Another strong entry in Castile's contemporary romance series featuring members of a male exotic dance troupe and their heterosexual romances. Our protagonist here is white party-boy Patrick Halloran, who in previous books in the series made a less-than-stellar impression, coming off as uncaring and shallow. But after a car accident for which he was responsible takes away his burgeoning film career, his brother's ability to walk, and his own beautiful looks, Pat has turned into a surly recluse, living by himself in rural Montana . His only friend is Scarlett, the romance author-neighbor who has featured him on the covers of her books. Worried that Pat isn't taking care of himself, Scarlett hires a live-in housekeeper, Lena Martel, for the summer. Lena (Latina) is dealing with her own problems (a step-mother who stole her identity and ruined her credit; a half-sister back in NYC who misses her terribly; difficulties in her grad art program, which she's moved all the way across the country to attend), and isn't terribly impressed by the short-tempered guy who leaves her rude text messages and won't allow her to look at him—until make Pat begins to recognize his own asshattery and tries to make amends...

It's the plot of many a romance novel, but Castile's strong writing and deep character development more than make up for a lack of storyline originality. Her depiction of Pat's PTSD is especially on point.

"You, Lena, are the cure for everything."
"I don't want to be someone's cure. I don't want you to use me to fix yourself and then throw me away"

Pat had everything he wanted and in an instant it was gone. He is now the man inside the house, refusing anyone and everyone but 2 people to be near him. Lena is bringing color to his life one room and meal at at time. Learning to trust another person is not easy for Lena or Pat, but their relationship is about opening up to another. The grand gesture was fabulous!

I love Lena and Pat and all their family and friends. I did tear up reading this story a couple of times. There are parts of the story that are intense. The writing is good and the characters are well writen. There is depth to each character and there is a reason for each one we meet. The setting is interesting and well thought out.

A hot, sweet romance. Loved this one!

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

A hot juicy story with awesome characters. I really liked the book. Good storytelling and writing. Thanks!!!!!

FLASHED is the third book in Zoey Castile’s “Happy Endings” series. Although it’s part of a series, I think FLASHED works as a standalone novel. I love unconventional love stories and FLASHED has a modern-day fairy-tale vibe with a unique twist. Patrick Halloran was the epitome of strong and sexy maleness back in his glory days. Patrick was a top athlete, model, stripper and general hottie entertainer. Wild excess led to him and his brother getting in a life- altering accident. In true fairy-tale form, the golden boy is now a scarred recluse. Lena Martel is an artist working to pay her school bills by being Patrick’s new housekeeper. This courtship is equally erotic, bizarre, and fabulous.

The danger with these “beast”-like heroes is that the author sometimes lets that hero be incredibly cruel to the heroine, using his fears and insecurities as an excuse. I like the way Zoey Castile lets this relationship evolve. Patrick is initially snappish with Lena at times, but Lena is no shrinking violet and has no trouble standing up for herself. Lena is exactly the kind of strong, beautiful, and sensitive woman that helps reinvigorate Patrick and help heal his soul. I like how these main characters are both flawed people with strengths and weaknesses, as well as complex family situations. Patrick struggles over the guilt with his brother’s injuries, and Lena is often lost as to how to deal with her beloved half-sister and her wicked stepmother. For much of the first half of this book, Zoey Castile tells a steamy story but gets very creative to do it. The sexual tension is through the roof as Patrick and Lena fantasize and tease each other before making actual physical contact. Classic. Loved the inventive foreplay in FLASHED. As much as the physicality in FLASHED is terrific, the emotional depth that these characters reach is equally as strong an element in this love story.

FLASHED is a fierce modern fairy-tale with sighs and sexiness galore. I enjoyed getting to know these characters. This is a future re-read for me. I look forward to Zoey Castile’s next book.

So damn good! I’m loving the stories of these hot men and the women who end up loving them. And when I say HOT, I mean HOT DAMN!

Flashed
(Happy Endings #3)
by Zoey Castile

Paperback, 272 pages
Expected publication: August 27th 2019 by Kensington Publishing Corporation



Goodreads synopsis:
When a man makes his living by his looks, he can forget that love--and lust--are more than skin deep. But the right woman can remind him . . . 

