Series: Contours of the Heart #1
Author: Tammara Webber
Published: Nov 6 2012, Penguin Berkley
Format: Print Copy received for review
Rescued by a stranger.
Haunted by a secret
Sometimes, love isn’t easy…
He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…
The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.
Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love.
A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl's struggle to regain the trust she's lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy.
Ok this is one of those books that completely stole everything I had, and I was completely invested in the story of Lucas and Jacqueline. This is one of those series where book one, Easy, is in Jacqueline's point of view, and book 2, Breakable, is in Lucas' point of view. Their story hit me hard out of no where, and I was blown away!
Jackie starts off this story after getting broken up with by her jerk of a boyfriend, Kennedy. Kennedy is all things... superficial, I would say. He cares about appearances in the worst of ways, and has political aspirations. Jackie, as he nicknames her, doesn't care because he is her first love. So when he dumps her suddenly, her world is wrecked. She goes from being Jackie to Jacqueline, and tries to regain herself after this tragedy. But fate isn't done with her, and she nearly gets raped. Yep, this book definitely deals with some hard subjects.
"I noticed you the first week." His voice was soft. "Not just because of how pretty you are, through of course, that played into it." I smiled, watching our feet as we matched our steps. "It was the way you lean onto your elbows when you're listening in class, when something catches your interest. And when you laugh, it's never to get attention, it's just - laughter. The way you obsessively tuck your hair behind your ear on the left side, but the let the right side fall down like a screen. And when you're bored, you tap your foot soundlessly and move your fingers on the desktop like you're playing an instrument. I wanted to sketch you."
Lucas is there, and he saves her against the would-be rapist. And then suddenly he is everywhere - or is she just realizing her surroundings? Oh, this made me giddy beyond belief!! The little smiles and encounters had me chomping at the bit for every time she would run into Lucas. It definitely built up the tension and the chemistry through the story! Anyhow, Lucas is all the things I find sexy in a man; tall, dark, mysterious, pierced and tattooed! And as we learn throughout the story, he is very multi-faceted. He is definitely swoon-worthy; sensitive and strong, loving and giving.
Their story took on a life of it's own. Lucas served many roles. He helped her through her breakup, the near rape, and diverted her attention from her failing grades. But then there is also another guy in her world that really is astounding, even if she's never met him. His name is LM, well, that's what we know him by as she converses with him through email as her tutor. I loved how when she felt she was at her lowest, suddenly the grass was greener and she had two men catching her attention!
We also have Erin, who is Jacqueline's best friend and roommate. She also deserves the title of "Best Friend Ever" because this girl is a rockstar. She's funny and charming, and so loyal that her mere presence made me smile over and over. She is fabulous. She's the type of friend you want to have in life, one that you know will be there forever because your bond is so secure, you know nothing could break it.
College is hard enough as it is. But when you deal with heartbreak, new love...horrible crime... well, it is a rough road. Tammara Webber drew me into this book right from the very first page. Her writing is the kind that really gets my adrenalin pumping! When it comes to the romance between Lucas and Jacqueline... it's the kind that hurts so good. Like you just know these two are so great together, that all of these other bad things just HAD to happen, so life could put them together. The story was exciting and dramatic, time and time again. Books like this turn me into a speed reader, and I've been waiting for the opportunity to post my review about this book, so I could start book two. I didn't want Lucas' point of view to shadow my review of Easy.
I can't even begin to tell you how much I recommend this story. Jacqueline is naive at the beginning, but by the end of the book she morphs into this butterfly of a strong, intelligent, and independent young woman. Lucas has his many secrets, and you learn about them in this book - but it's really about Jacqueline and how she perceives everything. The tension between them is almost tangible, and I couldn't get enough. Easily said, Easy is a book that I will definitely cherish forever and reread in the future!
