Review Tour: Stay with Me by J. Lynn

Posted in 4 hearts, Blog Tours, Reviews by Lacey

Welcome to today’s stop on the review tour for STAY WITH ME by J. Lynn/Jennifer L. Armentrout!

Stay with Me by J. Lynn
Series: Wait for You #3 (full reading order below)
Release Date: September 23rd 2014

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wait for You and Be with Me comes a daring tale that pushes boundaries . . .

At 21, Calla hasn’t done a lot of things. She’s never been kissed, never seen the ocean, never gone to an amusement park. But growing up, she witnessed some things no child ever should. She still carries the physical and emotional scars of living with a strung-out mother, Mona—secrets she keeps from everyone, including her close circle of college friends.

But the safe cocoon Calla has carefully built is shattered when she discovers her mom has stolen her college money and run up a huge credit card debt in her name. Now, Calla has to go back to the small town she thought she’d left behind and clean up her mom’s mess again. Of course, when she arrives at her mother’s bar, Mona is nowhere to be found. Instead, six feet of hotness named Jackson James is pouring drinks and keeping the place humming.

Sexy and intense, Jax is in Calla’s business from the moment they meet, giving her a job and helping her search for Mona. And the way he looks at her makes it clear he wants to get horizontal . . . and maybe something more. Before Calla can let him get close, though, she’s got to deal with the pain of the past—and some very bad guys out to mess her up if she doesn’t give them her mom.

Buy Links:
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • iTunes • Kobo • Google Play

JLA is one of those authors that you can trust–when I pick up a JLA book, I know that I won’t be disappointed, and her latest release, Stay with Me, is no exception. I am sooo in love with this series. Each book in the Wait for You series manages to be a captivating, sexy, fun read, and I highly enjoyed Calla and Jax’s story.

We first met Calla as Teresa’s college friend in Be with Me. We didn’t really know much about her, except for the scar she has running down her face, but it turns out there’s a LOT to this girl. First, she’s incredibly self-conscious about her scars–the one on her face and the ones on her body–so much so that she hasn’t really… well, done anything. She’s never been kissed, let alone had sex, never gotten drunk, never done anything fun during her 21 years. Her main focus has been getting through nursing school. Second, Calla has many secrets, secrets that shame her enough that she hides her past from her friends.

So when her drug addict of a mother steals all of Calla’s money that she needs to pay for school, Calla can’t keep hiding her secrets and ignoring/running away from her past anymore. The summer after her school year is over, Calla reluctantly packs up and moves back to her hometown, a place she never wanted to return to, to try to track down her mother to get her money back. But she never expected to get involved in dangerous schemes, and she definitely never expected Jax.

“… When I want something, I go for it. Life is way too damn short to live any other way. And I want to get to know you better.” Those lashes lowered one more time, his gaze tracking to my lips like they were some kind of mecca. “Yeah, I definitely want to get to know you better.”

Jax is the ex-marine bartender who works at the bar owned by Calla’s mother, and he is smokin’. He’s sexy, honest, blunt, and a very straightforward guy. And while I really, really liked Jax (and his naughty, naughty ways) I didn’t LOVE him like I wanted to. It took a while for me to warm up to him. Jax just seemed a bit too shallow at first, so I was reserved when he was first introduced, but over time, I gradually became fonder of him. He’s hot, but what I liked most about Jax was how sweet he is to Calla. He shows her just how beautiful she truly is, despite, and even because of, her scars.

“You like me.”
His lips twitched. “Not a new flash, honey. I like you, knowing that the scars are a part of you.”
“But how?” It wasn’t the first time I asked him this.
“I’ve already told you how.” Both hands were back on my waist again, and my breath caught. “I think it’s past time for me to just show you.”

I couldn’t really connect with Calla in the beginning, although like with Jax, I ended up enjoying her character as the book went on. I understood how her scars made her feel self-conscious and my heart went out to her, but I wanted her to stand up for herself more, to believe in herself more. But as Calla spends more time back in her hometown, working alongside Jax at the bar to make some money, she does gain more strength within herself. I really liked reading about her character growth–she learns not to hide her scars or hide away from those who care for her.

