I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Published by Samhain Publishing on June 2nd 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 311
Format: eARC
Goodreads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

She doesn’t need a hero. But a sexy Marine...that’ll work.Though Lauren Baxter’s world is a blurry mess of colors, she has no tolerance for pity. With the help of her guide dog, Jack Sparrow, she’s built a good life for herself. She has everything she wants: her PhD, a thriving counseling practice and her independence.When she meets her new neighbor, the man’s warm Texas accent and clean male scent weaken her knees. Her attraction to the former Marine is mutual and, unfortunately, a complication she doesn’t need.Gabriel Briggs carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. He has his reasons for indulging only in short-term flings, but the feisty, green-eyed Lauren makes him want to forget every one.In a rare moment of fragility, Lauren winds up in Gabe’s arms. One night together can’t break their self-imposed rules, right? But when a woman from Gabe’s past is murdered, the reasons he should have stayed away become painfully clear, threatening innocent lives he may not be able to save—especially Lauren’s.Warning: Contains a blind therapist who doesn’t consider herself impaired; a meddling, erotic-novel-writing best friend; a hot ex-Marine with a shady past; and a loyal guide dog that howls “I love you” and is probably the sanest one of the bunch.
Lauren Baxter has a lot going for her. She has a therapy practice that seems to be doing very well, a wonderful assistant who has been her best friend since high school, a wonderful guide dog named Jack Sparrow, and now, a new neighbor who is smoking hot. She also has an ex-husband who cheated on her, and parents who don’t trust her to live on her own. And she’s blind. Mostly. She can see some swirls of color, and some very generic shapes, but that’s about it. And she knows that she’s going to lose those colors at some point, too.
I really liked Lauren and her determination to live her life on her own terms. Right now she can still see colors, and she’s able to use them to live her life fairly independently. That may or may not change by the time she loses her sight all together, but for now, she’s doing really well. Enter Gabe Briggs, the new neighbor. They officially meet when she goes to ask him not to do his hammer during office hours, as she’s on the phone with her patients and needs the quiet. He agrees without argument, which I thought was a nice change, then tries to finagle dinner with her. Lauren, however, wants no part of this, and turns him down, lying and telling him she has a boyfriend.
I didn’t feel like I got to know Gabe as well as I did Lauren, and that’s a shame. There was a lot going on in this guy’s past, and it just sprang up out of nowhere. There wasn’t even a hint of it earlier in the book. I think that was the biggest problem I had with this story. I felt like Lauren and Gabe’s relationship was one of convenience. Lauren goes to Gabe when her ex-husband shows back up and wants her back, and I felt like she would have gone to whoever lived next door. She obviously finds him attractive and knows it’s mutual, but I got the sense that if Gabe lived across town, she still would have gone next door.
There wasn’t a ton of heat to this one; most of the sex scenes faded to black. I thought it was an easy read, good for sitting outside on my deck in the spring, which is exactly where I read it. I will say however, I took a full star off of my rating for one specific plot point. View Spoiler » That’s a completely personal issue, some people won’t care, but just, no.
Reviews are so important in this process, I totally appreciate you for providing yours. Thank you for taking the time to read Blind Love and give your honest opinion. Happy reading! Kish