Without Boundaries by CJ AzevedoReview Written by Jen (BestSellers & BestStellars)Without Boundaries by CJ Azevedo was very enjoyable to read. If you’re a fan of Contemporary New Age Romance, you’ll like this novel. This is also her debut novel.Bailey Hayes moved across the country to New York 10 years ago after losing her mother in a tragic accident. She is determined to not experience the loss of a loved one again, so she keeps her only friendship with a girl she met her freshman year in college. She dated during those college years, but she never allowed it to turn into anything serious. That all changed when she met the handsome and successful Hollister Harrison. After six months of dating, Bailey moved in with Hollister. After moving in together, Bailey noticed how possessive, controlling, and borderline abusive Hollister started to become. Due to the fear of repeating her past and making a spontaneous decision by leaving too soon, Bailey insists on making her relationship with Hollister work. Hollister goes out of town and Bailey decides to go out with her friend Kali for the first time in months. They decide to go to a hockey game and then out for drinks. On her way back from the bathroom, Bailey runs into Talon McAllister, literally! Bailey immediately realizes that everything is about to change based on this one chance encounter. Bailey had already been having doubts about her relationship with Hollister. She was unhappy being with him because of the way he treated her. Hollister comes back home earlier than expected, and shows Bailey how upset he is with her by using his hands. Bailey decides she needs to go away for a few days with Talon and Kali to think things through and decide what she is going to do.Talon McAllister has been single for years– focused on family, working in the family business, and playing hockey. The second he lays eyes on Bailey, everything changes for him. He wants her more than anything. He finds out she lives with her boyfriend and that instantly gets him on a mission to make Bailey his. After getting a call from Bailey to go on the vacation with Kali, he gets excited to spend time with her. He picks her up and sees her bruised face, and immediately decides he is going to show her how she deserves to be treated. Talon shows Bailey that he will be there for her and with her no matter what happens. He cares about her so much and he is willing to do anything for her. Because of the situation Bailey is facing with Hollister, Bailey tries to push Talon away because she doesn’t want him involved.Does Bailey finally realize she’s strong enough and capable of walking away from Hollister? Or will she still have the fear of repeating her past and let her greatest love go? Read this beautiful love story and find out!!I have to say that I found Bailey’s character to be sweet, caring, strong and smart. Even though she wasn’t in a healthy or happy relationship, she didn’t let fear or anything else keep her down. I respect her for the decisions she made, although some of the ones concerning Talon had me disagreeing, but she needed to work through things her own way. Talon McAllister … LOVED him just for the fact that he plays hockey. I love athletes! Anyway, I found his character to be very protective, sweet, caring, family oriented, and funny.Talon pulls me close with one hand and grabs my other hand to hold in his as we sway together to the sounds of Frank Sinatra. “You are so beautiful,” Talon whispers close to my ear causing me to shiver. He pulls back from me and grins. “Did I just cause you to shiver Bailey?” I can tell he’s holding back from laughing at me.“Are you laughing at me? You whispered in my ear, what did you expect?” I’m trying real hard to be super serious but the smile I can’t hide is a dead giveaway that I’m not the least bit mad at him.“I am not laughing at you; I just have never made a woman shiver before just by the sound of my voice. I like it.”I also really liked the flirty banter between Bailey and Talon. They always started off serious, especially Talon, by saying something sweet.Now he’s all confident and maybe even a bit smug while still whispering in my ear and I am making a vast effort to keep from sighing. I decide quickly to even the playing field some. So I slide my hand out of his and slowly run it up his arm, over his shoulder, and gently grasp the back of his neck. While playing with the small hairs on his nape, I pull his head down so I can reach his ear since even in my heels he is several inches taller than I am. “Can you honestly say that me whispering in this way does absolutely nothing… for you?” I pull back to look him in the face and I see his eyes are heavily lidded. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.“Nope, I can’t honestly say that. But you’re not playing fair.” He’s smiling happily at me and I love that I’m the one who made him so happy.“Oh, I think I’m being plenty fair.”I really enjoyed that the story was told in dual point of view. It alternated between Bailey and Talon. I didn’t know at first it was going to be told in dual point of view, but I was glad because in the back of my mind I kept hoping to find out what Talon was thinking or what his point of view would be during certain scenes. That made me really happy!! I liked the whole book, but I LOVED the Epilogue!! If you thought Talon was sweet before, wait until you read the Epilogue!! I definitely fell in love with him all over again! I have to say that CJ really does a great job incorporating such a heavy issue of domestic abuse into the story.CJ Azevedo provided BestSellers & BestStellars with an unedited copy of Without Boundaries to review. There were quite a few errors that I found, but they did not distract or take away from the story. I did have to re-read a few lines, but this can be expected with an unedited version. Overall, I was impressed with the quality of the writing. It was strong enough to keep me interested and intrigued.4 Diamonds for this beautiful story!!
