ARC Review: Focus On Me (In Focus #2) by Megan Erickson @MeganErickson_

Colin Hartman can now add college to his list of failures. On the coast-to-coast trek home from California, Colin stops at a gas station in the Nevada desert, and can’t help noticing the guy in tight jeans looking like he just stepped off a catwalk. When he realizes Catwalk is stranded, Colin offers a ride.

Riley only intended to take a short ride in Colin’s Jeep to the Grand Canyon. But one detour leads to another until they finally find themselves tumbling into bed together. However there are shadows in Riley’s eyes that hide a troubled past. And when those shadows threaten to bury the man whom Colin has fallen in love with, he vows to get Riley the help he needs. For once in his life, quitting isn’t an option…

Title: Focus On Me (In Focus #2)
Author: Megan Erickson
Publisher: Intermix
Publication Date: July 21, 2015

Brooke's Review:

I want to thank Intermix for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my opinion or review.

I am a true fan of Erickson. I loved her Bowler series. And I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Trust the Focus. So given the opportunity to read about another of her smexy couples, I jumped on it. And I was not disappointed.

This book was sweet and at the same time addresses issues that are so much more prominent in society than most think.

I really love Colin. He's sweet and he's focused. He knows what he can and can't do, and college is one of those can't dos. He sees himself as a quitter, but deep down he wants to find that one thing that he sticks with.  When he crosses paths with Riley at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere, he finds his chance. Riley is everything Colin thinks he can't have. Why would a guy who looks like he's stepped off the catwalk want a Southern boy who can't even finish college? And Riley is running away. He's running away to find something that will make him feel again. Everything he tries seems to fail him, except for Colin.

This story touches on mental illness and eating disorders, things that are not necessarily easy to deal with. And yet Colin wants to stick with Riley and help him through whatever hard times he is to endure, because that's what you do for those you love.

I will say the romance was a bit quick for me in this book. I felt like the characters really needed to get to know each other better. In the short time they spent together. I did like how their secrets were revealed to each other, although Colin was much more open about who he was than Riley. There was quite a bit of angst in the book, with both guys doubting that the other could love them back the same way.

The theme through this book: Unconditional Love. And you feel it. You see it with Colin and his sibling. You see it with Riley's parents. And you see it with how Colin devotes himself totally to Riley.

If you were a fan of Megan's first book in this series, or are a fan of her writing in general, you will not be disappointed with this love story.

Megan worked as a journalist covering real-life dramas before she decided she liked writing her own endings better and switched to fiction. 

She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kids and two cats. When she's not tapping away on her laptop, she's probably listening to the characters in her head who won't stop talking.

For more, visit meganerickson.org