A former soccer player, stripper, and model, legendary party boy Patrick Halloran finally gets his big break starring in thesummer blockbuster. But when an accident leaves him changed forever, he hides away in his secluded Montana ranch. Only his new housekeeper is allowed inside--with one rule: she's not allowed to see him. But Pat sees her, and she's the most stunning woman he's ever laid eyes on. Even her voice is beautiful. Still, Pat can't allow himself to get close to anyone. Not without a fight at least . . .

Magdalena "Lena" Martel is a long way from Queens, New York. After a rough patch, the aspiring artist is working her way through college--even if it means keeping house for a man whose gruff voice she can only hear through a closed door. Still, Lena senses Pat's got a good heart, maybe even a lovable one. She's intrigued--until his anger sends her running into the freezing woods. Now Pat will have to find her--and when he does he may have found the one woman who can thaw his heart--not to mention the rest of him. But can their new bond survive the paparazzi--and their personal 
demons? . . . 

***

4.5 Stars

This is the fourth book in the Happy Endings series by Zoey Castile.

This book made me aggravated, but not in a bad way. Maybe frustrated is a better word for it. The tension between Patrick and Lena went on and on and on. Granted, the guy has a problem. He had it all. Didn’t appreciate any of it. Then when an accident nearly takes his life and the life of his brother, Jack he loses it. He can no longer venture outside. Panic sets in and he feels trapped in his Montana house. His best friend, Scarlett West, a popular romance author, hires a housekeeper for him. But Lena isn’t allowed to see Patrick. She cleans, makes food and such but isn’t allowed in certain parts of the house. The two speak a lot through shouting from room to room or text messages.

It is probably the anguish of these two never meeting that is what makes this book so good. I am sure it is what made them want each other more over time. They wanted each other but couldn’t have each other. That made me want a happy ending for them. I knew I was going to get one because the series is called Happy Endings. Duh! But author sure made me question whether it would happen or not.

Lena was the giver. Always doing for others. I liked the reverse dynamic at the end where all her friends turned the emotional tables on her and she ended up being the one who was put up on a pedestal for a change.

This book was both wonderful and heartbreaking. Plus it had some of the most memorable secondary characters I’ve seen/read in a long time. Speaking of that… I really want to see a book featuring the story of Hutch and River and Scarlett and Ricky Rocket. That would be awesome. I checked the main characters of the previous books in this series and neither couple was the main feature of those books. I may not get what I want, but it is good to dream sometimes. Hint. Hint. Wink. Wink.

If you love a good romance, definitely check this one out. I guess you could put this into the hate to love category. That seems to be a popular theme these days in contemporary romance. Whatever you call it, I call it good stuff. Definitely an author to watch and put on your must read list.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Flashed, book three in Zoey Castile’s Happy Ending’s series, focuses on Patrick Halloran and Magdalena Martel. Castile grabbed a hold of my imagination and my heart with her gorgeous prose and flair for description from the moment her captivating Latina heroine began to tell her story. From the start it seems like it’s going to be Patrick’s story from only his POV. But thematically without Magdalena, we wouldn’t get to hear Patrick’s story because she brings him back to life incrementally. Flashed is a stirring, deeply emotional, and intensely sexual love story that keeps you turning the pages until you are finished reading because you need to find out what happens to Patrick and Magdalena.

A soccer player, stripper, highly sought-after model, on the verge of becoming a movie star, Patrick Halloran was on top of the world, with fame, money, women, and everything and anything he wanted at his demand. Everything changed in a single moment when a car accident left him viciously scarred and his brother near death. Afterwards, Patrick became a cold, isolated, angry, depressed, shut-in recluse, who has pushed everyone in his life away, shut himself off, as he suffers from PTSD, unable to leave his home without crippling flashbacks to the accident that make him violently ill. The one person Patrick hasn’t forced out of his life with his anger and bad attitude is his friend who is a romance author. Working on her next book, she can’t help him with all the things he needs—cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, unpacking his boxes, and turning his newly renovated, barren Montana Ranch into a home. She puts up a Craigslist ad for a live-in housekeeper.

That’s where Magdalena of Queens, New York comes into the story. Still recovering from her father’s illness and death, emotionally and financially, Magdalena left Queens to go to art school. Lena’s artistic, fiery, independent, quirky, resourceful, stubborn, and, although she is full of life, she is not truly living her life. She is trying to achieve her dreams and create a life for her sister and herself while burdened by grief, stress, and the pressures of dealing with her father’s illness, death, and hospital bills, and bad credit because her stepmother stole her identity.