Calla and Jax together equals hotness!! I will say that Jax is definitely one of the hotter JLA boys, even though he’s not my favorite of her male characters. Jax gets to be Calla’s first for a lot of things, and I adored the two of them together. They do have bumps along the way, so it’s not an easy relationship between them. I liked that they had bumps, even though I wanted to strangle the two of them sometimes, because they two of them made a really great couple.

There’s also some action and suspense in Stay with Me, which I wasn’t expecting, or at least expecting that much of. Because of Calla’s drug addict mother, Calla and Jax are thrust into some dangerous stuff–some of which include threats, guns, drugs, drug dealers, the whole shebang. Some of the it was intense, some of it was predictable, but overall, I really enjoyed this suspenseful aspect of the book.

Stay with Me was another great addition to the Wait for You series. It definitely has a different feel than the other books, but it worked well with the story and characters. Calla and Jax’s story was so much fun to read–it’s not my favorite of the series, but I still really enjoyed it! It’s a fairly long book, but in between the hot chemistry between Jax and Calla, and the action and suspense, the pages flew by for me. Fans of the series won’t be disappointed with this next installment.

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: Wait for You series

#1 ~ Wait for You: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Trust in Me: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Be with Me: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Stay with Me: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Fall with Me: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4.5 ~ Dream of You: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (June 23, 2015)
#5 ~ Forever with You: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (Sept. 29, 2015)
#6 ~ Fire in You: Goodreads (2016)

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • J.Lynn Goodreads • Jennifer L. Armentrout Goodreads

15Sep2014

Blog Tour + ARC Review: Uncivilized by Sawyer Bennett

Posted in 4 hearts, Blog Tours, Reviews by Lacey

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for UNCIVILIZED by Sawyer Bennett!
You can follow the tour here.

Uncivilized by Sawyer Bennett
Series: Uncivilized #1 (full reading order below)
Release Date: September 8th 2014

**Warning: This book is a wild, sexy beast of a read. 18+**

Putting a woman on her knees before me is what really makes my cock hard. I fuck with dominant force and absolute control. I demand complete surrender from my conquests.

Savage man, loner, warrior… I am dangerous at my core. I have lived amidst the untamed wild of the rainforest, in a society that reveres me and where every woman falls before me in subjugation.

Now I’ve been discovered. Forced to return to a world that I have forgotten about and to a culture that is only vaguely familiar to my senses.

Dr. Moira Reed is an anthropologist who has been hired to help me transition back into modern society. It’s her job to smooth away my rough edges… to teach me how to navigate properly through this new life of mine. She wants to tame me.

She’ll never win.

I am wild, free and raw, and the only thing I want from the beautiful Moira Reed is to fuck her into submission.

She wants it, I am certain.

I will give it to her soon.

Yes, very soon, I will become the teacher and she will become my student. And when I am finished showing her body pleasure like no other, she’ll know what it feels like to be claimed by an uncivilized man.

Buy Links:
Amazon Ebook • Amazon Paperback • B&N • iTunes • Google Play

Holy hell. This is my first time reading a book by Sawyer Bennett, but it certainly will NOT be my last!

“I learned that you… Zacharias Easton… are an uncivilized man.”

Okay – first off, that blurb right there. It had me hooked the second I read it! I had to know who this dominant, uncivilized man was. And WOW, I was not disappointed with Zach and Moira’s story. Uncivilized is one of the hottest books I’ve ever read – well, I should say that Zach is one of the hottest male characters I’ve ever read. I am in total awe of him – so just a fair warning, make sure to bring a fan with you while you read this book!

Zacharias Easton has been living in the jungle with the Caraican tribe for the past eighteen years since he was seven years old. His parents died on a mission trip, leaving Zach to the care of the Caraicans. So Zach lived these eighteen years as a primitive, though intelligent, man. Zach is the epitome of an alpha-male – he is dominant and possessive, but add in a little wildness from the jungle, and you get a character that I absolutely loved to read about.

“Oh, baby… I’m going to teach you how good it’s going to feel to be fucked into submission by an uncivilized man.”

Hot damn, I really just CANNOT get over how HOT this book was.

Dr. Moira Reed is an anthropologist who has been hired to take on the job of assimilating Zach back into modern civilization. She’s smart, witty, and a very independent woman. She owns herself, which I admired about her. She shows compassion towards Zach, never forcing him to assimilate, always ready to help him. Moira and Zach have an undeniable chemistry between them, which Moira tries to ignore and which fascinates Zach. But even as fascinated as Zach is with Moira, he is very resistant to assimilating to the modern American culture. He believes that he belongs with the Caraicans, but he gives Moira some time to try to show him the ways of modern society.

