Tuesday, May 12, 2015

review || JUST SAY WHEN { release day blitz }












Just Say When by Kaylee Ryan

Publisher: Self-Published (5/12/2015)
Genre: New Adult
Source: Give Me Books
Purchase links || amazon | kobo | ibooks || add to goodreads

Rating: 



Saving myself for marriage, not hardly.‬‬

Saving myself for someone who will make my heart race, most definitely.

In theory it's a good plan, however even the best-laid plans fall through. Seeing him, being around him, alerts all my senses and I dream about being his, wrapping myself in his arms and never letting go. The only problem – he sees me as his sister.

My name's Ava Evans and I'm in love with my older brother's best friend, Nate Garrison. 



Burying myself in work for the past two years, avoiding any thought of her, has worked, until now. She's everywhere, in my dreams, in my gym, and in my heart. I'm not sure when I fell in love with Ava Evans, but I am completely in love with my best friends baby sister.

At first she was too young for me and that made it easy to stay away. Now, it's a struggle to keep my distance.

How am I supposed to resist her when I can’t escape her? If he ever found out, it would ruin our friendship. Even with that knowledge all she would have to do is...

Just Say When.





about Kaylee || Kaylee Ryan has had a passion for reading since she was a little girl. That passion has slowly led to spinning romantic tales, and a one-click addiction. When she doesn’t have her nose stuck in her kindle or fingers glued to the keyboard, you can find Kaylee hanging out with friends and family. She loves all genres of music, and enjoys scrapbooking. She lives in Ohio with her husband (her real life happily ever after) and their rambunctious little boy.


{ excerpt } .
I reach the table just in time to watch as Kara pulls Ava to the dance floor. They stop right at the edge as if they cannot wait a second longer to move to the beat. We watch them in silence, enjoying the show they’re putting on. That is until two guys join them. At first, it looks innocent enough, but when the one closest to Ava puts his hands on her, I know I have to squash this.

“We can’t let them have all the fun.” I motion to the dance floor. I’m pissed off this guy is mauling her, and I’m pissed off at Zach. I can’t believe he let his groupies pull him away from Ava. He doesn’t deserve her.

Tanner grins. “You don’t have to tell me twice.” He places his now empty water bottle on the table and heads straight for Kara. 

I’m hot on his heels. I stop in front of Ava and she smiles hesitantly just as the song changes to “Talk Dirty.” The guy who was trying to make his move on her is no longer touching her, which is in his best interest. Ava seems nervous as to where she should touch me. This is new for us. I take her hands and rest them on my shoulders as I move my hips to the beat. I keep an eye on the jackass to make sure he knows she’s unavailable. I don’t want him touching her again.

I pull her tight little body close to mine, not caring that this is Ava Mae, my best friend’s little sister. She’s forbidden, but for tonight, for this time in which I actually have her in my arms, I don’t let it stop me. Instead, I pull her close and pretend she’s mine.

Ava rocks her hips against mine and I tighten my grip. Her big brown eyes find mine and her stare is intense. If I didn’t know better, I would think that she wants me just as fiercely as I want her. Pulling her as close as I can get her, I bury my face in her neck and match the rhythm of her hips as they grind against mine. I wish like hell she were mine.



{ review } .
I have read an awful lot of the whole "sibling's bff and the sibling" stories in the past few months. Really, I ought to be done with them...

...but the ones I've managed to get my hands on?

They've just been written So. Damn. Well.

...and JUST SAY WHEN is no exception. 

I actually kept forgetting that I had this book due today; the review galley was sitting on my Kindle, patiently; I received the tour info and filed it away in my Google Drive like a good little reviewer... But I forgot to put it in my calendar. 

So last night while I was getting my files together and making sure that all of my Google Drive saves that were marked { 5.12 } were ready to go, and "just say when REVIEW" was on the list, I freaked out a bit. 

No worries -- this was a book that sucked me in. Yeah, yeah, I've said that about a few books this week, but it's true! I loved every moment of Ava Mae and Nathan. Every. Moment.


Ava has been in love with her older brother's best friend for what seems like forever.

...but he's never noticed her.

Nathan and Brody have been friends since they were five years old, and as far back as he can remember, Ava Mae has always tagged along. And he's always enjoyed her around.

But she was hands-off, off limits, no touching allowed.

When he and Brody left for the Marine Corps, Ava was sure she'd never see him again. She wrote to him (...and her brother, of course) all of the time, but never imagined he'd come back home to her.

After his father has a stroke, Nathan comes home to run the fighting gym his father started. That was two years ago. The last time he saw Ava? When his dad was in the hospital.

And now she's walking through his gym doors after meeting one of his fighters and while yeah, sure, Zach can be a good guy (and I will say that I hope that this little book becomes a series, and that he finds his HEA)...

No one will ever be good enough for Nate's Ava Mae.


I loved that Nate refers to Ava as her full given name -- Ava Mae. He'll call her Ava, or baby, or sweets (I love 'sweets'), but he's also the only one to call her Ava Mae (aside from her parents when she's being scolded, of course).

Everything about these two was lovely to watch. Like I said -- I was completely, thoroughly sucked into their story. Their relationship wasn't a quick-on-the-uptake one. They knew that there could be consequences if they went into it lightly and didn't think everything through. The real kicker though? The real stand-up guy moment? Nathan being the one to admit it to Brody. He cares about Ava and he cares about Brody, and he wants to do everything right.

In the end, Nate knew that Ava was his forever one and while he would mourn the loss of a life-long friendship, he would do anything to keep Ava happy.

He was protective, possessive, but mostly a huge sweetheart. I loved Nathan to pieces, and the way he loved Ava and how he showed her? Absolutely, positively, to die for.

Even his declaration was a memorable one.

Ava wasn't a pushover, either. She gave as good as she got, and she stands up for herself.

There road isn't an easy one... But you can definitely tell it's a forever and ever one.

\{ giveaway } .

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