Resist is the first book in the Wicked Ways series by the talented, K. Bromberg. I have only read a few of her books and I was waiting for a new series to begin to read more. And this is it...Wicked Ways! I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll try to make this fast.

Vaughn is doing what she needs to do and right now that’s meeting with a client. It’s a risk she is willing to take for her end game but she had a feeling this client was going to change everything. Ryker Lockhart was different. He made her feel different just by speaking to him on the phone. What is he going to make her feel when they are face to face? Everything. And that’s a big ass problem for the both of them.

She is a madam trying to make it to her goal. He is a high rolling divorce attorney who doesn’t want strings. She wants her debts to be non-existed. He wants a companion at his beck and call and she doesn’t sleep with clients. Ever. What they get is the unexpected.

I loved this story! I didn’t read the synopsis until after I finished the book so I had no clue what it was about. I love going in exactly that way. To me it makes it even that more intense and intriguing. And this one was both. Wow. On both sides the characters found the unexpected in each other and I loved that. And I saw it too. I also saw other sides. Sides I wanted to slap. Lol. It makes the develop of the characters that much better.

Overall...I want more! I can’t wait to see what happens next with these two. They made me laugh, tear up, and hot and bothered. I am soooo happy that K. isn’t making wait long for the next book.

Quotes:

“Don’t paint your experience on my canvas,” I murmur.

“Princesses don’t need saving, silly,” she says. “They just need someone to take the trash out.”

“Christ, you’re maddening, woman.”
“Thank you.”

I’m so glad that I didn’t know before I started reading this book that there was a cliffhanger ending, because I probably wouldn’t have signed up for the ARC, and I definitely would’ve missed out! This story is full of surprises, even a cameo appearance from Colton Donavan.

Money is at the root of Vaughn’s motivations, but you might be surprised why. “How far would you go to protect the one you love?” She has a very precarious house of cards built, and when it begins to feel like it’s falling down around her, one of the key players in that destruction is Ryker Lockhart. He issues an ultimatum and her fate appears to be sealed. There’s often a very fine line between hate and lust, and in their case, that line is pretty much invisible.

When I initially started reading, I wasn’t sure that I’d like or connect with these characters, but I fell in love with their story and found myself rooting for them very early on, which made the soul crushing, heart pounding ending even worse! Please tell me the next book is right around the corner because I need to know what the hell is going on!!



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Well dressed, both
Ny Yankees and Boston Red Sox
Hands clasped on the bed during sex
Her sitting alone on a beach in the early morning hours (Atlantic City)

I kind liked and disliked this book, the development of the story was strong but it just left me feeling a little like I could just slap both characters all the time. It was just a very frustrating book, I did like the characters to a certain point, but I just could not get into this one at all.

Resist has all the emotion and angst you expect from a K. Bromberg novel. Vaughn and Ryker turn up the sexual tension and drama to create an outstanding contemporary read.

The story development in Resist is well-paced and the character development thorough. Initially, I was worried that I wouldn't connect with the lead Vaughn. Her chosen profession had me questioning the kind of person she was. The saying "Never judge a book by its cover" is apt advice to be applied to Resist's leading lady. Vaughn has a lot going on in her life and she is trying hard to keep her different lives separate. An unwanted attraction to the self confessed cold-hearted Ryker, brings up issues from her past. Ryker slowly develops into a warmer man, but he never loses his dominant edge, no matter how hard Vaughn fights him.

I really loved how this story kept me engrossed and the tension and the questions that are answered as the book progresses makes for an interesting read. Then, just as I felt the story was winding down to the end, I was hit with an unexpected climactic development! Vaughn and Ryker's saga will be continued in a second book and I do hope our couple come through it unscathed.

You can always count on K Bromberg for a really compelling story. Vaughn leads a double life. She is a waitress struggling to make ends meet so she can gain guardianship of her niece. Then she is the owner (Madam) of a high class escort service. Her wealthy clients bring in enough money to pay down her sister’s medical bills and prove to the state that she can care for her niece. In walks Ryker, a wealthy client, who is about to make her two worlds collide.

