REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: BETWEEN LOVE AND LOYALTY by SHANNYN SCHROEDER

Enter to Win a $10 Gift Card to Amazon or B&N (winner's choice),

a signed print copy of Under Your Skin (For Your Love #1) US only,

or a digital copy of Hot & Nerdy 2 Anthology 

 

 

Between Love and Loyalty

By: Shannyn Schroeder

Releasing October 18, 2016
Self-Published

+ Add to Goodreads

In Between Love and Loyalty, Connor Duffy would like nothing more than to bring the Cavanagh family down, and finally expose alderman Brady Cavanagh for the corrupt man that he is. However, he isn't having much luck digging up dirt on the man until he meets Fiona, the alderman's daughter. Will she give him the information he needs, or will the bond growing between them force him to give up his pursuit?

 

Fiona Cavanagh hates being in the public eye, but it's part of the curse of having a father in politics. One night when out with her best friend, Fiona meets Connor and figures he could be just the man to offer her the perfect distraction. But the more time she spends with him, the stronger her feelings for the mysterious man become. So, what will happen when she learns the truth about why he's spending so much time with her? Will she be able to forgive and forget the deception of everyone she loves, or will her chance at forever with Connor end in disaster?

 

I enjoy Ms. Schroeder's books, and this was a wonderful read. Right from the beginning, this book was entertaining and fast-paced, which opened with a little bit of excitement. What is causing Fiona's bad mood? Will what she's working on help her overcome it? However, it was from the moment that Fiona met Connor that this book gripped my full attention because of why the hero is so invested in getting to know the heroine. Will she give him the information he needs to expose her father's crimes?

 

As for the dialogue, it was intense due to the main characters back stories. I could understand why Connor wants revenge against Fiona's father, as he hasn't had the easiest of times since doing what the alderman asked him to do for the man's son. While with Fiona, she loves her family and yet I couldn't blame her for wanting to escape them. Her mother is a real witch with the way she treats her and I could sympathize with her reasons for needing to escape. Really, why are some mothers so awful?

 
I loved both the main characters, as well as most of the secondary ones. Fiona's brother, Aiden, has worked hard to overcome his past and I liked how he supported his sister. If someone hurt her, then he believed they deserved to pay. Yet, as for Fiona's parents, they deserved everything thrown at them. Certainly, her parents didn't show their son what it means to be a responsible adult. Moreover, I liked Dermott; the man that was a father figure to Connor. The way he supports the hero was great, because Connor needed someone on his side.

Fiona was  a really good heroine. She's strong, brave and I liked how determined she was to go against her family. Their warnings weren't going to keep her away from Connor, especially when he treated her like she mattered. I also liked the fact that she's so different from the rest of her family. She's not a woman that thinks she's better than everyone else. While Connor, his point of view really drew me into this story. He has so many decisions to make, and I felt sorry for him when it came to his relationship with Fiona. However, in saying that, I liked how much he was willing to fight for her. That he wasn't willing to let her family drive them apart.

Overall, this was a really good book where the strong relationship between Fiona and Connor spills over onto the pages in hot sex scenes. At first, Connor knows that the heroine is his way of achieving what he wants, but she comes to mean so much to him and things become complicated. Should he or should he not tell her about his past with her brother? The epilogue wrapped this story up nicely, and I was so happy how things turned out for this couple because they deserved all the happiness in the world after all that they went through. I would recommend Between Love and Loyalty by Shannyn Schroeder, if you enjoy the revenge trope. 

OVERALL RATING:  

 

 

 

BLURB:
When at war, aim for the heart…

Connor Duffy is desperate. His tell-all book on corrupt Chicago alderman Brady Cavanagh isn’t telling enough to get publisher interest, and in order to get the hot dirt, he must find a way to get closer to the man who let Connor go to prison to cover for his own son’s misdeeds. So when fate puts Cavanagh’s lively, artsy daughter across Connor’s path, he decides to take advantage of the first bit of good luck he’s had in a long while.

… but don't forget to keep your own under guard.

Fiona Cavanagh needs a break. Between assisting with her father’s political campaign, trying to please her unpleasable mother, and dealing with an ex who won’t go away, she has no time for a life of her own. One night she meets sexy and mysterious Connor and everything looks like it’s about to finally turn around… until she discovers that the one man she thought she could love was using her to get to her father. As dark family secrets unravel around her, Fiona finds herself caught between love... and loyalty.

Buy Links:    Amazon | iTunes | Kobo

 

Aiden stared into his eyes, and Connor knew when recognition hit. So much for his costume being a disguise. The damn thing hadn’t helped at all.

“Holy fuck. What the hell are you doing here?”

“Aiden.”

A range of emotions crossed Aiden’s face before Connor could develop an answer for Aiden’s question. “You’re the guy Fiona’s with? What the fuck are you doing with my sister?”

A smirk lifted Connor’s mouth. “You really want the answer?”

Aiden stepped forward with fists clenched.

Connor glanced down at Aiden’s hands. “You might want to rethink. Remember what happened last time.”

“I was drunk and high last time. I’m in full control of my faculties now. I knew you hated me, but why the hell would you go after Fiona?”

The accusation poked at him, but the conversation felt natural. Just like it always had with his friend. “I didn’t go after her. She came onto me at a bar and introduced herself as Fiona Wells.”

“But you knew who she was.” Aiden’s gaze shifted.

“Yeah, but surprisingly, I never lied about my name and it didn’t ring any bells for her.”

“She was away at school. She never knew.” Aiden’s shoulders sagged.

Connor could almost feel the weight pushing between them, compressing the past into a flurry of emotions. If only he could turn back the clock. The number of things he’d do differently. He couldn’t help but wonder if he and Aiden would still be friends if things had taken a different course.

“You can’t continue to see her.”

“Why not? Afraid of the truth?”

Aiden’s weary gaze met his. “Hell, yeah. I care about her. If you want to come after me then bring it, but Fiona isn’t part of this.”

Connor was taken back by Aiden’s honesty. “She made herself part of it.”

“I tried to make things right. You know I did.”

Old anger swelled in Connor’s chest. “There is no making this right unless you tell everyone the truth. Are you prepared to do that?”

Aiden shook his head. “I can’t.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“It wouldn’t change anything anyway.” He took a deep breath and stared out at the street. “I’ll tell her to stay away from you.”

“I’m sure you will, but she doesn’t strike me as the type of woman to listen to her big brother.” Besides, Connor knew Aiden wouldn’t tell Fiona the whole truth out of fear that Fiona would get to hear Connor’s side of the story. Connor could tell her and possibly ruin Aiden’s relationship with her, but it wouldn’t be enough. Brady Cavanagh wouldn’t suffer.

Aiden took another step. They stood eye-to-eye. “I’ve reformed my life, but if you hurt her, I will come after you.”

“You can try.” Deep down, Connor knew he might hurt Fiona, but the chances of her destroying him were much greater.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Shannyn Schroeder is the author of the O’Leary series, contemporary romances centered  around a large Irish-American family in Chicago and the Hot & Nerdy series about 3 nerdy friends finding love. Her new series (For Your Love) will release this summer with the first title Under Your Skin. When she’s not wrangling her three kids or writing, she watches a ton of TV and loves to bake cookies.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads