BOOKWORM REVIEW: Tagging Up by Carrie Aarons
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
STEAM: 🔥🔥🔥
This book starts off with a bang (literally and figuratively). Clark and Anna hooks up at a bar (and in the car!) after a bad day, thinking that would be their last encounter of that sort.
Too bad it does not quite work that way in the land of romance fiction.
I really enjoyed this book. The couple's chemistry is so hot that it is almost unbelievable that no one around them felt it. The small details of their interactions, even when family and/or friends are around, bring so much heat to their connection. I was never frustrated with their emotional tug-of-war because there was always progression. You could see Anna's resilience and care slowly seeping into the cracks of the wall that Clark has put up for so many years with every interaction. In return, Clark's support of Anna's chase for independence helps her stand up to the many obstacles.
I especially loved that Carrie Aarons created multilayered characters that brings a new dynamic to the age-gap and secret relationship tropes. There was more to Clark than a stereotypical man who liked his independence and privacy and preferred to play the field. As we peel each of his layers throughout the story, we totally understand the full package: why he keeps even his best of friends at arm's length.
I thoroughly enjoyed Anna's fight for independence. It is hard to navigate around parents who are unknowingly emotionally abusive when they think they're just trying to help and keep their kids safe. Anna (and Carrie Aarons) does a phenomenal job in balancing between advocating for herself and acknowledging that ignorance and fear -- not malice -- are driving their intentions.
This was my first read in the Callahan Family series. While the books are interconnected, I never felt lost as characters from previous books were well integrated into the context of the book. This can definitely serve as a standalone if you want to read it first.
I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book.
Tagging Up is now available and is free with Kindle Unlimited.
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US: https://amzn.to/3jH3KoW
WW: http://mybook.to/taggingup
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ABOUT THE BOOK
All Anna Callahan wants is her independence.Being the youngest member of her immediate family, and massive network of cousins, she's always been sheltered. That ends now. After graduating with her masters in nursing, she's ready to move out of her parents' house, whether they support that decision or not. While wallowing in the guilt of that choice at the local bar, she bumps into the one guy she shouldn't go near.
A player for her family's team and her cousin's best friend, Clark should come with a warning label. Not only because he's the league's number one playboy, but because he's significantly older than her.
Unfortunately, they can't seem to keep their hands off of each other. That initial night together leads to scorching glances across public parties, secret hookups in hidden places, and way more than either of their hearts bargained for.
But being with Clark means lying to those closest to them. When their secret is finally discovered, it sends the already skittish bad boy running for the hills. And although she claimed to want freedom with no strings, Anna can't help but feel the sharp pull to be with him forever.
Clark Nyle swore a long time ago he'd never be committed to anyone.
After watching his mother ruin his father through adultery and abandonment, he knows that love is for masochists and he certainly isn't one. Baseball and living life like every day's a party are his only two passions.
Then his father dies, and he's forced to question everything. It leads to a barstool, too many drinks, and into the backseat of his car with the one woman he should never have touched.
Now that he's gotten a taste of Anna, he can't stay away. Even if their secret affair comes with way too many consequences. Her family owns the team he plays for, not to mention his best friend would cut off his balls if he knew what they were up to. Plus, he doesn't want anything long-term, and eventually he's going to break her heart.
But the more time he spends with her, the more he seems to want a different future than the one he always planned on. Until they're found out, and he's forced to choose between his demons and the disapproval of his closest friends ... or her.
Get Your Copy Today
US: https://amzn.to/3jH3KoW
WW: http://mybook.to/taggingup
Add to TBR: https://bit.ly/3fLxDDo
Meet Carrie Aarons
Author of romance novels such as Fool Me Twice and Love at First Fight, Carrie Aarons writes books that are just as swoon-worthy as they are sarcastic. A former journalist, she prefers the love stories of her imagination, and the athleisure dress code, much better.
When she isn't writing, Carrie is busy binging reality TV, having a love/hate relationship with cardio, and trying not to burn dinner. She's a Jersey girl living in Texas with her husband, daughter, son, and Great Dane/Lab rescue.
Connect with Carrie
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