I look across the table at Moira and am humbled at the way that she gets me. I first thought that she would try to change me into something I’m not capable of but, instead, she celebrates my diversity from this life.
She appreciates it.

I loved the relationship that Moira and Zach form. Yes, it is an intensely sexual one, but on a much deeper level, these two learn so much about themselves from each other, Zach especially. Zach finds himself at a loss as his feelings for Moira grow deeper each day he stays with her. He’s torn between his home with the Caraicans and Moira, who is fast becoming his home as well. I loved the tender feelings Zach and Moira grew to feel for each other, because while the sex was ridiculously on fire, it was the emotional bond that formed between them that really made the story for me.

His eyes more into me with utter seriousness and purpose. “I’ll be your everything if you want me to.”

It may seem like Uncivilized is a slightly dark romance, but it’s not. Which I was really glad about because I just wasn’t in the mood to read one. Zach is dominant, yes, but Moira not a submissive – at least, not all the time. She gives up control to him, but only when she wants to, which is not too often. Uncivilized is also told in both Moira and Zach’s POVs, which I definitely appreciated. Like I said before, I will definitely be reading more Sawyer Bennett books, because the writing in Uncivilized was fantastic. I was swept away by these two characters, and I was hooked to every page from start to finish.

4 hearts! An utterly addicting read!

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: Uncivilized series

#1 ~ Uncivilized: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Love: Uncivilized: My Review • Ebook • Goodreads

USA Today Best-Selling author, Sawyer Bennett, is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster (well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn’t have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

Website • Facebook • Twitter

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11Sep2014

Blog Tour + ARC Review: Damaged Goods by Nicole Williams

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Blog Tours, Reviews by Lacey

Welcome to today’s stop on the DAMAGED GOODS blog tour!
You can follow the tour here.

DAMAGED GOODS
A New Series by NYT Bestselling Author Nicole Williams

The Outsider Chronicles #2 (full reading order below)
New Adult/Adult Contemporary
Release Date: September 9th 2014

When Liv Bennett said good-bye to her sinkhole of a hometown, she planned to leave that chapter of her life behind forever. But forever turned out to only be three years.

After her addict of a mother up and disappears, Liv returns to what she considers her own personal hell smack in the middle of nowhere Nevada to take care of her two younger sisters, and she promptly reinstitutes the golden rule that got her through her first nineteen years of life without getting knocked up, roughed up, or messed up: don’t date the local boys and, god forbid, don’t fall in love with one of them.

It isn’t long before that golden rule is put to the test.

Will Goods grew up in the next trailer over, but the wild, careless boy who used to tear up the town with his three brothers has morphed into someone else so completely, he’s almost unrecognizable. The quiet, contemplative man who works on cars every night and takes care of his mentally ill mother every day is nothing like the local boys Liv grew up avoiding.

But when Liv considers suspending her golden rule just this once, she finds out something about Will that will change everything.

Will Goods isn’t who he used to be—he’s not even the man Liv thinks she’s gotten to know over the summer. He’s become someone else entirely.

He’s become . . .

Damaged Goods.

Buy Links:
Amazon Ebook • Amazon Paperback • B&N • iTunes

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Hard Knox, but Damaged Goods… Damaged Goods reminded me of all the reasons why I fell in love with Nicole Williams’s books. It’s sweet, romantic, heartfelt, and the characters are written flawlessly. I had a huge smile when I finished Damaged Goods–it’s a story that will speak to your heart and make you smile and laugh and fall in love.

Some people let the world define them, and some people define their world. I’m still trying to figure out what kind of person I am.

Liv Bennett got away from her crappy hometown and has been living in California for three years, working on graduating college. She works and sends money home to her two younger sisters, Reese and Paige. To say she’s a cynic would be an understatement. She has a very pessimistic view of the world, no thanks to her drug addict of a mother. And when her mother suddenly disappears, all of Liv’s work towards getting a college education is shot down the drain. Liv has to return back to her hometown, the place she never wanted or expected to go back to.

