Booksniffer Book Reviews

There is NO WAY you will ever get our nose out of this book!

UNTIL NOVEMBER revolves around a young woman named November trying to make a new life for herself and forget the hurts of her past. The source of her pain is her abusive mother and cheating ex-fiance. She finally feels free once she moves to Tennessee to live with her dad. Meeting her estranged paternal family and the frustrating Asher Mayson, help her begin a new, happier life. But that happiness is disrupted when her past invades her present, and it's not only November in danger this time.

It's really hard to talk about the story without giving something away, so there might be some tiny spoilers here. November was attacked in an alley in New York, and when she starts receiving threatening "presents" from some creepy stalker, she feels that the two events are connected in some way.

There are two main story lines in UNTIL NOVEMBER. There is the search and capture of November's stalker, and the love story between her and Asher. So on one hand you have suspense and on the other you have romance. Aurora Rose Reynolds wove these two aspects perfectly. Add in a cast of characters that I couldn't help but love (except the baddies), and UNTIL NOVEMBER quickly won my heart.

I loved how November termed all the women that the Mayson brother were involved with as their "harem." And it's no exaggeration, either. There are so many women flocking to them and that they've been involved with that they really could create their own harem. And if you think about it, whether they realize it or not, they did. This "harem" creates some interesting interactions between various characters.

The family aspect and the "Mayson Curse" are parts of the story that I really liked. The Mayson family is really close, and I liked how they all took care of each other, and opened their arms wide to November. It's really close-knit family and that's something that really drew me into the story too.

The Guy: Asher Mayson is the oldest of the Mayson boys, and although he seems like what you would think of a playboy as, he's had his fair share of pain in his life. A lot of women just like the status of having been with a Mayson, and would go to deceptive means to make that happen. Asher has had run-ins with false pregnancy claims, entrapment, and women cheating on him with one of his brothers. He knows that when he meets the right woman, he needs to make her stay. I really liked Asher. He is Alpha in all it's definition. He's possessive, assertive, and easily jealous. But he's also really sweet, sincere, and devoted. And I think that he's the kind of man that November really needed in her life after what happened with her ex-fiance.

The Girl: November has had a tough life. Her mother was mentally and emotionally abusive to her as she was growing up. Constantly making her feel less than what she is. But I really liked that even though her mother was a terrible parent, that November still became a strong woman. She doesn't take crap from no one. She's also been unlucky in love. Her ex-fiance cheated on her with her mother. I mean, who does that? Only a sick and depraved man would cheat on his fiance with her mother. But then she meets Asher once she moves to Tennessee, and though she has some insecurity in their relationship, she knows that Asher is not like her ex-fiance and that she can trust him. November surprises Asher and his brothers. She's not like any of the other women they've been with. She's not prissy, and has no problem getting muddy or rolling around with her dog, Beast. I think that is one of her traits that really drew Asher in.

This is definitely the section I can't say too much about without giving away who the baddie is. All I'll say about who it is, is that it's someone from November's past. The baddie does your classic stalker terrorizing things. Her place in broken into, she's left creepy poetry, and flowers. Once she feels like she's free of this baddie, something else shows up. So November is definitely always on edge, and that's one of the goals of such terrorizing activity. I honestly don't know how she would handle it all without her family and Asher helping her.

This is where the "Mayson Curse" comes into play. Apparently one they first lay eyes on The One, it's like, BOOM, instant love. And for Asher, that is November. And he does everything in his power to make her his.

Their first meeting was one of my favorite scenes in UNTIL NOVEMBER. November had gone to her father's strip club to get the lay of the back office, since she'd be working for him doing the books, and Asher saw her there with her father, "hanging all over him and calling him 'Daddy!'" as he put it. When he finds out that November really is Big Mikes daughter his reaction is priceless and November enjoys the moment immensely since he was being so rude to her. I was cracking up just imagining Asher reaction. The moment was just to hilarious and ridiculous. Asher allowed his anger and jealousy to cloud his senses.

November and Asher both have past relationships that ended because of deception and mistrust, so they both have trouble at first really trusting each other. Asher is bossy and pushy, but November has none of that, although she does seems to be manipulated into doing what he wants in the end.

I loved how November didn't allow the women in the "Mayson harem" to get to her. Asher has women throwing themselves at him all the time, and it does annoy November, but it doesn't really make her jealous. She even tells one particular women where to shove it, when she attacks November's father and his business.

I just really loved the dynamic between November and Asher. They compliment each other and I really do believe that they were meant to be together as the "Mayson Curse" dictated.