Made for Us by Samantha Chase

August 10th, 2015 Kimberly Review 52 Comments

10th Aug
Made for Us by Samantha Chase
Made for Us
by Samantha Chase
Series: The Shaughnessy Brothers #1
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Heat Level: One FlameOne FlameOne Flame

The Shaughnessy brothers—Aiden in particular—have spent the years since their mother’s untimely death taking care of each other and trying to make their father proud. And Aiden has managed pretty well so far. But his father is starting to worry he’s neglected himself. At the age of thirty-four, he is successful and handsome, and he still has no grandchildren!
Aiden’s met plenty of attractive women over the years, but who has the time? It isn’t until he meets Zoe, a designer on one of his jobs, that he starts realizing he wants something more...

I was drawn to Made For Us by Samantha Chase because I have a weakness for series involving brothers and small-towns. This is the first book in the Shaughnessy Brothers series and I was excited to dive in. While I had issues with the characters and angst, Chase managed to make me smile.

Caffeinated Aspects of Made For Us

  • Brothers-*Squee* I do love series with brothers and Made For Us delivered with the Shaughnessy family. Our first book begins with the oldest Aidan. He is thirty-four and a successful homebuilder.
  • Small-town setting- The tale takes place in a beach side community in North Carolina making this a delightful summer read.
  • The Shaughnessy family- consists of four brothers, their Dad and a baby sister who is now seventeen. All the boys are wildly successful and Darcy the little sister is trying to deal with her overprotective brothers. The family lost their mother during Aiden’s first year of college and it influenced all of their lives, particularly Aiden’s as he stepped in to help his father out.
  • The plot-  The story centers around Zoe and Aiden. Zoe Dalton is an interior decorator who, after losing her mother, moves to North Carolina. Zoe was sweet, successful and perhaps the only one who will stand up to Aiden. I had some issues with her, and really felt the author’s intention for her did not come across. (See Decaffeinated Aspects) Aiden has some serious control issues and while it worked in his professional life, it has done little for his personal life. His whole world revolves around taking care of  and protecting his family. Many of his traits are admirable, but oh, lord the man needs to drop the lease. We get a hurricane, a cute dog and banter as Zoe unlike everyone else isn’t ready to fall in line and take orders from Aiden.
  • Secondary characters- from siblings to the local sheriff they added interest and hinted of storylines to come. I am most excited about Anna and Quinn whose book will be a friends to lovers romance. I am hoping Dad will get one too and I have a character in mind.
  • The romance- despite the angst the romance was slow building and I believed in their affections. Chase shared some sizzling kisses but the sex was not overly detailed. It was a nice balance somewhere between Robyn Carr’s small-town romances and Bella Andre’s Sullivan series.

Decaffeinated Aspects

  • Angst and drama- at times spoiled the read. Yes, Aiden has issues, but I felt a little communication would have resolved things sooner.
  • Zoe- had attributes I admired but she was not fleshed out firmly enough for me. She teetered sometimes in her convictions and with all of Aiden’s issues, I felt she needed to be confident, head-strong, and firm while still being able to see the man beneath his overbearing personality. One moment she is in Aiden’s face the next, she is muttering, not my family not my problem.
  • Aiden- is not an easy hero to swoon-over. I felt for him, but also wanted to smack the man and often. I was a tad surprise his family tolerated his controlling behavior. You cannot fault him for his love of family and the passion he brings to the homes he builds, but the transformation for this stubborn hero was not easy. Thankfully like Zoe, I was able to see the good beneath that hard head.

While I had some issues with Made For Us, I really did end up enjoying this overall and read it in just  two-sittings. I closed the book with smile and look forward to Love Walks In.

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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52 Responses to “Made for Us by Samantha Chase”

  2. Candace

    I love the sound of the setting of this one but the angst and drama, I can’t handle that. Glad you still enjoyed it though!

  5. Sarah

    I love small towns and brothers too! But IDK the angst would have me irritated. I have heard lots about this author though! Maybe one day I will give Chase a chance 🙂

  8. Melissa (Books and Things)

    This sounds adorable. I do love these kinds of stories but always wonder where the heck these small towns are! I’ve looked! LOL I also know of someone who would love this book. Will recommend. Thanks!

  9. Katherine

    I love brothers and small towns enough that I’m willing to overlook the decaffeinated aspects and give this one a try. Hopefully this was just growing pains and the rest of the series will be less angsty.

  11. Lily

    I’ve actually avoided angst ridden reads lately so maybe this one will fair better with me? One can only hope!

  14. The Bibliophile Babe

    Angst and drama can be so terribly frustrating, especially when the main characters are difficult to begin with. Glad you wound up liking it, though!

  16. Sophia Rose

    Brothers and Small Town would have grabbed me, too. I’ve had a few characters that I didn’t take to or wanted to smack b/c they overbalanced into too much, but glad there were likeable layers, too.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      They both have all these wonderful elements about them but I wanted to lock them in a closet till they solved things. I am excited about book two’s couple.

  20. kindlemom1

    I really do have a weakness for brothers and small towns too, just something about them and the family ties.
    Glad this was a decent read for you. I think I would like this series as well.

  22. Laurel-Rain Snow

    Another new-to-me author….I like the idea of the small beach town…and interior designers always grab my attention, too.

    Too bad about some of the issues. Thanks for sharing.

  23. Nick

    Angst and drama are two words that are enough to push me away from a book, Kim. This doesn’t seem like the fun book that the screams it to be. I’m glad that you were able to enjoy the book for the most part though. I’m unsure if it would work for me, however.
    Lovely review!

  24. Jenny

    *sigh* Communication is one of my deal breakers in a romance Kim! It frustrates me to no end when a lot of drama could be avoided if only the couple talked a few things out. Glad you were able to dig deep and see the good in Aiden underneath all the controlling behavior, makes me want to see if I can do the same!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Right. I stuck with it because they were both lovely characters/people and I knew it would resolve itself. Despite it all I really ended up enjoying this one.

  25. Quinn's Book Nook

    I’ve never read Samantha Chase, but her books have been on my radar for a bit. I am definitely interested in this one, because I love families and small-town romances. But the angst might be a bit too much for me. I hate when the conflict could be solved if they would just talk things through.

    Thanks for the review!