Normally such a pessimistic main character wouldn’t appeal much to me, but I understood Liv. I connected with her, and I just plain liked her. I admired how much she cared for her sisters–Liv returns back to her own version of hell for her younger sisters, choosing family over college. And I adored Liv’s dry sense of humor. Nicole Williams’s writing brought out many different dimensions of Liv, enough that Liv was relatable and connectable.

Upon her return, Liv never expects to find Will Goods living next door. Liv swore to herself that she would never allow herself to fall for someone who lived in her hometown, to allow herself to be tied down, but Will Goods is a whole other story. Because Will isn’t just any other guy and he’s nothing like Liv imagined. At eighteen, Will enlisted in the military, trying to get away from his hometown, like Liv. But years later, after an accident, he had to return home and care for his mentally ill mother. I fell so much in love with Will. He’s kind, smart, funny, selfless, sweet, sexy, and just a beautiful human being.

He had the wisdom of a man who had lived multiple lifetimes and the body of one who’d only just begun his first.

As Liv and Will become friends and grow closer together, Liv struggles to make ends meet. She can’t find a job anywhere, until she’s approached by a man who seems to really want to hire her at a place called The Body Shop. Liv is desperate for a job, but she balks once she finds out that The Body Shop is a strip club. But desperate times call for desperate measures, so Liv becomes the last possible thing she ever expected to be: a stripper.

“Life is full of shit luck. That’s why when you find that thing or person that isn’t every now and again, you grab on and don’t let go without putting up one hell of a fight.”

At the heart of this book, it’s a story about love–love between two people falling in love, and love between family. Liv grows so much throughout this book, learning about herself and her capacity for love. Both Will and her family have a lot to teach Liv, and I adored reading every second of it.

Damaged Goods had a very different feel than the first book. It felt a lot more mature, for one thing, and I really liked that. Nicole Williams definitely went in a completely different route with Damaged Goods, but I loved it. It was fresh and addicting to read–I honestly couldn’t put this book down. There were also some unexpected twists to the plot that I didn’t see coming, which made me love the book even more.

4.5 hearts! This is definitely a must read! Fans of Nicole Williams definitely shouldn’t miss this.

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: The Outsider Chronicles

#1 ~ Hard Knox: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Damaged Goods: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

I’m the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the CRASH series (HarperTeen, S&S UK), LOST & FOUND series, UP IN FLAMES (S&S UK), The EDEN TRILOGY, and a handful of others. I write stories about everyday kinds of people who find themselves in extraordinary kinds of situations. I tell love stories with happy endings because I believe in making the world a better place, and that’s one tiny way I can make it so. I’m one of those people who still believe in true love and soul mates, and would rather keep my head in the clouds any day over having my feet firmly on the ground.

Blog • Twitter • Facebook

8Sep2014

Release Day Review: The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan

Posted in 5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan
Series: Game On #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: September 8th 2014
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

The rules: no kissing on the mouth, no staying the night, no telling anyone, and above all… No falling in love.

Anna Jones just wants to finish college and figure out her life. Falling for star quarterback Drew Baylor is certainly not on her to do list. Confident and charming, he lives in the limelight and is way too gorgeous for his own good. If only she could ignore his heated stares and stop thinking about doing hot and dirty things with him. Easy right?

Too bad he’s committed to making her break every rule…

Football has been good to Drew. It’s given him recognition, two National Championships, and the Heisman. But what he really craves is sexy yet prickly Anna Jones. Her cutting humor and blatant disregard for his fame turns him on like nothing else. But there’s one problem: she’s shut him down. Completely.

That is until a chance encounter leads to the hottest sex of their lives, along with the possibility of something great. Unfortunately, Anna wants it to remain a hook up. Now it’s up to Drew to tempt her with more: more sex, more satisfaction, more time with him. Until she’s truly hooked. It’s a good thing Drew knows all about winning.

All’s fair in love and football…Game on.

I am so totally fangirling right now!! I honestly had NO IDEA how much I would end up loving The Hook Up! After I finished reading, I just kept going WOW. Wow wow wow! The Hook Up is an adorably refreshing read–on the surface, it’s a story of popular boy meets not-so-popular girl, but there’s SO MUCH MORE to it than that. These characters felt real–they had depth and warmth and heart, and I fell completely in love with them and their story.

My mother once told me that the most important moment in my life wouldn’t be when I won the National Championship or even the Super Bowl. It would be when I fell in love.

