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Avery has just met her hot upstairs neighbor. He's irresistible. Tattooed. And a virgin.

Nursing student Avery Michaels wants nothing to do with dating—she's perfectly happy single. Privy to too many of her mother's bad decisions and even worse taste in boyfriends, all Avery can handle is a string of uncomplicated hookups whenever the mood strikes.

When she meets smoking hot tattoo artist Bennett, she wants him—for just one night. But he won't accept a no-strings-attached arrangement. He lives by a straight-laced code of values based on his own troubled upbringing.

Bennett sees something special in Avery and he wants more from her. Way more. As Avery wrestles with her emotions for Bennett, danger and tragedy force them to open up to each other. And Avery must face the terrifying realization that she wants more from him, too.

So she needs to make a choice—let Bennett go or finally let him in.

My Review:

Oh my. I am STILL in mega swoon mode from this book! It was so deliciously sexy and my stomach was in a constant fluttering state for the majority of the book! I really enjoyed both Avery and Bennett's characters and I feel Christina did a great job building their relationship.

Avery was a very likeable character for me. She has been through a lot in her life- having dealt with a mother who was more concerned with her own love life than taking care of her children. Avery feels responsible for her younger brother Adam and the only reason she bothers to speak to her mom is to check on him. After seeing her mother string along man after man, Avery is determined to not let herself fall for any guy. She does one night stands and has a friend with benefits but does not want a serious relationship of any kind. After spotting the oh so delicious Bennett at a party, she knows she wants him to be her next conquest. However, Bennett isn't like other guys. He ignores her advances, leaving her very confused.

I loved Bennett's character. While he may not have given Avery the time of day at the party, he finds her hard to ignore especially now that he's just moved into the same apartment as her. An almost break-in to Avery's apartment ends up bringing the two closer together and we realize that Bennett is definitely NOT immune to Avery. However, he knows the type of girl Avery is and he won't do that with her. He wants commitment and right now she can't give him that. Bennett has also come from a very similar family situation as Avery, and after seeing his own mother go through relationship after relationship and be treated like shit, he vows he won't be that guy to have casual, meaningless sex. I felt bad for him because he is completely at war with himself. Physically and emotionally he desperately wants Avery, but she has made it all too clear she doesn't do relationships. He's also been burned before by a girl he thought he loved and he won't go down that road again. He guards his heart and won't give it up for anything less than love. SIGH. Hello, wonderful.

These two have serious sexual tension. Seriously, I thought I was going to internally combust. But good Lord- Christina writes the sexiest kissing scenes! Whew! There were so many times I wanted to smack Avery for being so stubborn, especially with a guy as great as Bennett, but she really did have to do things on her own terms. She couldn't be pushed into something she wasn't ready for, because she would only end up hurting both herself and Bennett. Slowly she begins opening herself up to this beautiful, patient boy who can't see anything beyond her.

Another favorite character would have to be Mrs. Jackson. She was such an incredible role model and inspiration to Avery. They say some people come into your life at the exact moment you need them, and I feel Mrs. Jackson was that person for Avery. Mrs. Jackson is a patient at the nursing home Avery works at. She sees past Avery's façade and encourages her and believes in her- something she hasn't had since she lost her own grandmother. It is through Mrs. Jackson that Avery really sees the purity and beauty of true love. Mr. Jackson comes to visit his wife every day and the two are absolutely precious together. Where Avery didn't have that example of love in her life from her own mother, she saw it at work through the Jacksons.

I also liked Ella, Avery's best friend. She knows all of Avery's past- even the messy parts and is a true friend to her- telling her she should confide in Bennett and take a chance with him. Unfortunately I wasn't a very big fan of her other friend Rachel. Rachel is also a big player and doesn't treat guys with much respect. She really sticks her foot in her mouth concerning Bennett and I was irritated Avery didn't stand up for him to her friend.

Good guys like Bennett are rare finds- he is a guy who wants to worship, cherish, and love his woman. I love that he didn't give up on Avery- there were so many times where I wondered when he would say enough is enough and just walk away, but he didn't. He saw something in her and I'm glad he decided to take a chance on her. She needed someone to prove that she was worth loving and that her heart was capable of love.

This was such a great NA read and I loved every minute of this book!

Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives near Cleveland with her two favorite guys. She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything.

New Adult/Young Adult author. NA Contemporary Romance, ALL OF YOU, releases September with Penguin. BEFORE YOU BREAK in 2014. Repped by Sara Megibow.

Also the creator of Tags-n-Stones (dot com) jewelry.

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