I loved the complexity of Vaughn. Readers get really pulled into the storyline with her niece and that makes you understand why she’s living this double life. There’s amazing chemistry between Vaughn and Ryker. I especially love the scenes with the two of them and Lucy, her niece.
This book ends on a heck of a cliffhanger though. It makes you wonder where Bromberg is going to take the storyline in the next book.

This story captured me from the first page. I devoured this book and these characters made me smile at every chapter.

Reviewed by Deborah from <a href="http://www.alphabookclub.org/">Alpha Book Club</a> <br><img src="https://alphabookclub.org/wp-content/uploads/Deborah.png" width="150" height="150" alt="description"/> <img src="http://alphabookclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ABC_Pinterest.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="description"/>

Vaughn or Vee owns an Escort service and when one of her girls gets put out of commission, she must find a way to keep one of her clients happy. Vaughn goes into disguise every time she does business but when she goes to meet Ryker, she only changes her name. The night goes well until they go up into his room and their chemistry heats up the pages. Until Vaughn puts a halt to their intense session with a memory that scares the crap out of her. She knows running out and saying the things she said has put her business in trouble. With Ryker though he knows something is going on and when he figures out that she lives a double life it gives him another opportunity to own her. They make a deal and Vaughn reluctantly agrees to it because she is fighting for something far greater than her pride. They start to get to know one another and knock down the walls they have up. What Ryker and Vaughn fail to realize is that they both live in the same world where people are rich and greedy. Vaughn feels like a fish out of water with Ryker and he feels like a new man when he is with her. There are people lurking in the background that want to tear them apart. Will they let the present and past come between what they are trying to build, or will they fight for their newfound relationship?

Ryker and Vaughn are hot and intense so it’s not surprise that their story will have you wanting more just from their word play alone. Vaughn tries so hard to keep pieces of her life in boxes that they eventually start spilling over. With Ryker knowing her secret she still feels like there is so much to lose and it’s her heart. Ryker is the guy who doesn’t believe in marriage being the divorce attorney for only the men. Being with Vaughn shows him a different aspect of marriage could he be willing to change for her. They have both been hurt by people in their lives and neither of them are willing to let all their walls fall. I love them both as characters even though Vaughn can be stubborn at time. Ryker is just sex on a stick, and he is all alpha male with the confidence to match. This book is filled with intrigue, lust, betrayal and secrets that are long buried coming to light. Their story is not over yet though readers because Ryker leaves Vaughn feeling betrayed at the end which leaves us with a cliffhanger people. I still love the book even though there is a cliffhanger and I will be waiting on pens and needles for the next book.

3.25-3.5 STARS

K. Bromberg is one of my favorite “go to” authors, so I couldn’t wait to delve between the pages of her latest novel, “Resist.” But as much as I wanted to love Vaughn and Ryker’s story, I just couldn’t connect to the characters or get on board with the supposed love connection between this pair.

While the overall premise is a unique take on a very familiar theme, I’m not a big fan of the push-and-pull power play that this couple constantly engaged in. In addition, Vaughn’s defensiveness felt a bit over-the-top for my liking, and Ryker behaved like a jerk more often than not. Misunderstandings abound from start to finish, furthering my frustration.

Without a doubt, there are wonderful moments sprinkled throughout this book—specifically, those revolving around sweet little Lucy. Vaughn’s back story is an intriguing component, as well. And unlike some readers who might balk because of the cliffhanger ending, I don’t mind them in the least. But in this case, however, I’m just not invested enough in the story, to crave what might come next.

So I need part two, like yesterday! What an amazing read. Start to finish, it was amazing and kept my attention. I didn’t want it to end. Now I’m impatiently waiting for the next book. Definitely worth the read! These characters will stick with you well after you put the book down.

4.44 Stars

Vaughn and Ryker.
(Vaughn is a girl by the way! ☺)

Vaughn runs an escort service in Manhattan. She only has to do it for as long as it takes to make all the money she needs to pay back her debt. We don't know yet where she came from, what happened to her, what all that money is for or who/what she's afraid of - but there's definitely a lot of story there.