Without Boundaries is a sweet love story. Bailey - a country and farm girl at heart, works and lives in NYC. She is in a committed relationship with her boyfriend of six months, but the relationship has become strained due to Hollister's very jealous nature. While her boyfriend was away to see his family, Bailey literally bumps into a gorgeous man at a hockey game. There is instant chemistry between her and the hockey player and she finds out that Talon is the brother of her friend, Kali. They all spend time together at a pub after the game where their mutual attraction grows. “He makes me laugh, a lot. He makes my heart skip and my stomach flip. He invades my thoughts, even when I’m sleeping. His touch sets my skin on fire and he makes me forget all of the negative.”Hollister returns from his trip unexpectedly. His foul temper gets the better of him and he assaults Bailey physically and leaves her with bruises. In spite of her damaged face and body, Bailey decides to accept Kali and Talon’s invitation to their house in the Hamptons for a holiday away. Her and Talon enjoy one another’s company and he takes care of her in a very sweet way. Baily even thinks of him as her soul mate. At first it was difficult to understand why Bailey would not immediately leave her abusive boyfriend for Talon, a man who seems so perfect in every way. A man she admits that she is falling in love with after only knowing him for a very short time. After all, Talon is sweet and protective and makes her laugh.Halfway into the book it becomes apparent that Bailey has very strong values. She has committed to the relationship with Hollister, and even though they aren't married, she values her commitment as if they were. This makes it extremely difficult for her to walk away from him, especially when he apologizes profusely and promises that it won’t happen again. She sees glimpses of the man she originally fell in love with and that causes her to be confused about leaving him. The author touches on the issue of domestic violence within a relationship and Bailey asks the question: “…abuse, even if it's only one time… Is it okay to ignore? Is that something I agreed to when I committed myself to him? I don’t believe it is. Abuse is not ok, in any form or any amount of occurrence.” This is not a five star book due to some grammatical errors and needs good editing. Also, the dialogue is sometimes immature for a twenty-five-year-old accomplished business woman. With a bit of polishing, the author could greatly improve the story. Talon is every woman’s dream man. Besides being extremely good looking and an athlete, he is kind, caring and protective. Both hot and very sweet. The author did an excellent job of portraying his swoon-worthy nature. A great read for 99c and a sweet love story with a HEA.- Review by Jeanette
Do You like book Without Boundaries (2013)?
