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
This story starts off like gangbusters. The relationship between Anna and Drew moves at the speed of light. So much so that I wondered, what’s next? Then it settles in for the long haul. This story is languid, rich, and sumptuous. I ate it up.
Anna's struggles highlight the deep insecurities of being young. If you are a late bloomer, it takes awhile to shake off the pain of self-doubt and inadequacy. “Despite the crazy thoughts of us dating that are running through Baylor’s head, there’s no chance of a girl like me being with a guy like him." Normally, this would have driven me crazy. I’m not a huge fan of young adult angst. Lord knows, I’ve lived through enough of my own. But this story works because of Drew’s character. Yes, he is a alpha, but this is not merely about him being protective. He is authentically good, caring, loveable, and open. He is not afraid to be vulnerable. He brings exquisite balance to this relationship.
The “New Adult” genre also gives us the chance to explore priorities. Being on the precipice of a significant emotional event, a.k.a. graduation and the rest of your life, we get to struggle with both Drew and Anna and their shifting values. What we consider the “perfect plan” for a happy life can change. How we deal with that challenge forges our character and who we are. Loved it.
I have to give a big nod to author for aptly using a football setting. If you’ve read my reviews, you know that I have high expectations of sports themed books. The sport has to be relevant to the story in a real way, not just merely an occupation. I want action. I want an insider’s perspective. I want teamwork. Kristen Callihan hits the trifecta.
IN A NUTSHELL:
This is a mesmerizing and rich book. If you choose one New Adult book to read this year, this is it.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
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.
But my mother was insistent.
“You’ll see, Drew. One day, love will creep up and smack you upside the
head. Then you’ll understand.”
My mom, it turns out, was wrong in one regard. Love, when it came for
me, did not creep. No, it walked up to me, bold as you please, you know, just
in case I wasn’t paying attention. It did, however, slap me upside my head.
And while I’d be happy to tell my mom that she was right about that,
she’s dead. A fact that hurts even more now that I’ve been struck down. More
like shot down. Cut off at the knees. Totally fucked. Whatever you want to call
this disaster. Because the object of my affection hates me.
I am man enough to acknowledge that the cluster fuck that is my current
love life is entirely my fault. I wasn’t prepared for Anna Jones.
I still cringe at the memory of when I first laid eyes on her at the
beginning of the semester. Being late for class, I’d rushed to a seat in the
back row, and was trying to remain unnoticed. I can’t go anywhere on campus
without getting attention. And though it sounds like an awesome thing, it gets
tiring.
When the roll call reached the back row, a soft voice, rich and thick as
maple syrup, slid over me.
“Anna Jones.”
Just her name. That was all she’d said. It was like a hot finger
stroking down my spine. My head snapped up. And there she was, so fucking
pretty that I couldn’t think straight. I might as well have been sacked.
Breathless, my head ringing, I could only gape. I’m not going to say it
was love at first sight. No, it was more like oh, hell-yes-please, I’ll have
that. With a helping of right-the-fuck-now on the side.
Thinking maybe I was overtired and simply overreacting to something that
wasn’t really there, I stared at Anna Jones and tried to make sense of my
extreme reaction.
As if feeling my gaze, she’d turned, and fucking hell… Her eyes were
wide, almost cat-like, with the corners tilting up just a bit. At first, those
eyes appeared brown, but they were really bottle green. And so clear. And
annoyed. She glared at me. I didn’t care. One word was playing a loop in my
head: mine.
I don’t remember the rest of the class. I watched Anna Jones like a
condemned man getting his last view of the setting sun. While she tried to
ignore me. Admirably.
The second class ended I shot up, and so did she. We nearly collided in
the middle of the aisle. And then it all fell to shit.
Social Networking Links
No comments:
Post a Comment