Review: In Review: Live For You (Boys of the South #1)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 20, 2013
"Lately, my life has become one endless loop of sameness. Not that I'm complaining, but sometimes, I'd like for something, anything different to happen. Something that knocks me on my ass, without getting a black eye or a loose tooth from it. Sometimes... I just want more than the cards I've been dealt."Cole Morgan should be careful what he wishes for. He just might get more than he can handle. Cole's a good guy who has had it pretty tough lately. His father has abandoned his family. His mother is back in rehab. He's raising his younger siblings and trying to make a decent living while running his own bar. Cole is seriously charming, hot, and really, a good guy. Sure, he has secrets. But, who doesn't? He's a good-time guy. He's not looking to settle down."There's something very humbling about having your mug shot going viral on the Internet.""Violet Lynn was a costume for me. One that I gladly wore and paraded around in, until my world came crashing down."Violet Lynn was a country music star. One of THE biggest country music stars. She's taking some time away from Nashville, staying with her grandmother in North Carolina, until she can get her life back on track. To say she's had a rough time lately is a gigantic understatement. She caught her (former) best friend and (former) boyfriend together and she fell apart. The story of her getting drunk and barely surviving a horrible car accident is all over the tabloids. She needs some time away to pull herself together, in a place where the paparazzi and reporters won't interfere. She changes her looks and begins to go by Rae. The last thing she's looking for right now is a relationship with another guy."Forget the time: I don't have enough pieces of me left to throw away on some boy.""Dear God, I need to sit down. Maybe in the freezer, with a bucket of ice."Cole and Rae are attracted to each other immediately. As they begin running into each other around town, they try to be just friends, but the more time they spend together, the more apparent it is that friends won't be enough. Their chemistry is intense. They may not be what each other is looking for, but somehow they're exactly what the other needs. But, are either of them ready to let their guard down and put themselves out there?"It's okay to take a chance on somebody, Violet Rae," she says softly. "You're not really living, if you don't."Rae's grandma is full of sage wisdom. At her grandma's urging, Rae begins to open up to Cole. She confesses her true identity and, eventually, comes clean about the biggest of all the secrets. She also begins to make other friends. Namely, Lacey and Wyatt. I wasn't so sure about Lacey at first. She was a bit blunt and inappropriate, but she redeemed herself. Wyatt is just back from the war and is somewhat damaged goods. He and Lacey made a great pair."Honey, none of us are normal. We're all just trying to get by, without going over the ledge.""And some of us are holding onto the ledge with our fingertips and it's been raining for days."There's a ton of drama in this book. From dealing with Rae's past and the repercussions of her accident to Cole's secrets and the situation with his addict mother and jerk of a father, these two don't have an easy road. But, I never felt like it was drama just for drama's sake. The story flowed nicely and the characters were well-developed. They were likable and relatable. The novel was told in alternating perspectives from Cole and Rae and it was nice to get some insight into both characters. There were some seriously steamy love scenes in this book, too. Several of them, as a matter of fact. If you're looking for a quick and easy read that packs some heat and leaves you smiling at the end, this could be just what you need.