This book was amazing! I recommend this book to everyone

This was the first book that I have read by this author and while I didn't love the story, it did hold my interest throughout the book. Generally I am not a fan of new adult romances because the characters can lack maturity. However, in this instance, I had to keep reminding myself that the characters were only 21 and 24 since they sometimes seemed older even if their behavior didn't necessarily fit with being older. Stacey Marie Brown did a good job of keeping secrets not only from the characters but also from the readers. Although I did figure out one of the "big secrets" before Hannah ever revealed the true story of that night. All in all a solid new adult romance.

I genuinely don’t know where to begin, I love Stacey Marie Brown’s Darkness series, it’s definitely among my top paranormal/fantasy romances (I’ve lost count on the number of times I’ve read this series). So imagine my excitement for receiving this book, and now image my utter disappointment after having finished this book. It took me 2 1/2 days to finish this book…. 2 1/2 DAYS people!!!! Not because it was a thick book… No No.. The plots were well written but there was just something about it that I couldn’t tolerate. Maybe it was the pace? cliché storyline? the unnecessary dramatics? Don’t even get me started on the couple… we finally get some action after 68% of the book! 68%!
Before you scoff at me, I am all for the ‘angst’ and ‘sexual tension’ but the foundation of the storyline should hold your interest, right? well it didn’t. There were even times where I’d literally speak out loud and mock “Oh wow…I didn’t see that coming (*eye roll*)”.

I admit I am a sucker for a story of darkness, angst, broken hearts etc but Hannah and Rhys bored me. And I hate admitting that but I have to be honest- Stacey let me down in this book.
I think the word that best describes this book is cliché

Buried Alive by Stacey Marie Brown is a standalone, sports- and contemporary romance novel.
Meet Hannah Evans - Jennings - . After a horrible accident years ago she left her home town and moved to her grandmother. Now she´s back with her driven parents. Somehow she failed - herself, her expectations and her goals. She´s still deeply wounded by the incident who destroyed her whole world.
Rhys Axton is a up and coming snowboard star, determined to become a olympic team member. He suffers from a injury, but is more than determined. He´s fuul of self-esteem, a player. He has demons of his own.
Both meet and there is a literally oh s..t moment- she recognizes him and tries to avoud him at all costs. To no avail. He wants her and goes a long way and sheme to get her.
When the truth is revealed both are destroyed again.
I love Stacey Marie Brown´s books. I´ve read every single one. Buried Alive is a great read with wonderful characters, extremely well written- you can feel the characters emotions in the book. Buried Alive is a pageturner and I give 4 stars !

One of my personal reading challenges/goals for 2018 is to read new-to-me authors, at least once a month, based on recommendations, high reviews from authors/bloggers I love, and/or an interesting synopsis.

So first up was Buried Alive by Stacey Marie Brown…it was recommended to me by someone who had already read it and this person knows the kind of writers and stories I like, so I decided I’d take a chance and venture out of my list of instant one-click authors with a story where both the hero and the heroine seem buried underneath their painful pasts, losing themselves little by little and making it extremely difficult for them to find their way out of the darkness as well as the multitude of regrets and nightmares that plague their present lives.

The Brennley Evans who left Whistler, Canada, 9 years ago, is not the same one who returns after the death of her grandmother; she doesn’t want to continue to follow the wayward path she’s been on since she left home because it wasn’t helping her to find her place in the world and it only managed to keep her entire life in neutral…not being able to move forward nor feeling strong enough to go back and deal with her past, so even though returning to Whistler and its mountains might be more than she can handle, it’s something that must be done in order to lay the ghosts who surround her to rest and to find the driven and loud-mouth girl she once was.

But when she returns to the scene of the crime, where every painful memory has the ability to drown her in grief and guilt, she goes by the name of Hannah Jennings, hoping that she can stay under the radar and figure out her next step before people figure out who she really is.

Brown constructs Brennley/Hannah’s character as two parts of a whole person, but neither of those parts is flourishing; they’re merely surviving the best way they can. Brown makes it clear that whatever the heroine experienced 9 years ago has turned her life and goals upside down and part of the story line focuses on Hannah finding a way to come to terms with what happened all those years ago and unbury herself from the weight of her secrets, her pain, and the loneliness that consumes her.