Drew Baylor is the star quarterback at his college–to his fellow students, he’s like a god. And Anna Jones is less than impressed with his fame, and even less impressed after a bad first impression. Anna is the total opposite of Drew–she hates attention, she wasn’t popular in high school, and she likes to keep to herself. So Anna and Drew? They clash in every way… except one. The instant they meet, it’s lust-at-first-sight. They have never felt such all-encompassing need for someone as much as they have for each other.

Anna tries to stay away from Drew, tries to ignore their attraction, but Drew is persistent. He’s not used to giving up, and he knows that Anna feels the same way as Drew. And finally, one night, they give in to each other and have the most explosive night of their lives.

Neither of us says another word. Blood rushes hot and thick through my veins, as the backs of his fingers skim slowly, oh so slowly, up my arm. His pulse thrums, quick and visible just beneath the gold skin of his throat. I want to lick that spot, put my mouth there and suck. I want him. I want him so badly I’m going up in flames.

This is my first time reading a book by Kristen Callihan, but after reading The Hook Up, I can honestly say that I am a HUGE fan of her writing. It was the writing that hooked me in and didn’t let me go. The dialogue between Drew and Anna was as witty as it could be sweet. These two characters were easily portrayed as multi-dimensional–I am just so impressed with the writing.

After their one night together, Anna and Drew are hooked onto each other. Drew wants to see where this can go, but Anna vehemently doesn’t. Then they both come to agree on having a sex-only relationship. But as much as Anna wants to keep her heart out of the picture, it’s hard not to fall for Drew. Drew, who is unsuspecting in the best of ways. He’s hot and sensual in the bedroom, but outside of it, Drew is sweet and caring and determined to make her see that what they have together could lead to the best thing that could ever happen to them. He was a character that warmed my heart and I fell as head-over-heels in love with him as Anna did.

Life has more color, more flavor, and heat in the few hours I’m with Anna, than I’ve experienced in all the years I’ve partied. Because that fun always felt like I was searching, pushing for some ineffable satisfaction that constantly eluded me. With Anna, I feel like I’ve landed right where I want to be.

Anna is a complicated girl. She has a tough exterior she puts on that she believes in, but underneath is a vulnerable, self-conscious person. Her insecurities were well-written enough that they felt real, which made Anna real. She’s also funny and intelligent. I really liked her character, insecurities and all.

Drew, though, is what made me fall in love with this book. He has a tragic past, but he wasn’t broody or mysterious about it. He’s honest, funny, loyal, and all-around just the perfect package (plus he has a wicked hot bod from all that football practice). I know jack about football, so I was glad that there was the right amount of football in this book that it wasn’t shoved in my face but I could still understand Drew’s love for it. And I utterly looooved how he fell in love with Anna. He doesn’t hold back from her, even though she holds back from him, which endeared me all the more to him. He’s sweet and dorky and the best book boyfriend I could ask for.

“I think you’re beautiful,” he says softly.
“Beauty fades,” I choke out.
“Not when it comes from inside.”

These two make the most adorable couple ever. I was cheering for them from the start. And holy moly, the attraction between them is spot-on. None of the sex felt gratuitous, but all of it had me fanning myself. Drew and Anna’s relationship was incredibly well-written, with so many different facets to it that I never got tired of reading about them. They do have inner demons to face, and there are bumps in their relationship, but I had no doubt that these two could face anything together.

“I like you just the way you are, Drew Baylor.”
Poleaxed. Again. My throat closes too tight to find my voice. I swallow convulsively.
“I like you just the way you are too, Anna Jones.” I’m crazy for you. I fucking adore you.

The thing about The Hook Up is that even though it has cliches, it didn’t feel like one. I adored Drew and Anna, I loved their personal growth and the changing dynamics of their relationship, and I was so impressed with the writing–I just loved everything about this book. And thankfully (at least for me), The Hook Up is a long, fat book. But the pages zipped by for me–I devoured this book so fast it didn’t even seem like a long book. I never wanted Anna and Drew’s story to end.

“You’ve destroyed me, Anna Jones.”
I know exactly what he means, because he’s destroyed me too.

I loved this book so much! It was heartwarming, beautiful, and real, and I recommend it to everyone!

