Review: Stronger by Janet Nissenson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone - Inevitable #6
Release - October 10, 2017
Genre - Contemporary Romance
Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5
Length - 410 pages
Trope - age gap

Cara has an admitted problem with hot men, falling so deeply and so quickly under their spell that she loses a little bit of herself with each toxic relationship that always seems to end badly. Every man in her young life thus far has let her down – her high school sweetheart, a college fling, and most of all her self-centered playboy father. She’s determined not to be a sucker for a handsome face and a hard body any longer, and has stuck to her guns for more than two years. And then she meets Dante.

Dante knows he has no business messing with cute little Cara. For one thing she works for his best friend, and more importantly she’s all kinds of wrong for him – too young, too innocent, too kindhearted. And given the mood he’s in these days – after the woman he was ready to propose to chose her career over him - a sweetheart like Cara should be running as fast as she can in the opposite direction.

But the only place Cara wants to run is right into Dante’s arms and stay a good long while. Will he wind up being the one for her – or is she destined yet again for another heartbreak?

Find your copy of Stronger here:
Goodreads | Amazon

MY REVIEW

I realized after reading Stronger that I’ve had the good fortune to read this series in its entirety. How cool is that? No worries though - if you haven’t read any of the other books in the series or read a few not all, this reads completely as a standalone. Past characters are there in the periphery (some are closer than others), but it’s not necessary to know their stories in order to understand, follow along, and fall in love with Dante and Cara’s love story.

Dante had his heart broken. He was in love with a woman who seemed to love herself more than anyone else. He was on the brink of proposing to her when she called off their relationship, choosing her career over a life with him. Dante was deep in despair and his friends and family had had enough and encouraged him to move on. However, doing so is harder than anyone realizes. That is until a sweet, fresh and beautiful woman named Cara brings sunshine to his life. She’s too young for him, too good, and she deserves a man who can give her everything. Dante can’t imagine being who she needs because not only does he not want to travel that road again, but he’s got unresolved feelings for his ex. So what happens when the ex comes crawling back?

I’m a huge fan of Janet Nissenson’s writing. Her writing is almost lyrical and her stories are always passionate. She did an amazing job of drawing a picture in my mind of Dante. And let’s be real, this was Dante’s story more than anyone else’s. He was the star amongst bit players. I could feel his pain, confusion, depression, anger, desire and love. I could not only feel these things, but the author gave me a chance to understand them. I think the only complaint I have is that I wanted more time with Dante and Cara as an everlasting couple. I think an epilogue in the future would have absolutely made my day. However, if you’re looking for angst, drama, intense passion, and fierce love, then this story’s got all that and more.

Note to the author: Janet, in your note to us readers you stated, “I know that for some readers the stories have seemed too long, too detailed…”. I say NO! I wouldn’t change a damn thing. You gave us your all and it was more evident through each book how much of your heart was poured into the pages. I’m sad to say goodbye to this series but I’m glad you’ll be giving us the holiday edition to ease the pain of this farewell.