Review: Different and refreshing storyline..
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 12, 2013
ARC Received in exchange for an honest review...This book was very different from what we are used to in this genre. Number 1 the female in this story is the "player". Number 2 the male in the book is a tatted up virgin. Yes people the amazingly HOT guy is a virgin! I literally was like OH WOW this is going to be different!! It was really cool too because for once you felt different emotions towards the guy in the book.  I know that sounds crazy but it was so great that FINALLY it wasn't the virginal girl who was going to save the player. It has been done 100 times and Christina Lee totally flipped the game on us! Plus it is a stand-alone which I think I needed since I am usually a series junkie.Ok so Avery has no desire for a relationship, she is constantly at war with herself to keep her distance and maintain control. She doesn't want to rely on a man and end up like her mother. She is content with it and sure as hell has no plans on changing. She is feisty, stong, smart and is in constant contradiction of what a typical girl is usually portrayed. I loved that!! I loved that she was the broken one. She has walls that are so high and strong(at least that is what she thinks). The first word that I thought of to describe Avery at first was: man-eater. She just is emotionless when it comes to guys. When she sees Bennett something inside of her changes. It was one of those soul deep, earth shattering things, only she didn't know it.</p>"I don't care about guys. Any of them. And I certainly didn't care what they thought of me. Except for this very instant."I LOVE BENNETT!! I love him, he is so amazing. He is a schmexy tattoo artist and makes you want to be worthy of him. He was so amazing with Avery and her host of issues. He was the one pushing her to stop being so stupid and let him in. He was there for her when she hasn't ever had that, especially from a male! Shewas so used tothe men in her life using her or so much worse. Bennett saved her in so many ways you can't even begin to understand it.  I did feel that there were some parts where I was irritated with him, more or less because he was kind of too perfect. I mean guys suck sometimes (let's be real here) and he never really sucked. He fought his feelings against Avery because he knew she could break his heart."I want something real, "he whispered. "And I'm willing to wait for it." My throat closed up at his words. "Are you…waiting for marriage?" "No." He looked me dead in the eye. "I'm waiting for love."Even when he pushes against his own feelings and tries to keep her away, he can't. It was like they both owned a part of each other."Because all day, every day, you're still suck in my head-in my ever damn thought."There were only a few things that I felt held me back a little. The story is very fast-moving, which kind of prevented me from connecting totally to Avery. Also there wasn't any huge surprise when we found out what the real issue behind Avery was, I kind of had that pegged right away. However, that being said the good outweigh the bad. I felt the sex scenes were really hot even when they weren't having sex! The build between the two main characters was really great, it was just some of the back story I felt was lacking. I did cry so for that Christina Lee gets a HUGE bonus.Avery cracked me up with her banter with friends too, that is so how my girls and I talk to each other. It literally made me laugh out loud. I really enjoyed how the story kept a very down to earth feel to it. Avery does have good people in her life, she just doesn't allow herself to see it for example, the amazing patient in the nursing home she works in, Mrs. Jackson!! That woman was seriously one of the best secondary characters! The best though was Avery and Bennett together and seeing if they were going to be able to get past all the crap in their lives and find a way to each other. I just hoped that Avery would see just how worthy she was. I wanted for her to see that she could give more and she was so much better than what she was allowing herself to be. Her heart was big and her situation was not her fault. I wanted her to give that to Bennett to love him because he was so worth it. Bennett's heart deserved to be loved and he knew that."Does this mean there's a possibility you'd take care of me someday, too? Protect my heart just as fiercely?"Oh I would Bennett if she doesn't get her head on straight.. LOL. No, seriously though I really liked this book, I liked that it wasn't the same story regurgitated over and over. It was fresh and different and I read this book in one sitting. I was so excited to see what was going to happen between these two damaged and different characters. I definitely look forward to reading more from this author!