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Jolie Griffin <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add to Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 3 stars<\/b><\/p>\n A romantic and dramatic read featuring two of my favourite tropes \u2013 second-chance and brother\u2019s-best-friend \u2013 this book is a twisty rollercoaster ride as two teenage sweethearts navigate their way back to each other after years apart.<\/p>\n Jolie and Griffin met as teenagers when he befriended her big brother, Logan. Griff had a difficult home life and practically lived with Jolie\u2019s family, and their feelings for each other grew from childhood friends to first, all-consuming love. They kept it a secret from her family while giving each other everything and planning for a future together, until one day, Griff just left, shattering both of their hearts in the process.<\/p>\n It\u2019s ten years later, and Jolie and Griff have both been called home after a family tragedy. It\u2019s the first time they\u2019ve seen or communicated with each other since they parted and they know it\u2019s going to be awkward as all hell. They\u2019ve both lived full lives and have been through a lot, and they aren\u2019t the same people they once were, but their feelings for each other are still very much there, and though Jolie tries to keep her distance, Griff is determined to get his second chance with the girl he has never been able to move on from.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re mine. I\u2019ll always come back to you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n It\u2019s an emotional journey for the two of them as they find their footing with each other again, slowly start to talk about their pasts and what they\u2019ve been through, and finally address the big secret that tore them apart all those years ago. And though neither of them deny their feelings for each other, they have a lot of hurdles to overcome as they do all of that, and they know that any possibility of a future together is not going to be easy.<\/p>\n Their reconnection unfolds alongside Jolie\u2019s family drama, which ties into the main storyline really well and adds some additional depth to the story. There are more secrets and reveals, and some pretty big twists (some expected, some unexpected) which keep things interesting, and I enjoyed watching it all unfold.<\/p>\n It did take me a little bit of time to become fully invested in the romance. We\u2019re thrown right into it and initially it felt like the story was told to me rather than me experiencing it, and because of that I didn\u2019t connect with the characters or their romance as much as I would have liked. It took me a while to feel their chemistry and really feel<\/i> for them, but I eventually got there, and I thought their romance played out beautifully \u2013 with honesty, playfulness, passion, and a lot of heart.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a gorgeous epilogue which gives us a great glimpse into the future and finishes everything off really nicely, and with a storyline hinted at for big brother, Logan, we will be revisiting this group of characters with a book for him in the near future.<\/p>\n Not as many feels as I would have liked, but still a good read. 3 stars.<\/p>\n An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I throw my head back, laughing and happy that playful Jojo is back. \u201cI remember the first time we kissed,\u201d I say, looking into her eyes. She swallows. Her earlier playfulness falls away and is replaced with a serious, heated stare. \u201cI remember the first time we danced.\u201d My finger caresses the bare skin of her shoulder, and her green eyes go from shining emerald to a dark forest green.<\/p>\n \u201cGriff,\u201d she whispers a warning.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to kiss you so bad.\u201d My voice is gruff and filled with a need that far outweighs any craving for gelato. I don\u2019t wait for her answer because the way she watches me has me undone.<\/p>\n My lips press to hers slowly, a soft caress, a begging for permission. Her fingers come up and rake through my hair, tugging me closer. My tongue peeks from my mouth, begging entrance to hers as she opens willingly.<\/p>\n The kiss is slow and testing at first. I\u2019m scared of pushing too hard and having her pull away. She says she doesn\u2019t want more, but the chemistry between us beats alive and strong. Her taste sets my body on fire as a million memories come crashing through my mind. Electricity sparks inside me, making me feel alive for the first time in what feels like forever. And now, with a simple kiss, I have come undone. My lonely heart beats in time with hers. My thumb brushes over the pulse point in her neck, and it thumps wild like mine.<\/p>\n \u201cJolie,\u201d I say her name like a prayer.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are we doing?\u201d she murmurs into my mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat feels right,\u201d I answer into hers. Primal instinct begs me to take her on this kitchen counter and make her mine. My fingers pull at her scalp and she moans into my mouth, and my hard-on pulses to her sweet noises. The kiss intensifies until we are both breathless and panting when suddenly, she pulls away from me, pressing her hands to my shoulders.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Escapist Book Blog is not responsible for this giveaway<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n R.C. Stephens is a top 100 Amazon best selling author. She has written ten romance novels and plans to continue to write many more.<\/p>\n When she isn’t in her writing cave she is raising three lovely children with her adoring husband.<\/p>\n Her books are filled with humor, heartbreak, emotion and true love.<\/p>\n Born and raised in Toronto, she loves the winter, but Spring and Fall are her favorite seasons.<\/p>\n Keep up with R.C. by signing up to her newsletter – http:\/\/rcstephens.com\/newsletter<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Website\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Facebook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Twitter\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Goodreads<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Newsletter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Amazon US\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon UK\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon CA\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon AU\u00a0\u00a0 Blurb Jolie Griffin Campbell was the typical bad boy. My father warned me not to get too close. But he\u2019s handsome as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44765,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":3,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[443,52,9,24,29],"tags":[59,508,48,76],"class_list":["post-45251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brotherbest-friend","category-drama","category-romance","category-second-chance-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-r-c-stephens","tag-review","tag-standalone"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/The-Truth-About-Us.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-bLR","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45251\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nGriffin Campbell was the typical bad boy. My father warned me not to get too close. But he\u2019s handsome as hell with eyes the color of the ocean, and he\u2019s fiercely loyal and loves unconditionally. I couldn\u2019t stay away when he was the only boy to ever claim my heart. I gave him all my firsts . . . and he left me behind.
\nTen years later, he\u2019s returned home offering answers as to why he left because he wants me back\u2014only I\u2019m not the broken-hearted teenager he once fell for. His pretty eyes and killer muscles aren\u2019t enough to mend the hurt that rages inside me.<\/p>\n
\nJolie Bryant was my best friend\u2019s little sister. She\u2019s sexy as hell, sweet as sin, and very forbidden\u2014my favorite memory and my biggest regret.
\nI should stay away. I\u2019m harboring secrets that will shatter her world.
\nThe thing about secrets is that they always find a way to come out. I just hope that when mine do, she won\u2019t turn away from me . . .
\nI want my second chance with the only girl I\u2019ve ever loved, but it seems that fate has other plans.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/The-Truth-About-Us-Teaser-1.png?resize=423%2C423&ssl=1\")
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\nReview<\/b><\/h4>\n
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\nExcerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\nGiveaway<\/strong><\/h4>\n
The author is giving away a $50 GC on her Facebook author page.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n
ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\nAbout the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n