Review: Be with Me (Wait for You, #2) by J. Lynn

Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year—she’s in love with her big brother’s best friend, but he hasn’t spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, change-your-life kiss. She got out of a terrible relationship. And now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It’s time for Plan B – college. And maybe a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.

Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he’s not telling anyone. Especially not his best friend’s incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn’t have time for a relationship. But it doesn’t help that all he can think about kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.

As they’re thrown together more and more, Jase and Tess can’t keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they’re willing to risk to be together, and what they’re willing to lose if they’re not…

A series that I can't let go of, and wouldn't want to if I could.  Armentrout sold me from the very first installment in this series, Wait for You, where readers meet Cam and Avery and experience their relationship, but this time around, we get the chance to get to know Cam's best friend Jase and his sister Tess all the better.  With the series opener, Tess was a great addition, but wasn't around a whole lot so I wasn't sure how this sequel would pan out.  My hopes were riding on the development of Cam's best friend, Jase, who after the first story, while his appearances were fewer than some, still managed to intrigue and entertain me.  Seeing these two together...it was like Cam and Avery all over again in a great way.

These two are characters that are deep in their own ways, and carrying a lot around for two people at their age in my opinion.  While some secrets are unveiled until the very end, for the most part J. Lynn does a great job of peeling back the layers at just the right times so that readers get a taste here and there and with each turn of the page, more suspense is added into the mix, creating a heart pounding combination that had me doing my best to read as fast as possible.

Where women were hoping to catch a guy who baked cookies last time around, cupcakes are the main event on this stage, and while I thought no character could hold a candle to Cam's thoughtfulness and persistence, Jase will not let readers down or fail to leave them fanning their faces and pining after someone just like him.  And Tess, once again J. Lynn created a female lead that women will get behind and men will swoon over I'm sure.  These two had a tricky road laid out for them, but J. Lynn will keep you entertained and wanting more, more, more, as soon as you crack open to the first page.

Review: Trust in Me (Wait for You, #1.5) by J. Lynn

It’s Wait for You as you’ve never seen it. Trust in Me lets you in on Cam’s side of the #1 New York Times Bestselling story.

Cameron Hamilton is used to getting what he wants, especially when it comes to women. But when Avery Morgansten comes crashing into his life – literally – he finally meets the one person who can resist his soulful baby blues. But Cam’s not ready to give up. He can’t get the feisty and intriguing girl out of his head.

Avery has secrets, secrets that keep her from admitting the feelings Cam knows she has for him. Will persistence (and some delicious homemade cookies) help him break down her barriers and gain her trust? Or will he be shut out of Avery's life, losing his first real shot at the kind of love that lasts forever?

Novellas and me...well I don't always follow them.  I've always been a fan of a good series, and with my favorite characters, of course I celebrate the fact that I won't have to completely say goodbye to them while a series plays itself out.  But despite being a fan of a good series, a lot of times, I pass on the chance to read the short novellas that authors put out in conjuncture with the series they've created.  Some of them I've found to be so short and simple that nothing (or at least not enough) new was really gained, or going straight to the next full length installment wasn't interrupted to the point of missing out on anything critical, etc...

But with  J. Lynn's Wait for You series, I can't seem to resist any and all chances I get to come face to face with her characters again.  And this time around, getting the chance to see the series' first installment from Cam's point of view instead of Avery's...wow!

After meeting these characters and loving them so much I was of course anxious to see where the next story line would take readers, but at the same time, experiencing the same story, but from Cam's point of view shed just enough light on what else he went through and not just seeing it all through Avery's eyes, was all that much sweeter.  Definitely a great and worth while addition to the series.

Review: Wait for You (Wait for You, #1) by J. Lynn

Some things are worth waiting for…

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

Some things are worth experiencing…

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet…

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for...

While I mainly stick to young adult titles on the blog, a lot of my readers know that from time to time I'll feature and review an adult title or one like this J. Lynn title, which is considered to be New Adult.  With New Adult works, we're dealing with material that may not be suitable for all ages, and I like to make that clear before going forward to avoid any confusion.  But this was just one of those books, and now series' that I couldn't pass up the chance to rave about after falling in love with it myself.

This was one of those stories that caught me off guard.  It shouldn't have.  I've been a huge fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout since I picked up my first book that she'd written and despite using another of her pen names, I really shouldn't have expected anything less than the stellar writing and story lines I've come to associate with her.   But there you have it.  Once again she's presented two main characters who are impossible to resist and ridiculously hard to do anything but fall in love with them.  She's develops her characters in such a way that their layers are unraveled just right that readers get the sense that they're getting to know new friends instead of reading along from an outside perspective.

If there is anyone out there who is able to resist the charms of Cam...I just can't understand it and I'm not sure how I'd feel about it.  He's effortless with everything he does.  A character with a heart so big and warm that everyone around him is drawn right in and can't help but just want to be around him.  I wanted all scenes surrounding him for the same reasons.  And Avery...oh gosh.  What a heroin!  She's this girl who has secrets yes, but inspired such empathy from me that I thought for sure I'd crumple if she had to endure anything more.  By the end of the story, when all is revealed and understanding on the readers part is possible after seeing things from all angles, it was crushing and yet inspiring all at once.  Characters, while fictional, journey through a lot of things, overcome any number of events and obstacles, and readers are given the gift of experiencing some of that with them, and the aftermath of others.  It's humbling and enlightening and J. Lynn spins her tales in a way that always impresses me.

I hope if you're looking for a New Adult book you'll try this one on for size because really, it's entertaining, gratifying and just excellent from start to finish.