Author:   S. Walden

Genre:   Adult, Contemporary Romance

Release Date:   March 25, 2014

Arrive to work at 7:58 A.M. sharp. Check. Count forty-seven steps to cubicle. Check. Arrange pens in their red-blue-black-green-purple order of importance. Check. Apply hand sanitizer before opening email. Double check.

And that’s just the first few minutes of her work day.

Thirty-one-year-old proofreader Bailey Mitchell is a slave to her tics. She inherited Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder from her father, and it’s done nothing but inhibit her love life. She’s run the gamut of boyfriends—none of them willing or able to cope with her condition.

Enter 32-year-old Reece Powell, her new coworker at Beach Elite Marketing Firm. He’s more than willing to cope. He finds her habits cute and quirky . . . for now. Reece wins her over, and life coasts along for them until Bailey experiences a devastating blow. Tragedy exacerbates her OCD, and Reece realizes her tics aren’t so cute and quirky anymore. Just like all the others, he has the choice to leave.

But Reece isn’t like all the others.

The Wilmington Saga

Follow the stories of Wilmington, NC residents as they fall in and out of love, mend and break hearts, grow, change, lose, win, and experience what it means to truly live in this small coastal community.

LoveLines by S. Walden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*ARC given to Blog for Honest Review*

5 “Puddin’ Pop” “Beboppin’ Bailey” “You’re bigger. You’re stronger. And I give you mad props.” “The thought of him. The very thought of him.” Kisses

My eyes are sore, red and puffy…but my heart is full of love, joy and happiness. Yup…that’s what this book just did to me. I have been a fan of S. Walden’s for a while now…she’s an amazing writer and I was really excited about LoveLines because it’s a little different from her “norm.” This book blew me away…to another dimension – I loved it. Definitely my favorite book that she has ever written. It took me all over the map…made me laugh, I totally swooned, my ugly cry was epic…the giddiness, the anger, the frustration…I loved every second of it!

Bailey Mitchell… ‘Beboppin’ Bailey’ …first of all – I believe it is absolutely impossible to not love a character named Beboppin’ Bailey. Now…even before that, I loved her. I was compelled to love her because she is an incredibly endearing character. Not just because of her OCD, while that was a huge draw for me…how could it not be. She was diagnosed when she was 6 years old, which she inherited from her father…now at 31 she cannot fathom having the life that she wants because of her tics. She wants to be happy…have a relationship…be in love…and after having her heart broken one too many times, she’s doubting that that possibility will ever be in her future. She has a great life…an awesome job that she excels at, a great best friend and the most amazing dad ever but it’s hard to not want more when you’re surrounded by it. I loved Bailey’s personality because despite all the OCD stuff…she’s just a normal girl. She’s funny and cute and spunky…I loved her style and her quirkiness…I loved that she surfed…and even through those oh so frustrating moments when I was in tears and wanted to shake her, I still loved her. She was a definite change of pace from the usual heroines that I’ve read, but it was a welcomed change and I’m seriously hooked on some Bailey right now.

‘Yes, these are the thoughts that occupy my brain on a daily basis: How many steps to take. How many hairbrush strokes. Making sure I line up my proofreading pens just so. Making sure my make-up is just so. Sitting in my fucking desk chair just so. It’s exhausting living a “just so” life. And I don’t want to do it, but the idea of not counting, not arranging, not tic-ing sends my heart reeling with anxiety.’

Reece Logan Powell…OMG I need him, I want him, I love him – can I have him? I’m adopting him. (That will make more sense once you’ve read the book.) I’m not joking…he’s amazing. Not only is he cute…he’s sweet and funny and just as quirky as Bailey, just in a slightly different way. He’s also creative and smart and has a very magnetic personality. But…as usual, the one thing that makes him so attractive to me is the way he feels about Bailey. He doesn’t care if she has tic’s or needs to count or whatever…yes, he wants to help her and I guess in some ways hopefully fix her, but he doesn’t want her to change for him. His love and devotion to her was amazing…like best book boyfriend ever kind of stuff. He was patient and kind, he was loving and attentive, he was honest and reliable. I feel like I am painting him out to be this almost definition of perfect…which he kind of was – it was like he was carved out of the woodwork to fit every need and want Bailey could possibly come up with. There were so many times when he could’ve/would’ve/should’ve given up on Bailey…but he didn’t…his love for her knew no bounds…just as mine does for him.

