Author: Stacey Mosteller
Genre/Age: Romance/NA
Series: Nashville U Series (Book One)
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Format: ebook via Enchanted Book Promotions
Rating: ✺✺✺✺
Links: Goodreads
Synopsis: She’s:
Uptight
Sheltered
Allergic to fun
He’s:
Cocky
Crude
Unapologetic
He’s all dirty jokes and curse words, while she’s quiet and shy. She blends into the background, while he is the center of everyone’s attention.
Clay Mitchell never expected to fall in love. Especially not with a girl he’s known all his life and one who’s always been off-limits.
Opposites might attract, but in this case of explosive chemistry, someone's heart is bound to be shattered.
As enemies become friends and friends morph into more; Clay has definitely met his match.
Finally, Clay takes my hand, forcing me to stop and meet his intense gaze. “Chill,” he says in a scratchy voice. “I’m not going to hurt you.” I snort in disbelief and his eyes go flat. “I mean it, Kat. You’ve had a rough night, and I wouldn’t make it worse …” he trails off, thinking. “At least, not on purpose.” One side of his mouth tips up in a small grin, and I feel myself smile back at him.
“Sorry,” I tell him sheepishly. He shrugs, but doesn’t say anything, so I take the shrug to mean “don’t worry about it.”
Silence falls between us, but for once it’s not an uncomfortable silence. After a minute or so, I’m unable to keep my eyes on his. It feels too intimate, especially tonight. My stomach feels like a thousand butterflies have taken up residence inside it, a feeling I’ve never had before, and one that definitely isn’t one I would associate with Clay. The Clay sitting across from me though is someone completely foreign to me. He’s being nice, sweet even, and it’s disconcerting. The tension is the room becomes thick, and it feels like something important is about to happen.
Where before, I was the one unable to sit still, now it’s him. The longer we sit not speaking, the more he moves, trying to get comfortable. He shifts from side-to-side, straightens, so he’s no longer hunched forward, then rubs the back of his neck with one hand like he’s got a crick in it.
“So,” he starts, “uh … are you sure you’re okay?” I nod, my throat feeling like there’s a knot inside it. God, this is so awkward. At my nod, he does the same, then stands. Clay shoves his hands back in his jeans’ pockets and looks longingly towards the door.
I stand, and he moves closer to the door. “I guess I’ll see you later?” he asks, opening the door and sighing visibly in relief when he’s standing in the hallway. I walk to the doorway too and look up at him.
“Yeah, see you in class, Clay. Thanks for … you know … coming to check on me tonight.” I smile up at him, and he gives me one in response. Then, before I can anticipate it, he leans down, so his mouth is close to my ear, and I instinctively turn to see what he’s doing. He was aiming to kiss my cheek, but I don’t figure that out until it’s too late, and instead, he kisses my lips.
Frozen in shock, neither of us move. Our lips are barely touching, but it’s enough that I feel like mine are on fire. His eyes are as wide as I know mine are, and I gasp, pulling away quickly. I raise a suddenly shaking hand to my lips, and he straightens, standing stiffly.
“Sorry,” he mutters, before turning away and practically running down the steps. I’m left standing in my open doorway, staring after him like an idiot. The only thing I can think? Ohmigod, I just kissed Clay! What next? Is the world going to end? A blizzard? A hurricane in the middle of Tennessee?
Stacey is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author of Second Chances and Shadows of the Past (co-authored with H.M. Ward), the Nashville Nights, Two Sisters and Nashville U series (coming late 2015 from Swoon Romance).
She is also a wife, mother, writer and self-professed bookwhore - not necessarily in that order! As the mother of three growing boys, her Kindle has become her temporary escape from the insanity of boys, dogs and her husband. Stacey can usually be found curled up with her iPad when she's supposed to be writing or creating endless Spotify playlists!
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for honest review.**
Frenemies to lovers? Heck, yeah!
Ooh, I just love a good enemy-to-lovers story. All of that pent up frustration usually translates well to tension of a sensual kind. You know what I mean. And this story definitely shows the transition between hate to love and everything in between.
Kat is in love with one of the Mitchell brothers. She has been for years. But the object of her affection simply doesn't feel the same way. And when he abandons her, in a very selfish way, Kat decides that she's had enough. However, the person she finds supporting her through this difficult time just so happens to be one of the other Mitchell brothers. One that she absolutely despises.
Clay knows Kat is off limits. She has pined for his brother for as long as he can remember, even though it was always a pointless pursuit. And when Kat's heart gets broken, Clay somehow finds himself helping to pick up the pieces. Despite the fact that he and Kat are complete opposites and their personalities have always clashed, he can't seem to stop himself from wanting to protect her.
All is not smooth sailing, though. It takes a while for our couple to learn to trust each other. Not to mention, jealousy, betrayal, and vicious rumors put bumps in the road for Kat and Clay. The romance is a slow burn, yet satisfying.
This book surprised me. I was confused in the first chapter, trying to figure out who everyone was and their relationships. But by the third chapter, I was hooked into the story. The dual POV was fantastic and really gave both main characters their own voice, making it easy to connect with them. I was rooting for their happy ending from the beginning.
Ooh, I just love a good enemy-to-lovers story. All of that pent up frustration usually translates well to tension of a sensual kind. You know what I mean. And this story definitely shows the transition between hate to love and everything in between.
Kat is in love with one of the Mitchell brothers. She has been for years. But the object of her affection simply doesn't feel the same way. And when he abandons her, in a very selfish way, Kat decides that she's had enough. However, the person she finds supporting her through this difficult time just so happens to be one of the other Mitchell brothers. One that she absolutely despises.
Clay knows Kat is off limits. She has pined for his brother for as long as he can remember, even though it was always a pointless pursuit. And when Kat's heart gets broken, Clay somehow finds himself helping to pick up the pieces. Despite the fact that he and Kat are complete opposites and their personalities have always clashed, he can't seem to stop himself from wanting to protect her.
All is not smooth sailing, though. It takes a while for our couple to learn to trust each other. Not to mention, jealousy, betrayal, and vicious rumors put bumps in the road for Kat and Clay. The romance is a slow burn, yet satisfying.
This book surprised me. I was confused in the first chapter, trying to figure out who everyone was and their relationships. But by the third chapter, I was hooked into the story. The dual POV was fantastic and really gave both main characters their own voice, making it easy to connect with them. I was rooting for their happy ending from the beginning.
In closing...
I am definitely interested in checking out the rest of this series. Four suns!
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