Ryker is a successful divorce attorney and he hires one of Vaughn's girls. But that girl isn't able to work that day - so Vaughn's only solution is to go herself!
...

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH VAUGHN & RYKER ?
WILL THERE BE CLIFFY?
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT ☺
But yep - it's a duet - so there will be a bit of a cliffy!

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I LOVED IT!

Well, I didn't really love-love it in the beginning. I don't know what it was exactly. Maybe it was my mood when I started reading. Or it was the fact that I don't want my heroine to be a criminal and my hero to hire said criminal? No idea. But the beginning of the book wasn't my thing.
But it got better. It's interesting and funny and sexy to see how Vaughn tries to resist Ryker. It's adorable to see why Vaughn needs the money, why she needs to be done with that Escort life asap.

I didn't much love the whole back and forth. That's just something that I don't need in my books. We could've put those two books into one and it would've been a great story. But the way Kristy did it - it's just too long and too much redundant stuff was put in there to fill two books. PLUS we get the cliffy and have to wait MONTHS! I hate that - I'm suffering from #Booksalzheimers and as a busy bookblogger I don't have time to re-read the first book when the 2nd one comes out. I should just not read duets or series - or at least not until all books have been released! Grr.

BUT - this story was definitely interesting and sexy and fun and adorable! I really liked reading it. Don't listen to my stupid bad-reading-mood-ramblings. ☺ I sooo need to know how Vaughn & Ryker's story will end in book #2!

► RESIST was a great Escort-Lawyer Romance! Lots of adorable, fun, sexy & serious moments! Run to your nearest amazon for your own Ryker - this one is MINE!!! ☺

P.S. I loved that we met a very famous person for a minute!!! 😍

Resist
Wicked Ways #1
K. Bromberg
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Well holy hell that was a HUGE ending and an excellent start to finish. It’s been a while since I’ve read a K. Bromberg story and like a warm blanket her writing wrapped my in a 6 hour hug… Ryker and Vaughn are all info of messed up. This is not your normal romance, it’s gritty and hot, and right up the last page will keep you guessing “ what’s next”. Safe to say I dint know what book 2 is called but I already can’t wait for it…

Ryker Lockhart is handsome, rich and a top divorce attorney. He doesn’t have time or interest in girlfriends and after dealing so many divorces in his work, so he uses Wicked Ways a lucrative escort agency to fill his work meetings and bedroom desires. But in a high end world, with high end women Ryker will be tested by Madam Vee, owner of Wicked Ways.

Vaughn Sanders has had the crappiest upbringing, she started Wicked Ways to pay off the debt left after her sisters suicide and drug addiction. But it is her niece that she carries the torch for – Gorgeous Lucy is not your normal little girl, she’s special for so many reasons… But being her guardian is top priority, meaning dealing with rich, ruthless, scumbags is a daily occurrence, that she can’t avoid. Miss Vee can take on anyone, but Vaughn carry chains around her heart but still shows a vulnerability you can’t help but wish nothing but good for.

When she is thrown into Ryker whether she likes it or not, she uses every barrier she can with him, but he can single handedly destroy her, so she sucks it up, pulls on her big girl panties and locks up the memories to keep her company and the secrecy it requires. In a game of he said, she said, demands, money, aweful words and a point of no return.

Opening up her company was one thing, opening her heart to be tromped on is something different. Vaughn only hopes he doesn’t destroy everything she’s worked for.

You will not be able to RESIST this fabulous book! Vaughn is a complicated woman with many secrets and problems. She has the weight of the world on her shoulders but is trying her best to right so many wrongs. Ryker is a high priced, high society attorney who doesn't want any attachment or relationship, but he does want a night with Vaughn. She refuses, giving him nothing but her anger, temper and hostility whenever they meet. Just when we start to think they might have a chance, there is deception and everything goes to hell. This is a wonderfully written book with anger, laughter, angst, hatred and betrayal. It's a cliffhanger and I'm on pins and needles until book #2 comes out. Absolute Must Read!

Going into a K Bromberg book, you know you will read a romance with depth. Bromberg never shies away from a social, emotional, or psychological disorder or tragedy. Yet even with loins properly girded, I wasn’t fully prepared for the emotional brutality of Vaughn’s personal story.

