I haven’t the first idea how to operate them. My one-hour induction last week did a
great job of distracting me, but the information and instructions fell straight from my memory
the second I left the exclusive fitness center. I scan the area, fiddling with my ring, seeing
masses of men and women pounding the treadmills, going hell for leather on the bikes and
pumping weights on huge lifting devices. They all look like they know exactly what they’re
doing.
In an attempt to blend in, I make my way over to the water machine and gulp down a cup of ice
water. I’m wasting time being hesitant when I could be releasing some stress and anger. I spot a
punching bag hanging in the far corner with no one within ten meters of it, so I decide to give it
a try. There are no buttons or levers on that.
I help myself to the boxing gloves hanging on the wall nearby. After securing the Velcro, I give
the bag a little poke. I’m surprised at how heavy it is. I inject some power into my weak arm and
throw some effort into my next hit. I grunt too, and the bag shifts significantly this time, moving
away from me and seeming to pause in midair before it’s on its way back toward me. Fast. I
panic and quickly pull back my fist, then extend my arm to prevent being knocked to the
ground. Shockwaves fly up my arm when my glove connects with the bag, but it’s moving away
from me again. I smile and spread my legs a little, bracing myself for its return, then smack it
hard again, sending it sailing away from me.
My arm is aching already and I suddenly realize I have two gloved hands so I pummel it with my
left this time, smiling wider, the impact of the bag on my fists feeling good. I’m breaking out in a
sweat, my feet are beginning to shift and my arms getting into a rhythm. My shouts of
satisfaction spur me on and the bag morphs into more than a bag. I’m beating the shit out of it
and loving every moment.
I don’t know how long I’m there, but when I finally let up and take a moment to think, I’m
drenched, my knuckles are sore and my breathing erratic. I catch the bag and let it settle, then
take a cautious glance around the gym. No one is staring. I’ve gone totally unnoticed, everyone
focused on their own workout. I smile to myself and collect a cup of water and a towel from the
nearby shelf, wiping my brow as I make my way from the huge room. For the first time in
weeks, I feel prepared to take the day on.
I head toward the changing rooms, feeling like a lifetime of stress and woes have just been
knocked out of me. The urge to go back in and pound for another hour is hard to resist, but I’m
already at risk of being late for work so I push on, thinking this could get addictive. I’ll be back
tomorrow morning, maybe even after work today, and I’ll thrash that bag until there are no
more traces of Miller Hart and the pain he’s caused me.
I pass door after door, all with glass panes, and peek into each class that’s in session—yoga,
spinning, kickboxing. I might try one or two. Or I could give them all a go.
As I’m passing the final door before the women’s changing rooms, something catches my eye.
It’s a punching bag swinging from the ceiling hook, but no one’s in sight. I step closer to the
door, then gasp and jump back as someone comes into view, bare chested and barefoot. I feel
dizzy.
He has those shorts on, the ones he wore when he was trying to make me comfortable. I’m
shaking, but my shock doesn’t stop me from peering back through the glass, just to check I
wasn’t hallucinating. I wasn’t. He’s here, his ripped physique mesmerizing. He looks violent as
he attacks the hanging bag like it’s a threat to his life, punishing it with powerful punches and
even more powerful kicks. His body weaves and dodges the bag when it comes back at him. He
looks like a pro. He looks like a fighter.
I’m frozen on the spot as I watch Miller move around the hanging bag with ease, his fists
wrapped in some kind of bandages, his limbs delivering controlled, punishing blows time and
time again. Who does he see before him?
My mind spins, questions mounting, as I quietly observe the refined, well-mannered, part-time
gentleman become a man possessed, that temper he has warned me about clear and present.
But then I retreat a pace when he suddenly grabs the bag with both hands and rests his
forehead on the leather, his body falling into the now subtle sway of the punching bag. His back
is dripping and heaving, and I see his solid shoulders rise suddenly. Then he begins to turn
toward the door. It happens in slow motion. I’m rooted in place as his chest, slicked with a
sheen of sweat, comes into view and my eyes slowly crawl up his torso until I see his side
profile. He knows he’s being watched.
