Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Book Review: Begin Again by Mona Kasten

Begin Again (Again #1) by Mona Kasten
Blurb:
He makes the rules. She breaks them all.

A new start. It's the only thing keeping Allie Harper going, when she packs up her life and moves across the country to Woodshill, Oregon. She's about to start college, desperate to leave the ghosts of her past behind her. Even if that means never talking to her parents again.

Now the hard part - finding an apartment before classes start. Just when it seems she'll have to live out of her car, Allie visits one more place. It's beautiful. With one exception: can she stand being roommates with campus bad boy Kaden White? Sure, Kaden is sexy with his tattoos and careless attitude, but he's also an arrogant jerk. With nowhere else to go, Allie moves in.

The first thing Kaden does is make a set of rules. Either Allie obeys, or she's out:

1. Don't talk about your girl problems.
2. Keep your mouth shut if I bring someone home.
3. We will NEVER hook up.

Easy enough, thinks Allie. Who would want to get involved with a brute like Kaden? But the more she gets to know him, the more she sees beyond his gruff facade. He, too, is harboring some painful secrets. For Kaden and Allie, it gets harder and harder to ignore the sparks between them. And the lines between the rules start to blur-

Begin Again is a beautiful romance that shows us just how possible it is to start over. To find freedom in heartbreak and love in the most unlikely places.

My Review:
Allie Harper is running from her past and breaking free from her overbearing, stuck up parents. To do that she's just moved all the way from Lincoln, Nebraska to tiny Woodshill, Oregon. After extensively searching for a place to stay she winds up at the apartment of Kaden White - who definitely doesn't want Allie as a roommate (or any female for that matter). But Kaden needs the money and Allie needs a place to stay so they come to a compromise: Allie can have the room as long as she plays by Kaden's rules. 

Allie agrees, besides the last thing she needs right now is a hook-up but as she settles into her new life, makes new friends and experiences new things Allie begins to see another side to Kaden - a side she likes a lot. 

Will Allie be able to stifle her feelings for Kaden? Or will Kaden throw his rules out the window? Can their relationship survive all the darkness in their pasts? Or will Kaden's fear of letting anyone get too close tear them apart?

I loved reading Begin Again. More than just the romance, seeing Allie come into her own and become a strong, independent woman after a lifetime with her parents made for a pleasant, hopeful read. Watching Allie experience new things and make friends, seeing her try to hide her growing feelings for Kaden, I thought overall the story was well written and plotted. 

I loved Kaden, although I can see why some readers may not like him. Some may see a girl fall for a guy that acts like a jerk toward her over and over again until he finally realizes how special the girl is and be put off by the story but I love books like this. I love seeing male characters that are broken and twisted by their pasts learn to love. 

I hope the other two books in this series get translated into English because I would love to read them! Mona Kasten is definitely an author I'd like to see more of! 

My Rating:
★★★★★
5 of 5 Stars!

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