review 1: Did not know this was book 4 in a series when I first started reading. I had a hard time connecting to Rachel and Merrick, getting so frustrated with their lack of communication. The twist in this novel of Nadia, Merrick's daughter, kept me interested, and I did not see the resolution of the situation coming, maybe due to not reading any of the other books. I would have enjoyed this more had I read the other books in the series. review 2: In GIVEN, the proverb about "blood is thicker than water" is really put to the test.GIVEN is the continuation of Merrick Rocha and Rachael DeSalvo's relationship. The first part of the story solidifies Merrick and Rachael's highly sensual relationship, as well as their deep love for each other. Merrick's life has recently bee... moren turned upside down with the discovery of a twin son and daughter he didn't know he had. When Merrick's daughter, Nadia, calls from Paris and leaves him a cryptic message, Merrick is determined to find Nadia and bring her back to safety at Turtle Tear in an attempt to get her out of Enzo's evil clutch.As much as they love each other, searching for Nadia puts a strain on Merrick's and Rachael's relationship. Rachael doesn't trust Nadia, but Merrick is insistent that they help her. Even though Merrick has just discovered that he's a father to a twenty one year old, he's taking his new position as father seriously. He doesn't want to be emotionally unavailable like his father, Enzo. Merrick has a desperate need to form a relationship with his daughter and fulfill his role as loving and supportive father.As they wait for Nadia to make further contact, Merrick and Rachael seem to have an endless amount of super-charged sex as they sightsee and travel throughout Paris. As days continue to pass and it looks like Nadia is making no attempt to communicate with her father, Rachel finally puts her foot down , giving Merick and Nadia a short deadline to connect with each other, or else it's time to go home. When Rachael and Merrick return to Turtle Tear without Nadia, Rachael is looking forward to getting back to a normal routine. Rachael and her family are excited to be planning her wedding. Her happiness is short lived when Nadia decides to surprise her father and shows up at Turtle Tear for an extended stay.Once Nadia shows up at Turtle Tear, the dynamics between Rachael and Merrick change drastically. Merrick is grateful to have his daughter with him and is more than eager to bond with her. Rachael tries to show her support, but Nadia is a crafty, manipulative witch, who knows how to push all of Rachael's buttons while maintaining an act of pure innocence toward her father. Nadia is able to set Rachael up so many times as being the angry, unwelcoming step mom- to -be, even when Rachael is actually trying to make nice with Nadia for Merrick's sake.Merrick is completely blind to Nadia's antics and is constantly siding with Nadia over Rachael. Quite a few times, he confronts Rachael and warns her, "Don't force me to choose."Rachael loves Merrick so much, but she can feel herself loosing Merrick to his lying, manipulative daughter. Nadia is only with them for a short time and manages to have Merrick postpone their wedding date. Nadia continues to drive a wedge between Merrick and Rachael's relationship. Even for such a strong relationship, you start to wonder if it will be able to survive the challenges. Rachael and Merrick's relationship continues to deteriorate as Nadia has the audacity to invite her mother, Gina, to Turtle Tear in an attempt to try and match Gina and Merrick up together so they can be a happy family. It's amazing and completely frustrating to watch the extent Merrick will go to for his daughter's happiness. In the meantime, he is completely destroying a wonderful relationship with the woman he loves. Over and over, situations arise in which Merrick chooses Nadia over Rachael.A drastic turn of events further changes the dynamics in the Rocha family. Merrick and Rachael reach a point where they have to decide if their love is worth fighting for. "We were tested …. Hard. We nearly failed. Now we learn from it and move forward."Due to highly sexual content, I would recommend this to readers 18+, who like steamy romance >> erotica and enjoy relationships with a moderate level of angst and drama.This copy of GIVEN was provided as ARC from publisher in exchange for honest review. less
