Genre: Contemporary

I received this book for free from Nazarea Andrews in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This Love by Nazarea Andrews
Series: University of Branton #1
on June 25th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, NA
Source: Nazarea Andrews
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She wants a summer job and a ride to a wedding.

He wants an assistant and a distraction from the mess his life had become.

They didn't know they needed each other.

Avery Emili needs two grand. Two grand and a plane ticket--her sister is counting on her to get to Jamaica for her wedding. But the semester is over, and tutoring college freshman and high school students has dried up until the fall.

Atticus Grimes needs help--the messy split with his wife left the twenty-eight year old professor scrambling to keep things together as the semester winds down. Now he's got a research grant he has to actually do research for and all he wants to do is drown himself in a tall bottle of bourbon.

When Avery sees his ad for an assistant, all she's thinking is a summer job. But as they spend time together, in the office and out, both of them begin to realize something is there. Something that can't happen--he's a professor and she's a student. And both of them have histories, pasts that won’t let go. Can two broken people pulled apart by expectations find a way to be whole?

A perfect for summer read, This Love is a forbidden love story involving a student and a professor that you know is doomed before it begins, yet you keep hoping, denying the fact that the end of their crazy, sexy summer is coming.

The beginning of this book was a little rough for me and left me uncertain as to if I would enjoy it. The story is told through a dual POV that switches quite often and abruptly which can take a while to get used to. Eventually I did get into the flow of it, though, and stopped even noticing. Another worry was how fast it was going. I don’t mean the relationship itself as in insta-love, I mean the timeline passing by. In only the first 15%, weeks have passed while they meet, flirt, tease, make out, insist it can’t happen again, fight impulses, make out some more, become text buddies, etc. I felt like all of that was a big blur. Fortunately the book does slow to a steadier pace in the midst of their relationship, letting us savor the best part of their summer – which is also the part that bears the most emotion.

I was surprised by how emotionally connected I became to these characters and their relationship after that speedy start. It first gives the impression that the book stays on the surface of emotional impact with underdeveloped, but fun, characters — which can be ok for a light summer read. Instead, though, I found myself broken up over this doomed relationship of theirs and reveling in their happy moments. It became an up and down roller coaster ride with just the right amount of heart and tears. Both Avery and Atticus are likeable characters with problems and insecurities that are easy to relate to. The characters could use some tightening up, especially the secondary roles, but as the book focuses on the here and now it’s not a big deal that we don’t get a full three dimensional look at their individual lives.

Now, let’s fixate on Atticus a moment – not hard to do, believe me. This is the kind of love interest I wish all books would aim for, not the pompous jerks we often get. Don’t get me wrong, Atticus is not flawless, he’s got insecurities and fears of his own, and an ex wife who’s a total bag of farts. Most importantly, I love how deeply he cares for everyone in his life: his sister, his best friend, Avery. And how he loves without barriers. Another thing to note is how open they are with each other. They do keep some secrets about their past relationships at first – understandably – but we finally get a couple who communicate instead of assume and overreact. How refreshing! Level headed characters take the win! And just a heads up – this is a New Adult book with a mature, adult relationship, meaning there are (many and hot) graphic sex scenes.

This Love is a sweet, fun, and sexy beach read that I recommend to those who can’t get enough of forbidden romances!

4 Hot Espressos

 

Playlist for This Love, by Nazarea Andrews

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I write to music—a lot of music, and often times, Pandora channels keep me going while I’m drafting. But there are always a handful of songs that really stand out and remind me acutely of the characters and that list becomes my playlist.

Here is the playlist for This Love

Ours–Taylor Swift This is the theme song for the entire book, and where I found the title.

Skyscrapper–Demi loveatto. I loved the beauty and just general feeling of this song—it reminded me of Avery and I spent a lot of time listening to it when writing her point of view.

There Ain’t Nothing–Brooks and Dunn.  When I heard this song on my husband’s phone after writing Atticus, I knew it summed up everything he felt for Avery.

Fix a Heart–Demi lovato This is for both Atti and Avery, separately. Both have had their hearts broken, and it definitely speaks to that.

Summer Love– One Direction As This Love is a summer romance, it should be kinda obvious.

Springsteen–Eric Church It doesn’t speak to any particular scene or person, but it was played often and I loved it while writing.

Nobody Compares–One Direction How Atticus feels about Avery.

Should have Kissed You—Glorianna What Avery/Atticus feel most nights after work.

About the Author

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