Date three is the crucial point when things get real, which is exactly why I bounce out the door, twiddling my fingers at whatever poor boy I’ve left behind. Because if I stick around, one of three things will happen: he’ll profess his undying love, he’ll get weird and stalky, or I’ll go crazy. Like, Sid and Nancy crazy. Like, chase-him-through-the-streets-begging-him-to-love-me crazy.
Seriously, it’s better for everyone this way.
So when I meet Bodie, I figure it’ll be the same as it ever was. It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t put a single string on me. Doesn’t matter that he’s funny and smart and jacked or that he can play my body like a grand piano. Because even though I’m built for love, love has only carved me up like a Christmas ham.
Resistance is something I can only hang on to for so long, and he has persistence in spades. But my heart isn’t as safe as I want to believe, and neither is his. And the second I ignore my cardinal rule is the second I stand to lose him forever
"Every single day, she'd marked me in more ways than one."
I seriously LOVE books like this!!! It makes me want to hug Staci even harder the next time I see her!! I love that she can emote what she does with such panache, truly. It makes me smile because her word cadence and flow seems just so effortless. Her words have this neat way of putting you in the moment. Right there, laughing or feeling, going though the motions with her characters. It was just perfect!
Second chance at a first impression, that's how this whole book played out for me. Her characters are so easy to read and connect with; like you are on the same level with them, or you've known someone just like them and can relate very easily. I love that about Staci's writing. It's ease and connectability on a whole different level. Yeah, that's probably not a real word, but it works, so there.
BODIE tried so hard. He wanted to show Penny what love could and would feel like with him. I loved how hard he fretted over making it work, how he was supposed to go about it. He made me sigh!! He gave being corny a sexy, relatable and mental smirk. He balanced strength and vulnerability with precision. I loved his inner self and the way he worked so hard to put Penny at ease.
PENNY'S insecurities were grounded and well-founded, so I understood why she had them and why she was protecting her heart, but I also loved the way the story played out. She was so alive, so carefree! She was structured just enough to keep herself carefree with little rules for the outside world to see.....only she felt them within and they controlled her, kept her in her own little 'cage'. When I say Brodie was the perfect man to ease her of her fears, I am not joking. He was so sigh-worthy!
"Clearly, I'd caught feelings, and no amount of antibiotics would save me."
These two were combustible!! Seriously, every time they hooked up, I was smiling and smitten with the way he took care of her, pushing her boundaries and making her feel things she hasn't wanted to feel in so long, or ever again. Questioning her own rules and allowing more than what she was used to emotionally, Bodie was the perfect man to set her ablaze and turn her inside out. The patience of a saint, and the libido of the devil. Sexy and sweet, he was perfection in a man!
If only all of life's problems could be solved by the "peanut-butter-to-jelly ratio", life would be good. I loved this one. This is most definitely a must-read in my book. This was *the* book to read for light and funny, sexy and hot. It had all the elements of a great book! So good! I'm smiling so big!!! PERFECT book after some heavy reads.
"She looked at me like I was a king, and I felt like every bit of one with her on my arm."
~BEE
PURCHASE LINKS FOR $.99 RIGHT NOW!!
AMAZON: http://amzn.to/2sCd2dx
~MEET STACI HART~
Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life -- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife, though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey.
From roots in Houston to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.
~CONNECT WITH STACI~
ARC REVIEW
Great review
ReplyDeleteThanks, Zilpha!
DeleteGreat review Bee! I know I'm gonna love this.
ReplyDeleteYou will definitely love it!
DeleteThis sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely was!
Delete