Until December by Aurora Rose Reynolds

Gareth Black is the package deal. He’s caring, has a smokin’ body, two sons, and an ex with a nasty temper. December has to decide if she’s going to run from it all, or jump in with her whole heart. 

What’s it About? 

Gareth Black is drawn to December Mayson the moment he spots her across the room at her cousin’s wedding. When he approaches the beautiful woman, she captivates him with her shyness and wit, making him crave her.

With a pull so strong it’s impossible to ignore, December knows there’s something between her and Gareth. She just hopes they’re capable of jumping the hurdles ahead of them.

Two boys, an ex, a surprise that will change everything, and a disgruntled co-worker, guarantee these two will have their work cut out for them if they are going to find their happily ever after.

Quick Review

Of all the books in this series so far, this might be the most angst-less of the bunch. If you’re looking for a break from all the drama and kidnappings the Mayson family has presented us with throughout the years, then this just might be the lighter read you’ve been waiting for. Gareth and December catch eyes at each other across the room at a wedding, and while we’re all familiar with the BOOM that draws any member of the Mayson clan to the love of their life, I would say we’re privy to more of a sizzle than the resounding shockwave we’re used to by now. And that’s how I would probably categorize this read as a whole, it’s more of a low simmer from start to finish rather than having any huge bouts of conflict that threaten to tear our lovebirds apart. There is one minor miscommunication that throws a bump to them getting out of the gate at the start when December believes her sister April saw Gareth first, and her “dibs” means he’s off limits. Once that matter is cleared up though, it doesn’t take long at all before this soft-spoken first-grade teacher is going home with her sexy tattoo artist/mechanic, and they don’t encounter any other major foibles along the way.

While every book in this series (and the corresponding Until series) have focused on a lead couple, the developing romance between December and Gareth plays second fiddle to the frontrunning storyline in this read, which highlights the evolving dynamics of a single parent and his children bringing a potential new partner into their bubble. This was the true heart of the story. December slowly starts to mesh into their world, and considering his boys have only known their birth-mother Beth to come and go at every turn, December represents a loving and supportive constant that they need. This is one area of the read where we see some natural complications arise, as Gareth’s mother must also acclimate to another woman coming onto the scene to share the love and attention of her grandsons, while the interactions with Beth are far more hostile in nature. Again, none of this threatens to scare December off, and we not only see her stand up to Beth to claim a place in the boys’ lives, but they too confront their mother about how important December is to them and their father. It’s a beautiful story of building a family, and I would say it rightfully overshadows the romance between our two lead characters. 

Series: Until Him/Her, book 8. Bring on the next one please!

Final Impressions: This book has a lot of emotional heart to it, but rather than being affiliated with the love story of December and Gareth, it instead is linked with the love story evolving as a family. We see what can only be described as a natural progression of this single parent family accepting an outsider into their midst, and while they start out on shaky legs of quiet acceptance, they all start to demonstrate through their actions and words how important they’ve all come to be in each other’s lives. Even the presence of Beth provided us with a window into the complexities of an absentee parent household, and the sad transition which comes upon the children realizing that while a part of them will always love their mother, she doesn’t represent the emotional foothold they need in their lives. The development of this family-building storyline was dang near perfect. The only element that I didn’t feel was necessary was the drama surrounding a disgruntled co-worker at December’s school. It certainly deals with an important issue in society, but it was a potentially triggering plot point that didn’t really evolve the story of December and Gareth’s family in any meaningful way that wasn’t already touched upon by other events. 

Smut Level: From working two jobs as a tattoo artist and mechanic, to dealing with rambunctious first-graders all day long, Gareth and December certainly have their work cut out for them. But rest assured, as soon as they get some alone time from his boys, they have all the energy in the world to rock it all night long. Multiple times. 

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $4.99 Kindle Price. 247 Pages. 

Until Cobi by Aurora Rose Reynolds

He almost lost her before he even knew her. Now that Cobi has experienced his BOOM, he has no intention of wasting one more second to bring Hadley into his life. 

What’s it About? 

Cobi Mayson knows exactly who Hadley is to him the moment he sees her for the very first time. That doesn’t mean it will be easy for him to convince her to take a chance on him.

Hadley Emerson knows she could fall hard and fast for a guy like Cobi. A man who seems to show up every time she needs him, but she knows better than to just hand over her heart.