Castile’s writing is beautiful, her words jump off the page, grabbing a hold of your attention and imagination and sucking you into her story right from the start. Her description is lush and vibrant, she precisely uses description and word choices to develop the characters so completely. Writing this story using alternating first person POVs was an excellent choice because it works for both character development and storytelling purposes to tell the emotional story at the core of Flashed, which is an exceptionally emotionally intense and sexually charged novel. Generally, first-person POV doesn’t always read as well for adult romances to me as it does for YA, or even NA novels, unless the story you’re telling is deeply personal and emotional. For whatever reason, it does seem to easily put you directly into the characters’ shoes. As Lena is barred from seeing Patrick or speaking directly with him, she communicates with him initially by leaving him post-it notes in the kitchen on the food she prepares for him. Speaking of food, I love how Lena slowly won Patrick over with home cooked food. One of my favorite parts of the novel is how Patrick wasn’t eating much before she came. He had a freezer full of frozen foods and unhealthy meals. But once he started eating her foods, of which he was highly suspicious at first, he became hungry for more.

The love scenes between Lena and Patrick are intensely sexual and erotic, which suits both their personalities as developed in the novel. However, it seems like from the moment that they first have sex the story’s tone shifted suddenly from PG-13 to NC-17 and non-stop sexing. This showed the depth of their hunger for each other and how they brought each other back to life. Because while Patrick most obviously needed to be dragged out of the dark into the light, he also helped bring Lena back to life as well. It does not diminish the story at all, though, because we had the chance to get the know the characters as they got to know each other, by nightly texting and phone calls. It’s just a little bit of a whiplash adjustment. By the time their relationship became sexual they had formed a pretty substantial foundation. I love when characters take the time to talk to each other and get to know one another before they become intimate. It deepens the connection between them and creates more intimacy and an emotional bond. Lena brought Patrick back to life first through his senses…mind…body…emotions…and finally his heart.

Flashed exceeded my expectations with graceful and rich prose, vivid description, diverse and multidimensional characters, and a poignant love story about how sometimes before we can face life challenges we have to first see ourselves through the eyes of love and be brave enough to take the risk of surrendering to it.

I’ve read the other two books in this series and I have to say, this one was my favorite. Reading about the rise and fall of Patrick and the struggles he had to go through, especially mentally, I thought all of that was handled really well. Lena was so patience and kind and I don’t know how she stayed so calm with all the crap that went down with her stepmom. I wanted to punch that lady in the face! It was nice to see past couples and new characters, I really liked everyone.

Quick(ish) Review
I really enjoyed this romance because Beauty & The Beast vibes. Straight up, it’s one of my absolute favorite tropes. I see anything hinting at this type of story and I’m pretty much one-clicking.

Picture this - a grumpy, reclusive, damaged hero with serious trust issues, a Mexican/Puerto Rican (represent!) heroine who’s intrigued by those very trust issues, determined to break through his protective shell, and force some proximity by isolating them in a glorious mansion in the middle of Montana. Now add some angsty, sexually tense scenes where they start to grow closer, all while not actually seeing each other face to face AND phone sex?

Give this to me NOW. All day, every day. And twice on Sundays.

Now, while the romance was emotionally angsty, the hero screws up a few too many times, and the resolution to the truly horrible stepmother subplot was abrupt. I wanted a little more time spent dealing with Pat’s mental health issues, and I wanted to really see him commit to more counseling because he’s had a rough, rough go of it, but all in all, I was happy with this fairytale-esque romance and completely engaged throughout.

Plus, this makes you want to catch up with the earlier books, and wish for a little novella to delve into their friends’ Scarlett’s love life. Also, if I’m putting wishes out there, I’d love to see if anything happens with Pat’s brother Jack and Kayli. Basically, I liked this group of friends and want more. If this sounds like your jam, you may enjoy this.

Patrick had it all ... fame, fortune and any woman he wanted until he got so cocky and thought he was invincible. Then the night of his first movie premiere he blows it all and takes his younger brother down with him. Six months later, he doesn’t leave his glass house afraid someone might see how disfigured the accident left him. Patrick’s friend Scarlett hires Lena to cook and clean for him ... basically a babysitter because she’s worried about him. Lena is a student who needs the money to pay her father’s medical bills and her tuition. But will Lena be able to put up with the anger and resentment that Patrick directs toward her? Or will she help him join life again?

