Oh my goodness! I am in love with Max and I declare he is my new book boyfriend! Holy cow! This is the perfect book to read anytime, anywhere. Loved it!

Pretty darn good steamy romance between Max and Bree- you know they're going to get together but this is all about the journey.  You can easily read this as a standalone but you'll like the town of Chance and want to read more about the others there. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.  This is a quick, pleasant read; I'm looking forward to the next in the series. Perfect for a lazy afternoon.

The second book in the Taking Chances series and this series just keeps getting better. This book can be read as a stand alone or out of order in the series. 
Erin Nicholas has always found great little towns for her stories to take place and Chance, Nebraska is no exception. Add a storm chaser, a police officer, and some cousins all getting together for their class reunion in a town known to have tornadoes touch down and you have the making of another great story by Ms. Nicholas. 

Friends to Lovers is one of my favorite themes and Max and Bree do not disappoint in the category. Friends since kindergarten and even trying the dating scene in high school they have decided they are better off as friends. Now they take trips together and Max is teaching Bree about storm chasing. When they chase a storm just outside the city limits the storm may not be the only thing that gets their adrenaline flowing.

“This woman – she twisted up his guts, his brain, his heart. No matter what she was doing.”

One heated encounter in a ditch, as a tornado flew past them, completely changed how Bree looked at her best friend, Max. He was the boy next door, who was her partner in crime when there was adventure and mischief to be had. As an adult, he was her adrenaline-rush buddy. She always felt safe with him, but one impetuous moment has her realising that every day with him could be a rush for her. Usually, she’s always looking for the next adrenaline high, the next new thing, the next discovery - her restless spirit is always looking to move on.

“He was what I always came back to. The place I always wanted to be. No matter where else I could be. That was Max.”

Max has loved her all his life. However, two rejections down the line and he’s resolved to lock his feelings and desire away. He’s lived away for ten years and only comes home periodically to visit family, and spend time with Bree. He believes that she’ll never settle down, that she’ll never love anything or anyone enough to stay put in one place, so he takes what he can. In spite of being an adrenaline junkie himself, he also yearns for romance, the everyday routine, a true commitment, and to come back home to live.

“Your heart has never stayed on anything for good, Bree. You’re always looking for the next thing.”
“You’re something I’ve loved for a long time. I’ve never found another you. Never even looked.”

It was wonderful to follow Bree on her journey of self-discovery as she starts to look at Max through different eyes. Max is a solid, good-natured guy and she was lustfully surprised by his domineering side. He fights hard against Bree’s advances but, honestly, a guy in love and being presented with his heart's desire can only withstand so much! 

This was a fab friends-to-lovers small-town story. It was sweet, humorous, really steamy, and full of family love and loyalty.

Favorite Quotes:

It was skydiving.  That would always be more exciting than law enforcement in a town where people stopped to let squirrels run across the road.

‘I’ve read your blog… I even understood the big words’ … Okay, she had needed to Google a couple of the words.  He didn’t need to know that.  

He was the only thing she could imagine being better than liquor at making her feel good.  Maybe she should tell him that.  He needed to have sex with her to save her liver.  

I know that you go all in, that when you’re in a moment, that’s all that exists.  That’s what I want – to be that moment where you’re fully there and there’s nothing else that matters.


My Review:

Tangled Up is a combination second chance and childhood neighbors/best friends to lovers story.  The character of Bree was initially difficult for me to care for – she was a self-centered narcissistic thrill seeker; impulsive, flighty, immature, restless, easily bored, and had a rather short attention span.  Max was a much more endearing character, observant, considerate, smart, and insightful.  Having been raised in a rural area known as a “tornado magnet” Max had become a storm chaser as a teenager, which he turned it into a vocation by becoming an expert on reconstruction and a professor of meteorology.  He had left his small town at age eighteen but returned periodically to see his friends and family and engage in daring outdoor adventures with Bree to indulge her adrenaline rush tendencies through skydiving, zip-lining, hiking, etc.  Bree experienced an epiphany of sorts while up close and personal in a ditch during a tornado with Max, and started seeing her childhood best friend in a new light.  She had taken him for granted all of her life, and despite knocking on thirty; she had never stopped to consider her future, assuming he would always be her traveling companion and fellow adventurer.  But Max had contemplated the future and was just about out of patience with Bree.  The storyline was sprinkled with amusing observations, humorous banter, and steamy and spicy sensual bits.  The narrative was written from a third person POV while the plot was a bit slow to evolve; tending to be somewhat circular with a bit of re-treading of the same troublesome issues during the characters’ inner musings.  I did enjoy the dawning of awareness for Bree and her ice cream metaphors, although I now have a rather extreme craving for a hot fudge sundae.

