For lovers of this series, Carter’s book is finally here!
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Fear is sabotage’s sweetest weapon.
Kate has no time for meaningless romantic charades, and definitely no time for hot college professors who are full of themselves and smitten with her. Constantly battling eviction notices, tuition she can’t afford, and a sick, dependent mother, the last thing she needs is to be distracted with someone else’s complicated baggage.
When she stumbles into Ryan Campbell’s creative writing class, he is only “Mr. Campbell” to her, until Ryan finds himself captivated by her writing and she is forced to face their mutual attraction. His cocky know-it-all syndrome is enough to send her running in the other direction, and his posse of female admirers and playboy reputation are enough to squander any odds in her favor.
But underneath Ryan’s abrasive facade is something to behold, and she can’t stay away for long. Ryan and Kate must decide who they’re willing to become and fight against their former selves if they want to make things work. That’s if academia, vicious vixens, old skeletons, and their own mastery at self-destruction don’t pummel their efforts first.
A sequel to the Amazon bestselling romance, Preservation, told from Ryan’s point of view.
Old Habits Die Hard.
Ryan Campbell is not only leaving his title of Professor behind to move on to bigger and better things at Simon and Warden Publishing, he’s also become Seattle’s rising literary star. Sitting on the overwhelming cusp of newfound fame, he learns soon enough that being popular has its downside.
Attracted to the buzz surrounding his new career, former lovers begin to creep back into his life, and potential ones emerge with enticing advances. While he works to juggle reserved, yet stressful, wedding plans with Kate and his new public image, he has enough to manage without worrying about Carter and Dean—Kate’s loveable albeit eccentric friends—and their latest shenanigans.
Surrounded by a lifestyle that includes temptation at every turn, Ryan finds himself immersed in a world full of scandal and lies, where his oldest weaknesses thrive and his ghosts return to haunt him. Questioning whether his life with Kate is his best path, he must discover if he’s still capable of being the man he aspired to be when she first became his, or if happily ever after is only an illusion.
Book 3: Declaration
Featuring characters from Love and Relativity.
Carter Montgomery spent most of his life blending in, and he liked it that way. It was always better to be seen, not heard. And while a theatric streak and friendly demeanor might have fooled most people, he knew the truth—he was the shy one. The quiet kid most people forgot about. Some might have considered that a bad thing, but those people all wanted to be in the spotlight.
The only place Carter didn’t mind attention was on stage, with The Hellions. Once content in his comfort zone in Seattle, Washington, he only knew three things: confrontation was to be avoided, keeping the peace was priority, and the moment he lost Kate Parker to Professor Ryan Campbell, he had no clue what to do with his life. Playing gigs, working at Pike Place Market, and watching BBC after the love of his life sailed off into the sunset just wasn’t going to cut it anymore.
Desperate to escape his rut, he takes a cue from Kate and chooses a random place to relocate—a small island across the country, where no one knows his name and memories of unrequited love aren’t found at every turn. Just when he thinks he’s found the perfect place to unwind and sink back into the shadows, in bursts Whitney Sinclair, a saucy firecracker who loves life and refuses to settle for second best. Full of contagious energy, she dares him to be brave, convincing him that it might finally be time to tell the world what he wants.
It might be time to make a declaration.
Review:
I haven’t read the first two books in the series, but Carter’s story seemed like a good place to start–especially since he’s already left Kate, Ryan, and the Pacific Northwest behind when the book begins. He definitely gives us enough of his backstory in this novel so that if you haven’t read the first two books, you’re definitely not lost.
I loved Carter’s character. His unapologetic nerdy geekdom, love of all things British (he has Downton Abbey on DVD! How many romance heroes can say the same? Not nearly enough!), his scruffy-musician persona, and his desperate case of unrequited love make it impossible not to love him.
Whitney too is a highly relateable character–she’s been burned in love before, and like Carter, often has felt as if she’s invisible. She’s working two jobs right now to get by, but dreams of opening a bookstore some day (A bookstore! Dream heroine, right?). She’s also every nerdy boy’s secret dream–not only is she a hotel maid, she’s got her own “French maid” uniform to go with the job–a fact Carter fully appreciates.
Both Carter and Whitney are trying to find their way in the novel–though of course we see far more of Carter’s struggle, since the entire novel is seen through his eyes. They move into a relationship in a roundabout kind of way, each aware of the other on the fringes of their lives before they decide to do anything about it. Once they come together, though, it’s explosive–and fun.
The path to their HEA of course isn’t smooth–they each make some missteps along the way–but it is satisfying and believable. A “seven years later” epilogue at the end wraps up the series nicely, giving readers a glimpse into the future for all the major characters of the series. All in all, this was an enjoyable way to pass the time.
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Carter sounds like a great character and I’m glad you still enjoyed it even withot having read the others. Great review! 🙂
I think I may have liked it even more–Ryan doesn’t really sound like my type of hero (though admittedly, that could be because I’m seeing him from Carter’s POV, and HE doesn’t like him all that much.)
Thanks so much for being a part of the tour! 🙂
Much love,
Rachael
xo
You’re welcome! Happy to help 🙂