I have to admit that I didn’t really like Rhys Axton throughout most of the first half of the story…I thought his character was a bit too stereotypical whenever it came to his manwhorish way and how he used woman and booze to numb himself from the pain and the rage he feels down to his soul. I did start to like Rhys the further I read, but I guess I just wanted to see his character develop more, by finding other ways to channel his frustrations and rage over a series of situations he really can’t control…Don’t get me wrong I definitely felt like his reactions were justified, for the most part, but I wonder if Rhys would have focused on something other than himself and stepping out of his brother’s shadow if things would have been easier for him and for those who were there to watch his downward spiral.

I can’t say that I’m a lover of angst, but it did have its place in Buried Alive. There was so much for Rhys and Hannah to deal with on their own right from the start of their story, so then when further complications are added and more drama enters into the mix, it makes sense that the push and pull between Rhys and Hannah would fuel the angst of the storyline, forcing both of them to face their pasts and try to pull themselves out of the self-imposed prisons without destroying each other in the process.

Overall, I enjoyed Rhys and Hannah’s story. It was a bit of a slow go at the beginning…it took awhile to feel connected to the characters, but when I did, I was desperate to understand how Rhys and Hannah were connected and what would transpire based on their mutual attraction to one another. I can honestly say I didn’t expect the twist at the end, and I think it says a lot about the type of person Hannah is to protect those involved regardless of how much it affects her feelings and her memories.

4 Poison Apples

I love Stacey. Have loved every single one of her books she has released so far. When she announced she was releasing her first contemp romance, I was both excited and a little dubious. Now that I’ve finished, I had no idea why I was so dubious to begin with.
Stacey has completely knocked it out of then park with ‘Buried Alive’.

Seriously!!! I don’t think there is nothing this author can write. Her style of writing is just breathtaking. You are transported in the lives of her characters and feel as though you are living alongside them.
You feel the every single thing they feel. When they’re in pain, it rips you to shreds. When they are so full of love and hope you less happy tears knowing they are getting the love they deserve.

...and that is what I felt when reading Hannah ‘Bren’ and Rhys’s story.

I fell in love with them from the very beginning and I was gutted when I got to the end. There story is the kind that you could just carry on reading and not get bored.

They entered each other’s lives when they needed it the most and they helped each other to finally move on from the past. To overcome their darkness and to live in the light.

I have no words other than that.

This is a truly compelling story that will have you hooked in its grasp from beginning to end. Stacey weaves a tale of love, lies, pain and guilt. A story of healing and learning to live again after being buried in the darkness.
She delivers a raw and painful story which will have your heart in tatters but ultimately so full of love, hope and light.

A phenomenal 5* read for me, and I cannot wait to see more contemporary romance coming from Stacey.

When I first started seeing all the promotions for Buried Alive, it was calling to me: "Read Me!" The author was new to me, which didn't really matter, and yet I still craved to know more about this book. Then the cover was revealed. OMG, this book quickly moved to the top of my list to be read.

From the very first chapter, I was literally hooked. The bit of mystery behind Hannah, or Brynnly, as she was also known as, left me hanging, dying to know what happened to her and why she left her hometown and pretty much everything about her life nine years ago.

Rhys took some time to grow on me. What he appeared to be on the outside wasn't really what his character portrayed. A bit of a bad boy, I get to get beyond some of his flaws.

When everything started coming together and all the plot twists, I was blown away. It was nothing like I expected. It's hard to say much about this without giving parts of the story away so I'm just going to say, get this book! It will draw you in and leave you emotionally breathless.

Thank you Stacey Marie Brown for this original contemporary romance, one that uniquely stands out from anything I've read in a long time. It's definitely a must read!!

********3.75 Stars*****

Buried Alive was a very interesting read for me. The book hit it strong right out of the gate. I was instantly pulled into Hanna's story. Here past and secret griped and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to figure out what happened to Hannah and if she can ever let go of the past to truly live.
As soon as she meets Rhys, you can feel the chemistry oozing off of them. Hannah's secret had to do with Rhys and I was impatient to figure out what it could be and didn't want to put the book down until I knew all the secrets.

Buried Alive was high on angst, but Stacey did a great job of not going over the top with it. Everything the characters did or failed to do it felt real and authentic no matter how hard you wanted to scream are shake the Hannah or Rhys for their bad decisions.

The story was was gritty, raw and emotional and it had you wondering if Hannah and Rhys could come to terms with their past and move forward with a future they never thought possible.