‘“I’ll hurry. Especially since I plan to kiss you when I get back.”
He watched her face. He couldn’t see the circles of deep pink he’d painted on her cheeks, but he suspected they were there. They had to be. It was too bold a statement not to evoke some kind of response. He wanted her shifting relentlessly in her chair the entire time he was gone. He wanted her heart racing. He wanted her panties the slightest bit moist. He wanted this girl.’

Reece and Bailey are a lot of things to me…separately they have a lot of issues but when you put them together they just work. It doesn’t make sense on paper…it shouldn’t make sense logically…but it does. He’s the unloved/unwanted orphan…she’s the crazy girl that nobody can tolerate forever…and yet they’re a match made in heaven. He loves her in spite of her OCD…heck that’s part of what drew him to her…which just typing that sounds like it would be a crazy reason to like somebody but I think the fact that he does like it and doesn’t care is what made me love Reece for Bailey. Of course I loved just about every aspect of their relationship, not only what Reece did for Bailey’s condition but also…how he broke her out of her shell (which I guess the two go hand in hand). I was not expecting the level of hotness between Reece and Bailey and I definitely was not expecting to love the little Dom side of Reece but trust me…it works. Really works. Bailey is all about control and letting Reece take that control from her is exactly what she needs and I loved every single second of it. It was hot, sensual and kinky.

“I know I’m not the easiest person to love…”
“Are you kidding me?” Reece hopped up from the desk and took hold of Bailey’s shoulders. “You’re too easy to love. That your real problem. You know how I know that? Because I can’t stay away from you. I just wanna be with you all the time. You’re my favorite person, Bailey. That’s not hard. That’s a cakewalk.”

This story is not just about Reece and Bailey falling in love…at least it wasn’t for me. Bailey’s condition is not a joking matter and I didn’t take it as one…yes are there moments where even she pokes fun at her OCD, but there are a lot of serious moments and I appreciated the care with which they were handled. The entire time I was rooting for Bailey to not only find happiness with Reece but also happiness with herself and her condition. I think in the beginning she was resigned to it…she didn’t think she could get better so she was just set to live her ‘just so’ life and see what happened. I loved her development and seeing her grow and it killed me when she had set backs and regressed…but it was all necessary for the end result. Bailey’s family is also a huge part of the story and I have to say that her dad is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Like…best dad I have ever, ever read in a book. I love him…the end. I also couldn’t get enough of the relationship that Bailey has with her best friend, Erica…they’re a perfect balance and I love their banter. And…I guess I might as well address it now…there are two characters that I didn’t care for in the beginning but…they may or may not have grown on me by the end of the book…Nicki, Bailey’s sister – she’s a twat, but in the annoying-perfect-younger-sister way. And then there is Bailey’s mom, Georgie…now she just irk’d me. For a lot of reasons…but once they were explained…I have to admit, I was shocked at my acceptance of things.

“I’ve never belonged to anyone,” he said. All the playfulness was gone. “No one’s ever belonged to me.”
I was too vulnerable to hear this. I knew I would cry.
“You’ve made me so happy Bailey. Happier than any man deserves.”

S. Walden just has a way of writing things that might raise your eyebrow and making them work in this magically fantastic way. I can’t even describe it because she continually blows my mind. The way she is able to combine flawed but loveable characters in a fresh and inventive story line that keeps me engaged from page one is just amazing…because she literally does this every time for me and it just keeps getting better with each book I read. Her writing style is crisp and clean, yet she has the edge and whit that I can’t help but be drawn in by. Her pace and flow is spot on, it never drags, the dialogue is fabulous and above everything else that I love about her writing…she never holds back. Nothing she ever writes about it clean or cut and dry…it’s emotional and it stirs up all kinds of feelings and some of them are messy and hard to deal with and that’s the stuff I can’t get enough of. I thrive off her ability to make me think and feel through her characters.

‘While in the past I enjoyed the solitary nature of proofing, I knew my heart and mind had change. He changed me. He left something inside of me I couldn’t get rid of. It was a small pinprick of light that glowed deep in my belly that suggested he irrefutable change. The love had been planted, and now I couldn’t escape it. I battled it. I knew I was no good for anyone, but the love remained anyways, pulsing a message of hope: You don’t have to be alone.
And I didn’t want to.’