Let me start this by saying that I love Erin Nicholas. Every book that I have ever read by her has been fun, interesting, well-written, and the characters have absolutely gripped me from start to finish. She is, and will remain, one of my favorite authors. Although it KILLS me to say this – this book didn't work for me. 

I know that this book was a crossover-of-sorts with Twisted Up, but because I had just finished re-reading TU, I found myself bored and skimming the parts of it that also happened in TU because they were so repetitive.  

The redundancy wasn't the worst part for me, though. To my absolute surprise, I never connected with Bree or Max. At. All. Other than the ditch scene, they didn't seem to have any of the chemistry - sexual or even personality-wise - that I have come to expect from an Erin Nicholas pairing. I never found myself wishing that they would sneak away for a quickie, in fact, I found myself skimming the sex scenes because while they don't have a whole lot of sex in this book, and the sex they did have did nothing for me. Again, that is an unbelievable rarity for something that was written by Ms. Nicholas. I spent the whole book annoyed with Max for being a know-it-all bully who made all the rules of engagement (both in his head and outside of it) without even considering to consult Bree on them. He was bossy, rude, and jumped to so many conclusions based on his own utter arrogance that I'm shocked he didn't blow out his good knee. His 'dominant' streak didn't do it for me – he came off as an angry bully, not a hot “alpha”.  

Bree was also so incredibly frustrating to me. I wanted to like her, I really did, but it just never took because she was all over the place mentally and emotionally. She was a literal hot mess from start to finish.  ***SPOILERS to the end of this paragraph*** Bree acknowledges her reasons for being an adrenaline junkie, and then acts as though it's totally okay to put her life in danger in every way possible because of her past. If she were just into extreme sports, that would be one thing, but she admits to doing things that were far more dangerous such as using alcohol to cope, binge drinking with total strangers, and having kinky sex with strange men that were “just this side of legal” (her words, not mine) which even she admitted were “probably bad ideas”. All because she always felt like a “replacement child”. And yet nobody in her life (such as Kit, the town's alleged 'best therapist') tried to help her deal with her feelings in a healthier way, or to suggest that she seek out actual professional help to help that would help her not feel like a “replacement child”. I waited the entire book for her to deal with her issues and then go rappelling or skydiving because she WANTED to, not because it was the only way she could please her father in her own mind or to get some kind of unhealthy rush from it. I wanted some personal growth from her, the kind that would make her whole again. . I found myself wanting them to get together so that the painfully overwrought drama would end. And it KILLS ME to admit that.  

It seems funny to say that frog larvae and lightning were my favorite parts of a book, but they really were. I loved both of those scenes, but especially the frog scene (being vague so as not to spoil things). If they had shown even half of that kind of chemistry and love for each other for the rest of the book that they showed in that scene (and if Max had remained that same sweet guy), I would have loved this book so much.  

Erin Nicholas is an amazing, talented writer whose works I love and will continue to read, this one just didn't do it for me personally. 

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and wrote an honest review...even if it killed me to do so.

Tangled Up is the second book in Erin Nicholas' Taking Chances series. I absolutely loved this book, with its action packed story line amidst tornadoes and storms, and its lovable well developed characters. I am always a sucker for a story with a friends to lovers theme, and Max and Bree do not disappoint. Their love for thrill seeking adventure has kept them close over the years. Bree is an adrenaline junkie, and hates boredom. Max has tried a couple times in the past to make a move on Bree, but things never develop until now. Sparks begin to fly when they get tangled up in a ditch while chasing a storm . It takes a while for them to figure out that just being together is exciting enough. Like all of Erin's other books settings, The town of Chance, Nebraska is as charming as ever, with an endearing close knit community that makes you wished you lived there. You're also going to be craving all flavors of ice cream after reading this.

You can never go wrong with reading a romance story written by author Erin Nicholas and she continues to prove that with her latest book, Tangled Up. I loved this best friends to lovers story between Max and Bree and this author did a fantastic job showing us their history from childhood to adulthood and how well they knew each other. I enjoyed every minute of their time together and the sexual tension between them had me as tangled up as it did Max. I loved seeing the rest of the gang again and I cannot wait to read the next story in this series.

Another great book by Erin Nicholas! This book had it all-a strong woman, an alpha man, hot sex & danger. Bree comes across as a total adrenaline junkie, happiest when she's risking everything. Max has been friends with Bree since they were little & has wanted more from her for over half that time. He just doesn't think she can settle down to just him & he doesn't want to put his heart on the line, get it broken & lose their friendship too. 