I was not able to rate the book higher as I felt the book faded some in the second half of the book. I didn't feel as connected to the character's. As I am bit prudish, I felt language was a bit raunchy and the characters often only cared about sex, then really trying to find a connection. However, this is more of a personal issue and shouldn't stop anyone from picking up this book.

Regardless of the issue I had with the story, I overall really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone that loves a good angsty romance.

*********was provided a review copy from the author via netgalley*******

Buried Alive, by Stacey Marie Brown is the story of Hannah Jennings and Rhys Axton. Hannah is returning home to Whistler, Canada after being gone about 9 years. She has changed her looks and has adjusted her name around after her leaving and starting over. Now trying to get her family and friends to go by the name she now prefers isn't her only problem. She keeps remembering the accident that took it all away. Rhys knows in the back of his mind that he has somehow met Hannah before but isn't coming up yet with how. But with them both trying to forget the past hurts will they be able to move forward into anything more?

***5 ‘Comfortable in the Darkness’ Stars***

OMG! This book took me on one hell of an emotional rollercoaster ride that I didn’t want to get off of. Rhys and Hannah grabbed hold of my heart and mind and even when the feels got to overwhelming aka I actually got all kinds of teary and sniffly, I couldn’t (wouldn’t) put the book down (Thank god for the phone app) I had to see them get their HEA and in the end, it was all kinds of everything!

Rhys and Hannah were those characters that you can’t help but love and come to adore, but the process is a rough one.They are both wallowing in the darkness and it has its claws so deep into them that they don’t always recognize themselves and they find that they are simply existing instead of living. But as they continue to collide bits and pieces of who they truly are start to come out and I found that I thoroughly enjoyed who they were under the darkness. Their journey to their HEA is a rocky one, especially with that secret hanging over their heads, but I loved who they were when they were together. Regardless of the chaos swirling around them, when they were together it simply felt right. The chemistry between them was intense and I loved where they were both at in the end.

Now for the “Secret”. As far as I am concerned, the secret was another character in the story because it guided so many of the characters actions and it drove me absolutely batshit crazy as I tried to figure it out using the little, very, very little breadcrumbs that were dropped throughout the book, but I failed. Not totally because I maybe put together 10% or so of it together, but I was not prepared for what the brutal truth of it was. I felt like I was gut punched by it and the feels were all too real. So, I can only kowtow to Ms. Brown and the amazing job she did with it!

This is not my first read by Ms. Brown, I have a certain love and adoration for a honey loving, narcoleptic monkey sprite, as well as a certain pirate, but even being a fan of The Collector series didn’t properly prepare me for Buried Alive. I knew the author could write, no doubt about that, but the emotions that were pulled out of me with this one were intense...hell, tears were happening and that rarely happens, but that’s how invested I was in Rhys and Hannah, that was how real they felt to me. So, if you’re looking for an emotionally charged romance with well written characters (and have a thing for snowboarding) then this is a definite must read!

~ Copy provided by The Next Step PR & voluntarily reviewed ~

~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~
I found this one to be very well written. The pace was great. The plot was engaging and even though it had pretty much EVERY trope and scenario I hate in my romance books it still kept me turning the pages. I loved that it was set in Canada my home country. I figured out what the twist was very early on and It almost had me throwing in the towel. Alas, I kept going to see if I was right and I was. There was also another twist at the end I did NOT see coming and it left me a bit stunned.


~HERO~
Rhys, I didn't love him. I didn't hate him. He was your typical cliché over the top arrogant manwhore and I am exhausted with cliché manwhores. Not to mention he was only 21 but had the sexual past of a forty-year-old...sigh. Honestly, his character didn't have much depth apart from being an arrogant douchewhore.


~HEROINE~
Hannah was a decent heroine. She was older than Rhys and we all know how much I dislike the older woman/younger man thing. That said, she was barely four years older, so it didn't bother me overly much. I don't have much else to say about her. I liked her. I didn't understand why in the world she would want ANYTHING to do with the walking STD Rhys, but crazy makes the world go around so c'est la vie.


~SIDE CHARACTERS~
There was a good cast of secondary characters in this one. I loved Siena. She was a female version of your typical manwhore character. I also liked Shaun and would love to see a little novella with him.


