by J. Lynn
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
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Synopsis:
At 21, Calla hasn't done a lot of things. She’s never been kissed, never seen the ocean, never gone to an amusement park. But growing up, she witnessed some things no child ever should. She still carries the physical and emotional scars of living with a strung-out mother, Mona—secrets she keeps from everyone, including her close circle of college friends.
But the safe cocoon Calla has carefully built is shattered when she discovers her mom has stolen her college money and run up a huge credit card debt in her name. Now, Calla has to go back to the small town she thought shed left behind and clean up her mom’s mess again. Of course, when she arrives at her mother’s bar, Mona is nowhere to be found. Instead, six feet of hotness named Jackson James is pouring drinks and keeping the place humming.
Sexy and intense, Jax is in Calla’s business from they moment they meet, giving her a job and helping her search for Mona. And the way he looks at her makes it clear he wants to get horizontal . . . and maybe something more. Before Calla can let him get close, though, she’s got to deal with the pain of the past—and some very bad guys out to mess her up if she doesn't give them her mom.
Review:
I always know that whatever book I pick up from J. Lynn, I am going to have a fun time devouring every page. I can always count on the males being drool-worthy sexy, heroines that I like, dialogue that makes me smile and scenes that will make my heart skip a beat in happiness and in shock. Stay With Me hit all of these marks. It was such an enjoyable, easy read.
But standing where I was now, I didn’t feel so lucky. Actually, I was pretty sure Lady Luck was a coldhearted bitch who needed to die.
This time around we get to be in Calla’s head, and in the very first chapter we get to see the mess that has become this girl’s life. Calla just met the girlfriend of the guy she was secretly crushing on, and that’s just the sprinkles on her my life is going downhill sundae. She doesn’t know if she will be able to continue her education because her mom has cleaned her out. Her mom has taken all of her money and run up an obscene amount of debt in her name. In the slim hope of being able to get her life back on track, Calla makes the difficult decision to travel back to where she was raised. It never felt like home and she swore to herself that she would never return, but she is left with no choice. Upon her arrival, she meets Jackson James who is working at the bar she spent the majority of her childhood at. From here, the story becomes a twisted path of dangerous lies and truths and Calla finds herself stuck right in the middle of it all.
Oh my golly gee, I hoped his shirt just ripped up the sides and fell right off.
Jax was by far one of my favorite things about this story. He was dangerously sexy. He was bold, demanding, blunt and then sensitive in a blink of an eye. He was an alpha male that Calla desperately needed. And I was hoping that underneath it all, he had a heart of gold. I loved Jax. He physically made the air rush out of me and he made it impossible not to smile when he was being his overpowering self. I couldn’t not love that protective, overbearing side of him.
Jack – “I like you, Calla. Yeah, I’ve only known you a couple of days. But you’ve made me laugh,” he said, his gaze never leaving mine. “I can also tell you’re nice and sweet when you wanna be. I think you’re cute as hell and you make me hard.”
Whoa. Did he seriously just say that?
Calla was so different than how I perceived her in the previous book. She was so broken inside. And she was so broken on the outside too. My heart hurt for her and I kept hoping that she would eventually find the correct path to getting her life back on track. But the obstacles that kept appearing in front of her seemed insurmountable. But though it all, thank goodness she had logic on her side (well, for the most part!), a sweet disposition and inner thoughts that kept cracking me up.
Jack – “When I want something, I go for it. Life is way too damn short to live any other way. And I want to get to know you better.” Those lashes lowered one time, his gaze tracking to my lips like they were some kind of mecca. “Yeah, I definitely want to get to know you better.”
Holy cowbells.
The first line of this book had me, hook, line and sinker. It made me squeal with delight and I just knew it was going to be a fun book to read. I loved Jax. Jax was utterly irresistible and paring him up with a sweetheart like Calla meant that we were in for a delightful read, and that it was! And I’m so glad we got to catch up and see what Cam, Avery, Jase and Teresa were up to. They made a few appearances in Stay With Me, and each time was enjoyable and fulfilling. The reasons I didn’t fully love this book are twofold. One is that the story seemed to go on a little longer than I liked and the other is that I was bothered by how something was resolved. But despite those two issues, I still found myself enjoying another book from the With You saga. I can’t wait to read Roxy’s story in the next installment!
Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #) ***Each book can be read as a standalone, but best enjoyed in order.*** |
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Wait for You #1 Reviews: Chelsea | Trust in Me #1.5 *Cam's POV-Wait for You* Reviews: Jen | Be with Me #2 Reviews: Jen |
Stay with Me #3 Reviews: Jen Chelsea | Fall with Me #4 Reviews: Jen | Dream of You #4.5 Reviews: Jen |
Forever with You #5 Reviews: Jen | Fire in You #6 Reviews: Jen |