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Blog Tour: Wish I May by Lexi Ryan {Review+Giveaway}

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Welcome to my stop on the Wish I May blog tour hosted by InkSlingerPR!
I am so excited to share my review and a giveaway with you all today! To view more stops on the tour click HERE.



Wish I May (New Hope #2)
   by: Lexi Ryan

Publication Date: Oct. 4, 2013
Publisher: Ever After, LLC
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC received from InkSlingerPR and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 231 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars


I grew up wishing on stars.

My father taught me to believe…in destiny, in magic, in happily ever after. Dreams were my scripture and the starry night sky was my temple. Then Mom stopped believing, left him, and took us with her. At the age of sixteen, I cashed in my dreams to pay the rent, pawned my destiny to keep my sisters together.

Now, seven years later, I’m returning home, grieving the death of my mother, and settling my sisters back into the life Mom threw away. I never intended to stay. I don’t want to deal with my father, who is so invested in the spiritual world he forgets the physical. I don’t want to face William Bailey, whose eyes remind me of the girl I was, the things I’ve done, and the future I lost.
This would all be easier if Will hated me. As it is, I have to hold my secrets close so they won’t hurt him more than they’ve already hurt me. But he wants to be in my life. He wants what I can’t bring myself to confess I sold. He wants me.

I find myself looking to my stars again...wondering if I dare one more wish.

 
My Review:
 
When I heard William was getting his own book, I was so happy! I was heartsick for the man in Unbreak Me and I just wanted him to find his happiness. It was hard to figure out William in the first book. He was clearly in love with Maggie Thompson, but after she left, he became engaged to her sister Krystal, but still clearly in love with her. Yet, Maggie had her own emotional baggage and while she cared for Will, she couldn't love him the way he really needed.
 
Will desperately wants to be in love and start a family and while his love life is far from ideal, we finally see where it all stems from in this novel. And she goes by the name of Cally Fisher. Cally was William's first love and after promising him a long distance relationship, she suddenly drops out of his life, not to return until years later. He is shattered upon the realization that she doesn't want to continue their relationship. William seems to be filling voids after Cally with Maggie and Krystal, and being reunited with her after so many years brings everything back to the surface for him. The heartache, the attraction, and the love he has for her really makes you feel for the guy.  Most men wouldn't think twice about casting her aside after that kind of heartbreak, but that is just not William's character. He is forgiving and loving and he will swallow his pride for a chance to make things right. William is a 'saver'. He sees the brokenness in Maggie and instantly wanted to help her. Now that Cally is back to settle in her two younger sisters with their father after her mother's death, he sees her going through a difficult time and wants to do whatever he can to help her. He knows he should guard his heart, yet he can't. He never could when it came to Cally.
 
Oh, Cally. She has had to grow up entirely too fast. She comes from a rough past- William was the bright spot in her life while living in New Hope and he was able to see past her mother's scandalous reputation as a massage therapist and see her for her. After her mother decides to leave her father, she moves her daughters to Las Vegas on a whim for a boyfriend. I had zero respect for Cally's mom. By her inability to care for her children, she pushed her eldest daughter to a place no girl should ever have to go. Breaking things off with William is the absolute last thing she wants to do because she loves him, yet she feels she has no choice. She pushes him away and now that she is back in New Hope, she knows she can't let her attraction for him cloud her judgment. She's there for a purpose and plans to go back to Nevada as soon as her sisters are settled in. Cally definitely didn't plan on things with her father to be so difficult. It took me a bit to warm up to Cally's dad because he knows nothing about taking care of his daughters. Drew is a bit of a prima donna and Gabby doesn't speak. I loved both Drew and Gabby, though. Drew, while a moody teenager, has a fire to her and she just needs the right environment to nurture her. Gabby, the youngest, is the sweetest and when her first word came out of her mouth in the book, oh. my. heart! Cally realizes it would be wrong to dump her sisters with a father who needs some help and decides to stay on awhile longer. Yet, she can't escape William Bailey. The man is determined to have her back and he won't stop until he gets her.
 
I loved Cally and William's relationship. She is so stubborn and proud, but after discovering what she went through- I don't blame her for acting the way she did. She has been controlled, manipulated, and taken advantage of for too long now and I love how fiercely William will fight to show her just how much she means: not only to him, but to the people around her also. These two have CRAZY sexual tension, as its so easy to remember how things were before with them. Yet, Cally keeps reminding William that they are two different people now and that he is in love with a girl that doesn't exist anymore. Watching him break down her walls is probably my second favorite thing in this book (his sexy dirty talking mouth is by far my numero uno! Hehe.)
 
For fans of Unbreak Me, we do get to see Maggie, Asher, and her sisters Hanna and Lizzy. In fact, Hanna and Lizzy were good friends of Cally's while she lived in New Hope, and without hesitation offer their hands in friendship again to her. Maggie is a bit protective of William. They work at the gallery together and she has been there to witness firsthand how much William has gone through. She does not want to see him hurt again and I admire that about her. While the two don't exactly get off on the best foot, they realize they have a bit more common than they originally thought.
 
The two characters I couldn't stand? Meredith and Brandon. Ugh. Meredith is an evil, manipulative bitch. She tries to play the sweet, innocent girl that wants nothing but William's happiness, but we know better. She wants him and she will do and say whatever is necessary to get him. Brandon, on the other hand, is ten times worse. I won't say who he has a connection to, but trust me. He's sleazy, slimy, controlling, and I wanted to castrate him.
 
I loved the direction Lexi took her story and I loved watching her develop her characters. I really enjoyed Unbreak Me, but I was over the moon about Wish I May. Cally and William were amazing protagonists and I was really sad to see their story come to an end. But man, that ending? Perfection!
 
About the Author:
 
Lexi RyanNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author, writes romances with humor, heat, and heart. A former college English professor, Lexi now writes full time from her home in Indiana, where she lives with her husband and two children. Please visit www.lexiryan.com 
 
 
 
 
Giveaway:
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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11 comments

  1. Ohhh this sounds like my kind of series! It sounds gritty and emotional and you said dirty mouth which instantly grabbed my attention. Fantastic review Jessica!

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    1. Oh it's sooooo good Teresa! It is very gritty and emotional and that is what makes it such a great series! I loved this second one SO much!

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  2. Awesome review girl! Oh, the feelings I had for this book too. I loved William and Cally together so much. My heart broke for William in Unbreak Me too so I was so happy that he got his own book because the poor guy really lost out in book 1. I can't wait to see what she'll do next. Hannah and Max? :-)

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    1. Thanks chica! Yes! I just wanted William to be happy! So, I'm glad he got this! And I can't wait for the next book either! I think it's Hanna's!!!

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  3. I'm so glad you enjoyed William and Cally's story!! Thank you for being part of my blog tour and for taking the time to write such an awesome review. <3 <3 (Now let's go castrate Brandon together, shall we? :) )

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    1. Thanks Lexi! I am totally hooked on these characters! I want more! I am so excited for what's next! And yes! Let's go get Brandon!

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  4. What is this amazing-ness?? Why haven't I heard of this series? Your review has me adding these to my TBR immediately! This sounds so good -- especially since book one had you over the moon! Thank you for sharing and for the giveaway!

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    1. Michele! You need to know this series girl! I love it! Both books are really great- so if you're a NA fan- this is the series to read!

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  5. Wow! I'm not sure if I've read a review for this one before, but it sounds right up my alley. I love this review, Jessica. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks Andrea! I think you'll like this one! I enjoyed the first book, but WOW, this second one. My heart!!!! LOL.

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  6. I skimmed this but so excited to read it! Thanks so much for getting it for me! Love ya xxx

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