Constant Craving

Former lover's paths cross and the chemistry is still there. It is hard to like Rafa as he appears to be using Justine at time heartless. The author through flashbacks reveals what tore them apart 15 years ago, keeping the reader wanting more. A hot, erotic ride from start to finish.

I liked the history of their love and I also liked the theme of the newspaper industry. Started a little slow but a good read!

I really enjoyed this book. It had the hero you love to hate (at least for the first half of the book) and of course, a great second-chance romance story line. It took me a while to warm up to liking this one. I found Rafael to be hateful and mean towards Justine and that didn't sit right with me. But at the same time, he was one incredibly sexy Cuban who loved to use his accent to get what he wanted, that's for sure. I would have melted just like Justine if he spoke those same words to me and can't blame her for falling for Raf all over again.

Things didn't end well between Justine & Rafael 15 years ago. She left and he never reached out to her after she left, despite her attempts to contact him. They were both heartbroken and disliked the other since then, yet it was obvious that they still secretly loved each other under all that anger. Justine is a newspaper publisher, keeping her family legacy going and running the local St. Augustine newspaper. Unfortunately, it's about to go bankrupt unless she can find someone to loan them money. She requests help from an investment firm, only to discover that the company was purchased by Rafael's company. Rafael has made quite a name for himself in those 15 years and is a super rich Miami investor and real estate mogul. He's her only hope for saving her company, but will he help her given how she broke his heart?

He makes an offer she reluctantly accepts, he gets a month with her and in return, he'll bail her out of her financial woes. She's not quite sure if he's just using her for sex or if he really wants to start something with her though and honestly, it's hard for us to tell as well, even though we already know what the ultimate outcome will be. He treats her pretty badly during some of their encounters and he gets insanely jealous, which doesn't help him look like the good guy in all this. Justine isn't one to just lay down and accept things though. She wasn't as strong of a heroine as I'd like, but she didn't let Raf just get his way all the time either.

I'm glad things worked out for them in the end. It was obvious that they really did love one another and were miserable without the other. The ending was a bit rushed though and they 'kissed and made up' a bit too suddenly for my liking (he should have done some more groveling IMO). But the ending did provide a good life lesson in that you both have to be willing to do what it takes to make things work - one person can't give all and expect things to last.

I'll definitely be looking to read more Tamara Lush books in the future. This one played with my emotions too much for me to forget the author.

What a wonderful story about addiction and what happens to those we love who are dealing with it.
This story has a lot of heart. Anyone who has lived through a loved ones addiction, and addicts themselves, will realize there is hope as long as there is still breathe.
I highly recommend this story to everyone!

Constant Craving has one of my favorite tropes - second chance romance. The book is steamy, sensual and angsty like any good romance should be. Justine and Rafael have an explosive chemistry and a lot of tension that make for a great read. Tamara Lush is a master with worlds when it comes to writing steamy romantic tension, even when she writes about something as mundane as kiss on a cheek. The sex scenes are not very explicit but they are certainly very hot.
I love romance books that have interesting and complex characters, amazing chemistry between them, a little (or a lot of) heat, and some angst (not too much). The Constant Craving has it all, and I will definitely be checking Tamara's other books.

one hot story with a good plot. Constant Craving is good

What do you do when the one who got away suddenly reappears in your life? In Justine's case, she tries to do her best to control her raging emotions while convincing her former love, Rafael, to loan her the money to save her failing newspaper. When Rafael proposes that she spend the month with him in exchange for helping her paper, Justine agrees. Not just for her employees, but also for herself. But is Rafael there to help her or destroy her?

The "Indecent Proposal" trope is an interesting one because of the power dynamic. Inherently, it is an unequal relationship which can lead to consent issues. However, I need to give the author credit when it comes to handling it. Justine never loses her agency, and Rafael isn't the stereotypical billionaire alpha.

Both of the characters have depth and motivations that are outside of the romance, which is often forgotten. I adored that both Justine and Rafael owned their sexuality and that this book was very sex-positive. My biggest quibble was that Rafael often fell into the "Hot Latin Lover" stereotype... and that some of the Spanish was a bit gratuitous... and untranslated, which can be difficult for a reader who isn't fluent in the language. This is especially true in regards to the slang which can vary from region to region.

That being said, the sex is incredibly hot. And I want this author to teach a masterclass on kissing. Each kiss was beautifully described and lovely to read. Seriously. I recommend this book for the kissing alone. *fans self* Frankly, all of the description in this book is lovely. As a former Florida resident, I appreciated the fact that the setting was as much of a character as the humans.

I also enjoyed the realism in regards to the newspaper industry. The author clearly knows her stuff when it comes to this, and it shows. Also there's an A+ Transmetropolitan reference, which tickled my inner graphic-novels geek.

In all, this is a solid and sexy second-chance romance.

And I'm happy to give it:

Four stars.

