Review: Loved it!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 11, 2014
******4.5 stars*****Wow, okay so this was an awesome little surprise for me! I read the synopsis for Before awhile back and thought to myself this would be a cute quick read without a lot of emotional punch, but boy was I wrong.  Somehow, Nicola Marsh and her captivating characters sucked me into this story and wrapped me up in the sexual tension and beginnings of something so much deeper, and I didn't want it to let go.  Jack, the gorgeous epitome of everything that drives women wild about bad boy Aussies, made my heart race at every turn with his cocky confidence hiding the hurt boy underneath.  And Jess, with her determination and sass that kept him guessing and lusting after her had me laughing and wanting to high five the girl as she tried to bring him to his knees!As a whole, this was a pretty simple story.  Simple girl meets bad boy with a wall around his heart. But there was so much more behind these characters, and when they got together it was magic.  Jess was tired of always wanting something bigger and better but never finding it, and she was tired of being a "V" card carrying member.  College wasn't the new adventure she thought it would be, but maybe flying off to the Australian outback with her brother on a whim would be.  Was she ever right, because loner Jack, who'd learned the hard way he'd always be forgettable, turned her world upside down.  Being the cook and catering to snooty visitors wasn't something he ever saw himself doing, but he slowly discovered there was more than meets the eye when it came to Jess.  From their first meeting to every little glance and touch, there was this electric jolt that passed between them and just made me melt!With all of the would-be passion between them, Jack was determined to keep his distance when it came to Jess.  If it wasn't his own feelings of unworthiness stopping him, it was his job security or, eventually, Jess' brother Reid who'd become a dear friend to him, that kept Jack pushing her away.  It was a torturous push and pull, with Jess growing ever more frustrated that Jack wouldn't give in to his clear desire for her.  I felt for this girl, because honestly it was painful to see them get so close but always end up tattered.  I didn't realize going in that this was a prequel to Jess and Jack's story, so when it abruptly ended with a heart-wrenching cliffhanger, my jaw dropped and I ran to amazon to grab up Brash. Seriously, have it on standby because this prequel leaves you hanging BIG TIME.  Having torn through the next book in a matter of a few hours, I can say the entirety of Jess and Jack's story is an emotional, smoking-hot, highly entertaining read and definitely worth curling up to, and I can't wait to read Reid's story Blush very soon!Quotes:In two semesters I'd attended three frat parties, had drunk two vodkas, one rum and a watered down Long Island Iced Tea.  And the only other bed I'd graced besides my own belonged to my roommate's dog, illegally smuggled in whenever she could.  Yeah, chalk up permanent virginity status alongside geek.  Embarrassing. ~p. 5But it seemed like some great, screwed up, cosmic sign. That the first time I'd ever felt like jumping a guy, he was an outback cook with a bad attitude. ~p. 26He laughed.  "So what're you going to dare me to do today?""Last night wasn't a dare," I said, sounding like a sulky kid.  "You're just an exhibitionist."His naughty grin alerted me to the fact he'd always win in any war of words we had.  "When I had such a captive audience, do you blame me?" ~p. 34But none of that mattered to her and that's what humbled me the most; that she saw past my tough outer shell and believed in the real me. ~p. 85