Candace is about to start her senior year at the University of Washington. She has spent her college years being very focused and somewhat conservative. She is a fine arts major and has her sites set on become a professional dancer. So, when her friends encourage her to let loose and live a little, she decides to listen.This is when things go horribly wrong. One night all of her dreams turn into nightmares.Candace is left reeling. She turns to one of her best friends and shuts everyone else out. She leans on him to help her through but even he can't save her from herself.Candace finds herself shutting down and being afraid of everything. She has chronic nightmares and can't sleep alone. Her best friend Jase and his new boyfriend Mark become her only source of security.One day at work a mysterious man walks in. Later she meets him again with Jase and Mark. Ryan owns a local bar and has a history with women a mile long. He has never been a one woman man but something about Candace screams to him to protect her.Candace finds herself slowly opening up to him and trusting him. She allows him to get close and eventually she finds herself relying on him.Candace soon discovers that Ryan may not have been all she thought he was.The dramatic ending...So here were my problems with this book:1) The entire first 30-35% of the book focused on the trauma. While I get that the trauma was a huge part of the story, this is a romance.2) The ending. I won't spoil it for you, but really... I didn't get it. (Maybe if this was a Hallmark movie it would work.)3) There were a TON of detail in this book that didn't seem to add to the story. I don't need to know what pair of pants she chose to wear unless it is relevant to the story. Edit. Edit. Edit.4) Through all of the trauma and drama, Candace still maintains a 4.o GPA. Really???5) The therapist... I always cringe when authors write out therapy scenes. Being a therapist myself, I can be a little critical of the therapist-client dialogue.Things I liked:1) Ryan. He was hot and amazingly patient.2) Jase and Mark. Swoon worthy couple who are NOTHING but supportive.3) Ryan's mother. What a great woman.4) The author was brave to tackle this big subject. She did an amazing job with the feelings that Candace went through.I struggled with how to rate this book. I wanted to give it four stars and I wanted to give it three stars. I know lots of people LOVED this book.Perhaps it was just me, but I just liked this one. I didn't love it. Three Stars for me.www.readinghaven.me
Heather~Reading Haven~
I am a thirty something wife and mother of two. I read in all of my free time and some of my not so free time. Sleep, who needs sleep! I started out several years ago and after finding some amazing books and even more amazing friends GR has become my favorite place to hang. I started out with Urban Fantasy that was heavy on the romance and branched out in to straight contemporary romance. Now I am reading a variety of book. Some New Adult, some Contemporary Romance, some YA, Erotica and some Dark Erotica. If there is a love story in there, I'll read it. I am a complete sap for a good love story. I prefer a HEA (insert unicorns, rainbows and kittens). I really dislike major cliffhangers when there is more than a few months gap between releases. I read so many books that I forget the story line. I sometimes wait until the whole series is out so I can plow through the whole thing. :-)
Candace is about to start her senior year at the University of Washington. She has spent her college years being very focused and somewhat conservative. She is a fine arts major and has her sites set on become a professional dancer. So, when her friends encourage her to let loose and live a little, she decides to listen.This is when things go horribly wrong. One night all of her dreams turn into nightmares.Candace is left reeling. She turns to one of her best friends and shuts everyone else out. She leans on him to help her through but even he can't save her from herself.Candace finds herself shutting down and being afraid of everything. She has chronic nightmares and can't sleep alone. Her best friend Jase and his new boyfriend Mark become her only source of security.One day at work a mysterious man walks in. Later she meets him again with Jase and Mark. Ryan owns a local bar and has a history with women a mile long. He has never been a one woman man but something about Candace screams to him to protect her.Candace finds herself slowly opening up to him and trusting him. She allows him to get close and eventually she finds herself relying on him.Candace soon discovers that Ryan may not have been all she thought he was.The dramatic ending...So here were my problems with this book:1) The entire first 30-35% of the book focused on the trauma. While I get that the trauma was a huge part of the story, this is a romance.2) The ending. I won't spoil it for you, but really... I didn't get it. (Maybe if this was a Hallmark movie it would work.)3) There were a TON of detail in this book that didn't seem to add to the story. I don't need to know what pair of pants she chose to wear unless it is relevant to the story. Edit. Edit. Edit.4) Through all of the trauma and drama, Candace still maintains a 4.o GPA. Really???5) The therapist... I always cringe when authors write out therapy scenes. Being a therapist myself, I can be a little critical of the therapist-client dialogue.Things I liked:1) Ryan. He was hot and amazingly patient.2) Jase and Mark. Swoon worthy couple who are NOTHING but supportive.3) Ryan's mother. What a great woman.4) The author was brave to tackle this big subject. She did an amazing job with the feelings that Candace went through.I struggled with how to rate this book. I wanted to give it four stars and I wanted to give it three stars. I know lots of people LOVED this book.Perhaps it was just me, but I just liked this one. I didn't love it. Three Stars for me.www.readinghaven.me
