Without You by Jennifer Van Wyk is live!
This is such a beautiful romance! A sweet, sexy, functional love story that sizzles with chemistry, and has a whole lot of heart.
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(free in KU)
Blurb
Without her, I was better off.
I knew it the second she walked away and realized how much happier I was.
Knew it the day I interrupted her wedding reception to show her what she was missing and locked eyes with someone I hadn’t seen in years.
Those eyes.
Her smile.
Everything about her turned something around inside me that had been quiet for years.
But I’m not the only one who noticed.
How do I, a grease monkey, compare to what a Nashville star has to offer?
Easy.
Because without her, none of what I’ve taken years to build matters.
Now I get to prove it to her.
Without You is a complete standalone small town romance filled with friendship, love, and second chances.
Review
4 stars
This is such a beautiful romance! A sweet, sexy, functional love story that sizzles with chemistry, and has a whole lot of heart.
Brody is a small-town mechanic on the cusp of success, and what better way to celebrate than to get drunk and interrupt your ex-girlfriend’s wedding reception to rub her nose in it – especially because she dumped him for being a blue collar man. It’s hilariously uncomfortable, but is most memorable for Brody because he lays eyes on a blast from his past.
Brody and Katie knew each other in high school, and though she crushed on him, nothing ever happened between them. 16 years later and she’s back in their home town, living with her parents and trying to get her life back on track. They’ve both got a lot going on, but from the moment they see each other, sparks fly, and they’re both keen to explore the all that they’re feeling.
“I want to explore the attraction between us, of course I do, but don’t think for a second that’s all I want.”
Brody is just gorgeous. Sexy, sweet, confident and caring, he’s got that perfect mix of sexy alpha and complete sweetheart, and he’s beautifully swoony. And Katie is a great heroine – real and relatable. I love these two together, and I loved watching them find their way to each other. It’s sweet and natural, and it feels so real! They’re open and honest with each other, and though they have some challenges, they make the effort and the result is a beautiful romance that is full of chemistry and emotion, and has the feel of a slow burn with an epic build-up full of anticipation, and is super passionate with all the feels. I loved the attention to detail, and I loved that we experienced it all with them.
We’re all in. We’re falling fast and hard and there’s no end.
Drama comes, but it’s external to the relationship, and it’s a really interesting twist which puts their relationship to the test and shows their strength, maturity and the depth of their feelings for each other. Of course, the book finishes with a HEA, and I finished this one with a big smile on my face.
Jennifer Van Wyk writes the most beautiful small-town-romance, and I’m holding out hope that we’ll get books for Brody’s two best friends, who would both make sensational heroes in their own books.
I loved this one.
4 stars.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Excerpt
She moans when I don’t let her answer me and instead kiss her hard, twirling my tongue inside her mouth and pressing my body into her, letting her feel exactly what she’s doing to me.
I grab one of her thighs and lift her leg, wrapping it around my waist. She cries out and grips the back of my shirt, tightening her leg and lifting up on her toes with the other.
Her soft moans and mewls are such a turn-on. Our mouths fit together so perfectly. It’s easily the best kiss I’ve ever had, aside from the last time she and I kissed. But even compared to then…
There’s something about this kiss. Before, we’ve both held back a little bit. This time? We’re devouring one another. We’re all in. We’re falling fast and hard and there’s no end. Damn, I hope she’s feeling that, too.
If I don’t back off, we’ll never go out and while that alternative sounds incredible, I don’t want our first time to be me attacking her against her door.
“Fuck, I don’t want to stop,” I admit on a groan, proving my point by diving back in again.
Katie shakes her head but her lips don’t leave mine. “Then don’t,” she mumbles.
“I’m trying to do the right thing here and you’re making it very hard,” I groan.
“Yes. I feel that.” She does a little shimmy with her hips and grinds against me.
“Katie,” I warn.
She kisses me once more then reaches up higher to whisper in my ear, “You win. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She flounces away and I reach to grab her to pull her back to me, my body alive with desire for her but she slips away, giggling.
After locking up her apartment, I follow her down the stairs to my truck. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, nothing. Just that it seems a lot easier if we just skip to the fun part of the evening.”
Listen to the Without You Playlist
Giveaway
To celebrate the release of Without You, Jennifer Van Wyk is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card
ENTER GIVEAWAY ON AUTHOR’S FACEBOOK PAGE
The Escapist Book Blog is not responsible for this giveaway
About the Author
From the Ground Up was Jennifer’s first published novel and now that she was bitten by the writing bug, has no intention of ever stopping. Jennifer makes her home in small town Iowa with her high school sweetheart, three beautiful, hilarious and amazing kids, one crazy Jack Russell terrier. This is where her love for all things reading, baking, and cooking happen. Jennifer’s family enjoys camping, boating, and spending time outside as much as possible. You’ll be her best friend if you can make her laugh and follow up with asking her what to read next. When she’s not writing, you can find her cheering the loudest at her kids’ sporting events (read as: embarrassing them), sipping coffee or iced tea out of a mason jar with her Kindle in her lap or binging on Netflix.
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