Blurb
Not afraid to speak his mind or make a scene, Nathaniel Kelly has made a name for himself as country music’s ultimate bad boy.
Covered in tattoos, singing songs about drugs, drinking and heartache, Nate acts more like an out of control rock star than the grandson of one of the genres most influential and legendary stars. Every man wants to be him. Every woman wants just one night with the hard-rocking country rebel.
Except me.
I just want to know that the boy I used to love is happy and that I didn’t break his heart in vain. That’s why I buy every magazine that even mentions his name; at least, that’s the story I tell myself.
When my friends gave me a birthday present any fan would die for, I was suddenly face-to-face with the man I never thought I’d see again. My body wasn’t supposed to react to him the way it did. And, Nate sure as hell wasn’t supposed to look at me the way he used to.
Can someone you loved as a teenager really have a hold on your heart twelve years later? Is it ever too late to say you’re sorry and make up for past wrongs?
I’m about to find out.
Excerpt:5 Star Review by Jen Skewes
He smelled heavenly. Like a forest on a summer day. That’s one thing I couldn’t get from watching him on TV or seeing his face in the tabloids and I needed more of it. I moved closer, desperate to burn that scent into my memory. My arms wrapped around him and pulled him down so I could reach, burrowing my face into his neck. I needed more, needed to taste him.
He inhaled sharply the second my tongue touched his skin. He tried to jerk back, but I held tight; he tasted like salt, sweat, and Nate. I groaned, needing more. Whiskers scrapped against my cheek, sending me into sensory overload as my mouth moved higher and my hand moved lower, skimming over the bulge in his jeans.
It could have been the alcohol or the fact that I always get giggly when I get nervous – or maybe a combination of the two – but I couldn’t hold in the laughter that escaped. His hands gripped my shoulders and he shoved me away from him, back into the door; not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to let me know he was serious.
“Somethin’ funny, Red?” His growl was bitter, the tone surprising me. But it was the agitation etched on his face that sobered me immediately.
The smile fell from my face as I shook my head. “I…” I swallowed, glancing over his shoulder, zoning in on the mirror over the bed. It was stupid. I couldn’t look at him. “I’m nervous.”
I felt the tension leave him. He adjusted, moving his body into my line of sight. “Hey, now.” His voice was soft, understanding even as he tipped his head down and looked directly into my eyes. The room was dim, but I could see him perfectly. “Kiss me. Don’t think, Lia. Just kiss me.”
As soon as he spoke the words, his lips moved to mine and his hands slid down my arms, circling around me and pulling me into him. “Don’t think,” he whispered in my ear before igniting a path down my neck to the hollow of my throat. Every worry I had, every single thought evaporated from my mind as his hands and lips explored. The way he knew where to touch me, the way he kissed and bit and teased all the right spots, reminded me that this was someone that knew my body better than I did.
My shirt was lifted over my head and flung behind him, but I didn’t notice it was gone until his teeth closed over a silk covered nipple, making me gasp for air and sink my nails into his scalp. He chuckled – a low and dangerous sound – and put a hand between my shoulder blades, forcing me to arch into him.
It wasn’t enough. Grabbing the back of his shirt, I tugged. I needed to feel him, to kiss him.
The bastard fought me, instead, dropping to his knees and kissing my stomach. He turned his face up, watching me, as he unbuttoned my jeans, sliding the zipper down, and parting the fabric, his mouth never once leaving me as he pushed my pants down my legs, trapping my feet.
He sat back slightly, eyes only leaving my face for a second while he glanced at my panties. Then those blue-green orbs were back on mine and his lips twisted into his wicked smirk. Running the tip of a finger over my hip, he traced the lace down the little triangle. I held my breath as that finger slid under the elastic, pushing the small piece of fabric aside.
The tug that ripped them from my body was a surprise, but the mouth that immediately replaced his fingers was a shock. My back hit the door again as all my muscles tensed and my hands pushed against his shoulders. I didn’t know what kind of women Nate Kelly was used to bringing back here, but it wasn’t girls like me.
He stopped, either realizing I was pushing him away or that I was suddenly not enjoying what he was doing. When he adjusted and his eyes met mine, his face was filled with confusion. I could only shake my head like an idiot, the words I needed to say not coming. I knew the minute he realized that was one thing that hadn’t changed for me over the past decade. I was still saving that part of me. Amazement and something I couldn’t read replaced the confusion.
He moved quickly, arms latching behind my knees and lifting me as if I weighed nothing at all. He twisted, set me on the bed, and removed my bra with one hand before stepping back and tugging my heels and jeans off. He stood there for a few seconds, biting his lip as his eyes traced my body. I fought the urge to cover and hide; it wasn’t the same body he had once known. I was a lot softer almost everywhere and probably a lot bigger than the women he was used to, but he didn’t look disgusted.
No, repulsion was the last thing written on his face.
After moving gradually back up my body, his eyes met mine. He reached down, pulling his shirt off. I didn’t ever want him to cover himself again. If he were mine, I would demand that he walk around shirtless. All. The. Time. I could spend hours staring at the tattoos that decorated him, trying to figure out what each was.