Alright…so the epilogue has me so freaking excited for the next book it’s like…unreal! If I wasn’t already hooked on the other characters that were introduced throughout the course of the book, then I sure as heck am with the last few lines of that damn epilogue! I didn’t know who’s book would be next (I can’t lie…I was hoping for Camden or Christopher – Reece’s friends) but knowing that it’s Taylor (Erika’s employee) and the story line that is going with it…I’m very excited. I can’t wait to see what S. does with this series…EEEP!

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LoveLines by S. Walden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am fully convinced that no matter S. Walden decides to write about, I am going to love it. She has a way about her writing that just sucks you in and doesn’t let you up until you turn that last page. LoveLines was no different. I loved every. Single. Word.

This is the kind of book that when you’re kind of in a reading rut, not sure of what to read next, just in a blah mood with books, this book turns that mood around. It’s fun, romantic, sexy, laugh-out-loud hilarious at times, and just overall a “feel good book”. Trust me on this one.

Meet Bailey…
“Beboppin’ Bailey”

While “Beboppin’ Bailey was definitely my favorite, Reese had some other amazing ones for her…
“Better Than All the Rest Bailey”
“Best Decision I Ever Made Bailey”
“Bet on That Girl Bailey”
“Beat the Odds Bailey”
“Bait Me with a Kiss Bailey”
“Because I Love Her Bailey”

It’s no secret that Bailey has OCD and it’s pretty bad. She counts almost everything, taps her pens, arrives at work at the same time every day, applies hand sanitizer at the exact same times throughout the day, and never ever messes any of that up. It’s just how she works.

What doesn’t work, however, are Bailey’s previous relationships. Most…scratch that….All of her previous relationships didn’t go so well. The guys just didn’t know how nor care to learn how to handle Bailey and her tics.

“Bailey?”
“I’m here.”
“Wanna tell me about your condition?”
“Not really.”
“You brought it up,” Reece pointed out.
“I’m aware”
“Sooo…”
“You’ll run away,” I said softly.
“I’m a man, I don’t run,” Reece replied.
I smiled. “It’s made all the others run away.”
“Because they weren’t men.”

Now that brings to me Reese. Ahh…my Reese. I love him!

“You have this great new guy, and I just have a feeling he’s the one.”
“You cant know that,” I cried.
“We just kissed,” I said.
“And that’s where it all starts.”

“Now tell me,” Reece demanded gently.
I took a deep breath. “I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. Okay.”

Reese might just be THE MOST amazing, kind hearted book boyfriend that ever graced my literary world. He is so patient with Bailey…okay, well, at times. He also knows when to push her which is really fucking hot when he does it. He is considerate yet bossy. Sweet yet super mouthy sometimes. And just really really the closest you could get to perfect.

Reese was in foster care growing up and that fact plays a lot into the book. Reese wants to belong. To someone…and that someone is Bailey.

“I’m…I’m adopting you.”
He stared at her—quiet, serious—and she wished she could take it back.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Say it again,” he demanded.
She furrowed her brows and repeated the words: “I’m adopting you.”
“For good” he asked.
“Yes.”

I fell in love with Reese and Bailey so early on that I was so scared my heart was going to break eventually. They work in the same office and I just felt like that had bad written all over it. That something really fucking shitty was going to happen. I was so hesitant with my reading on this one because I knew…I just knew something was going to happen. But we will get to that later on…

On to the funny. So I said that there were laugh-out-loud moments, right? Most of those moments occurred during interactions with Bailey and her best friend Erica. There were soooo many “YES! That is SO RIGHT! Moments. Like this…

“Yeah, I do. Fuck ‘em. Fuck all those mothers. Fuck their playdates and mommy groups and fucking Melissa and Doug puzzles. Fuck their running strollers and baby couture and breastfeeding advice. Fuck their—” ~Erica

I’m not sure if Erica is getting her own book or not, but I would punch Melissa and Doug in their faces for that to happen. That’s how much I want it!

Okay now let’s get to the sexiness. There is so much hotness in LoveLines and it will seriously get your blood pumping…in a good way of course 😉 One scene that did it for me and that I absolutely loved was one day in their office, Reese decides to take Bailey’s pens. Ummmm, dude. You NEVER touch Bailey’s pens.

