REVIEW: KEEPING HER (LOSING IT #1.5) by CORA CARMACK

Series: Losing It #1.5
Category/Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Publication Date: 8/13/13
Format: eARC
Pages: 100
Source: Received from publisher for review
Rating:  4 stars

Garrick Taylor and Bliss Edwards managed to find their happily-ever-after despite a rather . . . ahem . . . complicated start. By comparison, meeting the parents should be an absolute breeze, right?

But from the moment the pair lands in London, new snags just keep cropping up: a disapproving mother-in-law-to-be, more than one (mostly) minor mishap, and the realization that perhaps they aren't quite as ready for their future as they thought.

As it turns out, the only thing harder than finding love is keeping it.

I adored Bliss and Garrick in Losing It. Her sweetness and awkwardness was endearing. His kindness and charm was sexy. They got their Happy Ending, but it's almost always nice to see how beloved couples are doing a little farther down the road.

Keeping Her was very sweet and very, very amusing. Of course Bliss brings the awkward; as a fellow awkward girl, this made me happy. Another thing that made me happy--well, not happy so much happy as "I feel your pain, girl." --was the terror of meeting the parents. I could completely relate with Bliss, so much so that when she met Garrick's mom, I almost broke out in a cold sweat and suffered flashbacks.

I also enjoyed Garrick's point-of-view, seeing how much he loves Bliss, his doubts about being good enough for her, and the overwhelming pressure of visiting his parents. Again, that's something I can relate too a little too well through my husband. Carmack did such a nice job of expressing the fears and doubts Garrick and Bliss both face.

Keeping Her was very funny. I had forgotten how much I laughed while reading Losing It until I read this. The story was amusing without being too much, and I just genuinely enjoyed it.

Many readers do not enjoy novellas. Some don't like the shorter length or faster pace. Keeping Her managed to cover a meaningful space of time in Garrick and Bliss's life, and did it without forcing the pace or putting "too much" into it. It is a good addition to the series and to Carmack's works.


Favorite Quote:

  I'd always thought love was this complicated, messy, frankly ugly thing. Possibly because, growing up, I'd not had much of an example for what a relationship should be. I didn't know it could be any other way. But Bliss chased away the gray and made everything seem black and white. No matter the question, she was the answer.   ~eARC, 7%

 The Losing It Series

(click on cover for GoodReads page)

Andrea's Review for Losing It

Jessica's Review of Faking It

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About the author:
Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

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