Release Date: November 10, 2015
“Marry me.”“What?” I stared back at him, unblinking.
He moved closer, taking my face in his hands. “I love you, Evie. I look into the future, and the only thing I see clearly is you. Marry me.”
What’s an eighteen-year-old girl who was madly in love with her nineteen-year-old boyfriend say?
Of course, I said yes.
Twenty-four hours later, I married Adam Gunner at a Vegas chapel to the sounds of “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi. Not the best omen. I get that now.
Then, exactly one week later, I left him. I walked out, leaving behind my wedding ring, annulment papers, and my heart, and he never knew why.
I haven’t seen him since. Not in ten long years.
Now, he’s here, standing before me. Looking at me with nothing but hurt and hatred in his eyes, he wants answers.
Answers I can’t give.
Evie POV
My eyes rake over him as I remember the Adam I knew ten years ago and compare him to the Adam I see before me. The long hair is gone, replaced with cropped locks. The unshaven scruff on his face is still very much there though. At least some things haven’t changed.
“You cut your hair.”
“It has been ten years.”
“I know. I just…I remember a time when you said you’d never cut your hair.” A small smile touches my lips at the memory.
“Yeah, and I remember when you promised to love me till death do us part. Shit changes.”
My smile drops from my face. My cheeks sting like he’s just slapped me.
I deserved that. Doesn’t stop it from hurting like a bitch though.
When I Was Yours by Samantha Towle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*
4 “Rock Girl” “Livin’ on a Prayer” Kisses
Holy bananas…When I Was Yours was exactly what I needed. I was getting over a pretty intense book hangover and I always know I can count on Samantha Towle to give me amazing characters and fantastic emotion and boy oh boy did she deliver in spades! I was completely and totally sucked in from page one until the end…like, I couldn’t put it down, I read the whole thing in one day. I loved everything about Adam and Evie, they angsted my heart to bits and pieces and I could not get enough of their chemistry.
Adam Gunner…so many things to love about this man…Adam held my heart basically from the beginning, but to be honest, I never really stood a chance. First of all…he’s a man whore and I have a slight weakness for man whores, I just can’t stop myself from loving them. Second…he has the drop dead gorgeous surfer look down to a ‘T’…6’3”…long, lean and muscled…blonde hair with gorgeous blue eyes…just YAS! Excuse me while I drool. I loved that his hair was longer and he did the whole scruffy thing when he was younger…just made him that much more delish…but grown up Adam in a suit is a thing of beauty as well. Third…and most importantly…the thing that got me about Adam was his heart. When Adam loved, it was fiercely and passionately. He didn’t have a great childhood…okay, that’s putting it lightly – he had a shit childhood…so if and when he loves…he loves totally and completely and it’s the most amazing thing on this planet. In fact…I can think of three things that Adam truly loves…surfing, his best friend Max and his Rock Girl.
‘From the moment I’d seen Evie sitting up on that rock eleven years ago, I’d been obsessed.
I lusted her, then loved her, and then hated her. I’ve mentally chased her for the last ten years, never giving her up.
My obsession has always been there.
I never could get enough of Evie. And no matter what she’s done to me, whether I love her or hate her, I will always want her.
I fucking hate that.
I hate that she’s my weakness. She controls my life, and she’s not even a part of it.’
Evie Taylor…oh this girl was gorgeous from the inside out and I fell just as hard for her as I did for Adam. Obviously…at first, only getting Adam’s POV, I wanted to not like her (she hurt my Adam – not okay!) but once I got in Evie’s head…any possible chance at not loving her flew right out the window. She has had just as difficult a time growing up as Adam did, for a whole slew of other reasons. This girl has suffered so much loss and rather than adopting a negative attitude, she pushes forward and above all things, remains pretty positive. I loved that about her – I loved her personality period, but her outlook on life just astounded me. Evie had a completely opposite childhood to Adam…she grew up with loving parents and a little sister that she cares for deeply…and I loved her relationship with her family. She is so dedicated and self-sacrificing when it comes to them…putting them above anything and everything when it comes to her own needs. The love and care and devotion that this girl has in her heart is what made me latch on to her so tightly…as much as I wanted to be mad at her for what happened with Adam, I really couldn’t…I knew once the truth came out that whatever reasons for her decisions would be forgivable. And I was right.
‘I press a soft kiss to his mouth, loving as he hums a delicious sound of assent beneath my lips. “And if I haven’t told you this already, I like you, Adam Gunner – a whole lot.”
His eyes smile into mine, and it’s beautiful. He’s beautiful.
“And I like you a whole lot, too, Evie Taylor.” His lips press to mine again. “I think you’re fucking amazing.”