However, it led to some very hot and steamy things…

“God, you’re so fucking hot,” he said into my mouth.
Well, this was confusing.
“You and your fucking pens and the tapping and…oh my God…”

He bruised my lips.—biting, sucking—and I pushed against him with all my might. It was useless. Reece was strong. Too strong. I realized suddenly that he was in complete control. Control of my body as he pinned me against the door. Control of my mind as he withheld my pens. Control of my heart as he kissed me passionately, making me ache for all of him—his body between my legs, muscles holding me down, driving into me, driving me to delirium.

Have I mentioned yet how incredibly perfect Reese is?…

“I stole all your pens that morning because I wanted you to come after me and scream at me. I wanted an excuse to act on my weird attraction to your weird tics.”

And then there were some mildly awkward yet still just as hot moments.

“My panties don’t match,” I blurted.
“I love that. It’s so…out of control.”
“My sheets are dirty.”
“I wanna smell ‘em.”

“I fell in love with you because of you. I like your quirky ways. You know how many times I got myself off thinking about your ‘just so’ ponytail? You know how fucking weird that is?”
I cracked a smile.

“I’m gonna blow you so hard,” I said, gazing up at him. “And you’re gonna count the strokes.”
“Me?”
“Well, I can’t very well do it with my mouth full,” I replied. “This is your twisted game, mister. Start counting.”

Of course Reese and Bailey didn’t really jump into the whole dating thing. There was a brief little moment where Bailey tried to convince herself that she shouldn’t date Reese. But helloooo…we all know what’s going on here.
And when it finally happened…when these two came together…it was like your heart being full….almost too full. Content. Happy. Perfect. That’s how I felt.

I never wanted this book to end. I never even wanted to get to the hard stuff. I was perfectly happy just living in the good stuff. The sweet words. The romance. The fluff. I could have read 500 pages of just Bailey and Reese in all their lovey dovey sappiness.

“You’re too easy to love. That’s your real problem. You know how I know that Because I can’t stay away from you. I just wanna be with you all the time. You’re my favorite person, Bailey. That’s not hard. That’s a cakewalk.”

But, then comes the downfall. The heartbreak. The part where I seriously almost lost it and wanted to rewind.
See, Bailey’s problem was that she really had herself convinced that Reese was just like all the others. That he wasn’t interested in learning to live with Bailey’s OCD. She felt like he wanted to cure her of it.

“Bailey, if you think I want to fix you, you’re dead wrong. I don’t even wanna help you manage this thing you’ve got going on. I’m only doing it because I know it’s the right thing to do, but I’d much rather you go tic-ing all over my heart and brain.”

The downfall isn’t quick and it definitely isn’t painless. I’m not gonna lie…there were some major tears shed while reading LoveLines. But in all honesty…that’s what makes a book amazing, right? That’s how you know you are reading one hell of a book from one hell of an author. To provoke those feelings and those emotions.

Speaking of emotions…some major events happen in Bailey’s life. (In case you’re new here, I write spoiler free reviews so you’ll just have to read the book to find out what I am not telling you.)
These events cause a downward spiral for Bailey. Her OCD that was actually getting better, is now back full-force. Her amazing relationship with Reese is struggling so bad that she eventually pushes Reese away. It’s almost like she is punishing herself because she doesn’t know how to deal. In all honesty, due to these events, I kinda don’t blame her. That’s some pretty heavy shit to have to deal with.
The pain she caused not only herself, but Reese, also…it was literally painful to read.

His heart broke then. He felt the ripping. No cracking. It was ripping, like his heart was made out of construction paper. He thought that made sense—that he didn’t have a stronger heart. How could he when there was never anyone in his childhood to help grow it?

“I knew you, Bailey. I understood your problems. And I wanted to help you through them. I knew it would be tough, but you never let me try. You never gave me the choice. I wanted you. Always. And you wouldn’t let me choose you.”

Time heals all wounds, right?…Right!

I knew my heart and mine had changed. He changed me. He left something inside of me I couldn’t get rid of. It was a small pinprick of light that glowed deep in my belly that suggested irrefutable change. The love had been planted, and now I couldn’t escape it. I battled it. I knew I was no good for anyone, but the love remained anyway, pulsing a message of hope: You don’t have to be alone.

