Lovin' los libros

A book blog dedicated to young adult and new adult novels

Review: Lost in Me by Lexi Ryan {Review+Giveaway}

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Lost in Me (Here and Now #1)
   by: Lexi Ryan

Publication Date: Apr. 7, 2014
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC provided by AToMR Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 216 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 5/5 stars

Lost in Me is the first book in the Here and Now series, a spin-off of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Hope series. This sexy amnesia love triangle is intended for mature readers.

~ ~

The last thing I remember is having drinks at Brady’s and trying to avoid eye-contact with my life-long crush—the gorgeous, unattainable Maximilian Hallowell. They tell me that was a year ago, but I have no memories of anything since then. What I do have is this ring on my finger that Max says he gave me, and this much-thinner body I’ve dreamed of most of my life. Aside from a case of retrograde amnesia, everything seems almost...perfect.

But the deeper I immerse myself into this new world of mine—planning a wedding to a man I don't remember dating, attempting to run a business I don't remember starting—the clearer it becomes that nothing is as it seems. Do I have the life I’ve always wanted or is it a facade propped up by secrets I don't even know I have?

I need answers before I marry Max, and the only person who seems to have them is the angry, tatted, sexy-as-sin rocker Nate Crane. And Nate wants me for himself.

~ ~

Lost in Me is not a standalone novel, as the story continues in Here and Now book two, FALL TO YOU, releasing in June.

 

LOST IN ME is on SALE for just .99 cents the first week of release as a fan appreciation from the author!

 
Have you ever finished a book that left your heart pounding in your chest and your stomach all in knots? Yeah, I'm freaking out about now over this book. FREAKING OUT. And now I want to cry because I can't wait until June for the next book. Whew. Ok. So, I love Lexi's New Hope series. We got to see a bit more of Hanna in Cally's story Wish I May and I really liked her and her twin sister Lizzy. They are sweet and fun and good friends to have. When I heard Lexi was going to do Hanna's story next I was really excited. We find out she's crushing on Max in Wish I May, but he has been making eyes at her twin sister.
 
Pacing: Extremely well-paced. I couldn't swipe the pages fast enough! The fact that Hanna has amnesia puts us right there with her because we readers don't have a clue as to what's true and what's not, so it definitely ramps up the anticipation.
 
Storyline: Oh what a twisted web Ryan has woven! I am still in shock over that ending. It's a total cliffhanger so beware! If it's one thing Ryan has mastered here is that love is messy and things are not always as they seem, that's for sure. There's a lot I can't say because I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say my heart was bounced back and forth between Max and Nate and I honestly didn't know what to think about either of them. I feel like Lexi did a great job of handling Hanna's amnesia. I know some people have a hard time connecting to characters with memory loss, but I didn't. I loved Hanna and my heart broke for her. The love triangle aspect is also really well done and it actually serves a purpose. Fans of Will, Cally, Maggie, and Asher will be happy to see them get some face time in the novel as well. I wasn't quite ready to let them go, so it's nice seeing them pop back up, as they are an important part of Hanna's life.
 
Characters: Hanna is my girl. Seriously. She has some body image issues, as she's not the thinnest of girls. She jokes around about her weight, but it's not really funny to her friends around her. They think she's beautiful the way she is and they don't like it when she puts herself down. She's been crushing on Max forever, but like I said above, he doesn't give her the time of day. Fast forward eleven months give or take, and now Max looks at her like she's the brightest star in the sky. Oh and they are engaged. Hanna wakes up and suddenly has this perfect life before her and she can't believe that things could have worked out the way they did. Gone are her curves, she's engaged to her dream guy, and she has opened up her own bakery- something she always wanted to do, but always seemed like a distant dream. The doctors aren't sure if Hana will ever get all her memories back, but as she settles back into her life, she starts noticing things that confuse the heck out of her and seem really out of character for her. As the book wears on, Hanna finds that her perfect life is far from it as she struggles to put the pieces together and remember the truth that lies hidden.
 
Lizzy is Hanna's twin sister, but the girls are quite opposite. Lizzy is the more confident, flirty one, while Hanna tends to hang back in the shadows. The two have grown apart in the time that Hanna can't remember and she is devastated that her and her sister aren't as close as they used to be. I'm really glad they worked it out because Hanna needs Lizzy in her corner to lean and depend on. Maggie, Cally, and Nix are also there, but Lizzy is the one Hanna connects with on a different level. I have to mention their mom. The woman was driving me bat shit crazy. I remember having a problem with her in Unbreak Me, and I still have beef with her. I don't like how dominating she is and the way she treats her daughters. Subconscious or not, it's not right. She is the one charging full steam ahead with Max and Hanna's wedding plans and I hate how she blind-sides them and they just go along with it. Grow a backbone guys!
 
Max is THE GUY. You know the one. The one you've always wanted and watched from a distance, but never felt confident enough to put yourself out there for. It is definitely curious that we go from Hanna pining over him one minute to them being engaged the next. He looks at her like Will and Asher look at their girls, and he makes her feel beautiful, which Hanna still needs. However, some of his facial expressions betray him and he made me uneasy at times because I felt like he was hiding something from Hanna and it didn't sit right with me. I really do believe he loves her, but I'm going to leave it at that.
 
And finally we have Nate Crane. Oh, sexy bad boy rocker, Nate. And he's quite the dirty talker! If you'll remember, that's the one of the things I adored about Will. Nate, while rough under the edges, is actually a good guy and a bit of a nerd, which I loved! The book didn't focus on Nate as much as it did Max, so there are a lot of questions still to be answered about Nate and his story. We find out a little bit of it toward the end, but not enough to satisfy me. So what I'm saying is MORE NATE!
 
Final Thoughts: I couldn't put this down. I absolutely loved the twists and turns it took and Lexi definitely took me on a rollercoaster ride. She has developed great characters in Hanna, Lizzy, Max, and Nate and I CANNOT wait to find out what happens next after the bomb that was dropped at the end. I love the steamy, sexy moments in this book and I was completely pulled into this one. And yes, I've totally chosen my Team already. But I won't tell you who.
 

 

Once a college English professor, I now write full time. I live in rural Indiana, where, when I’m not writing, I get to hang out with my husband and two kids–a six-year-old boy and a two-year-old hellion, er, girl. Not surprisingly, reading and writing remain my favorite activities, though both come in bits and pieces these days, not the big hunks of time I enjoyed before I had children. When I’m feeling virtuous, I like to go running (I use that word liberally. I’m really, really slow) or do yoga. Don’t worry, I’m always careful to balance out such activities with a hearty serving of ice cream or a chocolate martini.



 
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5 comments

  1. I have to read this book! I love memory loss (when it stars in the beginning not when the character I have come to know and love suddenly forgets everything) so of course this one caught my eye immediately. Also you said, sexy bad boy rocker, which is good enough for me! Great review.

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  2. Well color me intrigued! How could I not be with all of your excitement over this one! I think I may have to check it out and experience it myself. :)

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  3. I love books that leave me all emotional and just at a loss when it ends! I don't remember seeing this one, but I think I really should check it out! The whole memory loss aspect is very interesting and the characters sound like ones I must meet! I think I must get this one!!!

    Loved that review!!

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  4. Oh, you had me at that first line! I gotta check this out now. Couldn't put it down?! Wow!

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  5. I loved this book too! And that ending?! Gah! I cannot wait till the next book comes out and I can find out what happens.

    ReplyDelete

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