Shy.
Intelligent.
Naive.
Statistic.
Raine Forester was an average girl leading an average life. She slipped
beneath everyone's radar, until Camron Moss, the most popular guy in
school, took interest in her and changed everything.
Some acts are unforgivable.
Raine thought she'd been accepted. She thought she was one of them. She
thought she was in love... until one moment made her realize she'd
trusted the wrong person. Lies are told, hearts get broken, secrets are
revealed, and sometimes, true love is found in the least likely places.
I am not usually a fan of YA but I
had heard a lot of great things about this author and I wanted to give her a
try. I wasn’t disappointed in this book, but it didn’t take me to the
edge of emotions and interest that I normally love in my books. Seeing how
the deficit was truly my lack of interest in YA, I had to give this book a four
star for the simple fact I couldn’t put it down till I found out how this was
going to end.
By the synopsis you can tell that
Raine found herself in a bad situation and Jarrett was going to come to the
rescue. There is a whole story in this book that will remind you of what
a strong female character should be in today’s books. Raine was not going
to be seen as a victim no matter what it took and it was that pride she lived
by that made me really like her.
Growing up in a religious family and
not being a popular girl in school, she was pretty shocked when the sexy jock
noticed her and they started dating. She would go with him to parties and
events and always left being bullied and feeling like she didn’t fit in to his
circle of friends. Still she trusted him and wanted to continue
dating. One night things took a terrible turn and she realized the rumors
she had been hearing were true. Unfortunately it was too late to do
anything about it and she was left with a reminder of that night, a baby.
When Camron was confronted with the
reality of being a father he turned his back on her and his parents tried to
pay her into an abortion or adoption but she would have none of that. See
a strong woman who even at the age of 18 was willing to fight for her
child. Her family had kicked her out and she was living in her car.
Jarrett was Camron’s brother and the black sheep of the family. He had
already had a run in with her at a party and wasn’t as nice as he could have
been but after seeing how both families treated her he knew he needed to step
up and offer his help to her.
The rest of the story is about those
two and the back and forth of trying to establish some sort of relationship.
Jarrett is going to be clueless as to why Raine has such a strong dislike for
his brother and once he learns the truth he is going to make some major
mistakes in how he handles it. Raine is going to falter but try to keep
what little dignity she has left throughout this book. It was a strong
emotional story here, not something that should be taken lightly.
I felt the author took the topic
that Raine was dealing with and handled it with a gentle yet factual grace
giving Raine her pride but allowing the reader to connect or understand with
the situation. The he said/she said mentality was ever present in this
story and I found I was really most affected emotionally when this was being
tackled in the book. So much happens in this book that I want to share
with you and express my feelings about it, but I fear it would really spoil the
story for you.
It is very well written and reads
quickly and smoothly. I found I was not only able to love some of the
characters such as Raine, I was able to really feel anger at others and that is
a great sign to me that the emotional development in the book was
flawless. I am not sure I would recommend this book to anyone under the
age of 18 or anyone who has triggers in aggressive sex, but the author did a fabulous
job at that scene in regards to allowing us to feel it so it could be very
triggering for some.
Raine was living the dream. A carefully manufactured
dream where Jarret was her man, they were a family, and most importantly, they
were happy.
And they were happy.
Even steel wool wouldn’t be strong enough to scrub the
smile from her face. It felt permanently etched there, and it was a wonderful
feeling.
Splaying his hands over her stomach, Jarret quietly sang
the song in her ear, his hot breath whispering across her flesh. The lyrics
made her flush, but not from embarrassment. The naughty, forbidden, intimate
words said from one lover to another made Jarret’s desires painfully clear. He
wanted her, was telling her what he wanted to do with her, to her… and she
wasn’t saying no.
Her body was responding to his words, every cell lighting
on fire with a craving for him, and him alone. She shouldn’t want him the way
she did. Not after Camron. Not just because of whom he was to Jarret, but also
because of what he had done to her. He’d tarnished her—body, mind, and soul—and
she’d never thought she’d be able to put that kind of trust in another man
again. Especially not so soon.
But Jarret was different. He was unexpected. She thought
she’d put up boundaries, fortifying them with hated memories, but her walls
were no match for someone like him. Jarret was the exception to the rule…
…and she was perilously close to falling for him.
Nuzzling her cheek against his, Raine closed her eyes and
inhaled the clean scent of Jarret’s aftershave mixed with the bitter smell of
beer on his breath. She’d never thought she’d think the smell of beer was sexy,
but Jarret could make anything sexy, and it made her want to tear his clothes
off and do bad things to him.
Yep, this pregnancy thing was seriously jacking with her
hormones. Down, girl.
“You’re so sexy, Raine. So round and beautiful.”
Round?
Raine was
sure there was a compliment in there somewhere. The edges of her dress brushed
the backs of her stocking-covered knees as they swayed and Raine listened
closely to his words.
“If you’d let me, I’d take you right here, right now.”
Eyes snapping open, Raine glanced around. Here, in the middle of a trendy
sports bar slash restaurant? “The
floors are covered in peanut shells.”
“Then we’d do it on a table. They’re sturdy,” he said,
turning his face toward hers and skimming his lips up her jawline.
A shiver tracked through her. She shouldn’t like the
sound of that, being taken on a tabletop, so rough and crude and dirty, but she
did. It was far too easy to picture it, and that’s why she had to make him see
reason. “There are people everywhere,” she argued. “They’d see everything.”
“Let them watch. Let them see how to take care of a
woman. How she moans like she’s going to die when her man knows how to play her
body like an instrument.”
Oh, God.
Clenching
her thighs together, Raine had no doubt that Jarret could make good on his
promises. Something told her that he knew his way around a woman very well, and
she longed to be under his expert thumb, to experience sex the way it was meant
to be experienced.
“You’re drunk,” she said, a low moan escaping her as
Jarret ran his tongue up the side of her throat. Unbidden, her head lolled to
the side, allowing him fuller access.
Chuckling, Jarret kissed the sensitive flesh just below
her nape, stroking it with the tip of his tongue. “Come home with me, Peach.
Let me taste how sweet you are.”
USA Today Bestselling author J.C. Valentine is the alter-ego of Brandi Salazar, whose enjoyment of tales of romance spurred her to branch out and create her own.
She lives in the Northwest with her husband, their wild children, and far too many pets. As a university student, she studies literature, which goes well with her dream of becoming an editor. Brandi entertains a number of hobbies including reading and photography, but her first love is writing fiction-in all its forms.
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