“Look at me,” he demanded.
“I can’t, Reese,” I said. “I’m afraid.”
“Of what?”
“I’m afraid you won’t look at me the way you used to,” I said.
“You don’t know unless you look at me,” he replied.

Well, folks. That’s all I’ve got. I like to use lots of quotes with my reviews in case you didn’t notice. I feel like it helps you get a better feel of the book but I try not to give too much away.

Just know that I absolutely loved this book. Everything was amazing. The characters, the plot…LoveLines had it all and I can’t wait to read more in this series!!!

Excuse me….have I mentioned the amazingness known as Reese? Oh, I have? My bad. Deal with it!

“That’s what you always needed, Bailey. Someone who wouldn’t comply. Someone who wouldn’t let you push him out. And I’m sorry I wasn’t that someone for you all those many months ago. But I’m that someone now. And I’m not going anywhere.”

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S. Walden used to teach English before making the best decision of her life by becoming a full-time writer. She lives in Georgia with her very supportive husband who prefers physics textbooks over fiction and has a difficult time understanding why her characters must have personality flaws. She is wary of small children, so she has a Westie instead. Her dreams include raising chickens and owning and operating a beachside inn on the Gulf Coast (chickens included). When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about it.

❀Connect with S. Walden❀

Cadence Miller is a good girl. She just happens to make one terrible mistake her junior year in high school which costs her ten months in juvenile detention. Now a senior, she’s lost everything: her best friend, the trust of her parents, driving privileges, Internet access. It’s a lonely existence.

But there is one bright spot: Mark Connelly, her very cute, very off-limits 28-year-old calculus teacher. She falls hard for him—a ridiculous schoolgirl crush headed nowhere. She can’t help it. He’s the only good thing at Crestview High. She doesn’t expect him to reciprocate her feelings. How inappropriate, right? But he does. And he shows her.

And that’s when her life goes from bad to good.

*Good is the first book in the Too Good series.*

Good by S. Walden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, S. Walden has managed to do it again. I have officially fallen in love all over again with the best kind of story EVER. Ya know. The kind that are unconventional. The kind that are controversial. The kind that make you weep with want, rejoice in happiness, and question the definition of morals.

Good is a book that will make you want to throw caution to the wind and ignore the nagging ‘mini-you’ on your shoulder telling you what is right and what is wrong. What the true definition of love is (no matter your age). And in the end, you will know that being
‘good’
isn’t what you thought it was all along. Or maybe it is and you just don’t give a flying fuck anymore. Either way, by the end, you will learn that love is sometimes ugly. Sometimes it’s just downright hideous. Sometimes you just learn that taking risks is worth every bit of hurt you’ve endured along the way. Isn’t that what makes love…love?

Oh wow. I just got all philosophical and emotional or some shit there.My apologies. Moving on.

Okay. So let’s begin with Cadence, shall we?

Ah, my frustrating, sweet, confused, Cadence.

I love her. I really, really, really love Cadence. Through and through I just adore her. Cadence is a girl that made one bad decision (one very bad decision) and is having to suffer the consequences. Consequnces in the form of an orange jumpsuit, a nice lengthy stay in a juvenile detention center, and picking up trash alongside the road. But poor Cadence has no clue how bad these consequences are going to get upon walking through those doors to her high school on her first day of senior year. We all know how ruthless teenagers are. How down right awful high school years are. The rumors, the gossip, the glares and stares, and of course, the notes on the lockers and the cold hearted bitches that decide to put a multitude of items in your locker.
Welcome to hell!
A.K.A-Cadence’ senior year.

Now, not only does she have all this bullshit to deal with, but imagine the shock and surprise when you walk into your math class to find
Mr. Midnight in a Perfect World
as your teacher. You will understand that reference once you read it.

Meet. Mark Connelly. A.K.A-Mr. Midnight in a Perfect World!

Now this is where things start to get interesting. Mark is a young (well, not too young-28 years old) math teacher. VERY good looking and the kind of teacher that the guys in class like because he’s cool and laid back, and the girls really like because he’s well…hot!

