Make Me (Broke and Beautiful #3)

This hero is so wonderful and sooo stupid. All I can think of when I read his POV is the following song from the uber talented and uber handsome Herb Albert but with bdsm twist.

You see this guy, this guy’s in love with you
Yes I’m in love who looks at you the way I do
When you smile I can tell it know each other very well
How can I show you I’m glad I got to know you ’cause
I’ve heard some talk they say you think I’m fine
Yes I’m in love and what I’d do to make you mine
Tell me now is it so don’t let me be the last to know
My hands are shakin’ don’t let my heart keep breaking ’cause
I need your love, I want your love.

REVIEW:

Abby is smart and comes from the Upper East Side (I’m making that up, but she is very rich.) Russell is blue collar, poor and more than aware of the difference between him and Abby. Doesn’t matter as he adores her anyway. Adores her, not from afar, but close by and platonically. He has friend-zoned himself as he feels he is not good enough for her, but, gosh-darn it, he will protect her and take care of her from killing spiders to making her wear sensible shoes. He has garbage from his childhood that feeds into his feelings of unworthiness.

Abby, in turn, adores Russell and all his awesome grumpiness. She is the quintessential poor little rich girl; her biological mother left, her step-mother is cold and distant, and she had few friends growing up. A numbers whiz, she’s never been treated so normally until Russell. Abby has been on edge since her father went a little crazy and now she’s in charge of the billion dollar hedge fund, but no one can know.

Status quo comes to a slightly BDSM end when virginal Abby falls asleep on alpha Russell and wakes up to him acting out on the dream he’s experiencing. Let me get my fan. Okay. Tessa Bailey writes very bad, BAD, B-A-D heroes. Russell shuts down on Abby, leaving her quite confused.

The gang go to Abby’s house in the Hampton’s where she and Russell finally consummate the relationship that has built up through the first two books in the series. He fell like a ton of bricks the first time he saw her; Abby, of course, is the only who doesn’t realize this. Despite worshipping the ground she walks on, Russell goes all alpha dominant on her and it is very sexy. Yes, it is.

Unfortunately, true love hits a snag when her dad’s attorney shows up and manipulates Russell into leaving. After a side eye at what looks like mildly bruised wrists (evidence of alpha activity) the attorney gives Russell the news that Abby wants him out and is ready to pay to get him gone. The big guy is devastated and leaves. As always, poor bedside behavior after deflowering a virgin requires a humongous grovel.

Let’s trigger the “what we have is a failure to communicate” trope, but somehow, someway we end with a HEA.

Is this book deserving of four stars? Not really. But once again, an uber alpha/dominant giant of a man falling for a sweet and deserving sweetheart trumps literary technique and complicated plots. You can keep your Heathcliff types, your Greek/Spanish/Italian/Sicilian tycoons. For now.

Hotter than a griddle sex scenes don’t hurt either.

Tessa Bailey is amazing and she put together such a beautiful, funny, and witty series I’m just sad that it came to an end.

Russell living in the shadow of his childhood and desiring what he can’t have just sits on the sidelines watching Abby. He fears that if he gets close to her she won’t accept him or want him because of his economic status. Abby dealing with her own stressors and issues only wants to be accepted and seen as a regular person not someone of high standards. But when she meets Russell all that changes and she falls for him because he not only sees her he knows her and is not afraid to set her straight. Abby starts to fall for Russell because he treats her as a person not something fragile that would break. Once they both realize they belong together and they knew it from the start.

I really love this series the characters just blended well and we’re all connected and described perfectly. All dealing with issue of their own and still managed to form a strong bond that goes beyond friendship. All their encounters were hilarious from the witty banter to the funny comebacks this was awesome. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard while reading a book or three for that matter. I highly recommend this series and I guarantee it won’t disappoint and if you’re a fan of Tessa Bailey you know what I mean.

This book was still delicious, but I didn’t love it as much as the previous two. I found Russell to be battling a lot of demons and insecurities and I spent a large portion of the book wanting him to get out of his own way. He was truly his own worst enemy. Abby was innocent and I would have like to have seen a better transition from innocent to not so innocent, it kind of felt like a light was switched. Once everything is out in the open, I spent a good chunk at the end of this book wondering how the hell Tessa was going to wrap this up and give me an HEA…but fret not, Tessa does deliver.

Otherwise, I really find that Russell and Abby are perfect for each other. They are so much alike in so many ways that I didn’t even realize it until closing the book and reflecting on the story. They are both trapped by insecurities, engulfed by their own secrets/demons, and have trouble just saying exactly what they are feeling. Through all the trouble they somehow find exactly what they need in each other and that makes the story truly beautiful.

The Epilogue at the end was in my opinion the absolute best. It wrapped up the entire series nicely and gave me all the feels I was hoping for. I wish it wasn’t ending…can we maybe give Louis’ sisters their own crazy spin off? I am just not ready to part ways with these characters.

Abby and Russell, the last two standing, out of the super group of their friends. First Louis and Roxy paired up, then Ben and Honey, and while Russell would like nothing more to be with Abby, she is oblivious, and his past clouds his present

Russell and Abby are the best of friends, even though he really wants more. But then he doesn’t, because he doesn’t think he is good enough. It doesn’t stop him from fantasizing though, because no matter the nature of his relationship with Abby, he needs, like really needs, to look after her

Abby has always done what is expected of her, because any time she hasn’t, she has been left alone. Fitting in isn’t her thing, neither is standing out, so she hides who she is, except with Russell. Somehow, he sees her, and she can show herself to him, and he doesn’t go away. In fact, he does everything he can to seek her out.

One moment, one time, and Abby sees past the friends they are to something more. Trouble is, these two are not operating on the same wavelengths and misinterpret everything the other says, or does. One thing they can’t deny, that they are miserable without each other. Getting past their past, accepting their current lives, and moving forward is a huge struggle

They will make you cry, they will give you butterflies, and they will take your breathe away, while they figure this all out – perfection!

The Story was nicely written, but I had a hard time getting into it.

I could not quite relate to Russel or Abbey.

Abbey, characterised as the poor little rich girl was such a clich. She feels constantly misjudged. It bothers her that her co-workers watch her with disdain, even so she works hard for everything, despite her wealth. She is claiming that all that does not matter to her, maybe she even believes that. I cant feel sorry for her, because she is effectively getting everything handed to her on a silver platter because of her connections and her wealth. In my eyes she is just a hypocrite.

Russel, he is so absorbed in his own drama. Battling himself constantly. He might be nice look at but he has no backbone to speak of and is constantly afraid of everything not trusting himself or his instincts. The overprotectiveness he displays when Abbey is around, does not speak to me either. It started to get old really quick

What I saw in the story was a deeply dysfunctional relationship, just waiting to happen. Even so there is a happy ending in the book, I cant believe it.

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