(And can I just say, I’m so, soooooo excited for Drew’s best friend, Gray’s, story. I’m dying to read it! I have a feeling I might love it even more than The Hook Up, if that’s even possible…)

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: Game On series

#1 ~ The Hook Up: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Friend Zone: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Game Plan: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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8Sep2014

ARC Review: Shatter by Erin McCarthy

Posted in 3.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Shatter by Erin McCarthy
Series: True Believers #4 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: September 2nd 2014
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (InterMix) in exchange for an honest review

From the USA Today bestselling author of True, Sweet, and Believe comes a tantalizing New Adult novel about finding love in the most unexpected ways…

Kylie Warner prides herself on being optimistic, but after finding her best friend in bed with her boyfriend and flunking chemistry, her upbeat attitude has taken a dive. Even an impromptu hook-up with her sexy new chemistry tutor only brightens her mood slightly. After all, it’s not like she’ll ever see the tattooed scholar again…

While he’s a whiz at complex equations, Jonathon Kadisch has trouble when it comes to figuring out women. So when Kylie tells him that she’s pregnant after their night of passion, he’s at a complete loss. He’s prepared to be a good father—unlike his own deadbeat dad—but he’s less prepared to fall for the genuine and alluring blonde bearing his child.

With emotions running high, Kylie wonders if Jonathon’s devotion is out of growing love or looming obligation. And when heartbreak threatens to tear them apart, Jonathon will have to fight for the only girl who’s ever made him feel whole…

I’m a really, really big fan of this series (even though I–ugh!–still haven’t read the first book). I’ve become invested in the characters, in the Mann brothers, their girlfriends, and their whole group of friends, so of course I jumped at the chance to read this latest book in the series! Shatter is the fourth book in the True Believers series (which I highly recommend) and while I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite, I still had such a fun time reading it. Shatter was cute, quirky, and had me smiling and giggling so much!

We know from Believe that Kylie’s boyfriend cheated on her… with her best friend. She’s normally a cheerful, glass-half-full kind of girl, but she’s heartbroken at the beginning of the book. Thankfully, Kylie has a distraction in the form of a hot chemistry tutor named Darwin, aka Jonathon. The two are a bit awkward but adorable together, and they just click. And there’s definitely some ‘chemistry’ going on between them too.

“You think I’m attractive?”
It was an embarrassing thing to ask. I wanted to choke myself for letting it slip out.
Darwin nodded though. “I find you very attractive. So attractive that I have to admit to being distracted the whole time I was tutoring you.”

Neither of them intended to fall into bed together, but they did, and their actions are not without consequences… because Kylie gets pregnant. Naturally, Kylie freaks the eff out–she doesn’t know how she can take care of a baby or how Jonathon will react. But Jonathon, the hot, dorky nerd that he is, is actually a really nice guy. He stands by Kylie’s side, but the two of them mutually agree that they won’t be falling in love with each other any time soon.

Shatter is told through both Kylie and Jonathon’s POVs, and I was really glad to get both of their perspectives. I liked reading Jonathon’s reactions–he’s a good guy through and through, though he does have his idiot moments. As he and Kylie spend more time together getting ready to have this baby, Jonathon can’t help but fall for the mother of his upcoming child. He’s clearly a very analytical, scientific guy, so seeing him fall in love is just the sweetest.

“I want a life partner, not a lab partner, do you understand? The day I met you was the best day of my life.”

I loved the contrast between Kylie and Jonathon, and how they complemented each other so well. Jonathon is smart and scientific, but he’s never fallen in love until he meets Kylie. Kylie doesn’t think too highly of herself, but being with Jonathon helps her realize that she’s smart in her own ways. These two make the most adorable couple ever!

But Jonathon and Kylie don’t have it easy. They go through some very rough, heartbreaking times, and sometimes it seemed as if a happily ever after wasn’t possible. But they eventually try to fight for each other, because even though they never expected the pregnancy, and expected to fall in love even less, they found something beautiful with each other.

Kylie and Jonathon are the most adorable thing ever, but I just didn’t love their story. The writing was a bit stilted and off, so I didn’t click with this book as much as I wanted to. I liked the story, and I really liked the characters, but I just didn’t love the book. Still, Shatter is an endearing, adorable love story that fans of the series shouldn’t miss.

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: True Believers series

#1 ~ True: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Sweet: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Believe: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Shatter: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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