Book Review for Yours to Bare by Jessica Hawkins

YOURS TO BARE
by JESSICA HAWKINS

FINN
No matter how cruel it's been to me in the past, I've never been able to flip fate the bird. I'm a romantic at heart. So when fate drops a leather-bound journal at my feet, I know I should walk away.

I don't. I pick her up, bend her spine, spread her pages. From the first word, I'm a goner. The owner didn't give me access to her most intimate desires, but I devour them anyway. Her private darkness, her candid, sensual poetry--it all goes down like warm milk. And from that point forward, I drink, eat, and sleep her.

HALSTON
I went to his apartment and let him take my picture. Just once, to see how it would feel. I'm not his to look at, to inspire, to touch, but when he watches me through his lens, it gives me a high I don't want to come down from...

My journal is the one place I can be myself--as long as I can tie it up and put it away when I'm finished. But when Finn undoes the bow, he pulls strings that could unravel each of us.

ADD TO GOODREADS

REVIEW: 4.5 Stars
"Fate doesn't stick around for happy endings -- it only gives you the opportunity to work for one."

FATE - That word meant a lot to Finn. He is a true believer, as am I...which is why I think I could easily fall into this story and did. Finn is an artist, as well as Halston, so they already had that certain depth to them. So for these two people to be connected on such an intimate level, so quickly and almost so effortlessly, that was amazing to see blossom. They lived and breathed raw lust, and the fact that it started with her words that inspired him are what made my head spin as their relationship went as intense as it had, so quickly. He found a certain truth behind her words. It was liberating and sexy, all in one. It's intimate the way he viewed her and that showed through his work. It was SO sexy. I got caught up in them and it set the tone for the book for me.

But as I was reading this story, trying to understand where it was going to go, I had to stop and realize ONE thing: this wasn't my story to expect anything. This wasn't my love life on the pages. It wasn't up to me to decide for it to go a certain way, even though this was my Finny Finn Finn. It was exhilarating. It was happy. It was messy. It was sad. It was hot. But most of all, it was real. Putting it into that perspective allowed me to follow along, a willing slave to Jessica's words. She's telling me this story of an emotionally stunted, but very capable woman that needs love and guidance. I had to accept that side of Halston, because that is the side that Finn fell in love with and I was at the mercy of his heart.

I was waiting for this big explosive ending, but I didn't get that. Nope. Not at all. Instead, I got this well manicured, perfect and very fitting ending for Halston and Finn. Because, in true Jessica fashion, she brought the characters to life and we lived their story. Lived their pain. Lived their love. It would have been a lot easier to hate Halston with her issues, the whole outlook she had, but then I had to stop and really look deep into both characters. In hindsight, everything led up to them meeting....they just ultimately had a hand in the way fate played out for them in the end.

As usual, Jessica forced me to face the tumultuous world of yet another character, flaws and all....with a stark realization that even though this is a book, it still brought out my own personal opinions, but then forced me to realize that life isn't always roses and it doesn't button up easily. I loved how this book showed the need they each had for each other and allowed them both to grow from it.

My Finny Finn Finn. Let me just get that out there....no matter what, I am and always will be irrevocably in love with him. After having met him in Slip of the Tongue, I knew how much he wore his heart on his sleeve and this book solidified my love for him. The ugly side of falling in love, and the emotional turmoil you put yourself through as you learn what real love is like was definitely a learning curve for these two. Finn knew what it meant to take care of someone and make sure they were not hurt, but he needed to learn that not always does his 'ways' work for Halston. The entire theme of this book, hands down, was the unconditional love Finn has for Halston. This was an emotional book in all aspects, but I loved their story. The ugly and the beautiful.

"I've been sleeping for the last year, and she's the only thing that's made me feel awake."
~BEE

PURCHASE: http://amzn.to/2hKlWA5

This is available on Kindle Unlimited

~MEET JESSICA HAWKINS~

Jessica Hawkins grew up between the purple mountains and under the endless sun of Palm Springs, California.

She studied international business at Arizona State University and has also lived in Costa Rica and New York City. To her, the most intriguing fiction is forbidden, and that's what you'll find in her stories. Currently, she resides wherever her head lands, which is often the unexpected (but warm) keyboard of her trusty MacBook.

~CONNECT WITH JESSICA~

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THIS WAS NOT AN ARC REVIEW