Knowing his future with Hadley is on the line, Cobi begins to tie their lives together. As the invisible rope that connects them tightens and things between them heat up, an unknown threat emerges threatening to take away their happily ever after and send them both into darkness.

First Impressions

Another fabulous addition to the Until family series that will make you wish for an insta-love BOOM moment of your very own. Consider yourself warned, if you’re not typically a fan of love at first sight, that is literally the hallmark feature which binds this entire series together. A Mayson family trait that can’t be escaped, ignored, or lessened. And Cobi Mayson is a most glorious example of an alpha male who doesn’t try to avoid that BOOM, he dives in with everything he has, and everything he wants is Hadley Emerson. This is an interesting addition to the Until Him/Her series in that it picks up immediately where the previous novel, Until Harmony, left off in a climactic shoot-out that left Hadley wounded in the hospital following her brave rescue of Cobi’s cousin. I’ve always suggested reading this series in order for the mere pleasure of not wanting to miss out on anything it has to offer, but for this seventh book especially I’d say it’s quite important to read the previous novel beforehand so as to fully understand the events which brought our two love birds together. As you can expect from this author by now, what follows is a delightfully steamy, yet also emotional tale of insta-romance between a male and female lead you love to love. 

The Impact of Trauma

While Cobi and Hadley’s romance was another fabulous addition to what has quickly become one of my favorite go-to series, there were a few areas that could have been tweaked to make this a truly stellar read. Firstly, Hadley’s troubled relationship with her lawbreaking parents is brought up a few times throughout the book, but their presence isn’t incorporated as fully as it should have been to make them feel like a critical component to the plot. Instead they came across as an annoyance that would come back at inopportune times, and even then we wouldn’t see a clear resolution to the blips their appearance would cause. Honestly, I don’t think they would have been missed if they’d been removed completely from the story. 

More importantly though, Until Cobi presents us with an intriguing, yet ultimately incomplete exploration of the aftermath of trauma. At the start of the novel we see how Hadley is struggling to cope following the horrific events of the previous book, wherein she was almost killed alongside Harmony at the hands of a mad-man. She feels the need to keep every light on in her house, has trouble falling asleep, and is often pulled out of sleep due to terrifying nightmares. We see Cobi, as well as Hadley’s closest friends, gather together to provide her support, and they convince her to seek help from a professional. We also get to see another one of my favorite tropes, which is that only when surrounded by the arms of her man can she find peace in sleep. Hadley’s journey back to something resembling normalcy was fully fleshed out in a tasteful and thoughtful way. However! As with any book in this series we eventually see a final climactic scene which puts our female lead in danger, and it was this second instance of a traumatic event which didn’t receive nearly the attention it deserved. 

It is in this aftermath of Cobi once again seeing the love of his life put in danger that we see the tables turned, and he is now the one who jerks awake from nightmares, and fears letting Hadley out of his sight in case danger should find her once again. And then…he gets over it in the span of a few paragraphs. It felt like such a missed opportunity for what could have been an enlightening comparison of Cobi’s path to healing compared to that of Hadley at the start of the book. Instead we get another somewhat unfortunate hallmark of this series, which is an ending that seems far too rushed for its own good. This book clocks in at just 239 pages, which makes it a satisfyingly quick beach read, but I gladly would have faced another 50 pages if it meant we could have observed what happens when an alpha male is brought to his knees by the forced realization that the love of his life could be ripped away at any moment. To see the strong, knight in shining armor crumble at the simple fragility of life. But to then see the strength of his love for this woman bring him back out of the darkness? That’s the full circle story I would have liked to see. 

Series: Until Him/Her, book 7. As always, I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in this series. 

Final Impressions: By this point in the series I’m starting to see that some other readers are getting “bored” with the repetitive nature of the plot progression. Insta-love, alpha male, lots of sexy fun times, fairly low drama, final climactic scene where female lead is put in danger. Fin. Surprisingly, I still find myself falling in love with every new couple we get the opportunity to meet, as well as the beloved secondary characters that make each novel feel as though you’re coming home to friends you’ve known for years. What some may see as a tired progression, I actually find comforting in the reliability of the series as a whole. I know I’ll be entertained, probably laugh a few times, reach the brink of tears a time or two, and get some deliciously descriptive bedroom/bathroom/kitchen scenes thrown into the mix. What’s not to love? 

Smut Level: Hadley has never been one to luxuriate in a hot bath, but Cobi is more than willing to show her just how fun and steamy a romp in the tub can be. 

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $4.99 Kindle Price. 239 Pages.