Review: When We Met by A.L. Jackson, Molly McAdams, Tiffany King and Christina Lee - Vilma Iris | Lifestyle Blogger

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Review: When We Met by A.L. Jackson, Molly McAdams, Tiffany King and Christina Lee

My Thoughts

A lovely balance between sexy and sweet, lighthearted and emotional.

4stars

Synopsis

when we metToday’s premiere New Adult authors combine their talents to tell four original stories from inside one house.  When four girls decide to live off campus together as juniors at a college in Michigan, they expect it to be their best year yet. Little do they know, it’s a year that will change the rest of their lives.

BEHIND HER EYES by A.L. Jackson  Unable to live down her ex-boyfriend’s deception, Misha is determined to avoid betrayal. When, the new guy next door, Darryn starts to get under her skin, her defenses start to crumble. But trusting Darryn seems impossible, especially if he’s not sure he can trust himself.

SAVING ME by Molly McAdams  On the outside, Indy is always ready for a party—but inside she’s breaking. Kier makes a weekly routine of saving the girl next door from herself on Saturday nights… but when will she be ready to remember him on Sunday morning?

FOULING OUT by Tiffany King  Working at a sports bar, Courtney has become a pro at sidestepping propositions from arrogant jocks—which makes her a more elusive catch for campus basketball star Dalton than he expected. But when he falls for the saucy waitress, Dalton will have to rethink his game plan to prove he’s not the jerk Courtney expects.

BENEATH YOUR LAYERS by Christina Lee  In order to ace her fashion internship, Chloe must team up with local college dropout and set builder, Blake—much to her chagrin. But after some “hands-on” experience, Chloe will have to ask herself if Blake factors into her carefully laid plans…

My Review

These four talented authors came together to write a book about the collision between past and present, the trepidation of moving past a deeply felt hurt that wouldn’t let go. It’s a foursome of stories about that magical moment when we meet that special person… a moment rife with hope and confusion and fear and chemistry and so many other things. This novel is the union of four distinct stories, of four different girls that live together while in college during those tremulous, uncertain years where a boy’s actions… his gaze… his sincerity or deceit, has the power to shake or shatter the earth as we know it. It was a lovely combination of irresistible sexiness and endearing sweetness as we followed the characters through those moments when they met the boy that would turn it all around. In Behind Her Eyes, Misha is a a girl who’s been wronged in the worst possible way. She’s scared and vulnerable, her heart still in pieces after she once trusted someone in the ultimate way, someone who turned around and deceived her. Coming back to college after some time at home, she meets a new gorgeous neighbor whose gaze unsettles her in a way that should send her running… because one look at Darryn, and all she can think of is trouble. Her story is about getting past something horrible and not letting her fear hold her back. It’s about finding the courage to move on and be herself, and finally finding someone that loves her for who she is. But the moment she finds herself falling for Darryn, another hurtful truth stands to shatter everything she’d been brave enough to build once again.

“He filled my thoughts with need and want. Made me feel beautiful and good and not like a stupid little girl. But the fear was so much greater than all of that, molding the idea of Darryn Wild into nothing but a threat.”

Saving Me tells the story of a girl whose heartache consumes her life, particularly as grief collides with a deception impossible to forget. Indy parties her pain away and one boy is there… always… as her safe haven. The problem is, all those nights of escape are locked away in her thoughts in a way she can’t remember the following day… and that includes Kier, the quiet boy that saves her week after week. The boy that cares for her in a way that no one had in a very long time. Their story felt sad and raw, as both had truths that defined them, but it was also very hopeful as we saw two people work to get past their profound pain, saving each other in the process.

“… this whole semester all I wanted to do was take care of you, help you, save you… be with you. Even before you finally started noticing me… I was already falling for you so hard.”

Second chances never come so easy, as Courtney and Dalton learn in Fouling Out. Fate brings two best friends together again, friends who were once inseparable and then drifted apart suddenly. Courtney had never forgotten the way Dalton had dropped her as he became more entrenched in basketball. Soon enough he’d become a star on the courts and she’d become a long-forgotten memory. So when she saw him again, all that hurt morphed into animosity. For Dalton, however, seeing Courtney brought to life cherished memories and she quickly dominated his thoughts. He couldn’t understand her anger, but the more times they spent together, the more misunderstandings came to light. Their story is about second chances and new beginnings.

“Understanding our different destinies didn’t make me pull away though. Maybe it was the familiarity of being childhood friends… but being with him felt comfortable—natural. Whatever the reason, I’d decided he was worth the risk.”

In Beneath Your Layers, Chloe and Blake also work through their fair share of misunderstandings, as well as erroneous preconceptions. Two people from two different worlds come together unexpectedly to work on a project, which forces them to get past the layers on the surface to see who they really are. Chemistry sizzles between them and soon, they both realize there is so much more to the other person than originally thought. Their story was full of both angst and humor, sexy and emotion, as these two people fall for each other, making new plans for their futures along the way.

“I quieted down and listened–and admitted some things to myself—I would find my own truth. That beneath all of that panicky anticipation—it absolutely did feel magical, to embrace the unexpected.”

In all four of these stories, each of the girls has been wronged in a way that has the power to shape their future, but as we glimpse into these significant moments in their lives, we see that the power of love can sometimes be exactly what is needed to turn things around in the right direction. addtogoodreads

About the Authors

A.L. Jackson

amy jacksonA.L. Jackson is the NYT bestselling author of Take This Regret and Lost to You, as well as other contemporary romance titles, including Come to Me QuietlyPulled, When We Collide, and If Forever Comes. She first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student.  She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life. Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.

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Molly McAdams

molly-mcadamsMolly grew up in California but now lives in the oh-so-amazing state of Texas with her husband and furry four-legged daughters. When she’s not diving into the world of her characters, some of her hobbies include hiking, snowboarding, traveling, and long walks on the beach … which roughly translates to being a homebody with her hubby and dishing out movie quotes. She has a weakness for crude-humored movies, fried pickles and loves curling up in a fluffy comforter during a thunderstorm … or under one in a bathtub if there are tornados. That way she can pretend they aren’t really happening.

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Tiffany King

tiffany kingUSA Today Bestselling author Tiffany King is a lifelong reading fanatic who is now living her dream as a writer, weaving Young Adult and New Adult romance tales for others to enjoy. She has a loving husband and two wonderful kids. (Five, if you count her three spoiled cats). Her addictions include: Her iPhone and iPad, chocolate, Diet Coke, chocolate, Harry Potter, chocolate, zombies and her favorite TV shows. Want to know what they are? Just ask.

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Christina Lee

christina leeMother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son–her two favorite guys.  She’s addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job. Author of the Between Breaths series from Penguin/InterMix. ALL OF YOU and BEFORE YOU BREAK available now, WHISPER TO ME on May 20th, 2014. Also the creator of Tags-n-Stones (dot com) jewelry.

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