To say that she comes into her relationship with Ryker with a heartbreaking backstory is to somewhat understate what she is struggling to survive. Vaughn immediately grabs you, and you are immediately riveted.

In Ryker, she finds a man who does not believe in marriage, and he’s even a bit iffy on love. He thinks he may have felt it, but love and marriage to him inevitably end, and they inevitably end painfully.

The title gives you a huge clue as to how the romance between Ryker and Vaughn proceeds. They try to resist each other. They try to guard themselves and shield themselves. Each recognizes something in the other, however, that makes them increasingly difficult to resist.

If you are one of those “I hate cliffhanger” people, this is not the book for you because K Bromberg ends with a cliffhanger that slaps you in your solar plexus. I’m pretty sure I shouted, “OH, HELL, NO” as I read the final words. I need the sequel. I NEED IT NOW.

Fortunately, I can comfort myself by re-reading the sexy times in Resist. Dear readers, they are deliciously hot. Ryker is the sort of Hot Hero who makes a book an obsession. And I am completely obsessed with Resist.

My first thought after finishing this book is that I need book 2 ASAP! Holy mother of all endings! That can't be what really happened. I know there has got to be more to what us as readers are led to believe but I need to learn the truth now. And I need to learn how Vaughn is going to escape unscathed.

Man, I felt like Vaughn was walking on the very edge of a cliff the whole time. All it would take was for someone to learn her secrets and just tap her right off the cliff. She has so much riding on her secret life that it makes you wonder if it was worth it. I kept waiting for the bomb to drop.

Ryker is tough. He's kind of a jerk but you can see beyond that to what he and Vaughn can be if he doesn't ruin everything. I'm the sucker over here wanting these two tough-as-nails characters to soften each other up and live happily ever after but I know they are going to take a beating first. Frankly, I'm loving every bit of it. I can't wait to read the second installment.

I typically stay away from duets until both books are out because cliffhangers drive me crazy! But this sounded good and I'm a fan of the author so I picked it up. And I got so much more than I was expecting! It's sexy, emotional, intense and even fun at times. I have so many questions, hopes and theories that will keep me thinking about this book for a long time to come. The wait for the conclusion is going hurt!

Omg!!! K.Bromberg is one of my favorite authors and she has done it again!!! Resist is the book you didn’t know you wanted and now you can’t wait for book 2!!
This story follows Vaughn and Ryker. If I mention anything about them it will completely give it away. I will say this- they are brought together in such an unconventional way. Both are damaged souls who can’t/don’t trust anyone because they have relied on themselves too long and they don’t want to let anyone in. They don’t trust one another but we feel like they are each slowly bringing down their walls as the story progresses.
The ending of this story blew me away. I cried. I got angry. I was left in shock. I kept telling myself this wasn’t it but it is and now I have to wait for the second book to get the rest of the story.
K. Bromberg knocked it out of the park. Not that I’m surprised.
I can’t wait to get my hands on the second book. If it’s anything like this one it will be elevated to favorite very quickly.
Do yourself a favor and read this book. It doesn’t disappoint.

Secrets are a plenty when Vaughn leads a life filled with different personas. She is the loving sister, the bombshell waitress and also the ring leader in a high-end escort service. But when those lines get blurred and Ryker goes from client to so much more will she be able to keep things straight? Or will everything come crashing down around her and destroy all of her hopes and dreams? Once again K.. Bromberg creates characters and storylines that the readers cannot help but fall in love. There is never a point where a chapter ends that I could walk away from the book. Emotions run high and the ending came too quick - K. Bromberg - I need the next one in the series NOW!!

Resist is an addictive book, the kind that has you sneaky off to get in just one more page! Vaughn is mysterious, Ryker is swoony and the chemistry between them is irresistible. The suspense of watching Vaughn’s double life speeding towards its inevitable collision was nail biting good. This book is the first in a duet, so yes it has a doozy of a cliffhanger, but isn’t that what makes a story unforgettable? I can’t wait to read that next book & find out how Vaughn & Ryker get their happy ending.

