Published October 30, 2012
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: e-book, purchased
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
Rating: 4 STARS
(From Goodreads) Preston is one bad boy. And Amanda has harbored a crush on him for forever. When she finally makes her move on him, it does not end well. But still, she can’t resist him. Especially now that he seems to be pursuing her, too.
No one wants wants them to be together. Not Amanda’s brother Marcus, who is on the verge of his marriage to Low, and definitely not any of Preston’s buddies. They know way too much about Preston’s dark side. Even Preston realizes he’s not good enough for someone like her.
But Amanda believes there is more to Preston than his bad boy persona, and she is determined to unearth what he’s hiding behind his seductive blue eyes—secrets that could explain his actions. Secrets Amanda might not be able to forgive. Yet the dangerous attraction persists...and neither Preston nor Amanda is going to deny it.
It's Amanda and Preston's turn to find love in Just For Now, the fourth book in Abbi Glines' Sea Breeze series. I swear, this woman can do no wrong. Even the characters that are not really my favorites somehow end up worming their way into my heart, and it's all her fault.
Preston is a professional man-slut - VERY literally. He's convinced he's not worth much because he comes from the wrong side of the tracks, he never knew his dad and his mom is a druggie who can't take care of Preston's younger siblings. Amanda has had a crush on Preston ever since they were kids. He's her brother Marcus' best friend, and is convinced he will never see her as anything more than "the little sister." One night, that all changes. But, is that one night going to be enough to change everything?
There is much more to Preston than what meets the eye. On the surface, he's the life-of-the party, carefree playboy who has no problem finding a girl to take home with him every night. He plays baseball with Cage and is best friends with Marcus. He doesn't take life too seriously. Then there's what he does for a living. Having sex is something he's very good at - why not get paid for it, right? (Oh, Preston... just... NO.)
But, my favorite part of Preston is all the stuff most people don't see. Like the fact that his mom is completely useless and Preston always has to pick up her slack. He only sells his, erm, "services" so that he can buy groceries for his younger siblings, get them medical attention and make a way for them to be able to do fun things in school. Preston is one multi-faceted guy.
Amanda is incredible. She has admired Preston from afar for years. On the night she decides she's had enough and is ready for him to notice she's not just Marcus' kid sister any more, Preston does the unthinkable - he notices. Things happen. Only Preston was drop-dead drunk and can't remember any of it. After that, Amanda writes him off and is determined to look elsewhere for happiness. Good for you, sister. Absolutely don't let your shot with the supposed guy of your dreams pass you by. But, if he acts like an extreme douche bag afterwords, move on, honey.
I get why Preston acted less than chivalrous. He's had it rough, and let's face it - he knew his job would be a big barrier in a relationship with a girl. I'll give him credit for making real efforts to rein in his whoring and lying once he realizes that Amanda is someone pretty special. His redemption is hard-won. It doesn't come easily, especially from Marcus. But, when Preston starts to catch on to what is really important, he pulls out all stops to keep Amanda in his life.
Despite all that, though, I still felt as though Amanda forgave him for, essentially cheating on her, WAY too easily, and that's a big problem for me. I get the lack of emotional involvement on Preston's aprt, but sex is sex, and if you profess to care about one person, you don't get your jollies from another person, no matter what the reasons.
Just For Now ended up being such a romantic story. It's told in dual POV, which was awesome when Preston finally started coming around. I loved this story and enjoyed reading about all of Amanda's and Preston's stops and starts. I love the Sea Breeze series and it's deliciously damaged guys. I can't wait to read more.
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