Maggie Reads Romance

This book had a lot going against it when I started it and one BIG thing and a few other things going for it. Let's start with the negatives to get them out of the way: it's a NA and I don't gell well with NA, like I never gelled with YA. Willa being only 19 made her not the heroine I love to read about. It's written in the 1st person narrative and that's another thing that rarely works for me. And lastly from the very first page there's so much angst and I don't do the 'woe is me' angst well. Intensity and conflict I gobble up. Angst? Not so much.

What exactly happened with Evan? There are hints that Willa disappointed him somehow, that he was too good for her but I never got the how or why. Did I miss it?

The big plus was that it was a Tessa Bailey book and I'm addicted to Tessa's writing. Another plus was that it's Willa's story and I loved Willa in the first Line of Duty book (PROTECTING WHAT'S HIS). I also loved that Shane is a Formula 1 racecar driver. Love that sport so any mention earns you a mark in the plus column. And another positive was the intense chemistry between Willa and Shane.

The negatives should have been enough for me to put the book away but the positives kept me glued to the pages. So despite feeling something missing because everything is perceived through Willa's POV and we don't have Shane's perspective (except at the very end), I really enjoyed this book. The writing was great, I really liked all the characters, they were well-drawn, there was humor and banter and there were some heated, sexy moments. And the end made me tear up, which is always a good sign!

I'll be honest (as always) and say I never would have read this book if it wasn't a Tessa Bailey book! 1st person narrative NA is not my genre of choice and yet I really enjoyed this book and the epilogue was a huge contibutor to that! Goes to show Ms. bailey can write anything and I'll be compelled to read it and most likely to enjoy it!

Fave Quotes:
Slowly, he nods at me. I nod back, and just like that, some type of silent communication has passed between us, although I have no idea what was said. I need a decoder ring with this freaking guy.

“That’s right, girl. Scream my fucking name. Only mine.” [Shane]