*** I received a copy of this book through NetGalley

Great book because Tamara Lush is a great author. 5 stars

**ARC provided by author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Justine never stopped loving Rafael and Rafael has never stopped loving Justine, but the two have a long sad history, not all sad, but enough that has kept the two apart for fifteen years. Out of sheer desperation Justine makes a call for help to save her beloved newspaper, it just so happens the company has recently been bought by her long lost love Rafael, so it is he who comes to evaluate the paper.

Not even after fifteen years of having no contact, has any of their passions for each other died or their love. The way their relationship starts back up is definitely unconventional, with an indecent proposal from Rafael, and has a end date. Or so thy both say. This book is a HEA, but what is a HEA with out a few bumps along the way?

Tamara Lush has a knack for writing stories with a searing sexual content, but the right amount of angst and drama too. Constant Cravings is a second chance romance with underlying trust issues and memories from the past that are destined to torment and create self-doubt.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story as a whole and find Ms Lush’s writing style easy to immerse myself in and engage with the characters. I’ll certainly be watching for what she has in store next.

As you read this book, you may find yourself, as I did, asking why in the world Justine ever broke up with Rafael. He's hot. He can kiss. He wears his clothes with swagger. And he can rock that headboard into another galaxy.

Yet, years ago, broke up with him she did. She had her reasons, and while I never fully bought into them, I also suspect that was purposeful on Tamara Lush's part. When Rafael and Justine broke up, they were young and still maturing. They didn't realize the work that a relationship takes, and they were, in many ways, unwilling to do the work.

Now they are reunited, if only for business purposes. Rafael has the means to save Justine's family's paper, albeit at a price: she needs to spend thirty days with him.

Thirty days of growling, satiating sexy times? SIGN ME UP. Justine, though, realizes that while those thirty days may save her paper and satisfy her sexually, they also will put her heart at risk.

In addition to the romance between Rafael and Justine, Lush also details the romance of news in her discussions of the declining print news business. In today's claims of the "failing New York Times" actually gaining subscriptions, Lush will make you want to support your local paper.

The sex scenes are gloriously, thigh-squeezingly detailed. Rafael is gloriously, thigh-squeezingly detailed.

Hot Romance Novel lovers, you will enjoy this book.

This story reminds me of the saying if you truly love something set it free, if it comes back it was meant to be. They were complete sweethearts and then a tragedy kept then apart. Now that they rekindled their love Rafael and Justine refuse to let each other go. They will go through many lengths of strength to stay together and battle everything keeping them apart. The end of the book was a true fairytale come true and I was really happy with it! They deserve each other!

I can't count how many times I cried reading this.

The Plot
It's a long story, truly it is. No scene is useless, no scene is redundant because every scene has a purpose. I could consider this work as a masterpiece. It's written so well that I have no complaints. In the beginning I was super eager to know why and how they broke up. I had a lot of guesses and theories and all of them were right.

The Characters
I was hurt when I first met Rafael and he is this cold, arrogant man. I understood why he's become that way, why he acts as such. Clearly he has been hurt deep. Most guys I met who have been hurt tend to turn into Rafael. Without knowing how he was in the past and only just meeting him, I tend to feel offended and hurt on behalf of Justine.

Justine on the other hand tends to get annoying sometimes but that's just how her character is designed. I've never met a person someone like her who doubts so much and goes to a conclusion immediately. She tends to be close minded and only sees one path for the future. It's not a character flaw, it's just unique for me. Most people I've met aren't like her.

However, both clearly have changed over time. For better or for worse. I love stand-alone books with character development for acceptable reasons.

The Writing
The story is written in Justine's POV only but it shifts between past and present events. With this it has made the reading experience more intriguing and the emotions more raw. The present events reflect to past events and it makes the entire thing a treat to read.

Overall
I am torn between wanting to read more second chance stories or not because it's bittersweet and I have a soft heart. If two belong deserve a second chance and I would want nothing more but for them to get back together. Purely 5 out of 5 stars, no, make that 6 out of 5 stars. I love this book so much and this will not be the last Tamara Lush book I'll read.

Nice storyline and plot and unsuspected ending. I like the twists the story has and the hot chemistry between the main characters. Well written. My first book from this author but not the last.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review

I loved Justine and Rafael's story it sucked me in right from the very start.These two blame each other for their relationship coming to an end when in truth like always both had a part to play in it.I found myself bouncing back and forwards one minute I loved them the next I hated them this is one roller coaster of a read and I could not get enough.

This is an absolute no brainer for anyone who loves second chance to get it right romance stories.

