Author: Julianna Keyes
Genre/Age: Romance/NA
Series: None
Publisher: Self-published
Format: ebook via The Romance Reviews
Rating: ✺✺✺✺
Links: Goodreads
Synopsis: The day a judge gave me the choice between going to prison or going to college was the day I vowed to stop stealing. Never again would I see something beautiful and beyond my means and take it, just because I wanted it. Just because I could.
When I moved in with Jerry, it was with good intentions. I needed a place to live while I got my degree, and he needed a roommate.
Then I saw Aster.
Blond and beautiful, good, pure, sweet, smart…and Jerry’s girlfriend. She was everything I never thought I could have. Except…maybe I can.
So I put a plan into action. Yeah, I’d probably go to hell, but it would be worth it. I wanted Aster. I wanted her yesterday and tomorrow and every possible way.
But you know what they say.
Be careful what you wish for…because you just might get it.
Two misfits find peace in each other's arms.
Aidan gave up stealing cars to avoid going to jail. Since then, he's had to keep himself busy with school, work, activities, and meetings. All things that he's required to do in order to stay in his current program. The one thing he doesn't do is date. For a guy with a rough past, it isn't easy to start a relationship when he's not sure if he'll ever be able to be honest with a woman.
That changes when he meets Aster, a girl who is way out of his league but tempting nonetheless. The fact that she is unattainable just makes her all the more enticing. And even if Aidan does manage to steal her away from his roommate, there is a side to Aster that nobody knows. Secrets that could destroy any chance of her ever having a stable relationship. In fact, Aidan just might be the only man that Aster can trust to accept her as she is, dark history and all.
I had a little trouble for the first half of the book. I can't lie about that. We only see things from Aidan's POV and it's a harsh viewpoint. He really is an asshole in the beginning with only one thing in mind and I think we all know what that thing was. It was hard to imagine myself pulling for this couple to come to pass when I really just wanted the hero to get hit by a bus for a good third of the book.
But when we get a peek into Aster's POV? Whoa. When she mentioned her secret, I audibly gasped and looked up to announce to the room, "They're made for each other." And I meant it. Since we only see one half of the story until that point, we don't realize just how much of a facade Aster has been putting on. I mean, this girl is just as scarred as Aidan is. It's a match made in misfit heaven.
I won't give away the secret but I will say that once it came to light, I had an entirely different view of this book. Instead of seeing a selfish young man wedging himself between a perfectly happy couple, I realized he was inadvertently saving her and himself. Aster makes Aidan a better person and Aidan gives Aster the freedom to be a more honest version of herself.
The depth of our couple's relationship surprised me and I'm glad I stuck it out to finish the book. It was a worthwhile read. The plot was unique and both characters had a flawed and tainted past to overcome. I love how they helped each other to do that. The romance was pretty hot, too, and I enjoyed the chemistry between our couple. Their witty banter made me chuckle a few times.
However, can I just add how confusing it was to have the names Aster and Aidan as our main characters? Neither name is gender specific enough so I had to continually remind myself which was the guy and which was the girl. Not something you want to have to do during a sex scene, by the way.
In closing...
A couple who is strangely perfect for one another come together in an unconventional way. Four suns!
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