Rating: ★★★★ stars
Date published: June 22nd, 2014
The last person Bess Halprin wants to see standing in the lobby of The Scene is Derek Bast. Unfortunately, she can’t deny that the last nine years look damn good on him. She expected to hate him. She didn’t expect the way he can still tug at her emotions, or the way his kiss—and his hands—set her on fire. Bess should’ve kept her distance, because Bast was right when he guessed her review was written for revenge. The problem is, to this day he has no idea what he did—how he screwed her over their senior year. The bigger problem? She’s giving him the opportunity to do it again, because she never could resist him.
When circumstances bring them both home to Santa Cruz, Bast earns his way into the heart of the girl next door, but when they return to L.A. and real life rushes in, will he be able to keep her this time or are the mistakes in their past destined to be repeated?
Excerpt:
I
lifted my eyes to his and let the fear and wonder in their green depths sink
into me. “It’s fast,” I said. “That’s all. It’s very fast.”
His
thumb stroked the back of my hand. “For someone you’ve known your whole life?”
“Time
has passed. There are—we’re not kids anymore. It’s complicated now.”
He
pulled me against his warm body and held me tight. “It doesn’t feel complicated
to me.”
I
pushed away. “Because you don’t know! You weren’t the one who got hurt!”
Derek
put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. “You keep saying that I did
something. Tell me what it is! What the hell did I do to you that you carry
around with you every day for this long and can’t let me have this with you.”
He motioned between us. “We’re not strangers. We’re far from it. You say this
is fast, but to me, it’s our time, Bess. That review busted my balls, but I’m
starting to think it happened for a reason. To bring you back into my life.
I’ve been sitting in this place alone, trying to make a life for myself now
that I’m not on tour and like magic, here you are.”
“It’s
not magic. It’s a review. A bad review. The way you responded to it brought me
into your life, Derek. Not fate or destiny or any other kind of special force.”
He
turned to the fire, rubbing his palms together and nodding. “Fine. I’ll call
you a driver. I’d take you back, but the paparazzi would have a fucking heyday
seeing you getting out of my car like that.”
We
stood in silence. I stared at his back, followed the line of muscle where my
fingers had pressed and held tight what seemed like only moments ago.
I
didn’t want to leave. I was already hurt, but at least I was the one hurting
myself and it wasn’t coming from him. He walked into the kitchen and picked up
his cell phone from the counter. I heard him say he needed a driver while he
opened the sliding door and stepped outside, then closed it behind him.
The
scent of grilled burgers wafted into the house. He was trying so hard to make
it a good night. A normal night between old friends who could be so much more. If
I could just let the past go.
But
I couldn’t. I was getting caught up in the moment and had to put some distance
between us to know how I truly felt.
He
came back in with the burgers on a plate and sat them down hard on the kitchen
counter with a loud crack. “If you’re hungry, you can eat before you leave.”
I
didn’t want to go with him angry. The past was pushing me away. I didn’t want
the present pushing him. “Will you eat with me?”
He
ran his fingers into his hair and gripped it tight, giving me a piercing stare.
Standing there with his amazing body on display, his waist band riding low on
his hips, he looked at me like he could be done with me in a heartbeat or be
inside me in a second, proving he was right and tonight was meant to be. I
could barely breathe, watching him think and wondering what he would do.
Finally,
he dropped his hand and shook his head. He strode by me, swept the blanket off
of the tops of the chairs and headed toward the master suite. “I’m taking a
shower. Lock the door behind you when you go.” He stopped and turned his head,
glancing back over his shoulder. “It’s been nice catching up. Good luck to you,
Bess.”
What I Thought:
I loved the concept of this book and knew the moment I read the blurb I wanted to read it. I love a story where there's a little animosity between the leads and the characters have known each other for a long time. The book started off great but then took some turns that left me a little confused, but I'll expound on them in a little bit.
I liked Bess and Derek for the most part. There were a few moments where I wasn't sure of it was them or the plot that had me in a quandary. There was a lot of getting together and breaking up. That got to be a little frustrating, because each time they made up the reason why they'd broken up was never dealt with. Granted Derek and I still had to figure out how he'd messed up with Bess as a teenager, but it was still a little too much. There was also very little animosity between the two like it was implied in the blurb. instead there was insta-attraction which overtook everything else the two might be feeling.
I feel like the story had a lot of promise. There were some importune moments and the insta-lust that bothered me. Overall the story was interesting and I read it very quickly. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series featuring the robotic Adrian and Bess's friend. I think Carrie Elliott has a lot of potential and I look forward to seeing what she writes and publishes next.
I liked Bess and Derek for the most part. There were a few moments where I wasn't sure of it was them or the plot that had me in a quandary. There was a lot of getting together and breaking up. That got to be a little frustrating, because each time they made up the reason why they'd broken up was never dealt with. Granted Derek and I still had to figure out how he'd messed up with Bess as a teenager, but it was still a little too much. There was also very little animosity between the two like it was implied in the blurb. instead there was insta-attraction which overtook everything else the two might be feeling.
I feel like the story had a lot of promise. There were some importune moments and the insta-lust that bothered me. Overall the story was interesting and I read it very quickly. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series featuring the robotic Adrian and Bess's friend. I think Carrie Elliott has a lot of potential and I look forward to seeing what she writes and publishes next.
Purchase Links:
Listen To Me: http://www.amazon.com/Listen-To-Me-Romance-North-ebook/dp/B00M8PUJ2E/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1F533JMJGVPNYWSKBSMB
About the Author
Carrie Elliott lives in Ohio with her family, loves going to movies that make her cry and has an ice cream addiction--we won't mention the coffee and chocolate! She's the author of the True North Series, Cover Me and Listen To Me now available, Resist Me coming Fall 2014. Find her on Twitter and Facebook and make sure to subscribe to Carrie's newsletter for exclusive giveaways, content, sneak peeks at covers and more! Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/SYvZD
Twitter: @CarrieEBooks
* A copy was provided by the author in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*
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