Review: Really great NA read. Loved Amber and Marcus together!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 25, 2014
Review for Ramblings From This Chick. ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.comI really enjoyed this New Adult Contemporary read by Stina Lindenblatt. I thought that it was well written and a beautiful story about romance, forgiveness, growth and healing. I didn't honestly know what to expect with this story, but the blurb sounded promising and I really liked the cover. I am so glad that I took a chance on this one though, and I cannot wait to read more from Stina Lindenblatt in the future. This book has so much to offer, and I definitely would recommend it.Amber has been through so much and is left broken because of it. All she wants is to be invisible and pass her classes while earning her veterinary degree. She hates waking up her roommate with her nightmares, and having flashbacks that send her back to a hell she would rather forget. She feels alone and doesn't let anyone in, fearing what will happen if she allows herself to love anyone again. When she starts failing her math class, she decides to get a tutor to help her out. Marcus is the last person that she should get involved with and he has a reputation to prove it. The more that he helps her and the more time they spend together though, the easier they both find it to open up to each other. Soon they are book sharing about their terrible pasts and helping each other to move forward. Their feelings for each other grow and Marcus finds himself wanting a relationship for the first time. Marcus and Amber begin dating and everything appears to be changing for them. But when a threat from Amber's past resurfaces, she will do anything to protect Marcus from ever being hurt like those before him even if that means breaking up with him. Marcus isn't willing to give up on them though and is determined to convince her that they belong together.I really liked Marcus. He was sweet and sexy and really protective of Amber. I liked that even though he used sex as a coping method before Amber, that he didn't have a problem giving that up for her. Marcus was a really great guy who had an awful past and a ton of guilt to go with it. But I liked that he was patient and didn't judge Amber. He was supportive and understanding and only encouraged her to move forward. I also really loved how involved he was in his community youth center and really cared about helping those kids to achieve better lives than they might otherwise have. I also thought his nickname for Amber was cute and it seemed to just fit her. Amber was really broken and struggling to continue with her life after experiencing so much heartbreak. But she was a survivor, and had a strength about her that I really enjoyed reading about. It was great to see her begin to put her life back together and heal from her past while moving forward. I think that her and Marcus had a great connection, and they seemed to be perfect together. I loved Marcus's corny math jokes and how he would always try to get Amber to smile and be happy. I also really loved their heat and chemistry together.Overall, I thought this was a really great book. I enjoyed Amber and Marcus and their journey, but I also really liked the secondary characters as well! I thought Marcus's friend Chase and Amber's friend Jordan were really interesting, and I love how they sort of circled around each other. You could tell there is definitely something there even though she has a boyfriend. I really hope that we get to see more of each of them, and maybe even them together. This story is beautiful and heartbreaking, but it is also filled with hope, love and forgiveness. It shows how two very broken people can find a connection despite being through more than anyone could ever imagine. The only criticism that I have is that for the most part everything in this story is pretty much wrapped up with a bow minus for one glaring exception. I felt like after everything that had happened, this should have been dealt with because it was a really big deal to how everything played out in the story. I really would have liked to have seen how it was dealt with and what happened. But otherwise, I really loved everything else, and I especially loved that this was a dual POV. It was really nice to see not only what Amber was experiencing but also Marcus. Amber and Marcus's story is one that I would recommend to any fan of New Adult or Contemporary romance, but also to anyone who loves a story with a happy ending.**ARC provided by Inkslinger PR**