I loved this story! Bree & Max are on a journey to figure out what they each want in life & in a relationship. Max wants to move back home to Chance but not if Bree isn't there. Bree is considering moving to a different job in a different state. They seem to have a great friendship but they really lacked in communication skills. Max thought he knew her best & that he knew what she wanted out of life. Bree just assumed he was right & didn't think about it. I really enjoyed the development of these characters & the evolvement of their relationship. The interactions with the other two couples & the rest of the town members was fun to watch along the way. I can't wait for Dillon & Kit's story!

This was quite a friends-to-lovers ride, with two adrenaline-junkie besties who know each other better than anyone else in the world – or do they? With storms and tornadoes and a home town in desperate need of rebuilding, this story is emotional and enjoyable and is never afraid of raising the pulse rate.

Bree is a risk taker, a frantic whirl of energy always on the look out for the next fun thing. She’s addicted to the rush and is the last person anyone would describe as steady. I’ll admit I wasn’t sure about her at first. She seemed to be wilfully obtuse where Max was concerned and didn’t seem to notice (or much care) when she hurt him. But as the book progressed she definitely won me over, not least because she listens to what Max tells her and questions things that have always seemed true. She might be busy and addicted to the rush, but she’s also caring and responsible and always willing to pitch in. The conversation beside the fire with an old town resident brought tears to my eyes.

Max is the epitome of loyal. He’s loved Bree forever and is constantly tying himself up in knots to make her happy. At first I really felt for him and could understand his frustrations, but as the book went on I kind of lost patience with him. I hated the way he was always telling Bree who she was, focusing only on the points that related to him, rather than seeing all the other signs about how steady she could be. I also didn’t like the way he semi-blames her for his choices. He made them by himself, Bree never asked him to do that, and there were times I wanted someone to smack him on the head and tell him to stop being so foolish.

When I wasn’t frustrated with Max, though, I loved his relationship with Bree. These two have so much history, know each other so deeply and have such a level of trust, affection and care between them that they’re clearly perfect for each other. I loved the way they could support each other, have fun and find passion. It’s not all easy, of course, but there’s so much good between them that I always wanted them to succeed.

Set mostly around the same time as the first book of the series (Twisted Up), this can definitely be read as a standalone. It manages to introduce all the necessary characters and aspects of the town in a way that should work for both new and returning readers. If you like friends-to-lovers romances with real history, are up for a bit of meteorological excitement and enjoy a small town setting, then give this a go. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to see how Dillon and Kit’s tale turns out.

I absolutely loved this book! I can't wait for the next one! I have read several of Erin Books and I'm never disappointed!

'This woman—she twisted up his guts, his brain, his heart. No matter what she was doing.'

This book kind of twisted me up a little, too… or maybe should I say Tangled Up? (Title pun, FTW). I don't really know how to explain it—my feelings about this second Taking Chances book by Erin Nicholas. Because while I quite liked it, I also found myself a little bit of a loss with it at times. It was smart and fun and sexy, absolutely. But there was just a little something missing for me in the relationship between Max and Bree that I struggled to overcome. 

That's not to say I didn't like them together. Because I did. They're a good match for one another in a lot of ways, and I loved that their friendship was a lifelong one—one that survived time and distance and failed attempts at more. But their communication was a little wonky for me. I didn't always get it, which is probably more my problem than anything to do with this book, this author or this writing. It's just… there were too many analogies, too much talking without saying something. I wanted them to hash it out. Work around it. Listen and talk and learn and grow. And it seemed like it wasn't happening—or it was happening too slowly. 

Of course, that doesn't mean I didn't want their HEA. Or that I didn't otherwise enjoy Tangled Up. I did, truly. I LOVED (yes, it deserves shorty caps) how Ms. Nicholas blended this story with book one, Twisted Up, showing the parallel timelines and seeing Jake and Avery from another side—one that was influenced by other happenings. It was really interesting and smart and different. I liked, too, being back in the town of Chance. It's a sweet small town that has a lot going for it—and a lot to overcome—and its residents are completely charming. Maggie, especially, really touched my heart. 

Plus, it's a town that doesn't shy from strong women in important positions. Avery, fire chief. Bree, police officer. Kit, psychiatrist. Even take-charge Shelby. It's something of a hallmark for this series that these are tough, intelligent women who give as good as they get, and that makes me super happy. Okay, they weren't always as strong as maybe they should be but on the whole, I feel like this representation of women is a good one. 

So… I leave this book behind in a Tangled Up mix of (mostly) positive feelings and genuine happiness at the thought of finally getting to the bottom of Dillon and Kit’s topsy-turvy relationship when book three is released. 

'To him she looked amazing. 
And like the biggest heartbreak of his life.'

