Series: Wait for You #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: February 4th 2014
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback
Source: Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (William Morrow Paperbacks) in exchange for an honest review
Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year—she’s in love with her big brother’s best friend, but he hasn’t spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, change-your-life kiss. She got out of a terrible relationship. And now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It’s time for Plan B – college. And maybe a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.
Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he’s not telling anyone. Especially not his best friend’s incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn’t have time for a relationship. But it doesn’t help that all he can think about kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.
As they’re thrown together more and more, Jase and Tess can’t keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they’re willing to risk to be together, and what they’re willing to lose if they’re not…
OH MY–JASE!!! I totally fell for this sweet, sexy boy. Sigh, my list of book boyfriends just seems to get longer and longer… But who cares, right? 😉
JLA delivers another captivating book in her Wait for You series that engrossed me and made me fall head over heels in love with the characters and story. If you’re a fan of JLA, you won’t be disappointed! It’s got her usual fantastic writing, a snarky, lovable heroine, a and swoony hero with gorgeous gray eyes and is just all around a good guy. Because sometimes you just want to read about the good guy rather than the bad boy.
Jase Winstead is the best friend of Cam (from Wait for You). To be honest, I wasn’t really too into Jase while reading Wait for You. It was Ollie (Cam’s other friend) who I REALLY wanted to read about, but did I even care about Ollie anymore while reading Be with Me? NO. NOPE. NOPE. It was JASE that had my whole attention from start to finish in Be with Me.
“You have no idea what you make me want,” he said, his lips brushing my cheek, sending shivers down my spine. “You have no fucking clue, Tess.”
Teresa Hamilton is Cam’s little sister, and in Wait for You, we know about her abusive ex-boyfriend, and how Cam beat the ever-loving crap out of him. Now, Teresa is in college with an injured, healing knee that prevents her from dancing, which is her life. Teresa has been dealt a crappy hand in life, but she’s still standing strong, and I loved that about her. She doesn’t take crap from anyone, least of all Jase, who wants to pretend that they don’t have something going on between them. Teresa is a fierce, stubborn, snarky, hilarious girl, and I was totally rooting for her throughout the whole book.
Okay, let me just say that Be with Me is the PERFECT book for me. It’s JLA for crying out loud (if you haven’t read any of her books, you should!), and it’s got one of my favorite romance tropes ever! It’s the best friend’s little sister/older brother’s best friend trope, and I was given exactly what I wanted. There was a tad of the forbidden, because Cam will totally flip his shit if he ever finds out about Teresa and Jase, and there was the angst and frustration that comes with this trope. Jase tries to push Teresa, or Tess, as only he calls her, away. Cam is one of the reasons why, but there’s a HUGE plot twist (that I did see coming, but still) that is the main reason for Jase not wanting to get into a relationship with Teresa.
But… Jase can’t seem to stay away from Tess. He can’t get their kiss out his his mind, and here begins the back and forth thing for Jase. It got exciting at some points (like holy hotness, I was totally fanning myself!), but later on it did get slightly tedious. I just really wanted Jase to make up his mind! And poor Teresa–she gets hurt over and over, but she finally finds the strength to say when enough is enough.
There’s the typical I want you but I can’t have you from Jase, but I still loved him. He has his sweet moments and his sucky moments, but overall, he and Teresa make a great couple. And there was a perfect amount of angst! Some scenes between them made my heart flutter or my stomach drop. I couldn’t put this book down–I finished at 2 in the morning! I loved seeing Cam and Avery and their friends again! There are some new characters introduced, like Teresa’s roommate Debbie, her friend Calla (who is getting her story next in Stay with Me!), and Jase’s parents and little brother Jack. There is some intense drama that has to do with Debbie and her abusive boyfriend, and JLA does a good job of mixing that with Teresa and Jase’s love story.
“I want this,” he said, sliding his hands down my sides. He gripped my hips. “I want you always.”
I looped my arms around his neck. “I want you.”
Jase made a deep sound in the back of his throat. “I could almost live on hearing those words.”
I had a wonderful time reading Be with Me. It was gripping and emotional and intense, and I can’t wait for more from this series! I highly recommend it!
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: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Stay with Me: My Review • 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)
Booklovers For Life 