Reality Bites! Let's Get Lost!: Giveaway, Review and Tour: Enlightened (Red Flags #2) By: C.C. Brown

4.5 Hearts

Goodreads Summary

After being humiliated and having her heart broken, Cara vowed to never let love cloud her better judgments again. She knows the warning signs, she's seen the red flags, and she's now picking up the pieces and moving forward with her life.

Jason felt the effects of humiliation and heartbreak as well. He's realized the error of his ways and wants nothing more than to prove to Cara that he can be the man that she needs him to be.

Past secrets, family members, and new players threaten to keep the couple apart. Will a newly enlightened Cara be able to wade through the murky waters and find happiness with Jason, or will her heart and the outside forces keep the two apart?

**ARC provided by author for an honest review**

4.5 Hearts

*PLEASE NOTE* If you have not read the first book in this series, Red Flags, my review may contain spoilers.

After finishing Red Flags, the first book in this series, I was convinced of two things. First, Jason was a complete and total asshole. And second, Cara was a total idiot. I just could not wrap my brain around how a girl could let her boyfriend treat her the way Jaaon treated Cara. Yeah he had his good moments, but for the most part he was a totally DOUCHENOZZLE! (Credit given to Katie Ashely for introducing me to that fabulous word! hehe)

So, i bet you are now asking yourself "why would she read Enlightened then?". Well, I can answer that for you! One, because I kinda had to. I was invested in the story by the end of Red Flags. Yes, it ticked me off to no end, but I had to know if Cara was stupid enough for fall for Jason's BS after what happened at the end of the first book. And well, because the author asked me to. She wanted me to give Jason a chance to redeem himself with me.

I didn't think it would happen though.

After reading Enlightened, I will now eat those words. While Jason will not be appearing on any of my BBF list, he did in fact redeem himself. And that is surprising because i truly did not like him the least little bit in Red Flags. i have to give him mad props for giving Cara the space she said she needed though. So much space, that he was actually MIA for a good portion of the book. i also have to give him credit for fixing the things about himself he realized made him a complete asshat!

And Cara! Oh, how I was proud of her in this book. She stood her ground for so much longer then I thought she would. She allowed herself time away from Jason to not only get her head on straight, but to get more of the story. I think all the pieces of information she gathered from people that were NOT Jason, even those who were not his supporters, helped her make the right decision in the end about him.

A couple of people who I am NOT fans of are Mila and Chase. We get the back story of Chase and Cara's history in this book, and I have to say, I feel pretty dumb myself for ever being on Team Chase. And Mila, well I didn't like her in the first book and my feelings for her did not improve in this one either. She just does not feel like a good friend to Cara.

Overall, Enlightened was a great read. You won't see much in way of smexy until after the half way point. But the chemistry between Cara and Jason was the one thing I actually did love about them from the beginning. So, when you do finally get to the hot and steamy, it is worth the wait! Quite a few issues get resolved, while some not so much (Jason's relationship with his dad for one). But there is a HEA and no cliffhanger, so that earns it an extra half star in my eyes!!

Marine Corps wife, mommy to two wonderfully, obnoxious little military brats, loving dog owner, and WRITER.

I've spent the greater part of my life enjoying books and writing, so after making another life altering move for my wonderful husband and his career, I decided to make my dream come true and write my first novel, Red Flags.

I am obsessively addicted to candy (except for chocolate). I don't care for flowers (they die). Coffee is a no-go for me, but I'll suck down a Red Bull in a heartbeat. I study with the TV on, but write to music. I am competitive as all hell, probably too competitive for my own good. I grew up playing sports and wanted to win at EVERYTHING. It's creeping into my son and I'm not so sure that's a good thing. I will play tea party and dolls with my daughter, even though I never played that stuff as a child.

I now live in the glorious state of Hawaii and if it weren't for the roaches, poisonous centipedes, and geckos that leave me prancing around, moving from room to room with cans of RAID, this would truly be paradise. I can't complain though... when I don't see the critters, I love it here, and wouldn't want to be stationed anywhere else. When I see them, I want to pack up and hop on the first thing flying out of here.

I can't thank you all enough for taking a chance on a no-namer like myself and allowing me to live my dreams.