Review: I'm Hooked on this new series!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 23, 2014
WOW. I just finished reading Used by Lynetta Halat and that is what is going through my mind. Just wow. I loved it! It’s often harder for me to write a review when I love a book so much because I want to do it justice but I don’t want to spoil anything for other readers. From start to finish I could not put this book down. Almost immediately I was drawn to the characters and the story, and couldn’t wait to see where the author was going to take me. I went in knowing almost nothing about the plot and for me that made it even better. I loved this journey so much and let me tell you there were a couple of mindf--ks along the way that really enhanced my reading experience.First we meet Denver. She’s a freshman at college hoping to make a fresh start, new friends and new relationships. She is trying to move forward from the troubled past she’s left behind, one that includes a damaging reputation. My heart breaks for her. She’s suffered at the hands of those who should have been her protectors and who should have been there to love her and all she wants is to have friends and be loved and respected. But we quickly learn that she’s strong, she’s feisty and she wants to be in total control of her own destiny. Unfortunately she is also extremely self-loathing and truly believes she is not worthy of being loved by anyone. Therefore she will not allow herself to accept the love she so truly deserves. As damaged as she is, she’s young and has her whole life ahead of her if only she can let herself be happy and get what she deserves. Greer is Denver’s other half. They’ve grown up as best friends, in fact they practically share the same birthday. Greer means everything to Denver; he is her rock, her savior, her everything. But he wants to be more than just friends, he has loved her for so long, and unfortunately Denver will not let it happen no matter how badly she wants it. Greer recognizes this and is determined to win her over and help her overcome her past in order to get to their future together. He’s hot, he’s sexy, and he’s just so caring and seems to only want what’s best for both of them. He can see their future together even if Denver can’t. In fact they go their separate ways for college and this is when Denver meets Ransom. John Ransom is just wow. He is hotter, he’s sexier, he’s a real cowboy. And he’s falling hard for Denver’s feisty self and natural beauty. He wants her badly. He wants to claim her as his own. And when Denver tells him Greer is just a friend, that’s just what he wants to hear. Until he realizes that’s not how Greer sees things. And herein lies our love triangle.Normally I am not a fan of love triangles, however in this case I have made an exception. Used is not at all your typical love triangle. The book focuses a lot on the relationship between Denver and Greer. Through flashbacks we learn about their younger years together and everything that has led to the current state of their relationship. Once Ransom enters the picture and the triangle slowly begins to take shape, it becomes obvious that there is so much more to this story than just a who-wants-to-win-her-heart-more kind of scenario; it runs so much deeper than that for Denver. On the one hand she has someone who has known her forever and who she can envision as her perfect future, once she is able to just get past her own issues. On the other hand she finds herself extremely attracted to someone new. Someone intriguing and challenging, who doesn’t know about her past and all that she’s endured. It’s an appealing choice that makes sense given her wanting to start fresh in college. There comes a point in the story where Denver’s mind seems to be made up. We think we know where her heart lies, and it was at this point that I knew something big was coming. I just had no idea how huge it would be and how much of an impact it would have on all three characters.Throughout the story we experience POV’s from Denver, Greer and Ransom and I love this. I think it works perfectly. I enjoyed being in each of their heads at different times having them speak to me as I felt their emotions and learned more about their thoughts and feeilngs. I found myself rooting for Greer and for Ransom at different times throughout the story. My opinions of each kept changing and just when I thought I had it all figured out in my head and I knew where Denver truly belonged, BAM everything changed in one pivotal scene! I could not believe it! But the story just kept getting better from there and once again I was wondering where it was going to end up and who would be left standing.Does this book have an HEA? No it does not. Is it a major cliffhanger? No not really. However, the reader is left waiting to find out what will happen next and will be eagerly awaiting book 2.I cannot write a review of this book without mentioning the cowboy hotness factor. It’s there in full force. They are young, the characters are college students but nonetheless the guys are cowboys and they’re as sexy as they can be.  Never has bull riding seemed so appealing to me as it did in this book. Speaking of which, the detail that the author provided in all the rodeo scenes, the competition, and even just in the practice scenes all felt so real. This impressed me and I really enjoyed reading about it all, especially since rodeo is a world far from my life here in New York. (I have actually been to rodeo once and loved it)I so highly recommend Used. Lynetta Halat does a truly wonderful job with emotions, I found myself in tears many times during the story and I also found myself smiling big time during certain scenes. I could feel the characters’ emotions through the pages of the story and that’s something that for me is really important when I read. It is a testament to great writing and focus by the author. I am very much looking forward to the next book in this series, April cannot get here soon enough.