Review and Giveaway: Everything I've Never Had by Lynetta Halat

Synopsis

Celeste Hebert appears to have it all, but there are many things she's never had, been forbidden from having.

One night. One song. One kiss. The perfect trifecta to unleash the floodgates of a forbidden attraction between the widow and her husband’s bad boy cousin, Adrian.

Celeste endeavors to rebury the feelings that surface after this one night since her powerful family despises him. Kindred spirits, best of friends they attempt to douse their attraction; however, Adrian always seems to know exactly how to push her buttons and may prove too much to resist.

Having defied his family by making his way on his own terms, Adrian struggles to regain their acceptance. When he meets his cousin’s wife and wants her for his own, he feels he’s finally lived down to the title—black sheep. But, when his cousin dies unexpectedly, Adrian fights his attraction and swears to honor them both by helping her raise her boys.

Finding himself enveloped in a cocoon of love and acceptance, Adrian knows it’s more than just physical attraction. However, unforeseen events threaten to destroy those he now holds dear and his newfound peace.

Will the ties that bind them be their undoing?


4 star review by Jen Skewes

"You're my life, my love, my heaven."

Celeste has lost her husband and is left to raise her three amazing boys by herself.  She comes from a very powerful family, who for most of her life has been told what to do.  How to act, who to be friends with, how to feel and who she should marry.  She married Tripp because both of their families thought they should be together.  She had known Tripp for a long time and he was a wonderful husband and father and she did love him, just not the way a wife should love her husband.   When Celeste lost Tripp to cancer she was now faced with raising her three boys alone.  Celeste is a very strong woman and was capable of taking care of her boys on her own.  She was an amazing mother to all of them and only wanted what was best.  She didn't want them growing up in a family who made decisions for them like she was.  But unfortunately for her, Celeste and Tripp's family had other plans for her.  They already had plans as to who she would marry and who would be her boys' stepfather. They chose her late husband's brother, who happens to be a complete sleazeball.  Celeste had no intentions or interest in marrying William.  There was only one person that she wants and that was her late husband's cousin Adrian.

Adrian has always been the black sheep of the family mainly due to his father's reputation.  He only became acquainted with his cousin Tripp recently and the two happened to become very close.  So when Tripp died he promised to take care of his wife and her kids.  But what no one knew was that the moment Adrian met Celeste years ago he wanted her, but being his cousin's wife she was completely off limits.  There is no denying the connection between Celeste and Adrian, both physically and emotionally.  But being with Celeste is completely out of the question.  He isn't good enough for her, their families would never accept it and being with Celeste will only cause her to get hurt.  But Celeste feels differently. When she is with Adrian she has feelings that she never experienced before.  She gets those butterflies in her stomach, there is this sexual pull towards him that she can't deny.  As much as these two want to be with each other they use every bit of their will power to remain just friends.  But how long can two people who are meant to be together stay just friends?  How long can they push their feelings aside and ignore the magnetic pull that they have towards each other?

"I love you too, Celeste.  More than anything.  More than Everything."

I loved Adrian!  He was an amazing person all around.  He loved Celeste's boys as if they were his own.  He was there for her when Tripp died in every way possible.  He was like her rock, always there when she needed him.  There was no doubt that he was in love with her.  He would do anything for her, well almost anything.  He wouldn't take the chance of being more than just friends with her no matter how much he wanted to.  He needed to stay in the friend zone to keep her safe.  

"I've never known such a feeling of complete contentment than when I am with you and the boys.  Do you know how huge that is for me?  To feel peace and acceptance and love?  I've never had that."

Celeste and Adrian has this amazing chemistry and connection and you felt that connection in their first kiss...OMG! That kiss said it all and you felt it all; the emotions and the chemistry between them.   Their relationship in the beginning was so frustrating and heart breaking at the same time.  You could feel the love they had for each other and wanted them to work past the issues and be together.  Every time they would get close they would pull away.  I don't want to give away to much but will say that at some point they give in to their feelings and decide that no matter what their families think, no matter what they are holding over their heads they are going to be together and be happy.  But their journey is not an easy one.  They have their family to deal with and then are faced with another road block that could bring them further apart.  Their journey is one that will make you laugh, cry, swoon and break your heart at times.  They have their ups and downs and both work hard to fight for what they have and fight for each other.  Celeste was an amazing heroine.  She spent her whole life doing what was expected of her but now it was time for her to fight for what she wanted, she was strong and independent and I loved how she stood up for her and Adrian.  

"I've never felt more loved, more cherished, more alive." - Celeste

Lynetta Halat did a fantastic job with this story.  I loved Celeste's brother who was the only family remember that really understood her and stood up for her.  Her relationship with her boys will touch your heart.  She was such a wonderful mother and you could feel how much she loved those boys and what they meant to her. There was one part in the book that involved letters and guitar picks which was one of my favorite parts of the book, besides the epilogue of course.  But it really showed the love that these two characters had for each other and how they truly were meant to be together.  A wonderful job by Ms. Halat.



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