Title: Before Girl Author: Kate Canterbary
Series: Standalone
Release date: November 13, 2018
(Sub)genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 314
Buy: Amazon US ~ Amazon UK
Rating:
I received this book from Panda & Boodle in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
She’ll juggle your balls.
For Stella Allesandro, chaos is good. She’s a rising star at a leading sports publicity firm. She’s known throughout the industry as the jock whisperer—the one who can tame the baddest of the bad boys in professional sports without losing her signature smile.But Cal Hartshorn is an entirely different kind of chaos.
He’ll fix your broken heart.
This ex-Army Ranger and now-famous cardiothoracic surgeon fails at nothing…except talking to a woman he’s adored from afar. Whether on the battlefield or operating room, he’s exacting, precise, and efficient, but all of that crumbles when Stella is in sight.Cal always knows—and gets—what he wants, and now he wants all of her. His forever girl.
But Stella isn’t convinced she’s anyone’s forever.
Opposites attract… In this case chaos and efficiency meet, and both have to learn ‘to deal’ with the other… Before Girl tells the sweet story of Stella and Cal, who can’t be more different. But they both have to admit there is an attraction. I’ve enjoyed reading this book.
“How could I sit across a table from her without succumbing to the desire to touch her? I wanted to know absolutely everything about her and I wanted to feel her. It was shameful.”
Cal and Stella are both adult people, content with their lives and work. Obviously, they both have a past, and know what they want from life and relationships. Cal doesn’t mind settling down with the love of his life, he just hasn’t met the right woman yet. Stella on the other hand… is anti-happily ever after. She’s happy with casual arrangements and doesn’t do love.
“This wasn’t me. Not at all. Not how I rolled. I didn’t get lovestruck or smitten. I didn’t fall for guys.”
I love kick-ass Stella. She’s confident, she knows what she wants and she gets what she wants. I get her longing for independence and casual flings, but how bad is it to be with somebody who loves you, who wants to be with you. Seeing her fighting (and failing) her feelings for Cal is funny to see. Cal is a good guy, but in the beginning of the book his reaction to Stella is a bit… Disturbing? Too much? Stalker-ish? Not sure, but personally I would be freaked out a bit by a guy like Cal. Luckily, Cal gets his act together, and he and Stella hit it off.
Before Girl is a standalone book and is told from a dual POV. This way you get to know the leading characters, Stella and Cal. The beginning felt a wee bit too much for me. I can deal with insta-love and all, but Cal took it to a different level. I was glad when he returned to his normal self again. Before Girl is a sweet book, filled with funny banter, great characters and some drama (otherwise it would be too sweet).
“This moment right here—us naked and spent, the bed in shambles, the bond between us unbreakable—was only the beginning. There were years and years of this ahead of us.”
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