Review of Beautiful Chances (Beautiful #1) by Alicia Rae

Synopsis: After losing her parents and sister in a tragic car accident, Lily distances herself from those still around her. As she solely focuses on her work, she refuses to form any emotional attachments in fear of struggling through another unbearable loss.

…until Kyle enters her life with his possessive and overbearing personality. Instead of running, Lily finds herself drawn to him. Helping her on a path to healing, Kyle stands by her side and lends her his strength.

A bond is formed, but it is tested when the unthinkable happens.

Can taking a chance on love conquer all?

*Book contains mature adult content*

4 Stars

Review: I read some pretty mixed reviews for this book, but I have to say that I liked it. Sure, the main character, Lily, falls into insta-love with Kyle, and she seems to trust him fairly quickly, which is odd since she trusts no one. Other than that, however, if you are looking for a book with two people that have good chemistry and some steamy encounters, then this is a good weekend read.

Lily has had a very rough three years. She experienced a majorly traumatic life event, and she has basically been hiding since then. She has successfully written one book, and she is on her way to finishing the second, when she chances to meet the eyes of a hot guy on the beach one day. Kyle steps in and, while he is possessive and overbearing and dominant, he also seems to be exactly what Lily needs to begin to bring her back to life. He wasn't as dominant as some of my book boyfriends, but, for Lily, he is definitely an alpha male.

Kyle is a successful real estate agent and has also built his own home. I could not tell how old he was versus Lily being in her early 20's, but he was in the Army at some point, so he does seem a little bit further in life and more mature than she is. In many ways, the first book ends with Kyle still being somewhat of a mystery, so I am hopeful that the next book will focus more on him and his past. Based on the references that his family makes, Kyle being interested in Lily and bringing her to meet his family, seems to be out of the norm for him.

Someone else has been watching Lily, too, however, and she begins to get some notes and texts that seem to be threatening. Lily has no clue what they could be about, aside from a random fan-stalker, but then her family reveals something at the end of the book that leaves me guessing. I can't wait to see what happens next for Kyle and Lily. For Lily's sake, I want some good to happen for her.

Jess