Even though Patrick was a real jerk, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Lena made me kinda mad the way she let everyone walk all over her ... especially her stepmother. Lena also put up with waaay too much crap from Patrick. I know he had lots of problems ... but a person can only dish out so much before it comes back to bite him.

I received an early copy courtesy of Kensington Books through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

This is part of a series, ( so for a better idea about the series read books 1&2 in the series ok). It was mentioned in the series but no prior books were required but I highly suggest it.

Flashed is a modern day Beauty and the beauty, There are several strong Characters - great writing and a terrific story life!!!!!

This book was good but there were some parts that aggravated me. While the characters had chemistry, that was about it. I don't think relationships can work very well if the other person doesn't know they talk to a therapist. They definitely will need couples therapy.

2.5: This book has kind of a Beaty & the Beast vibe to it, and while I liked the characters, romance didn’t really work for me.

The Beaty is Lena, a Latina art student from Queens, NY who is finishing college in Montana after some family & financial setbacks. The Beast is Patrick, a former soccer star turned stripper turned bad boy actor who got badly injured in a car accident. Patrick is struggling with severe PTSD/possibly agoraphobia and his friend Scarlett hires Lena to help clean Patrick’s mansion in exchange for rooming in the pool house. Basically it’s a forced proximity/roommates situation with the twist that Lena is never allowed to see Patrick. But they text and somehow fall in love, and this is why it didn’t work for me—the relationship progression did not make sense. First, it was insta-lust on Patrick’s end which, okay, I get that. But then, they exchange a few texts & Lena is nice to Patrick, and that’s their chemistry? I’ve read a few romances where the love interests communicate by text/letter/post-it notes and I have always understood why the two people fell in love—either sense of humor or something in common or something else. In FLASHED, I can understand why Patrick feels for Lena, but I have no idea why Lena likes Patrick. To me her feelings seem more like pity & a desire to “fix” him rather than love. So it felt really hard to root for them. And then once they were “together” the conflict & ending felt unrealistic & rushed too.

I was also uncomfortable with the portrayal of Patrick’s mental health - everyone has their own journey and not everyone needs therapy but the way his trauma & “recovery” were handled seemed to imply that you can get “better” on your own as long as you love someone and that’s just not true. This was a case of love pretty much magically healing someone, which I think can be a harmful message.

But I think if you’re in the mood for something very fast & soap-y that you aren’t going to examine too closely this could work. When Lena & Pat did interact, whether by text or phone, it was often funny or entertaining. And Lena as a character was enjoyable; I loved, loved some of the details of her character. Her descriptions of Queens, NY & her mom singing to salsa while cooking made me homesick, and her quip about bringing five supersized bottles of Adobo seasoning to Montana is worth at least half a star.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ecopy in exchange for an honest review.**

Magdalene Martels life sure isn't a picnic she has lost both her parents and is suffering under the hands of a stepmom from hell so she decides to get herself a summer job while on break from art school She is employed by Scarlett to care for recluse Patrick Halloran the only rule she has to obey is that she isn't to ever see her new boss. Patrick was deeply scarred by a accident on the set of his latest blockbuster and has retreated to his secluded Montana ranch. When anger on the part of Patrick drives Magdalene out into the dark and wild of the ranch he knows he will have to find her Will this be the start of him starting to face his future and realising that he doesn't have to hide away. Will her sweet nature be the thing to break down his walls. This is a deeply emotional story that draws you in and keeps you engaged until the very last page and has you thinking what if how would I handle this

An emotionally addictive love story that grabs you by the heart and doesn’t let go. You’ll fall in love with these characters, root for them, and jump back on their rollercoaster for a second ride as soon as it’s all over!! A swoon-worthy must read. Happy reading!!

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, because I enjoyed the conclusion to this series very much. Fortunately I've read under Castile's other pen name her other series, so it was a real treat to become reacquainted with other characters she created.

Lena and Patrick's story is different than the first two in the series, but I think I enjoyed this book the most. There is the "Beauty and the Beast" trope that is done VERY well. It's a slow burn romance that builds as Lena and Pat develop without looking at each other for several months. The supporting characters are also well developed and interesting. Lena is a spirited person, even betrayed by her stepmother doesn't let it affect her relationship with her sister, or from reaching for her goals. Pat is a broken man when the book begins. Truly, they built up and healed each other. Lena made his house their home. Reccomend this book when it comes out Aug 27th!