So while Cadence is having the worst day of her life back at school, Mark (Mr. Connelly) can’t help but notice and try to intervene. It’s obvious that he feels sorry for Cadence. He isn’t blind to what is going on and the way she is being treated. And here he goes and makes things a little more awkward for her by giving her his handkerchief when he finds her crying. Not going to lie, I think this is where I fell in love with Mark Connelly. I mean, come on! The guys carries a handkerchief.

“I don’t mind that you cry into my handkerchief, Cadence.

And so from here on out things slowly progress from a little awkward to well, borderline inappropriate. Okay, I admit it, a lot inappropriate. But still, my heart is like “please let this be going where I want it to”, “please please let this happen”, “oh dear God this better end well”.

I stared at my hands in every class for the rest of the day replaying Mr. Connelly’s ministrations. He had to know it was inappropriate. Why would he touch me like that? And why did I let him? I could have said no. I could have walked away. But I didn’t want to. I wanted him to clean my hands, to say kind things to me, to make me laugh. I realized that Mr. Connelly was one of the nicest men in my life right now. Did he sense that? And was he taking advantage of it?

One of the parts of this book that I will always remember is Cadence and her conversation with the ever enlightening, Fanny. This old woman might just be the smartest individual ever and if I ever need advice of any kind, I know where I am going. No joke, this is what the clever old lady has to say about love. Cadence asks:

Do you think love is a choice or a feeling?

Love comes in all kinds of packages. Some are nearly tied up, and some are messy. It doesn’t mean that the messy ones aren’t every bit as good.”
“Good?”

“Yes, good.”

Let’s get back to Mark and Cadence now, shall we? Well let’s do some analyzing here for a second. Cadence-17 (almost 18) high school senior and has fallen hard for super hot, super sweet, math teacher. Mark- very conflicted, 28 year old math teacher, currently falling for a certain blonde haired beauty that, oh yeah, just so happens to be one of his students. Inappropriate? Hell yes! Love knows no boundaries, people. We know this.

Mark+Cadence= one big beautiful fucking mess that my heart just absolutely craves! NO…wait. Not craves.
Needs!
I need these two. I need them to be together. I need it!

Honestly, there is just too much that just absolutely can NOT be revealed in my review. There is so much beauty, pain, heartache, and love to be experienced while reading that I promise you, you will be glad I didn’t tell you.

So, what can you expect while reading Good? Pure amazingness. I loved everything about this book. I went through so many emotions through this. 84 to be exact. 😉

Are there many moments of happiness in this book? Hmmm…yes and no. There were times when my heart was so very content that I thought I could seriously stop reading and just have my own little HEA for Mark and Cadence and leave it at that.

“Well, I do a pretty good job of masking my feelings,” Mark admitted. “But my heart was pounding.
“Why?”

“Because you’re beautiful.”

“I’m average.”

“You’re so much more than average, Cadence. You’re out of this world.”

Are there uncomfortable moments in this book? Hell. Fucking. Yes. Especially the “waxing scene”. Ha! There were times where I swear, if I wasn’t so open and honest and just down right crude, I probably would have been blushing right along with Cadence. The poor girl is the definition of inexperienced. But that is just another reason why I love her.

I was a burned and damaged eighteen-year-old non-virgin having an awkward conversation with the 28-year old man who took my virginity. Yes, I was allowed to be a little snarky.

There were even times when Mr. Midnight in a Perfect world got uncomfortable yet always had the upper hand and let me tell you, I fell even harder for him when he was like this. It was too damn sexy. Almost innocently sexy.

“Look at me,” I demanded. He did. “How do you expect me to ever have sex with me if you won’t let me touch you? You have to give yourself to me like I’m giving myself to you. It’s not wrong. It’s not dirty. It won’t change me in a bad way. It’ll draw me closer to you. And that’s good, don’t you think?”

Are there painful, heart breaking, soul-aching moments in this book? More than I can count. But that’s what makes this book so damn amazing. Even through the painful moments, my heart knew what I wanted for Mark and Cadence and I refused to give up hope for them.

“I hate that I have to see you every day. I hate that I have to be in your class. I hate you hurt my heart and I can’t fix it.” I paused for a moment. “I hate you. I really really hate you.”

Want another reason why Cadence is so fucking great?

I understood we were over, but he didn’t have to treat me like a complete, inconsequential stranger. The guy used to put his mouth between my legs.