I read this book knowing it was a duet, and would likely end in a cliffy.  I took the plunge anyway, and now I'm dying to get my hands on the second book.  This one was so good!!  It was a fresh storyline that wrapped me up immediately.  There was so much going on my mind was racing on how everything would come together.

I was really happy that this book was written in duel POV because I found myself constantly wondering what was going through Ryker's mind.  He was a tough character to crack, and even getting a glimpse inside his head I'm not sure that I know him.  He is one hundred percent alpha asshole, which happens to be one of my favorite kind of characters.

This book isn't short, and covers a lot of ground.  I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to see how this storyline is going to play out and if this burning ache in my chest after finish this book will be soothed in the second book.

I suspected this was going to be an emotional journey but I didn’t have a clue it was going to take me on such a ride that my heart would be cracked open, healed a bit, and then cracked open again even more viciously leaving me in a puddle of pain and despair.

Vaughn runs an escort service that caters to wealthy men who need a bit of arm candy and a little something more. While she doesn’t hesitate to step in when one of girls needs her, she doesn’t personally “date” clients. That is, until everything goes belly up and she’s left scrambling to keep an important new client, one who can escalate her relatively new business. Even so, she should stay behind the scenes, except this particular client challenges her, causing her hackles to rise until she finds herself setting up the date as an alternate persona.

Ryker is a cold, hard, a hole of a lawyer. He’s deserving of his reputation and utilizes it. But after a relationship left him fed up with the lies that women tell, he decides a permanent escort is the way to go. But when the woman he’s chosen is unable to attend their date, he finds himself in a telephone confrontation with the owner. She has a take no prisoner attitude and refuses to meet his challenge, leaving him to meet a replacement for the evening. And then things get interesting.

“ ‘Ryker.’ It’s just my name. Not Mr. Lockhart. Just Ryker. The name I’ve wanted her to call me, and yet when she does, there’s a vulnerability to it that does sh-t to my insides. It makes a man whose heart is cold and dead flicker to life. “

Both Vaughn and Ryker intrigued me. Vaughn, living many lives at once, suddenly finds them all colliding even as her murky past raises its head to taunt her with memories long forgotten. She’s an emotional mess and with each revelation into her character my heart cracked a little more. Despite her tough exterior, inside she is broken, scared, vulnerable, and hopeless. But she refuses to give up. Vaughn is definitely the center point of the story as she battles her past, her present, and is reluctant to look towards the future.

“ This was momentous.
This was something I didn’t expect, but now…now the one thing I would have thought could never happen – my two worlds melding – just did, and the earth didn’t stop spinning. It didn’t even stutter unless you count the way my heart did watching the ruthless lawyer become a gentle giant with the one person I love more than anyone or anything.
This was momentous. “

Ryker (love the name!) had his own issues, but they weren’t anything in comparison to Vaughn’s. He’s actually that hero who just doesn’t recognize what it is he’s feeling and so he tends to act out, inflicting pain when that really wasn’t his intention. At times I wanted to smack him upside the head and yet there were times where I just wanted to sit him down for a good talking to. He was kind of clueless, but very real and relatable. And his interactions with a young Down syndrome girl is absolutely swoony. As for those jealous/possessive tendencies I love in a hero – there were just enough moments for him to shine in that regard.

“ ’I don’t like him.’
She laughs and rolls her eyes. ‘You’re jealous?’ she asks as if I’m crazy.
Not jealous. Just making sure he knows what’s mine. “

Together, this couple were alternately gasoline and matches or vinegar and oil. Every scene is laced with heavy emotion and so much angst that there were times I had to set this story aside so I could give my poor heart a rest from the workout they were giving it. But I couldn’t stay away for long as Vaughn’s pain and Ryker’s need kept pulling me back into the story. While this is a lengthy book, every beautifully written word is necessary to the story.

I knew this was going to be a cliffhanger but holy Hades, Ms. Bromberg gutted me with this ending! I am in serious, DESPERATE, need for the next book and I’m seriously not sure how I can read anything else until I get it. This story is going to leave you stewing, biting your nails, bouncing your leg and cursing the author until we get book 2!