~ REVIEW: Love & Hate (Book One: Hate) by J.J. Dorn ~

There’s something about a horse barn in the early morning hours that makes my heart full. I love walking into the barn hearing the horses chewing on the sweet alfalfa and feeling their contentment. This is where I feel most like myself, this is where I am no longer Paige Vandenberg, daughter of millionaires or the chubby rich girl. I am just me and I am free.

I have been raised around horses my whole life. My parents own a large horse farm in the picturesque Dutch town of Lynden, Washington. Lynden sits just a few miles south of the Canadian border and truly is a small town. My family is one of the oldest families and we own or have owned practically everything. You can’t drive down the main road and not see Vandenberg scrolled on something. For many people I’m sure this sounds wonderful, but to me it’s a prison. One in which I fully intend to break free of next year when I leave for college. I will miss my family and of course my horses but I will not miss the people, and especially not resident bad boy Cutter Daniels. I hate him.

*Warning contains sexual content and coarse language. Mature audiences only 18+ years old.*

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I love books where the chemistry between the lead characters leap off the page and affect me, and Love and Hate did exactly that. Paige is the rich daughter of a couple who own a horse ranch and is a beautiful girl inside and out…even if she isn’t a size 2. She has very loving parents and a good group of supportive friends. So, you would think she had a “perfect” life, right? Wrong…she is the target of Cutter Daniels and his brother, Cooper’s, hateful taunts and name calling. She tries to steer clear of them in their small town which isn’t always easy, so she is looking forward to going away to college. Paige seems to be flourishing at college, making new friends and pledging a sorority. However, it doesn’t last long when she runs into Cutter Daniels. As her luck would have it, he is attending the same college that she is. She again tries to avoid him, but he seems to be seeking her out. A friendship develops between them, but as they spend more time together, Paige finds herself falling for the bad boy. He seems to be falling for her too, but does he have ulterior motives, or are his feelings real?

Once I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down. The angst and chemistry between Paige and Cutter was mesmerizing. I felt butterflies in my stomach when these two were even close to each other. I started out not liking Cutter very much. He was a jerk to her when she was a child. But, holy crap, he is one fine specimen of a man. There aren’t many women who could resist his sexy charm. By the end, he had me under his spell as he did every other woman in the book. And Paige, one of my favorite female characters EVER! She isn’t your stereotypical rich girl; she has so much substance and such a sweet, loving heart. Her heart is just as beautiful as she is on the outside.

Again, the push and pull between this couple is explosive! It’s not just a romance, but there is a lot of conflict, angst, anger, and tears. It does end in a bit of a cliffhanger, but not a major one that will rock your world. As I write this, I went right ahead, downloaded the second book, Love and Hate Book 2, Love. I am in the middle of reading it right now, and let me say….WOW!!! I am so glad I found J.J. Dorn!

**ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review**

J.J. Dorn lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and terrifyingly maniacal cat, Pippa Kiddleton. She currently owns three American Paint Horses. She has been riding and competing since she was a very young child. J.J. competes on a national level with her horses. When she isn’t spending time at the barn, she is busy working on her next novel.

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~ REVIEW: Love and Hate (Book Two: Love) by JJ Dorn ~

He broke me, he lied to me, he used me and then he left me. Physically and emotionally I was broken and not just a little broken, I was obliterated. I was in so many pieces it took a long time for me to even gather enough pieces to even begin rebuilding. But, the important thing is I did. I’m not one-hundred percent yet, heck I probably will never be completely healed but that’s okay because I made it. I’m alive. I use my pain as fuel now. When I want to give up I think of all my hurt and anger and it pushes me to keep going.

A year and half ago I died. It was my mistake and if I could do it over again I would, but I can’t. What’s done is done. All I can do now is move forward and try to forget I ever loved Cutter Daniels.

*Warning contains sexual content and coarse language. Mature audiences only 18+*

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“Love is not easy it is tough, but if you can fight through the pain, there is something truly magnificent on the other side of it.”

This quote is a perfect description of the journey that Paige and Cutter take in this book. After hard work and perseverance, Paige has decided to return to college. Although her body is healing, her heart is having a harder time with the process. However, she wants to get back to college to eventually reach her goal of becoming an attorney. She has a new house her parents bought her, and her friend Millie has moved in with her. She has changed a lot, and she is seeing this as a chance to put Cutter behind her. When she hears that Cutter has a girlfriend, Laney, it hurts. But, she decides she isn’t going to let him break her again. She meets her sweet and sexy neighbor, Holden, and feels a bit of a spark. As she and Holden become closer, Cutter reappears and isn’t planning on letting Paige go that easily. Will she choose a new, safe path with Holden? Or, will she put her heart in danger again by giving Cutter another chance?

Sweet Jesus, this book was AWESOME!!!! All the love, hate, and angst had my stomach in knots. I felt every moment of love, anger, regret, and hate in my heart. I thought Paige and Cutter had a hot, sexy chemistry in this book, but they were downright combustible in this one! I times I thought my Kindle was going to burn up at certain points in the book. The sex scenes weren’t graphic, but when these two are together, they are just downright sexy and steamy. I was lost in this book; I started this afternoon and was finished this evening. I hated for it to end! While there is romance, there is a lot of heartbreak. I wasn’t sure who I felt worse for…Paige or Cutter. I was able to see a whole other side to Cutter. Just made him even sexier to me. Again, great character development…not just the main characters but also the secondary characters. I love Tess, Lacey, and Millie. Every girl needs friends like that!

I am having a major book hangover from this series. It was fantastic!!! If you want a fast read that is spicy, sweet, and sexy, give both of these books a try! I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Now, I have to wait until J.J. Dorn comes out with her next book. I hope I won’t have to wait too long!

J.J. Dorn lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and terrifyingly maniacal cat, Pippa Kiddleton. She currently owns three American Paint Horses. She has been riding and competing since she was a very young child. J.J. competes on a national level with her horses. When she isn’t spending time at the barn, she is busy working on her next novel.

Amazon * Goodreads * Facebook * Website