Were there moments where Cadence could piss me off, make me laugh, make me cry and leave me reeling. Oh yeah! Again, I just love her.

He liked to blame me for this out-of-control person he’d become, but oh my God, I finally realized it! He liked it. He liked feeling that way. He liked being provoked.

He probably wanted to fuck me somewhere. A closet, no doubt.

Then there were the moments where all it took were some perfect words and I was left in awe. Mark Connelly is truly amazing.

“You don’t think I’m drama?”
Mark smiled. “I think you’re the best kind of drama. And I want you to be my drama, and make me feel all the time, and turn me inside out, and do to my heart and mind whatever you want.”

Dare I go on with Mark Connelly’s perfection? Oh I think I will.

“I feel possessive of you.” It sounded like it hurt him to say the words.
“I want you to,” I replied. “I want you to possess me.”
He nodded and cupped my face tenderly. “I’ll take your breath away, Cadence.” My eyes grew wide with fear until his next words. “But I’ll give it all back. I promise.”

Okay lovely people, I will leave you with one last Mark quote.

“God can punish me however he’d like. I don’t care. Call me crazy. Call me possessive or unstable or whatever. I don’t care. I’ll kill anyone who hurts you.”

I hope you all love him as much as I do and altogether just fall in love with this book, with Cadence, with Mark, with S. Walden and her incomparable, flawless writing. She really does have an amazing gift and I will truly love her and her writing forever.

Oh, I almost forgot. Drunk Cadence is my FAVORITE!

HAPPY READING!
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Good by S. Walden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

4.5 “Midnight in a Perfect World” Kisses

Okay…so I kinda cheated on this book. A little. I knew things. But I blame Brooke – it’s okay though, it didn’t ruin anything for me. But seriously…she warned me that Good was a cliffhanger. Now cliff’s can do some crazy things with my emotions. Sometimes I get mad…sometimes I get frustrated….and a very select few times I am 100% okay with a cliffhanger ending. This is one of those times. Don’t ask me how Miss. Walden did it but she pulled off one of the smoothest, happiest cliff’s ever.

Cadence Brynn Miller…sweet, young, naïve. That’s Cadence in a nutshell. A very very good girl in every sense of the word. Always done the right thing, been the picture of an ideal child for her parents, a pristine Christian daughter. But all it takes is one little life altering mistake to bring all that to a crashing halt. Her life is a shell of what it once was. No friends she can talk to, her parents treat her like she’s a burden and the whole town treats her like she’s a pariah. I mean the bullying she experiences at school is something I would never wish on another person. Sounds awesome, right? Until she meets her angel. Okay…I know that sounds like it could be cliché, but trust me, it’s not. Their chance meeting could have and should have been a one time deal…but where would the fun be in that?

‘School Survival Rules:
1. Do not cry under any circumstances.
2. Do not physically attack anyone (even if they totally deserve it).
3. Smile and act like nothing bothers you.
4. Try to exude Christian virtues like patience, love, and forgiveness.
5. When all else fails, use sarcasm as your defense mechanism.’

Mark Connelly….sigh….I might have an obsession with his hair. Read the book, it’ll make sense, I promise. He’s a dream boat…visually stunning, he’s 28, he loves music and red converse sneakers…and of course he also happens to be Cadences’ math teacher. Awesome! Honestly…I swooned over Mark but he was far from the perfect book boyfriend. Of course guys fuck up and do some dumb shit, but he did some pretty dumb shit. Like had me at tears at two very specific instances that I cannot ruin…but grrrrr….I don’t think I’ve ever been this frustrated with a dude in a book before.

‘I locked eyes with him. His were a steely blue. Almost completely gray, actually. Smoky, sensual irises that could teach me everything I needed to know about math and love and beauty and sex. And how the world was created. And how gravity works. And how chemicals react. And how-‘

So it’s the typical forbidden love, with the added feature that it’s really bordering on illegal love…not only do you have the teacher/student thing…but you have the age difference thing (she’s 17 at the beginning of the book). ‘Technically’ the legal age in Georgia is 16…but really? Who is going to be okay with anything under 18. But you can’t fight the way you feel and damn it if you don’t feel for them. And really the ‘forbidden’ aspect kind of made it a little more enticing in those instances because it’s that rush of excitement that adds to it too. ‘We shouldn’t be doing this, but we want to…’ It’s hard to explain because ‘logically’ I knew it was wrong, but for whatever reason I was okay with it.

