Review: Honest review given
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 21, 2014
I love stories about redemption and second chances and this book is full of them, which is why I was a little disappointed that I couldn't rate this higher. Both Cameron and Hayley have deep secrets that have made it almost impossible to form meaningful romantic relationships which I think makes their falling in love all the more satisfying. Cameron is the quintessential college playboy. He's the ace swimmer on his university's team, he's worshiped by other guys and catnip to every girl in the book. Seriously....every girl in the book tries to hit on him, even the chick at his nephew's daycare. Despite all this adoration Cameron has a serious self-hatred complex due to past trauma. It did feel at times that his angst was a little forced by the author in an attempt to give him a more dimensional character. Hayley on the other hand feels 100% sincere, she's a very likeable girl. She's had some hard knocks and has come out a little bruised but that doesn't stop her from working to improve her life and wanting more. She's got a lot of friends in the book and I can see why, she's generous, caring, and genuine. Her relationship with Cameron starts off rocky mostly due to Cameron's big mouth. This is where the book slumped for me, I didn't think Hayley and Cameron's chemistry was all that intense. The writing indicated that there were a lot of churning emotions going on but it didn't seem to come off the page. The sex scenes were well written and steamy but anytime that Hayley and Cameron were just talking or being romantic it felt flat. I also want to say that there were several syntax and grammatical errors in the copy of the book I received; homonym confusion, repeat use of the same modifier in a given sentence, and awkward sentence structure. Although I have been informed that serious editing has since occurred and a lot of the mistakes have been resolved. I think this is a good book if you're in the mood for a light and cute read or have a hangover from a heavier book.