Review: Never Enough – Lauren Dane

Never Enough by Lauren Dane
Series:  Brown Siblings #4
Release Date:  September 6, 2011
Publisher:   Berkley Heat
Page Count:  320
Source:  Barnes and Noble via my wallet

ALL THE RIGHT NOTES…

Gillian Forrester spent most of her life running from who and what she came from. Until Miles came along. From the moment she held the tiny newborn her older sister didn’t want, Gillian stopped running and began to build a life for herself and her adopted son. Now, thirteen years later, as Gillian’s sister lay dying, she reveals the father’s identity and makes Gillian promise to find him.

Adrian Brown is the epitome of the successful rock star. He’s seen and done it all, with few regrets. It takes a lot to shock him but the bombshell that he has a thirteen-year-old son rocks his world. And Adrian is even more surprised when the buttoned-up, elegant woman who’s raising Miles snags his erotic and romantic attention.

The last thing Gillian expected was to find herself getting hot and heavy with a person like Adrian. But as much as she wants to open up and give herself fully to this amazing man, she’s afraid the secrets of her past and Adrian’s problems with trusting people may keep them apart for good. If love isn’t enough can they find the trust they need?

I have enjoyed the previous books in this series, but I didn’t think any of them would top my favorite “Laid Baird”.  I loved Erin, Todd and Ben’s story and what they needed to get through past and present to get to the happy future that was waiting for them.

Little did I know Adrian Brown was going to charm his way past his sister.

Thirteen years ago, twenty-one year old Gillian Forrester received a call from her wayward sister that changed her life.  She gave up her dreams for something her sister didn’t want…a baby.  Despite her repeated request, her sister never told her who Miles’ father was.  Instead she let Gillian adopt the baby thinking she was on her own and that she was all the baby had.  Her sister turned her life upside down one last time, by naming Miles father on her death bed.

Adrian Brown was the lone man in his tight circle.  Everyone else had found their mate(s) and were starting their families, leaving him to feel a bit envious.  For a man who was a rock star at the top of his game, you’d think he’d have it all, but he wanted what his friends had.  He doesn’t trust easily, but that missing piece of the puzzle had to be out there for him.

That missing piece ended up in a package with a British woman who came across as uptight and unbending, but ended up being the undoing of our bad boy rocker.  And with her came the biggest surprise of Adrian’s life…a thirteen year old son.

Adrian is the best of those alpha males who have a gooey soft center.  He fell hard and fast for a woman who showed barely any skin in public and like to reprimand him.  The fact that he was still attracted to her when he thought she was out to extort money from him was a shock.  He had a lot of ground to make up with Gillian after his less than stellar treatment of her, but Adrian worked his charm  and managed to get her into a relationship.  While being with Gillian was everything he hoped it could be, he felt as if she wasn’t given enough of herself to him and he wondered if he would ever get all of her.  He also struggled coming to gripes with being a father, but he was honest and open with Miles and that made you fall in love with him even more.

Gillian was one tough woman.  She had a crappy upbringing with crappy parents and a crappy sister, but she managed to make a life for herself despite all that.  When her sister dumped a baby on her, she instantly fell in love with and vowed that he would have a better life than she ever did.  That was a vowed that she’d kept.  They had a house and a stable middle class life that she was proud to say she did on her own.  And while she was worried about what would happen with the introduction of Miles’ missing father, she put aside her fears for the good of her son.  Sure she hid the uglier parts of her childhood and family from Adrian, but who wouldn’t given the things she’d had to live with.

Adrian and Gillian’s relationship wasn’t easy, but then again, no one’s can be perfect.  They fought over little things, but managed to agree on the big things.  It was only when they stopped working as a team that things tended to go south for them, and when it went south it did so in grand fashion.

This was a sexually and emotionally charged read that was the absolute best ending to the Brown Sibling series.  I can’t think of it ending any other way.