He didn’t give me long to look. Instead, he popped the button on his jeans, dropping them and kicking them off in a fluidity that I envied. Then it was my turn to stare. My breath caught, my heart raced. Good Lord, he was beautiful. No one could tell that under his clothes, Nate Kelly hid the body of a god. Lean, cut, and pure muscle. Holy hell.
Yeah, that wasn’t the body I’d once known, either.
He grinned and bit his lip again, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. Putting one knee on the bed, he winked and climbed up over me. He hovered above me for a minute, lost in my eyes as his right hand tangled in my hair. “Touch me.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I lifted my hands to his ass, gliding my fingertips up over each side of his body as gently as I could. The movement still tickled him, though, and he shivered. I hesitated for a second, but he shook his head. “Don’t stop.”
I wasn’t sure I ever could.
I am such a sucker for friends to lovers and second chance love stories. And what is great about Forever Red is that it gives us both. I loved Lia and Neil’s story and loved going on this journey with them. Their story is about love, heartbreak, forgiveness, second chances and so much more. Carina Adams did such an amazing job with this story. It is one of those books that you just cannot put down and when you are done you cannot stop thinking about it. You will fall in love with these characters and be rooting for them every step of the way. This is one of my favorite reads of this year.
We meet Lia in present day when she finds out that her friends have surprised her for her birthday, with a trip to see Nate Kelly in concert and to meet him backstage. What her friends do not know is that Neil Kelly, the hot, sexy tattooed country star, has had Lia’s heart since she was sixteen. Twelve years ago she left, leaving behind a boy with a shattered heart.
After reading the prologue you are left wondering what happened between the two main characters. Why are they no longer together and what will happen now when they see each other? I was completely sucked in from that very moment. I wanted to know all about their story. How they met, how they fell in love and what happened to cause them to be apart now. It’s been twelve years since Lisa has seen the only boy that she has ever truly loved, but she has followed his career since the day it started. She is not sure how Nate is going to react when he sees her. Will he be pissed, hurt, angry or all three? Hmmmm…..you will have to read this story to find because as I started writing this review I decided that I am not going to give any more of the plot away. You need to experience this book on your own. I will say that it is a beautiful and amazing second chance love story that will capture you from the very start.
There are so many things that I loved about this book and I feel if I list them all this review will never end. I loved that this book was written in two parts, the past and the present. We get to see and experience the good and the bad with Lia and Neil. From the moment they first met in high school to present day when they see each other for the first time in twelve years. The first half of this book gives us Neil and Lia as teenagers. You see just how in love these two are. And while you may say what does a sixteen year old really know about love, well let me tell you they had a love like no other. It is that once in a lifetime love, the one that you know will last forever, no matter how many miles or years apart. It’s the type of love that you get goose bumps just thinking about. Lia was Neil’s heart, his everything. And no matter how many struggles they faced he loved her and would do anything for her.
The second part of this book is the present. I thought I had this all figured out. That I knew exactly what the reactions would be when they finally saw each other after all these years. But I was so wrong. I loved exactly how this one played out and how it all happened in an unexpected way. It wasn’t predictable in any way and that’s what I loved. The best part is that we still get to see and feel that connection that these two always had, a connection that even twelve years apart could not break. No matter how hurt and how angry Neil may have been, one thing never changed. And that was his love for Lia. He may have has some battles with his brain and his heart along the way. But in the end I think his heart won.
Now we need to talk about Neil/Nate Kelly because my god did I love him. He had me from the start. Neil as a teenager was the guy that every girl in high school dreamed of. He was the hot football star but he was sweet and caring and a respectable guy. He was completely swoon worthy and I fell in love with him from the moment I met him. He is that guy that will capture your heart from the very beginning and never give it back. But twelve years later we see Neil as Nate Kelly, the hot, sexy and tattooed country with a voice that will melt your heart and quite possibly your panties. He is everything that you want and love in a guy and he quickly became one of my favorite book boyfriends. He is just perfect!!
I loved Lia’s character so much. I may not have liked the decisions that she made over the years but she always made them with the best of intentions. And I completely understood why she made them. What she did, she did out of love and I admired her for that. She was such a great heroine. She came from a world that was completely different than Neil's but she still held her head high and found a way to make something of herself. I wanted Lia and Nate to find their way back to each other. They were just meant to be. And I was rooting for them all the way.
This book was just fantastic. As the reader you felt it all right along with this couple. I always love a book where you can feel the connection with the two characters. You can feel how deeply they are in love. When they hurt, you hurt. When they are happy you are right there along with them smiling and laughing. I felt every emotion with this book and that has everything to do with the words written on each page. Ms. Adams created two characters that were so real and just so lovable. She made me feel like I was a part of their life and experiencing their journey with them. I honestly cannot express how much I loved this book. But it wasn’t just Lia and Neil that I loved. Their best friend Mike had such a big part in this story and I loved him. He was just the sweetest best friend a boy or girl could have. I fell in love with these characters and was sad when it was all over. Oh and the epilogue I did not see that one coming at all. But I loved it and loved how it sets up the next book. A truly beautiful and epic love story. Fantastic job by Ms. Adams. Once again you blew me away and gave me one more book boyfriend to add to the top of my list. And yes I may just love Neil more than Matty...maybe. :)
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