I haven't read a lot of books by Tamara but what I have read have been excellent on all fronts. The journey of Justine and Rafael surpassed all my previous love for this author! It's sexy and romantic, not the least bit predictable and extremely captivating. These two not only have long ago history together, but they also have their own history. What I mean by that is that they not only have the hurdle of their past relationship to hopefully get right, but they individually have growth throughout the story-line as well. I'm not going to give you too much detail on the what of everything; I just want to make sure that future readers know how well this author incorporated individual growth as well as relationship growth in her story. This is key because both Justine and Rafael have to come to terms with some personal background or it would be impossible for them to move forward. And I'm happy to report they did just that :)

Okay so I'm gonna be upfront and tell you that you are positively gonna hate yourself for loving Rafael. But you just won't be able to help yourself LOL This man was so ridiculously alpha with a heart of frikkin gold! FOR REAL! And Justine is everything you would want in a heroine. She's smart and strong and knows exactly who she is. They were really well matched!

I do have a small little quibble with the whole Spanish words thrown in thing. A lot of authors do this and I don't really know why. Speaking from a Latin's perspective, when I read a book and there is a ton of Spanish thrown in where English would have served the purpose just fine, it makes me twitchy. 'We' don't do that. We don't go around throwing Spanish phrases around when we speak to people. Terms of endearment are the only exception to that. That happens a lot. But for example, to say 'gracias' instead of thank you in conversation is just basically dumb. But to say mi querida instead of my love is perfectly acceptable and constantly done. In this case, Rafael had complete grasp of the English language so a lot of his Spanish in the story just seemed unnecessary and senseless. It can be very distracting every time it's done, so it should be very minimal, imo.

Overall this was an exceptional second chance romance with a lot of heart, some twist and turns and very very sexy!

Copy provided for blog tour review

*4.5 Stars!

This was my first book by Tamara Lush and I’m so happy it was. It’s no secret that I’m a complete, and total sucker, for second chance romances. This was such a great one! I loved the backstory we receive right from the get-go with the prologue set 15 years in the past. It helps us to immediately become invested in the characters and find out what happened, why, and what’s going to happen next.

With the print industry rapidly declining, like in real life, Justine is trying to keep her beloved newspaper afloat. When Rafael comes back into her life, playing the hero part, she’s not quite sure how to handle it. Is he back in her life to really help her? Or is he back for some kind of revenge for the way things ended up in the past?

I absolutely loved Rafael and Justine as individual characters and as a couple. Their relationship was full of ups, downs, and even a lot of twists and turns. They both have a lot of baggage, things they need to move past in order to move on and have a future. Even after 15 years, their chemistry has not waned. If anything, it felt hotter, spicier, and more intense.

The addition of Rafael’s sweet talk, in Spanish no less, was brilliant. It took nothing to fall for him and rooting for his and Justine’s relationship. Yes, there are moments where I loved to hate him but overall he was caring, sweet, and oh so swoony!

I’m still in shock at how quickly I ate this book up. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. This book definitely left me wanting more. I wish more of an epilogue was given which is the reason I couldn’t give it a full 5 stars. I will definitely be going to check out Tamara’s other books!

If you’re looking for a hot, steamy, second chance romance, look no further! Go snatch this one up right now!

Grateful to have received an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Bit of a slow start, but it didn't take long for the story to pick up. I liked that we got to see Rafael and Justine when they were younger, and the relationship between them started. I will say that present day Rafael is not a man you want to embrace; he's more the man you love to hate (but eventually end up loving him by the end). Despite his hard exterior, I liked that Justine still had some type of sway over him, even if he was loathe to admit it. The sexy times were hot (Tamara Lush knows how to write sexy scenes!), and while the ending was a bit predictable, it didn't take away from the story at all.

Another Tamara Lush book I LOVE!!! My not-so-guilty pleasure is second chance romances between married but estranged couples or even just couples. I love that one or both might be pining after the other person.

Justine is trying her hardest to keep her faithful newspaper from going under, because just like in real life, the print news industry is rapidly declining. And Justine does not want to do away with print news and her family's paper. So when her former lover, Rafael, comes to her rescue, she just can't believe it. But only if she will live with him for a month.

So slightly indecent proposal-like but that's the last of the similarities. Justi and Rafa's romance is as hot as Rafa's Spanish sweet talk! They are epically combustible with heat and with temper. They have quite a history, sweet, spicy and tempestuous, and you just get swept away in reading it.

It's over before you know it - because you can't put it down! - but so much happens that it's a full, satisfying, book hangover-inducing read!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

A second chance romance that sucks you in and keeps you interested through the twists and turns of their story. I enjoyed it.

Constant Craving by Tamara Lush is an erotic romance that will set your Kindle on fire. As this was my first book by this author, I was not disappointed for wanting to read this book. Justine Lavoie is the publisher of the St. Augustine Times, this newspaper has been slowly going under and Justine is looking for an investor but she wasn’t expecting it to be her ex. It’s been 15 years since Rafael Menendez has seen his ex, Justine. He has a proposition for her he will save her newspaper if she spends the month with him. What will Justine do to save her family’s legacy?

Second chance romances are my favorite genre and this was fantastic. The back in forth from Justine and Rafael was really enjoyable to read; you didn’t know what the other one was going to say next. The writing was really good and boy those bedroom scenes were HOT!