~ 3.5 STARS ~

Holy cow.

Bottom line--Erin Nicholas should be on your auto-buy list. This woman can bring characters to life like nobody's business. They will give you ALL THE FEELS. Your heart will squeeze with concern and tighten with anticipation and swell with joy as you enjoy the ride alongside her hero and heroine.

Tangled Up is the second in the Taking Chances series. Max Grady, ex-Army National Guard turned professional storm-chaser has been chasing his perfect storm for years. Bree McDermott just hasn't realized she's that storm. Bree's as fun-loving and adventurous as they come; she never backs down from a challenge and brings her A-game no matter what. She's never been one to settle down, but maybe that's just because she's never found a reason to.

Since they were kids, Max has been a steady presence on her life, one of her best friends and her partner in adventure. If she's jumping out of a plane, Max is too. It's been over a decade since they've lived in the same town though, staying close over the years over holidays and travels and exciting moments here and there.

What I love is that Ms Nicholas has written such a adult story--not the physical intimacy, although those scenes are admittedly breathtaking and exciting. Max and Bree feel like people I would love to know, and their feelings and thoughts are easy to relate to. And how their story unfolds with their strengthening connection and vulnerability to and with each other is poignant and beautiful. I'll be rereading Tangled Up again and again, to be encouraged and delighted with these friends navigating their way to lovers and the explosive contentment and joy that brings.

Also, can't wait for the next book in the series!! ;)

Erin Nicholas is a master at telling a story. She is one of the few authors that I have in my favorites column on every reading app from Kindle to Nook to Kobo. Her talent lies in forcing a reader to face some of the scariest moments with laughter, optimism and courage. From a father determined to protect his child in No Matter What, to a woman discovering her strengths in Completely Yours or an underdog town staring down Mother Nature's fury to protect the people and community that they love in the Taking Chances series. Tangled Up has all the heart that I've come to expect, capped off by lovable characters and temptation galore. Original, entertaining and heartwarming moments are what Tangled Up has in store. I just have three words to add. I WANT MORE.

Good story, moved a little fast for me, but nice easy read.

I have chosen not to finish this title.  I really liked the first one, but I felt that this one sort of drops you into the same world without any context, and I felt like the book was telling me I should know who these characters were, but didn't know enough about them to be invested.  By about 25% I still felt this way, so I have decided not to finish the book.

Thanks for the opportunity!
Laura

Loved the story of Max and Bree, friends to lovers story. Max and Bree have been friends forever and afraid to take it to the next level but Max is ready to settle down. Bree, on the other hand, lives life to the fullest and always wants new adventures. From chasing tornadoes, rebuilding and eating hot fudge sundaes, they soon find out their chemistry is hot but is it enough for a lifetime.

I fell in love with Max, such a giving person and supporting Bree with her carefree attitude. Love the small town of Chance and catching up with other town people, now I'm looking forward to Dillon and Kit's story. I'm now off to eat my own hot fudge sundae. I highly recommend this story!!

Max Grady has been Bree McDermott's friend since childhood. He's known he's loved her for almost as long but there are obstacles in their path. The prose of friends turned lovers is one of my favorites and so few authors can genuinely do a good job writing it. Ms. Nicholas is one of those authors. With a combination of humor, drama and self awareness she takes the reader on a journey of everlasting timeless love. Well, of course, throw in a little sexy naughtiness for good measure and you have a book that will have you turning pages long past your bedtime.

Max and Bree have been friends for a long time. According to Max, Bree needs adventure in her live and she gets bored with things easily, so for the last ten years he has lived away from Bree but has come home on a monthly basis to see her and do adventurous things so that she doesn't get bored of him. On his latest trip home, his town of Chance has had a tornado. Bree and Max were together when the storm touched down and Bree saw Max in a whole new way and that is when they decided to take their friendship to the next level.

This is the second book in this series and Erin Nicholas did not disappoint. I loved the connection the two had. I especially liked the ice cream analogy and how it compared to their relationship. This was a great read and I look forward to reading even more by this author.

Another heartwarming story with a little bit of steam added. Max and Bree have been best friends since they were kids and Max has loved Bree all that time, but he doesn't believe that he could ever be "enough" for her. Bree lives life to the fullest, taking chances with high adrenaline rushes to feed her zest for life ... she had to live her life for her and her deceased brother. Max tried romancing Bree a few years earlier, but she wasn't ready and now he believes that she will never be ready.  Max is ready to put down roots in his hometown and wants Bree to be a part of his forever, but he wonders if she will always crave fast and dangerous. If you are looking for a sweet sexy romance, then this is the book for you.

I received an ARC copy courtesy of Montlake Romance through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.