Excess (Lust & Lies)

4.5 stars. Nina Scott is lost in the world. Growing up, she thought if her family had more money, that would have solved a lot of their problems. Now that she has more money than she can ever imagine spending, she doesn't belong any more than she did before. Her relationships all blow up in her face somehow, the most recent one being a man named Devin who owned all of her but couldn't be honest with her and discarded her. Nina kept going back for seconds because she couldn't stay away. Nina appears to have it all, but actually has nothing, she's quite lonely and doesn't trust easily. She might initially come off as a little weak but actually she's far from it. She knows exactly what her strengths and weaknesses are and she's very smart, but also vulnerable. I enjoyed getting to know her and her flaws, she was so insecure about the prospect of happiness yet the real Nina inside was just waiting to come out. Upon meeting Aiden, who is absolutely Wow!, he is everything she needs and wants but doesn't realize it yet. There was nothing not to like about Aiden except that Nina is coming from a fragile place and not willing to be forthcoming just yet. The chemistry between them is very electric and undeniable, but Aiden is also holding back on information about himself. He's a mix of intuitive, tender, sexy, possessive, persistent and dominant. The question remains as to what do they want from each other and if Nina will unwillingly let herself become emotionally entangled without consequence again.I was actually a little conflicted for Nina between the 2 men. She has so much history with one of them, who is in an impossible situation to offer her anything substantial. The other man could be her future if she let him in fully and let the past go. I also can't forget how she was treated so poorly before. Ultimately, I want Nina to find her own happiness and as she starts to embrace her inner sexual desires and empower herself, those men should see that she's a woman worth fighting for.I thought I knew who Nina should be with, there was one glaring clue that I didn't fail to ignore that told me the answer of which guy might have a shot at Nina's heart. Devin and Aiden both have secrets to spill out. To say that the twists and turns came as a surprise is definitely an understatement. There's no way I could have predicted the events that unfolded. Nina's realization of the truth overwhelms her, which is completely understandable because people aren't what they appear. Sacrifices have been made, but to what extent and to what expense? How much is too much or too little? Personally, I'm happy for Nina because after everything, it wasn't riches or property or social status that captured her heart, it was the fight for her and the belief in love for her that won her over. Kate Stewart weaves a captivating story that unfolds so many layers of character flaws, but also depth, that makes it impossible to stop reading.

Copied over from original reviews of each book purchased individuallyBook 1 – OpulenceBook 2 – ReverenceBook 3 – Hindrance4 stars!!“I fed his need for dominance; he fed my inner w***e.”Each part of this serial is just over one hundred pages long and all three instalments are out so the story is complete.Nina was a divorcee and entrepreneur. Since Nina shot to riches with her invention she had always struggled to fit in no matter how hard she tried. The women from the clubs the societies had always given her a hard time and despite trying to buy friendships Nina had never felt more alone. The only real friend Nina had was her financial advisor Devin McIntyre. Their relationship though had gone from purely friendship to an all-out love affair. However Nina always felt that he was holding back and once she finally finds out why she quickly dumps him...well maybe after a few last couplings for good measure.“I was an ambitious, determined, wealthy woman with a strong, insatiable sexual appetite who needed to take control of her life. And so I did. And you know what I found out? It was way harder to be weak.”Nina decides to just be Nina, just be normal and it is while drowning her sorrows in a bar that she meets Aiden. Nina was so conflicted, she desperately wanted to fit in, she wanted friends and she wanted to be loved. She thought that she had that with Devin. She found it hard to forget him, she thought that what they had was real, she had fallen in love and was sure that he had too.When Nina crosses paths with Aiden he is singing in a bar. She becomes lost in the music and lost in the man that had totally captivated her. Aiden called to Nina...they had a connection and you knew that if they ran with it, it would be explosive. Having just come out of a relationship, would Nina go with the flow, would let she let her heart rule or her head.“I’d left the door open for him in invitation, but I walked through it alone.”Nina and Aiden together were hot and I mean page combusting hot. Angelica Chase can certainly write a mean sex scene. While sex with Devin had been fast, furious, kinky and fantastic, Aiden gave her the best of both worlds, the sweet and caring making love and the kinky no holds barred exhibitionism that she came to find she loved and thrived on. Nina is conflicted though, she is stuck, in two minds...stuck between the man of her past and the man of her present. What to do, what to do.“If this man was my knight, I had no doubt he was hiding the dark horse he rode in on.”I went through a plethora of emotions while reading this; I went from loving Devin, to hating him, to feeling sorry for him and back and forth and back and forth. You never knew where this story was going and what a tale the author wove. I only picked this book up initially to get a feel and schedule it, but I ended up reading all three instalments in one sitting, that was how addictive this story became.“She makes me whole. You only wanted me for half.”I found myself loving and hating both men, both had their plus sides and both had their bad. Seemingly the saying never judge a book by its cover certainly applies with these two men. Both men were chameleons in their own way. You never knew whose skin they were going to appear in. Throughout reading I was trying to piece together the little snippets that I managed to read between the lines but nothing could have prepared me for the tangled web that these three wove.This series was compelling, extremely addictive and totally intriguing. While you will no doubt have your favourite throughout this story just hold those thoughts until the end, everything you think you know...forget it. Angelica Chase has penned an extremely clever story that had me totally flabbergasted. The highs and lows, the push and pull, combined with some wit and some intensely heated sex scenes leaves you with a perfectly balanced read that will keep those pages turning frantically till the end.“You are ready and able to do beautiful things in this world and you’ll only really ever have two choices: love or fear. Choose love. And don’t ever let fear turn you against your playful heart.” – Jim CarreyI thoroughly enjoyed this serial and while this is my first read by Angelica Chase it certainly won’t be my last.

Can't fault this book, but not my favourite by this author. I like a HEA, and I honestly can't see one for this couple, so it left me a little disappointed.

I enjoyed this story about Nina Scott, Devin McIntyre and Aiden McIntyre. I enjoyed their journey to them finding their happy ever after.

I've definitely read this before & it's annoying as nothing showed up when purchasing it. It's happened before a few times with other books. You'd think authors would align edits whatever!Anyhow on with my review. Poor Nina definitely couldn't win a trick esp with her love life. First her ex Ryan, her lover Devin & Aiden her new love. Now she has money, through a lifestyle idea, she thought it would help but it doesn't. Devin is the main focus, betrayed by him as he is married (but that's another story). He also handles her finances.Told partly in dual POV's we get to find out Devins background & the problems he's got himself caught up in. But it is not really until the end we actually find out the whole sick story. I suppose there had to be a twist to make someone a bad guy.Nina was just looking for love but she had that submissive thing down pat which made her ideal for her 2 lovers. There is a touch of BDSM here & there. At times she did become annoying but that's just who she was. The love scenes are hot. It's one of those stories that hooks you in & you don't want to put down.I did enjoy reading it again & I would've scored it more as I feel a bit duped.

Love this author. Always strong characters, attention to detail, great dialogue and hot. Scorching!You will not be dissapointed with this book- or anything written by her.Can't get enough...