Review: Helllooooo Cillian!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 14, 2013
4.5/5 starsWell, folks. Sawyer Bennett has done it again. I am absolutely in love with this series and I never ever want it to end! Sawyer has a knack for creating sexy male leads and strong, likeable female MC's. I love that both books I've read by her (Off the Record and now Off Course) are both dual POV. I can't get enough! I guess books just become so much real for me if I can see what both characters are thinking and feeling- and why they make the decisions they do.I loved this one. Off Course alternates between both Renner and Cillian's POV's. We met Renner briefly in Off the Record- she is Linc and Nix's cousin and all we really knew about her was that she was a flight attendant for Delta and recently had her heart broken by a married man. We first meet Cillian in Off Course and he is a young, 19-year old rocker in a band. The sexual tension that boy can emit off the stage is mind-blowing! And Renner (who is visiting her cousins in Dublin) can certainly feel it. At 17, she is not as experienced as he is, and after a steamy kiss, puts the brakes on his advances. Cillian wasn't a douche or even upset about it- he's actually very sweet, telling her to just be herself. However, that certainly didn't stop him from sticking his tongue down the next girl's throat at the same party. Ouch. However, 5 years later, Renner finds herself back in Dublin to escape what went down with her job at Delta. She is left reeling by the outcome but is determined to make the best of her situation. She ends up running into Cillian again, as he is taking a summer break with his band. At first she doesn't think he remembers her, but there's no way he could have forgotten.Renner is definitely not going to fall into Cillian's arms- no matter how sweet of a talker he can be. She's been burned once and she refuses to let it happen again. Not to mention, she remembers the way he was and how disappointed she felt when she saw how easily he could cast her aside. Cillian doesn't even fit Renner's ideal man description. She is looking for Mr. Perfect- a businessman, who is stable and responsible, that she can settle down and have kids, a white picket fence, the whole shebang with. Cillian is rough around the edges, has an unpredictable lifestyle, and doesn't seem like the settling down type. He is also obsessed with being in control. There was a time in his life where he wasn't able to be in control and he lost so much. This explains why he is the way he is with his band-mate and former lover, Maeve. Maeve is a piece of work, let me tell you! She is still in love with Cillian, even though he's told her numerous times that they can't be that way together and he only wants to be friends. She has an addiction to alcohol and is somewhat suicidal. I really felt bad for Maeve in the beginning, because she seemed like a girl who had no one to depend on, so she clung to the first person she trusted most in the world and loved: Cillian. However, she is still in love with him and is NOT happy that Renner is in the picture. The lengths Maeve will go to are quite insane, but Cillian will not take the tough love route with her. He feels like he can make amends for his past, by helping her- even though no one can help her but herself.I will say Renner put up a pretty good fight against his charms. He's quite persistent when it comes to her and won't give up. I have to admit- I love the chase. I love the build up between these two because when Renner finally gives in- dear God, it's hot. It's pretty clear from the get-go that Cillian is definitely attracted to Renner (he can't get her out of his head) and wants to be the one to free her from her self-imposed restraints and show her how to live a little. He didn't stop to account for the fact that he could actually be falling for her.Will Renner be able to open up her heart to Cillian after having it smashed by her ex-boyfriend (who is still sending her text messages begging for forgiveness?) or will she find that she just can't let herself fall for the guy who doesn't fit her criteria but can make her feel more alive than she's ever felt? And will Cillian be able to see through Maeve's manipulation and determine what is worth fighting for and who he can't live without?