Book Review: There You Stand (Between Breaths #5) by Christina Lee

There You Stand
Between Breaths #5

By:
Christina Lee

Published:
April 21, 2015

Publisher:
Penguin/InterMix

Add to Goodreads

Source:
eARC from Publisher for a honest review

Mature Content
18 & Up

GR's Summary:

From the author of All of You and Before You Break comes a new Between Breaths male/male standalone romance about the silent, inked up skateboarder and the tattoo artist who unravels him piece by piece… 

Tattoo artist Cory Easton has worked long enough at Raw Ink to know, just by looking at a dude, what his body art reveals, what makes him tick, what even makes him scared. Until he meets the quiet and remote Jude York—so unreadable, so unreachable, and so unlike anyone else, he can’t help but arouse Cory’s curiosity. 

As captivating and complex as his ink, Jude is a mystery—and Cory’s falling fast and hard under his spell. Against his better judgment to steer clear. 

The rumors of Jude’s past overshadow him—whispers of prison and an unmentionable secret that’s kept him in the protective shadows of a local motorcycle club. As Cory probes deeper, he wonders how much he really wants to know. Especially since Jude has awakened something inside him that has been buried too long—and has him feeling completely alive for the first time in forever…

Between Breaths Series:

My Review of All Of You Here

My Review of Before You Break Here

My Review of Whisper To Me Here

My Review of Promise Me This Here

*Add this Series to Goodreads Here

My Thoughts:

The Between Breaths Series is such a great New Adult Romantic Series.  I would recommend all of these books.  They are entertaining, fast-paced, have just the right amount of angst and light heartedness, depth, and excellent fully developed characters.  I have been a fan of Corey Easton's, since I was first introduced to him.  I am so happy that he finally got his own story!

Corey works at Raw Ink and has a passion for his career as a tattoo artist.  While his closest friends are his co-workers, he is still lonely.  The only living relative that he has left is his Grandma, and he is really close to her.  He's had a rough road as far as relationships are concerned, and is tired of one night stands.

Corey  notices the uber sexy, gorgeous, newcomer Jude York right away.  He constantly runs in to Jude in his small town.  Jude is a talented skater.  He is very shy, mysterious, and a man of few words.  Cory is pretty sure that Jude is straight, but he can't help but crush on him.  When Jude makes appointments for Corey to give him a large tattoo over several sessions, they start to get to know one another better, sparks fly, and feelings grow.  However, there are rumors surrounding Jude being connected to a local MC, and being dangerous.  What is Jude hiding, and can Corey trust him with his heart?

The beginning of There You Stand was slow moving.  Initially, I had trouble connecting with Jude, because I was getting frustrated about how he avoided answering Corey's questions.  It drove me crazy.  I thought a dual perspective would have worked better, so that I could get in to Jude's head, and know what he was thinking.  Then, I realized why Ms. Lee wrote the story the way she did.  The revelations and plot twists would not have worked as well with both perspectives.  About a third of the way in to the story, and the pace picked up!  Then, the story flew by!  

I loved learning about Jude little by little.  The slow-building friendship and romance between Corey and Jude made everything so much more believable, special, and intense.  The sex scenes were very detailed, and frequent once they began.  However, there was a lot of emphasis on emotional intimacy, trust, and Jude and Corey opening up and taking a chance on love as well.

Dog lovers will really enjoy this book.  We get to learn about Corey's dogs antics, especially, Chopper!  Grandma was a great character.  I cherished the scenes where Corey spent time with her, and then introduced her to Jude.  They had such a strong, and loving bond, which reminded me of the way I am with my grandparents.   

My Rating:

I give, There You Stand, by Christina Lee, 4 Mysterious Crush, Rich Romance, A Beautiful Love Filled Stars!  This was another great addition to the Between Breaths Series and an outstanding M/M romance!

Book Teaser:

Casting by the Author:

"Cory" 

"Jude"

Purchase At:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo

About Christina Lee:

Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys. She's addicted to lip gloss, salted caramel everything, and believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.

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