‘He arched an eyebrow, waiting for my response. God, he was so freaking hot! Suddenly I was no longer embarrassed by his words. I just wanted to stare at his features. His hair was especially crazy today. And I wanted my hands in it. I wanted to pull on it. And his eyes. Oh, his eyes! Like fogged glass. A hazy film of smoke, letting me in just enough, but not all the way. And I wanted in all the way.’

There’s more conflict than just the fact that he’s her teacher and the age…she’s young and therefore inexperienced when it comes to relationships. It also doesn’t help that she is her own worst enemy and the thoughts she comes up with just on her own are enough to possibly destroy them. I empathized with her because to me, Cadence is the quintessential teenage girl. Let’s be honest here, 16-19 year old girls are pretty freakin loopy, we’ve got hormones and all sorts of crazy shit going on at the age, it’s really not all our fault. So add an extreme attraction and connection with a hot guy, mix in the fact that he’s basically the only human connection she has, splash in a dab of danger and lying = recipe for a cocktail of goodness. Which is exactly what I felt Good gave me. 😉

‘Mark chuckled. “Because it’s impossible to not be attracted to you. I couldn’t help myself. Every day after school, I would resolve to start over the next, to ignore how cute you were, to try to be unaffected by you. And then you’d come into class the next day, and my resolve would melt to nothing. I felt powerless, but not in a frustrated way. I liked the feeling. I still like the feeling.”
I smiled and sat up in his lap. “I’m glad your resolve melted to nothing.”
“Me too. Because I couldn’t imagine you not in my life.”’

Now Cadence isn’t completely alone. She does have one ‘friend’…Avery. I say ‘friend’ because that’s not how they start off…in the beginning it’s ‘freedom over friendship’ but over time it develops into a pretty good friendship. And Avery is there for Cadence when she really needs her…she’s a little voice of reason when Cadence needs it the most, she’s also extremely helpful in all the areas Cadence is lacking knowledge and experience and to ice this pretty little friendship cake – she’s hilarious. There is a waxing scene that had me rolling.

‘He nodded and cupped my face tenderly. “I’ll take all your breath away, Cadence.” My eyes grew wide with fear until his next words. “But I’ll give it all back. I promise.”’

I enjoyed watching Cadence grow and develop throughout the book…my heart went out to her because she is dealing with a lot…Mark, her parents, school, the lies, the stigma of being the ‘convict’. This is a pretty angsty book, I never knew what to expect next. I really didn’t expect to be in tears at 80% shaking my head and wondering wtf was going on. Mark has some skeletons in his closet. Things we don’t even scratch the surface on, which only makes me more eager for book two. He has a lot of explaining to do and I’m counting on Cadence to get him to open up.

‘“Do you wish I’d never stepped foot in your classroom?” I asked.
“I couldn’t imagine my life if you hadn’t stepped foot inside my classroom. Well, yes I could. It would be dull. Uninteresting. Lonely. And loveless.” He kissed the top of my head.’

Now, I said it was a cliff…but it’s a happy cliff. There is a lot still to come, like I said Mark’s issues need to be addressed, and there is still a lot of ‘external factors’ that need to be addressed, but I am happy camper because why? Cadence and Mark are together. The world may not be peachy, but they’ve got each other and with the person that you love, you can conquer the world, as long as they are by your side. It doesn’t take much to please me…but I can hold on for final answers as long as I know they aren’t apart. I know, I’m an odd duck, but it gives my anguished heart a small ounce of peace. So bring on Book #2! (Soon, please…k thanks!) 🙂

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S. Walden used to teach English before making the best decision of her life by becoming a full-time writer. She lives in Georgia with her very supportive husband who prefers physics textbooks over fiction and has a difficult time understanding why her characters must have personality flaws. She is wary of small children, so she has a Westie instead. Her dreams include raising chickens and owning and operating a beachside inn on the Gulf Coast (chickens included). When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about it.

She loves her fans and loves to hear from them. Email her at swaldenauthor@hotmail.com and follow her blog at http://swaldenauthor.blogspot.com where you can get up-to-date information on her current projects.

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