This is a book I was anxiously awaiting. So, when I had my chance to get a copy at BEA, you bet I grabbed this one up! And I'm so glad I did.
For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love. Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have.
But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one
The Cover Contessa's Review:
I want to thank Spencer Hill Contemporary for providing me with an ARC of this book at BEA. I was so excited to get one! Receiving this book for free has in no way influenced my opinion or review.
So I really must preface this review with the fact that I don't normally enjoy contemporary reads. I have to say that all those I've read in the last year just have not wowed me in any way. So, I didn't go into this book expecting that I would love it, that I would get so engrossed in the story I wouldn't be able to put it down. Well, I was wrong! And this is a testament to J. Lynn's writing for sure. There hasn't been a book I have read from her that I didn't like, that hasn't received anything below a 4. And this book was no exception to that rating system I hold in my head! And it met all my expectations and then some!
First, I have to say that I absolutely love this cover. I love the couple, as they really do remind me of the characters in the book. Often the cover models won't be what is described in the book, but these two are. So that made for a very enjoyable reading experience, indeed.
The characters, WOW!
Sydney is this strong willed girl who has this soft side for her best friend, Kyler. She seems to have it all together in every aspect of her life except for the love part. She can't seem to separate herself from the fact that she is in love with her best friend who she believes she can never have. For the most part, I found Syd to be very relatable and realistic. She's strong in a different way than most of Armentrout's kickass heroines. Only Jen could write a female lead who sits back and watches her best friend (and love of her life) get it on with every girl on the planet and not ever break in front of him. The only thing that bothered me about Syd was the fact that she seemed kind of oblivious to things. And, while I know this was part of the story, part of the charm of two people who are in love finding each other, it kind of grated on my nerves at times. I wanted to take her by her shoulders and shake her something fierce.
And Kyler, oh my! Lynn really knows how to write her male main leads. He is totally and completely hot ans swoon worthy even though he's this man whore that you just don't think cares about much, except for Syd. He's all abs and chiseled muscles rippling as he moves. And he's suave and knows just the right things to say. He has this attraction to Syd that forces him to want to protect her and keep her safe. To him, he feels this is just part of the friendship. But he soon realizes that underneath his friendship could be something different, something he doesn't want to recognize for fear of being rejection. And, slowly but surely, we start to see a sweet loving guy, who has distanced himself all his life from the one person he thought he could never have, was never good enough to have.
The funny thing about this story is that the reader sees the relationship for what it is immediately. Despite Kyler's tendencies to take other women home and just be a general flirt, and despite Syd's inability to go after what she wants or recognize that it might be something that can actually happen, the two just don't see it. And from the beginning I was routing for the two to get together, to find each other so they could have their happily ever after. After all, it's what we all want, right? They flirt, but they don't call it flirting, because it's just two friends caring about each other. They banter, but it's not because they are attracted to each other, it's because they grew up together and have known each other so long. It's great to watch the relationship take it's turn and watch the characters find out what they really want.
One of the great things about this story is that it is actually a story. Yeah, there's kissing and sex and scenes that are just totally and completely hot, but there's also a background that pulls you through the story, it doesn't just focus on the relationship between Kyler and Syd. I think this is what made me love the story so much. I felt like there was more to it than just the two main characters finally finding each other at some point. And Jen has a way of making the story interesting. You wonder what is going one and why things are happening, although I did figure out who was behind things early on even though the main characters seemed clueless about it.
So once again Armentrout has captured me with one of her stories. And, despite the fact that I am not normally a contemporary reader, I just loved this one. I loved the characters, I loved the plot, I loved how the story moved along and I didn't want to put it down. There is no doubt in my mind that Jen has a true gift when it comes to writing. No matter what she puts her pen to, it comes out gold.
5/5 Stars
So I really must preface this review with the fact that I don't normally enjoy contemporary reads. I have to say that all those I've read in the last year just have not wowed me in any way. So, I didn't go into this book expecting that I would love it, that I would get so engrossed in the story I wouldn't be able to put it down. Well, I was wrong! And this is a testament to J. Lynn's writing for sure. There hasn't been a book I have read from her that I didn't like, that hasn't received anything below a 4. And this book was no exception to that rating system I hold in my head! And it met all my expectations and then some!
First, I have to say that I absolutely love this cover. I love the couple, as they really do remind me of the characters in the book. Often the cover models won't be what is described in the book, but these two are. So that made for a very enjoyable reading experience, indeed.
The characters, WOW!
Sydney is this strong willed girl who has this soft side for her best friend, Kyler. She seems to have it all together in every aspect of her life except for the love part. She can't seem to separate herself from the fact that she is in love with her best friend who she believes she can never have. For the most part, I found Syd to be very relatable and realistic. She's strong in a different way than most of Armentrout's kickass heroines. Only Jen could write a female lead who sits back and watches her best friend (and love of her life) get it on with every girl on the planet and not ever break in front of him. The only thing that bothered me about Syd was the fact that she seemed kind of oblivious to things. And, while I know this was part of the story, part of the charm of two people who are in love finding each other, it kind of grated on my nerves at times. I wanted to take her by her shoulders and shake her something fierce.
And Kyler, oh my! Lynn really knows how to write her male main leads. He is totally and completely hot ans swoon worthy even though he's this man whore that you just don't think cares about much, except for Syd. He's all abs and chiseled muscles rippling as he moves. And he's suave and knows just the right things to say. He has this attraction to Syd that forces him to want to protect her and keep her safe. To him, he feels this is just part of the friendship. But he soon realizes that underneath his friendship could be something different, something he doesn't want to recognize for fear of being rejection. And, slowly but surely, we start to see a sweet loving guy, who has distanced himself all his life from the one person he thought he could never have, was never good enough to have.
The funny thing about this story is that the reader sees the relationship for what it is immediately. Despite Kyler's tendencies to take other women home and just be a general flirt, and despite Syd's inability to go after what she wants or recognize that it might be something that can actually happen, the two just don't see it. And from the beginning I was routing for the two to get together, to find each other so they could have their happily ever after. After all, it's what we all want, right? They flirt, but they don't call it flirting, because it's just two friends caring about each other. They banter, but it's not because they are attracted to each other, it's because they grew up together and have known each other so long. It's great to watch the relationship take it's turn and watch the characters find out what they really want.
One of the great things about this story is that it is actually a story. Yeah, there's kissing and sex and scenes that are just totally and completely hot, but there's also a background that pulls you through the story, it doesn't just focus on the relationship between Kyler and Syd. I think this is what made me love the story so much. I felt like there was more to it than just the two main characters finally finding each other at some point. And Jen has a way of making the story interesting. You wonder what is going one and why things are happening, although I did figure out who was behind things early on even though the main characters seemed clueless about it.
So once again Armentrout has captured me with one of her stories. And, despite the fact that I am not normally a contemporary reader, I just loved this one. I loved the characters, I loved the plot, I loved how the story moved along and I didn't want to put it down. There is no doubt in my mind that Jen has a true gift when it comes to writing. No matter what she puts her pen to, it comes out gold.
5/5 Stars
All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true. Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.
She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don't Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen.
Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
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