Guest Review: Blush (Uncorked #3) by Shea Balik

Raise your wine glasses high to toast the men of Dahlonia while they discover the secret to happiness – LOVE.

Fifteen years ago, Kadyn Bellamy and Valor Lee had blown any chance of building a future together. Valor had joined the CIA to hunt down terrorists and Kadyn abhorred violence. At the time, their differences had seemed insurmountable.

When Valor shows up in Dahlonia looking as hot as ever, Kadyn needs to decide if he can reconcile their divergent viewpoints. The choice wasn’t as easy as it might seem. If only the love he’d felt for Valor had diminished, he could easily walk away. It didn’t seem fair that he might have to give up the love of his life, twice.

All Valor wanted was the future he and Kadyn had dreamed. For fifteen years, his love for Kadyn had only grown. He’d known when he’d walked away from Kadyn all those years ago, it would be a challenge to convince Kadyn they could still make their dreams come true.

It was only when tragedy struck, that Kadyn was forced to come to grips with the past. With eyes wide open, he was ready to take a step into the future. He just needed to decide if Valor would be a part of it or not


Reviewer: NeRdyWYRM

Second Chance Sweetness

Shea Balik adds another installment to the Uncorked series with a second chance romance between MCs Kadyn and Valor. I will admit, I almost DNF'd this one a couple of times because of Kadyn's idiotic intransigence. I mean, I was incensed on Valor's behalf and wanted to reach in, wrap my hands around Kadyn's throat and throttle him a little while screaming, "Grow the fuck up already!"

But I'll let you experience that for yourself. Because, you know ... you really should. Just so I'm not alone in my frustration. It's been a while since I read this one and that aspect of it remains luridly vivid. Poor Valor. I wanted to throttle him, too, but only because he kept throwing himself on the proverbial sword or figuratively laying down so Kadyn could stomp all over him. Grow some pride, man! FML.

no balls

Of course it all works out in the end. There's soul searching and drama. There's some OTT ridiculousness from Kadyn and some more self-effacement from Valor until, of course, something happens that breaks the stalemate. FINALLY! Little Kadyn grows up a little and stops looking at everything with rose-colored glasses.

I mean, really, I don't want every MC to be some jaded, cynical bastard like me but come on! This guy really had his head in the sand. Deliberately obtuse. Revisionist historian. Seriously.

showing ass

Yeah, I guess I'm still a little salty about that. Must come from being a military spouse. Some give all ...

Anyway, get past the bullshittery of one MC and you had a realistic love story. First loves reunited and second chances. You never forget your first, or at least you don't if they can still set you on fire years later. These guys had that in spades.

This was a good addition to the Uncorked lineup and I actually enjoyed it more than I did book 2. If you liked the others, this one is well worth continuing with the series.


More reviews by NeRdyWYRM can be found on Goodreads here.
Images (when present) may be subject to copyright.
An ARC copy of this title was provided for an honest review.



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