(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

A SWEET GIRL
Nicola Hart grew up under the heels of her older brother and his sexy best friend, Cash Garrison. Years of ignoring her spark with Cash has transformed their friendship into a slow burning sizzle. One night with him could ruin everything. Or it could be more than she ever dreamed. They play. They flirt. But they haven't crossed the line because too much is at stake. Family. Friendship. And the deepest kind of love that she'd have to be crazy to walk away from.
HE CAN'T STAY AWAY FROM
She's his best friend's little sister. The definition of hands off. Cash has tried to ignore her for years. Those innocent eyes and her smile that screams kiss-me-if-you-dare... Instead, he's looked at every pretty little thing who's crossed his path, all to ignore the girl he seems destined to want. But when his hard partying ways get old and everyone at school is interested in Nicola, it's time to stake a claim. To make Nicola his girl, no matter the risks, and hold the hand of the one he really loves.

*3.5 stars*

This was a hard book to review. I think part of the problem was that it was a prequel to the second book in a series, as opposed to the first. Another thing that was interesting was the length of the story - nearly 200 pages. That's almost novel-length, not what you would expect from a prequel.

Anyway, those things aside, this was a pretty good story, nonetheless. Nicola and Cash were fun characters, their whole storyline of "I can't go out with my brother's best friend" was done pretty well. Sure, it wasn't the most original storyline but when the writing is good, you can forgive things like that. However, I wasn't a fan of the sudden ending - sure, it is a prequel, but if you are going to write a 200 page prequel, give us a full story.

The last thing I want to say is this: despite the unusual approach mentioned above, there was enough good writing in this book to make me read both the book that came before, and the one that comes after...and isn't that the point?


Paul
ARH