Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Review: More by Clare James

More (Before You Go)
by Clare James
Released on: 6/20/13
Genre: New Adult

 One summer.
One chance to forget the past.
One opportunity to make things right.

There’s no denying the heat between Jules Taylor and Foster Sutton. They are two wild souls with a fire burning inside. Together, they create a hot and dangerous mix of emotion and lust.

But after a terrible accident leaves one friend dead, Foster is bound by a secret that keeps him from getting closer to Jules. And he’s left with only one thing to offer her – friendship.

For Jules, her relationship with Foster is getting old. He falls down and she picks him up, but they never move forward. Their occasional hook-ups are no longer enough, and Jules vows that this is her summer to forget Foster and find love. If it were only that easy.

It seems fate is pushing Jules and Foster together at every turn. And it’s only a matter of time before they give up and give in.
 

My Rating: 4 1/2 Coffee Cups!!


**ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review**


More is the companion book to her earlier novel Before You Go. Now, you don't have to have read that one to get this one at all, it is definitely it's own story. But it does give the readers who have read Before You Go fun little tidbits and it's main characters Tabby and Noah play a big role in this book as well. As does the biotch from the first book Jenna. I read Before You Go and really enjoyed it. The characters were great, there were a few twists and turns and the romance is sweet and believable. But man-oh-man did I LOVE More. I don't know what exactly set it so far apart from BYG (sorry, had to make that shorter for my typing fingers) for me, but it did. I know I'm a sucker for damaged guys and Foster is definitely that. And being that I'm 5'1 on a good day I am also a sucker for tiny, feisty girls (because that's what I am in my own head) and Jules is that in spades.

 Jules and Foster had an almost-relationship freshman year of college. This almost relationship ended abruptly after a tragic accident put a wedge of guilt and self blame between them. Ever since then they've stayed in a "Friends-with-Occasional- Benefits" situation. Jules wants more. She's always wanted more when it came to Foster but he is holding himself back. She believes the guilt of his role in the accident still plagues him. But the fact is that something happened before the accident that is causing his guilt and need to keep his distance. Doesn't change the fact that he is in love with her though.

The truth is I could never forget one thing about Jules. Her smell, her touch, her tiny body. Even her heart has its own special beat. I’d recognize her anywhere—no matter how drunk I may be. I’d never mistake my Jules.  
  
That love causes him to want desperately to get close to her and let his guard down. But instead he self medicates on alcohol and women. And when he finds himself drowning he calls Jules to pull him out. His vulnerability allows Jules to think they could go back to what they were headed towards before the accident. Jules is put through a see-saw of emtions. Will Foster let go, or will he turn off? It's an ever present battle. And she can't take it anymore. She decides that this summer she is letting Foster go. She is going to focus on herself, not on the relationship she can't fix between the two of them. She wants the love that Tabby and Noah have. She is going to be the responsible adult and work in her law firm internship, pursuing her dreams alongside an Alexander Skargard look alike (yum). Well, that is until fate steps in and Jules is stuck with Foster as a de-facto roommate for 2 weeks.
 
Foster, despite the fact that Noah is holding his secret over his head, isn't really that great at fighting the love and chemistry they have. But, he sees Jules' determination to put herself together this summer and he's determined to do the same in his own internship at the restaurant. Completely separate by the way- but along with being a sucker for damaged guys, I am also a sucker for a guy who can cook, so yay for that. But I digress. He wants to prove to her (and everyone else) that he is better than the drunken, whoring mess he's been as of late.

 These two go on a roller coaster ride. The entire past two years have been one, but their two weeks of being in the same space caused everything to be that much more intense. And when the secret comes out (because nothing worth having is ever easy) their relationship spirals. But it also forces them both to face demons they hadn't been ready to face before. It forces Foster to grow up in many ways and choose what he wants his life to become. It forces Jules to have a conversation with her mom a decade in the making.

I loved their relationship. It was sweet, hot and funny as hell. I literally devoured this book in one sitting. Once I started it I was immediately pulled into their relationship and I couldn't put it down until I knew how it all turned out.

 I take pictures of it all in my mind. Foster laughing—click. His delicious mouth as he stuffs his face—click. The way his eyes focus on me and turn that brilliant shade of amber when he talks—click. I add them to the album in my mind—they join the hundreds of others I’ve taken during the years.

It’s that moment when I know. I love him. I love Foster. More than anything, and not because he saved me from my past or because he’s always been there or because he was my first crush. I love him right now, for everything he is.


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