Grounding Griffin: A Made Marian Novel (Volume 4) Paperback – February 2, 2017

I cannot express just how much I love this series!! There is something about the Marian family, about their lives and relationships and love for each other, that is just so warm and comforting and welcoming. I loved them after Borrowing Blue but now, after 4 books, I feel like a part of the family. The first three books in the Made Marian series are amazing so I had high expectations for this installment, and Grounding Griffin does. Not. Disappoint!Griff and Sam are absolutely perfect for each other. God, I loved them both so freaking much. They complement each other in every way and encourage the other to chase their dreams. Their chemistry is off-the-charts intense and their sweet and tender moments melted my heart. Of course, there were some bumps and angsty times along the way, but the road to their HEA was satisfying and compelling. It was also so, so funny! I was laughing out loud constantly while reading. I love Lucy Lennox's ability to write a story that is sexy, sweet, funny, real, a bit angsty, and heartwarming all at once. It makes her books memorable and impossible to put down!The secondary characters, as always, are fantastic in this book. AUNT TILLY! She is my idol! We also get to see how things are going with the couples from the previous books, as well as deeper glimpses into the Marians whose stories we have not yet gotten. I need more Marians! I cannot wait for Mav's story, and then Dante's.This book can be read as a standalone but I encourage you to go back and read the series from the beginning if you haven't already. You will not regret it!*I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book.*

This is the fourth story in Made Marian series of contemporary romances, but worry not if you are not familiar with the previous ones :) each book tells a story about a different sibling in this big family, and all of them work perfectly well as standalones ;) of course, when you read them in order, you get a better understanding of a lot of relationships and connections between certain characters, but again, it's not necessary to enjoy each story :) ok, so let's get into a bit more details about this particular installment :)Our main couple of this story is Griff and Sam :) Griff is one of the adopted brothers in the Marian clan... after raising a bunch of their biological kids, the absolutely amazing parents of said bunch decided to adopt a few of the boys from the LGBTQ+ youth center when they are volunteering :) and Griff is one of them :) he went through quite a lot on the streets, and all that definitely had an impact on him and his personality... or the way he handles certain situations... but I get into all my thoughts and feelings about all that in a minute... Sam on the other hand, is an ex-chef currently turned bartender, who is saving up to open up his own restaurant... they meet, because Griff keeps coming back to the bar where Sam works, and every time, he is picking up guys using the most ridiculous nicknames for them :) yes, it's as hilarious as it sounds :) and even though Sam is hesitant at first, and who could blame him after everything he witnessed, Griff soon charms his way into his life ;) ok, now that we have some basic informations out of the way, let me jump into all my thoughts and feelings about this one...I was thinking long and hard how exactly I want to rate this story... and ultimately I landed on 4 stars, but make no mistakes, this was my least favourite novel from this series so far... *sighs* where to start... I still enjoyed a lot of it, but I had a few issues, and the biggest one of them all was Griff... *sighs heavily* I just couldn't deal with him... he irritated me throughout the most of the book... I mean, I get that his life was hard... I really do... and I wasn't mad that he had issues... it was perfectly understandable after the life he lived... what did irritate me to no end is how he decided to deal with them... as in didn't... like, not at all... his attitude of like "oh, that's just how I am" was truly annoying... I honestly think that this story would benefit if Griff would go to therapy to show that there is a safe way to deal with everything... and instead of that he was this hot-and-cold type of a guy to Sam throughout the majority of the story and the whiplash of his hypocritical behaviour made my head hurt... there were times when I wanted to smack some sense into him... I was hoping that Griff would, at least at some point, start working toward getting better on his own with his issues than just sort of hoping Sam will stick out through everything he's been putting him through almost like Sam should be the one to "fix him" which is not a very healthy coping mechanism in my opinion... even after finishing the story I'm still not sure that Griff's issues and how he deals with them were properly addressed and it still bothers me... Sam on the other hand was an absolute sweetheart and a ray of sunshine in this story... his patience appeared limitless ;) he was understanding and totally swoonworthy... trust me, he wasn't perfect by any means, but compared to Griff, he definitely seemed that way ;) as always I loved the Marian family, and enjoyed all the appearances of the previous couples and the still single siblings ;) once again I listened to the audiobook version of this story and once again Michael Pauley as the narrator was wonderful :) he always does two very different voices for the main characters and I enjoy his performances a lot :) I will definitely continue on with the series in the future, but this was a disappointment for me, especially when you compare it to other installments in this series... but that's my own personal opinion, and I'm sure that a lot of you will love it :) case in point, my own sister absolutely adores this book and that's perfectly fine :) I encourage you guys to check out some other reviews before making your own decision about picking this story up :)