Smiling and happy in a way I’ve never felt before, I tuck my head under Adam’s chin, burrowing closer to his body, not ever imagining myself being anywhere else but here with him.’
Well, I’ve already admitted how much I love Adam and Evie separately, so when they combined forces…I was in heaven. As if they didn’t already have me in the palm of their hands…they have my biggest kryptonite…history! 11 years of it…granted, most of it isn’t ideal, but the good stuff is so incredibly, heart stoppingly wonderful, it makes all the bad stuff seem worth it. (I promise!) I love so many things about these two crazy kids…like the way they meet – so original and cute and amazing. I love their banter…I could listen to them talk about nothing for hours. I love how much he loves her smiles…and that he loves to watch her sketch…and encouraged her to sketch. I love that she loves to wear his shirts…I love her trust and faith in him…and I love the positive influence she had on his life. Adam was never a bad guy…but he definitely didn’t have a real purpose…he was just existing and I feel like after Evie, he had found his purpose. She gave him direction…she grounded him in a way he had never experienced before. It was like separately they were great…fantastic, loveable people, but when they were together it was like they were invincible…they could face anything and everything as long as they had the other one there to support them…it was a beautiful thing to experience.
‘Something changes in this moment and things that seemed important to me before don’t seem so vital anymore.
But what is important are those words she just spoke.
I’ve waited ten years to hear her say those words, to say that she’s missed me.
Now, she has.
Maybe it’s because she said she missed me or because she’s wearing my shirt or because I’ve finally lost my damn fucking mind, or maybe it’s all those things combined, but I can’t stop myself.
I kiss her.
I kiss her fiercely. I kiss her with ten years of pent-up anger and need and longing and desperation.
And I know, in that second when my lips touch hers, that I won’t regret one moment of what’s about to happen. Even when it hurts so badly that I think I’ll regret it, wish it had never happened, I won’t.’
How do I describe the way I feel when I read a Samantha Towle book? I have come to a point with her books that I know without a doubt I will get amazing off the wall feels with characters that I love insanely too much. I love her tone…I love the way she establishes the characters and creates this tangible angst between them…I love the humor that she injects into each book…I love that her characters feel like friends…I just love reading her books, and When I Was Yours is another classic example of why I will keep coming back for Samantha’s personal brand of torture. I do not think I can stress this enough, I love love love LOVE L-O-V-E LOVEEEEEE the way When I Was Yours was told. We get alternating POV’s between Adam and Evie but we also bounce back and forth from past to present. It gave a great balance of seeing their past…seeing them fall in love…getting a grasp on who they were as a couple, to then feeling their pain and angst as they were torn apart and what it did to them as adults. I think the time span is what was the real sucker punch…a decade apart and still knowing your heart belongs to one person is hard core…and wonderful…and the way Samantha presented their epic love was perfect.
‘The feel of her lips moving against mine, her tongue in my mouth…nothing has ever felt so good, so cathartic. It’s like coming home, like waking up from the worst kind of nightmare.
I know this is just a Band-Aid over the bullet hole she put in my chest, but I need it.
I need her.’
The ending flowed really well…I appreciated that it wasn’t rushed and there wasn’t a band aid slapped on the end just to get Adam and Evie an HEA…it felt appropriate for what they had been through and even though I would have liked to see more of them happy in the present, I was still thrilled to bits with how everything came together. Especially the epilogue…good gravy was it amazing. Evie and Adam had an epic, once in a lifetime love and I absolutely couldn’t get enough of it…When I Was Yours was a perfect standalone…but I won’t lie and say that I wouldn’t love a spin off for Max (Adam’s Bestie – he’s a man whore too, and a really awesome and loveable guy…) but if it doesn’t happen, it’s not then end of the world because I totally love the way Adam and Evie’s story ended.
Samantha Towle’s WHEN I WAS YOURS Release Day and Blog Tour Giveaway
New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and international bestselling author Samantha Towle began her first novel in 2008 while on maternity leave. She completed the manuscript five months later and hasn’t stopped writing since.
She has written contemporary romances, THE MIGHTY STORM, WETHERING THE STORM, TAMING THE STORM and TROUBLE.
She has also written paranormal romances, THE BRINGER and the ALEXANDRA JONES SERIES, all penned to tunes of The Killers, Kings of Leon, Adele, The Doors, Oasis, Fleetwood Mac, and more of her favourite musicians.
A native of Hull and a graduate of Salford University, she lives with her husband, Craig, in East Yorkshire with their son and daughter.
This book sounds like a very good book
looks like an interesting series. love the location it takes place
I absolutely love books where the couple has a past but were separated, and the story begins with them coming together again. 🙂
His sounds like an interesting story.