The last book in the Happy Endings series wasn't my favorite, so I was a little hesitant to pick up Flashed. I waited for reviews from some trusted readers and since they all seemed to love it, I decided to give it a read. I'm so happy I did!

Flashed takes us to the quiet ruggedness of Montana, to a man who was once famous but now hides from the world. After a horrific accident, Pat's once beautiful body has been left ravaged. He doesn't want anyone to see him and feels he doesn't deserve anyone's love or friendship. All of that begins to change when Lena becomes his housekeeper and moves into his pool house. Lena brings with her a magic that makes him want to live.

Flashed reminded me a bit of a mashup of Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella. Pat was this gruff, tormented man who was no longer his most handsome self. He needed to forgive himself and move on, but didn't know how. Underneath it all, he was a sweet guy. Lena was a young woman down on her luck who takes a job as Pat's housekeeper to help pay for college. He's not nice to her in the beginning, but they slowly develop a friendship that turns into more. It was just all so sweet. I loved every moment of it. I don't know what else to say about it. Fans of fairytale retellings will most likely adore this book. I obviously did. It's my new favorite in this series.

Zoey Castile draws on literary and film inspirations of Beauty and the Beast (and a dash o’ Cinderella) to retell the ‘tale as old as time’ as a steamy contemporary romance. Flashed (Happy Endings, #3) combines sweet romance with hot sex to portray a deeply emotional connection between a beautiful, broken ‘Beast’ and a compassionate, homesick ‘Beauty’.

However, plot contrivances and a distracting number of secondary characters detract some from the love story.

Six months after causing a terrible car accident, Hollywood pretty boy Patrick Halloran (née Pat Donatello) is a disfigured and emotionally scarred recluse. Plagued by crushing guilt over his reckless lifestyle and ignoble past, Pat hides from the world at his newly renovated, badly neglected Montana ranch house, believing himself unworthy of love or forgiveness. The former pro soccer athlete, ex-Vegas stripper, ex-romance novel cover model, and ruined actor has no hope of redemption (and is all out of jobs!).

Pat’s broken soul finds new life when he hires art student Lena Martel to be his live-in housekeeper. Pat prohibits Lena from meeting him face-to-face, and he restricts her from entering certain rooms of the house. Lena is willing to overlook the unusual circumstances of her employment because she is in desperate financial straits. Not only is she paying college tuition and supporting her teen sister in New York, but she is paying off the massive debt accrued by her stepmother.

As Pat watches Lena from afar, he becomes increasingly smitten. He has so little light in his life, so the last thing that this ‘Beast’ wants to do is to scare ‘Beauty’ away. Since speaking face-to-face is verboten, the two communicate with each other via texts and phone calls that are honest and tender. Despite Pat’s gruff demeanor, the kindly Lena develops a soft spot for her mysterious boss. As friendship blossoms and romance blooms, Pat challenges himself to become a better man. Lena begins to see the goodness within Pat and the potential for committing to a serious relationship. But Pat’s uncontrolled anger and Lena’s family drama present obstacles that beg the question - Is love enough?

Told in Lena and Pat’s alternating points of view, Flashed beautifully illustrates the heady but precarious stages of falling in love and early courtship. The prolonged absence of physical contact between the two heightens the sexual tension while allowing the couple to get to know each other through raw, unfiltered texts and phone calls. (Note: The phone sex in Flashed gets ‘two thumbs up.’ Be warned that your eyes might catch fire while reading Castile’s sizzling prose.)

Pat and Lena are likable, sympathetic characters who strive to be better people, both for themselves and for each other. The loving acts of devotion throughout are especially affecting, such as when they create art together – a painting using their sexed up bods. There is a grand gesture at the end that is a little over-the-top, but nonetheless satisfying.

Castile fluidly crafts emotive dialogue, romantic settings, sexual tension, and a compelling heroine and hero. However, the narrative is weighed down at times by sibling sub-plots and a clown car full of minor characters with lots of backstory. Also, plot momentum is achieved by means of throwaway characters and contrived circumstances that are effective, but glaringly obvious.

Despite the overly busy story, Flashed left me feeling ‘the feels’ long after I had finished the last page. This new installment in Castile’s Happy Endings series is a must-read for fans of sexy fairy tales who believe in the transformative power of love.

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