I have to admit that as much as I liked and enjoyed reading this book and was hooked from the very beginning, some things kind of pissed me off about it. Mostly Griffin’s running away every chance he got and being inconsiderate, and an a-hole. I understood his background had a lot to do with it, and understand that he went through a lot as a kid and I honestly admire him a lot as a person, so I definitely understood the first time he ran to protect his heart, but when he continues doing it, even when Sam is so kind and supportive, it was like WTF dude, you’ve got to be kidding me. Thank god he pulls his head out of his behind and rectify his actions at the end. I also absolutely loved Sam, he’s so sweet and kind. I wanted him to be happy no matter what. So, is safe to say I feel in love with the characters even the ones that made me want to pull all my hairs out. Also, I can’t get enough of the author’s humor. I love it. It made me laugh out loud so many times throughout the book.

I will start by saying I love this author and I have loved all the books in this series! I can't wait for more. I love the writing style and almost all the characters. I auto buy them all! :)Having said that, I did not like Griffin AT ALL. There was almost nothing about this character that I liked. Ok there was one thing...his humor. Pretty good sense of humor. But other than that he was a selfish, self centered a hole through pretty much the entire book. To the point that at around 50% I almost wanted to give up and stop reading. I liked Sam, he was really sweet and loving, but I honestly think he needed to grow a pair. Not become a jerk and not bend, but to stop being a doormat for a guy who was a douche. It was basically Sam giving and Griffin taking, then running away, then Sam apologizing (for nothing) and fighting for their relationship. Griff kept saying how he couldn't do love because everyone always abandoned him, however he has been apart of this amazing family with parents and 8 siblings for THIRTEEN years who have loved him and who have never turned their backs on him, so that was confusing to me. The whole book was just an exercise in frustration.

Poor Griff! I forgot how much he broke me heart. I just wanted to wrap him up in my arms till he felt no need to run! Thankfully Sam did that for me!Loved these two. So perfect for one another. I loved how Sam wouldn't allow Griff to push him away. He was having none of it! Even when he was hurting himself he knew Griff needed someone to always come running after him so he could trust them.Griffs past is heartbreaking and i fully understood why he was the way he was. Sometimes i'm not gonna lie i wanted to shake him! Tell him Sam was there for good! Which was why i loved his turn around. I loved his journey to trusting Sam as he had with the Marians. It gave me a big smile at the end when he went all in.Sam was so brave i think. Even though he had his own problems and fears he was a real super hero for Griff, which is why he was perfect. Just a huge massive heart that gave and gave until Griff gave Sam the trust he was looking for and finally became someone Sam could depend on.Loved all of it. The story, the imperfect characters, the crazy family who make my day! Honestly i can't love the series more.

Lucy Lennox what can I say you did it again!! This is book four in the Marian series and is as gripping captivating and amazing as all the others. Griff is a guy scared to give his heart to anyone. He's been let down by most people in his life. Sam however is the man that makes Griff dream of a happy ever after. As always Aunt Tilly and Granny will have you splitting your sides I love them!! The story can also pull a few tears out of the reader as well especially when Griff remembers how life was before he became a Marian. Amazing book and can't wait for the next one.

I've thoroughly enjoyed the first 3 books in this series and recommend them highly, especially 'Borrowing Blue.' But this fourth installment fell short for me in terms of character development and plot. Neither Sam nor Griffin seemed as well drawn as previous leads, and interactions between them were somewhat superficial. The ease with which Sam forgave Griffin's poor behaviour didn't ring true for me, and opportunities to create a deeper and more compelling relationship between the two were largely ignored. The number of times problems were sidelined in favour of frankly lacklustre and repetitive sex scenes was particularly disappointing. That said, I love the Marian family and I'll stick with them. I just hope the next offering can recapture the magic of the earlier books.

I admit I preferred the previous book in this series - Jumping Jude, but Grounding Griffin is still a thumping good read. Griffin was irritating at times but with his backstory I understood why. This series is so addictive, it's hilarious and generally brilliant.

Griff and Sam's journey was such a emotional rollercoaster I loved it so much their connection was so wonderful I could feel it on every pageI was hooked from beginning to end of grounding griffin I didn't want it to endFollowing griff and sam's story I felt like I was there with them through all their ups and downs