Review: Lovely! 4.5 stars
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 8, 2013
Ash's life was shattered by the death of his father and all his plans changed. He was supposed to go off to college on a baseball scholarship but being the eldest child he took on the role of `Man of the house' and stayed at home, chosing to go to a local college instead. He looks out for his mom, younger sister Delilah and brother Colt (although they're not that much younger than him, they're all at college too) and they're a really close family.Ash is a ladies man - he doesn't do relationships, he does flavour of the month and he's never short of female attention. That's not to say that he's a bad boy, he's not. He just doesn't want to get tied down with one woman, when he has so many to choose from.All that changes the minute he lays eyes on a Cara, a new girl in the library. He's never seen her before as she's recently transferred, and he's mesmerised by her brown eyes which she tries to hide behind huge glasses. Ash is attracted to Cara and attempts to work his charm on her but he's perplexed when she doesn't immediately succumb to him and fall at his feet. In fact she gives him the brush off and he sees this as a challenge. Although she's not his usual type, he sees beneath the big glasses and baggy clothes, he sees something in her that tells him he wants to get to know her better.Cara is very sweet. She's really shy and is low on confidence. She isn't playing hard to get with Ash, she genuinely has no idea why he would be interested in her. She's aware of his reputation and doesn't want to be another notch on his bedpost.Having to work for a girls attention isn't what Ash is used to - but the more he gets to know Cara, the more he falls for her and he's in really deep before he even realises it!I loved Ash and Cara - they've had a lot to deal with in their past, but it hasn't made them bitter. Ash has dealt with the heartbreak of losing the most important man in his life and Cara had a horrible upbringing with an alcoholic mother.The relationship between Ash and Cara builds slowly, I loved seeing Cara come out of her shell,  I loved seeing Ash experience falling in love for the first time and seeing his utter devotion to Cara. He would do absolutely anything for her. Cara changed his life for the better, and he changed hers, and ultimately they saved each other.I loved reading this story - I couldn't put it down. The story is told by Ash, and it was nice to read from the male POV. You may need tissues while reading because it does have its share of heartbreak with what Ash and Cara have gone through, and the epilogue was bittersweet - with a mixture of happiness and sadness.