Author: Chelsea Fine
Published: March 3rd, 2015
Paperback, 320 pages
4 Gold Stars
(summary from Goodreads)
Jenna Lacombe needs complete control, whether it's in the streets... or between the sheets. So when she sets out on a solo road trip to visit her family in New Orleans, she's beyond annoyed that the infuriatingly sexy Jack Oliver wants to hitch a ride with her. Ever since they shared a wild night together last year, he's been trying to strip away her defenses one by one. He claims he's just coming to keep her safe - but what's not safe gor her is prolonged exposure to the tattooed hottie.
Jack can't get Jenna out from under his skin. She makes him feel alive again after his old life nearly destroyed him - and losing her is not an option. Now Jack's troubles are catching up with him, and he's forced to return to his hometown in Louisiana. But when his secrets put them both in harm's way, Jenna will have to figure out how far she's willing to let love in... and how much she already has.
Two characters who pretend to not have feelings for each other even after they've had one night of wild sex together makes for such good drama. Jenna needs to be in control of her life. She's independent, hard core, smart, sexy and witty and without control she can't survive. Enter Jack Oliver, her good friend who she lost control with one drunk night. He's in love with her and continuously tries to show her this, but Jenna doesn't have time for a relationship. She wants to graduate college, open up an art gallery and buy herself a house. Jack isn't part of her plan. When her grandma calls her saying she's sick, Jenna has no choice but to road trip home to New Orleans, a road trip she plans to do solo. But when Jack finds out he also needs to be home in Louisiana, he tags along for the ride, much to Jenna's dismay. Jack thinks this will be the perfect opportunity to tell Jenna how he feels about her, but Jenna will have none of it, hiding her feelings and pushing him away. But how long can she lie to herself, especially when they are sharing hotel rooms along the way.
Oh my god, you guys, this book was fantastic. Jenna is so stand offish and bitchy, and Jack is the sweet guy trying to break away her armour. It's such a great change from the characters you normally see in New Adult books where the guy is the bad boy and the girl just swoons for him. These two have so much history and been friends for a long time. Jenna doesn't want to ruin that and all Jack wants to do is ruin it. She's stubborn and though it takes Jack a long time to get to her, it's worth the wait. I loved his point of view, the way he thinks of her is so sweet and I wanted her to realize he was the right guy for her every page. Jenna's control issues remind me a bit too much of my own and how long it took for me to open my heart to the one I love after so much pain. Their chemistry was fantastic. They bickers, fought and joked around all at once and they were so comfortable with each other until they started getting too close. The nights they slept apart broke my heart and each night I wanted Jenna to just crawl into bed with him.
The families in this played an important part. We find out a lot of Jack's past from his family and it's great how Jenna excepts it and stays to help with the issues they are dealing with. Jenna's family is much more laid back, her grandma is hilarious and even though the parts with them were short, they were full of heart. I'm so happy when I see families in NA books as I know for me, my family is still such a big part of my life even though I'm in my 20s. Parents don't just disappear and we still go to them for advice, so I love it when an author includes that into the plot, even if the characters have to road trip to see them.
One of my favourite things about New Adult series is that each book focuses on different characters that have previously shown up in the other books. This was the perfect ending to a great series about six characters who already know how they really feel and the chance encounters that help them realize it. Just like Pixie and Levi and Kayla and Daren, Jenna and Jack have finally admitted to each thoer that they have feelings for the other and only because Jack forced his way into her road trip. These plot devices were great for this series and I loved reading about characters making fate work for them.
"Love is the absence of control and the presence of faith. And you won't truly be happy until you surrender to it."
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