Book Review and Giveaway for The Guy on the Left by Kate Stewart

THE GUY ON THE LEFT

by KATE STEWART

It started with a lie. A night of blurred lines between a teacher and a student.

I wasn’t her student, yet it was the single most defining night of my life.

I’ve never been the man she thinks I am.

Most people have no idea about the life I’ve lived or the words that ring true when it comes to me—still waters run deep.

But you’d be hard-pressed to find a coed on the TGU campus who knows otherwise…because I’ve never corrected them.

The clock is ticking down, it’s Fourth and Inches with the ball inside the one-yard line and the focus is on me, The Guy on the Left. I’ve never felt like a football god, inside I’m…just Troy.

It’s time to set the record straight.

For my son, I‘ll find the strength.

In her eyes, I’m determined to gain redemption.

I will have them both, even if I have to take my eye off the ball.

ADD TO GOODREADS

REVIEW: 4 STARS

"Love requires a little bit of idiocy and a hell of a lot of bravery."

First and foremost - OMGosh. All. Of. The. Smiles. Troy's swagger (hot), Clarissa's anger (understandable but frustrating), his smirk (weak knees) and her glare (scary)....this one is full of piss and vinegar and everything that made me giggle and sigh. In the end, I walked away with a love for yet another book of Stewart's and all it does is make me want more....

Going into this book, I knew there was going to be some heavy to outweigh the humor that we originally saw in The Guy on the Right. I was sure of it, because the glimpses of Troy that we got - I feel he was the most misunderstood man, and with that comes a lot of emotion. I am so glad that I was able to read an early copy of this one. Kate Stewart did Troy good. She also showed a very tenacious and sometimes (often) bratty heroine that gave hard. I love that Stewart can infuse comedy into a subject so serious, but also retain the significance of the topic at hand. The seriousness. The truth. This one, while I loved it so much, will cause many discussions and pretty adamant thoughts - and I can't wait to discuss them!!!

"I'm drowning in resentment, teetering on the brink of love and hate."

Troy would not give up. He was a persistent little sucker. But with that came some serious heartache and pain. My heart hurt for Troy so much, and yet, his love was filled with determination and he refused to be sidelined. His determination and persistence was probably my favorite thing about the ENTIRE book. I realize that love makes us do crazy things, and I also understand that there needs to be a limit on how much pushback we are willing to accept...but it's almost as if Troy didn't have limits. On anything!! His humor was also head-shake-worthy. He took her bitterness and turned it around - and I could admire that more than anything. Troy made this book for me. He is a standup guy. He made sure he took care of his, and never let anything get in the way once his mind was made up. I love love LOVED him. Also, if that didn't show the true breadth of Troy’s love and devotion to not only Clarissa, but Dante as well, I don’t know what would. I loved the mixture of anger I felt at not only the situation, but at her....and to see it come full circle, that was a great read.

"You keep punishing me for something you won't let me apologize for."

Again, Troy made this book so much more than it had the potential to not be (all comedy with little to no seriousness), and I'm thankful for the dip into the heavy side with the funny highlights. His personality and his reality were woven into the storyline with a sort of comfort and not one bit of it felt out of character for him, nor did it feel forced at all. Having said that, I also had a really hard time with Clarissa's attitude and her responses to some of the ways she handled things. Having said that, I can also say with conviction that I can completely understand why she was the way she was - even if I didn't agree with it. I honestly think that shows the creativity and depth of Stewart's writing in this one. We all know she can write funny, and we have already seen her "heavy" reads....but she meshed those well in this book. She continually surprises me and impresses me with each book I have the pleasure of reading.

In closing: SOLID READ and plenty of smiles!!! Troy’s book was what I needed after the rough patch of books I was wading through. Kate Stewart gave Troy all the emotions he needed and showed the struggle was real!! This is the second book in The Underdog Series, and it kind of runs concurrent to Theo’s and Lance’s stories - but is a complete standalone. I can say that with confidence because nothing was given away in this book that would ruin anything from the first book. I loved seeing the ‘other side’ of the side characters’ stories through another lens. However, after reading Theo's story, Lance's novella, and now this one, I love that she was able to splice in other stories that worked with the happening's of those other books and it was neat to be able to piece it all together from a different standpoint. She definitely did this story and this couple justice. I am absolutely, head over heels in love with Troy.

"There's no story if you give up."

~BEE

PURCHASE THE GUY ON THE LEFT
Kindle Unlimited

ENTER HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN AN ECOPY

PURCHASE THE GUY ON THE RIGHT

My Review: http://bit.ly/2GK1f2K

~MEET KATE STEWART~

Kate Stewart lives in Charleston, S.C. with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. A native of Dallas, Kate moved to Charleston three weeks after her first visit, dropping her career of 8 years, and declaring it her creative muse. Kate pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense because it's what she loves as a reader. A lover of all things '80s and '90s, especially John Hughes films and rap, she dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity only and does a horrible job of playing the ukulele. Aside from running a mile without collapsing, traveling is the only other must on her bucket list. On occasion, she does very well at vodka.

~CONNECT WITH KATE~

FACEBOOK     AMAZON     GOODREADS     TWITTER

AFFILIATE LINKS USED

COPY PURCHASED FOR GIVEAWAY

ARC REVIEW