Rating 3.5 out of 5 (To some this book may be a 5, but I need some more heat and depth)Without Boundaries is a sweet story. I was provided a copy in exchange for my honest review of this debut novel. And I enjoyed it. It was not the normal ‘smut’ that I read, but the characters were likable and the writing was lovely. Bailey and Talon have a connection right from the second they meet. Talon changes his ways from workaholic with no serious relationships to a man on a mission. His mission being to protect Bailey and show her how he thinks she deserves to be treated. Bailey, the poor thing, is so blinded by trying not to get hurt after losing her mother that she winds up in an abusive relationship. She feels the pull from Talon and even decides that they could be soul mates, but she won’t leave Hollister without giving him a chance to get help. And that’s when I wanted to throw my Kindle.Because of how she was raised and the fact that she is supposed to be a successful publicist, I kept hoping Bailey would reach out for help. She should have known better than to stay. Those who knew of the abuse, should have been more supportive and forceful in getting Bailey out of the relationship. I really enjoyed the friendships that Bailey had with her friends from back home and the ties she felt for her hometown. She was raised on a farm and enjoyed a good life until losing her mother and running to New York City. I wanted her to show her “roots” and reach out to someone, but unfortunately abuse victims can rationalize a lot of poor decisions. Bailey was so twisted in her thoughts that she even makes a joke about being polyamorous so she can stay with Hollister and be loved by Talon. Crazy, I tell ya! But I respected her character for finally getting out of a bad situation and taking the time to heal before moving on. Talon was a gem. He was almost too sweet, but love will do that to a man. He was not the dominate alpha that I love to swoon over, but he was a good man and he was sincere in his actions and words with Bailey. I appreciated that there wasn’t any angst over him and “other women”. The Epilogue was very romantic. Bailey deserved all of it and more!Overall, the book was a good book. Good writing, good characters, good storyline. But it just didn’t ring my bell, so to speak. I need more depth and definitely more heat for a book to be on my top reads list. CJ Azevedo has a future in the Indie book world and many will love her book. I enjoyed it. I really did, it just wasn’t my normal cup of tea.Read more reviews @ www.rawbooksonline.com
—Mandy
Cover-to-cover this book was a fantastic read! Overall I found the book to be uplifting and downright enjoyable. I was impressed!I commend C.J. Azevedo for approaching the issue of abuse in this novel. Dealing with a serious topic like abuse, I expected the book to be dark and unsettling. Instead, I found the book to be incredibly uplifting. She handled the topic with such finesse. Writing the story from dual points of view was a great way to give insight on the main characters, break up some of the more intense scenes, and create a balance between heavy and carefree moments. I was able to digest the gravity of Bailey’s situation without being absolutely overwhelmed by the severity of it. “That day, something inside me broke and I’m pretty sure it was my soul. Apparently your soul can heal after some time passes because I know for a fact that it’s shattering this very moment.” Bailey is a character that I think every woman can relate to whether or not she’s been in an abusive situation. If you remove the abuse, you’re left with a story about a girl who has to make a choice. Does she stay loyal to Hollister whom she’s invested time with even though the relationship is longer emotionally gratifying? Will this relationship turn around with more time and effort?“I just know that what I’m going through is because this is the path I chose many months ago when I moved in with him.”Or does Bailey take a chance on a stranger who gives her the spark she’s been missing with Hollister? Is there a future with Talon or is there connection nothing more than a fleeting moment? “It felt like she was ripping my heart out of my chest.”Deciding whether to stay in or leave a relationship whose expiration date is looming is something all women can relate to. The choice isn’t always black and white, and sometimes the choice you make isn’t always the right one.I was rooting for Talon the entire book. He’s just an all-around catch. I may not have agreed with all of Bailey’s decisions, but that didn’t take away from how much I love this story. Not to mention the epilogue was absolute perfection. I highly recommend adding Without Boundaries to your TBR list and reading it as soon as possible! This book is a MUST READ!
—Elle
When I first started reading this book I got so excited because I thought that the book was going to have a lot of hockey references in it. Well it didn't, but am I sad absolutely not Talon McAllister made up for any lacking of hockey references. He is charming and gentle yet still rugged enough to still keep his man card.I have to admit that throughout the whole book I wanted to pull Bailey in for a hug. I cannot imagine being treated the way that she was treated. Which brings me to her Douchebag boyfriend Hollister. Don't be fooled he is not a hot model, he is a controlling and manipulative douche. However, Bailey had some great friends but she was so embarrassed with her situation that she didn't seek their help like she should have.In this book there may have been an instant attraction between Bailey and Talon, however there was no insta-love. Thank you CJ Azevedo. I don't know how much more insta-love I can handle.All in all I do believe that this book had a lot of great qualities. I laughed, I got angry, I cried and I felt love. This book definitely takes you through every emotion possible.So here is the part where I tell you that I really think you should buy this book why you ask, Well if you must know, TALON MCALLISTER. Yes ladies he is that hot and so damn sweet. Below is the link to buy it. Let me know what you think about it. Just because I love y'all here is my Talon. And yes I went against all my morals and chose someone not on my team, but I refuse to chose anyone from the Flyers (just typing that word makes my skin crawl). *Hugs*Brandi @ Dirty Girl Book Club
—Dirty Girl Books
