It’s January 2nd and I am already back with a review of an amazing book that’s being published today. I had the opportunity to read this book before the release and I was really impressed. If you want to know more about this book, keep reading!

Cover

I’m still not a fan of people on the covers, but this one is very appealing. The guy on the cover definitely made me curious about the main character in the book.

“A mischievous look, as though she’s a woman with a secret. That is power for a woman, when they look like they know more than you, because they usually do, and me know it. Plus, they are killer with details.”

Plot

This was the perfect book to start off the new year with. This wasn’t the typical romance book I am used to. This story was so much more.
When I first started reading I thought Jake would be the typical guy who just sleeps with women and says it’s just the way men are, but this is so much more.
Jake has had a rough time the last few years and has decided he will never let himself love again. He will sleep with women who need him and wants to make them feel amazing and confident, but a relationship, no way. After losing his fiancé he just can’t deal. And when you find out a lot of people have the wrong idea about how she died, you just want to hug him.
Everything starts to change when he meets Tara. He starts feeling things and doesn’t know how to stop. There are some obstacles along the way and I still don’t know if I trust Tara, but if anyone deserves a second chance at love, it’s Jake. On top of all that enough goes on with his family (sister, niece and mother). He seems like a macho, but he melts when his niece wants something. A guy who is like that with his family is definitely worth it.
If you’re looking for a romance book, with fun family moments, some hard times and a lot of love, this one is for you.

Characters

Jake, as I said before, seemed like your typical “player”. Sleeping with tons of woman, not wanting any serious relationships. We come to find out he sleeps with women for free and to make them feel good about themselves. This is when I started wondering what he was really like. As the book goes on you find out his story is heartbreaking. I really felt bad for him and everything he had actually been through. Jake is actually really an amazing guy. He is the sweetest when it goes when it comes to his niece and his sister. I think the hardest part of his life, besides what happened to his fiancé, is his mother having Alzheimer. With her constantly thinking he is her husband, he hears things he really doesn’t want to know. He also really understands women, just not when they are close to him. For someone so tough and macho in some senses, therapy is really good for him. He does start learning to open up and work on his problems. Through the whole book I was hoping he would get his happily ever after.

“The realness scared the living shit out of me. I can’t do real. Not emotional real. I did emotional real once. Or I though I did. Only one out of two people survived. 50/50. I don’t like those odds. Don’t want to play those odds again.”

Tara is a character I’m still not sure I trust. She is Jake’s neighbor and is a reporter. She’s not in the best relationship at the time, but when she finds out he’s cheating, she does tell him to take a hike. The fact that Jake is there to help, does make her like him a bit more. It’s clear that she is still getting over a relationship and he is nowhere near being ready for one, but that doesn’t mean she can shut off her emotions. Tara wants more even though Jake doesn’t and that does cause some issues. The fact that she betrays him in a few ways really makes me wonder who she is. A few things happened throughout the whole book and even near the ending, so I’m still not sure she is the one for Jake, haha. Later in the book we find out her parents don’t have the best relationship and that does make certain things about her more understandable. I loved her dog though. She seemed so sweet.

“When the sun slips into the sea, she turns to the sliders, and her eyes meet mine. Surpise in her gaze, followed by the type of smile you want to come home to, return to, see each and every day. The kind of smile that you can build a life around. The type of smile I need to see.”

Rachel is Jake’s sister and I really like her. She is a single mom and a judge. Beside her busy career and the time needed for her little girl, she takes care of her mother on top of that. Rachel isn’t someone who complains easily and at time it seems like she’s taking on the whole world. She thought she had a good man until she found out he was cheating on her. Rachel has decided to focus on her daughter and not on men. When Jake messes up a few times or doesn’t listen that some things need to change for their mother, she gets upset. That’s when she finally is willing to admit that she needs a little help. I definitely admire how strong she is and everything she does before she thinks of herself.

“I can’t help but smile. Rachel is smart, and amazing and has always loved our family with a ferocious loyalty, even when our family was fucking nutbag crazy. Plus, she’s bailed my ass out of jail on more than one occasion, which is really more than any person should ever ask of their big sister.”

Then there are the women that Jake sleeps with. They are quite the bunch. Some I can honestly understand and others like Kendall and Cheryl are just kind of creepy. The seem a bit obsessed.

I started off my reading year with an amazing read. Maggie Marr is an author to look out for.What book did you start your reading year with?