~HEAT LEVEL~
This was light on the spice. For a book that constantly harped on what a whore the hero was, it was tame in the sex department. The first sex scene doesn't even take place until 65%. That said, the ones we get were suitably hot.


~ANGST LEVEL~
Highish. I didn't find it particularly angsty per se. There was just a lot of things I don't particularly like in my romances that made it more on the angsty side for me. There is a TON of OW drama in this one. Tons of mentions about the hero's manwhoring ways. OW popping up throughout the book. The hero is with OW after the author has built up the attraction between the main characters. There wasn't an OM drama. I wish there had been so it would have offset the nastiness of the hero's whoring ways. *lol* There was also a lot of push/pull on the part of the heroine.


~IN THE END~
To be honest, this book was doomed from the start. As soon as I figured out it had a trope I hate along with an older woman/younger man, I knew I would not love it. There were several times I debated with myself about throwing in the towel. But the entire point of this challenge is to step out of my box and despite the plot having things that turned me off I still found myself thinking; just a few more pages and then I'll call it a day. A few more pages turned into a few more chapters and that turned into me finishing the book. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. It was a middle of the road read that was very well written and had an interesting plot. Unfortunately, sometimes even those things can't get you past personal hangups and had it just been one or two things I might have gotten over them, but NO, this one had just about EVERY SINGLE THING I hate in romance books and that is what ultimately brought this one down FOR ME. So be sure to keep in mind when you are deciding on whether or not to give this one a chance that this review is solely based on MY feelings and you may well not be bothered by or have the same hangups as I do.

Background
Although Stacey Marie Brown is a new-to-me author, she's been on my watchlist for some time now. I have several of her releases on my Kindle, but haven't got around to reading them as of yet; I'm pleased to say that, after this, they will be booted up my priority list.

Cover
It's pretty enough, but didn't 'wow' me. It wouldn't have grabbed me when browsing the Kindle store. I certainly appreciate the snowflakes and the darkness, and the man candy (who perhaps doesn't resemble the hero I pictured whilst reading).

Writing
In some ways, I feel like I'm over basic contemporary romance. There's very little originality left and I now find myself bored more often than not. Fortunately, there was a little more depth to Buried Alive. Dealing with the aftermath of an unspecified accident, two people affected find their way to one another after Hannah returns to her hometown to face her demons. The slow reveal of the events from that fateful night is wonderful, enough hints dripped down to sustain the reader's attention. Yet, it was also a little predictable, marring the final, anguished reveal.

I also found the beginning a little confusing, unsure as to whether Rhys really recognised her or not, which became more clear as I continued reading. In some respects, I felt this was perhaps the least believable part, him knowing but not knowing her, and then this confusion on his end being forgotten.

Characters
I certainly appreciated the depth and flaws of both Hannah and Rhys, and never found myself too frustrated with their actions, despite the back and forth. I found it more believable than most due to the events of the past, shaping these characters and their anxieties. I also enjoyed how developed and lovely their 'sidekicks' (Shaun and Siena) were; again, flawed yet believable, and certainly likeable.

It was just a shame how the antagonists seemed to be lacking in development, more shells used to create pressure and drama than fully fleshed out characters which would hold their own. I found them more irritating than believable.

Conclusion
I very much enjoyed the overall story, which fortunately managed to distinguish itself from the usual contemporary romance, despite having some aspects I felt didn't quite grip me as much as I hoped, particularly needing a little more development in some areas.

I look forward to reading more from Stacey Marie Brown.

I received the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Stacey and The Next Step PR for sending me this copy.

Overall I enjoyed this book! I'm a huge fan of Stacey's Collectors series (yummmmm hot viking), so I jumped at the opportunity to review a new romance of hers. I loved the characters, Hannah and Rhys, and their situation in Whistler. The plot and Hannah and Rhys' histories kept me guessing throughout. There were a few things that were quite typical and cliche and I felt that Rhys could have had more depth in his character. Hannah on the other hand was brilliant and very interesting to read. An easy romantic read, however there are elements to it that made me sad.
I would recommend this book if you are a previous fan of Stacey's or enjoy easy to read romances.

This is my first book that I read from Stacey and it will not be my last. Hannah & Rhys are both are dealing with darkness and it takes them coming together to finally find their light. This story had me hooked from the beginning, even though I could see where the story was going, it still had be reading non stop and had my emotions all over the place. Amazing story and characters that will stick with you for a long time.