One Night: Denied by Jodi Ellen Malpas is the second book in the One Night Series. The reader again becomes entranced with the always in control, hotter than Hades Miller Hart and his fascination with the ever unsure Olivia Taylor. After the cliff hanging discovery at the end of One Night: Promised the reader is dying to know what will become of their relationship and it is nothing that you would ever expect. This book was a 4.5 star read for me and I am now waiting with baited breath for the final book in the trilogy. If asked at this moment who would win in a contest between Jesse Ward and Miller Hart; my answer without hesitation would be Miller Hart every time! This series is a MUST READ for all!
After learning of the connection between Miller and her mother's pimp William; Olivia is forced to decide what she should do in regards to do in regards to the fate of her relationship. Knowing that she loves Miller down to her very soul, but unsure if that is actually enough with everything that has come to light she tries to walk away from her always in control man, the one whom she fascinates and brings light to in his world of darkness. Although she tries to walk away, that was never an option for Olivia and Miller and they soon come together again in a heat of passion. But it is anything but sunshine and roses for their relationship, and it is tested time and time again by those who interfere with what they have together because they don't seem to understand the strength of the connection. Olivia even becomes estranged from Gregory, her best friend who the reader grew to adore in the first book, because he does not approve of the life that Miller leads nor how he supposedly treats his baby girl.
Miller begins to try and extract himself from the life he has led for so long, the only life he knows so that he can step forward into the light with his sweet girl. His attempts to do so seem to be more difficult than he anticipated, becoming almost downright impossible. Olivia begins to have a sort of friendship with William, her mother's former pimp, upon which she discovers things about her mom that she never knew. William is extremely concerned for Olivia's safety and repeatedly tells her that she needs to walk away from Miller in order to not be in danger. Unable to walk way from the love she has for this broken man, Olivia is thrown into a whirlwind of events that happen so fast she is unable to process and comprehend what is happening. The revelation at the end of this book was shocking, one that as a reader I never anticipated nor did I see it coming until I turned the very last page.
There is so much more that I can say about this amazing book, but I do not want to spoil all of the discoveries for others so I will keep my review very general. Every reader needs to experience the story unfold as I did, because the shock value of some of the events only adds to the allure of the plot. I urge you to run to get both books from this amazing series because I promise that you won't be disappointed!!
One Night Denied is the second book in the One Night series by Jodi Ellen Malpas.
I literally just finished this book and I’m trying to gather my wits about it. I almost wish I would of read it a few days earlier so that I could think this over just a bit more.
In One Night Denied Livy has a few hurdles she must get past. William is doing his damndest to deter her from Miller and her best friend, Gregory is doing the same. But why? She must choose to stand by her man or listen to her mother’s pimp and her best friend. Why deny yourself the one true thing that has happened in your life without knowing the outcome. I don’t know one person in this world that would walk away from their possible soul-mate just because the ones that care about them don’t like him. Aren’t they supposed to be your friend and be by your side and hold your hand through it if it does get rough versus asking you to walk away?
I loved that there was angst the whole way through this book. I was constantly biting my lip wondering what was going to happen next. How do William and Miller know each other? What exactly is Miller hiding? We know it has to be more than what was revealed in One Night Promised.
Miller has to get past his past and attempt a future that he is not familiar with. But, once again, how do you go about a life you are unfamiliar with? What happens when the one thing you truly cared about gets put into jeopardy?
“Miller Hart is the male equivalent of my mother. I’m in love with a man I can’t have. He made me feel alive when I’d spent too long just existing, but he took away that invigorating feeling, replacing it with desolation. My spirit is more lifeless now than it ever was before my encounters with that man.” –Livy
“I’m an emotion virgin, Livy. You’re my first.” –Miller
“The second I looked at you, I saw light through my constant darkness. I saw bright, hopeful light reflecting back at me through those beautiful sapphire eyes.” -Miller
4 “I love your bones” stars!
Jodi Ellen Malpas was born and raised in the Midlands town of Northampton, England, where she lives with her two boys. Working for her father’s construction business full time, she tried to ignore the lingering idea of writing until it became impossible. She wrote in secret for a long time before finally finding the courage to unleash her creative streak, and in October 2012 she released This Man. She took a chance on a story with some intense characters and sparked incredible reactions from women all over the world. Writing powerful love stories and creating addictive characters have become her passion - a passion she now shares with her devoted readers.
