Review: Cora Carmack's "Losing It."

4 Hearts Review: Cora Carmack's "Losing It."

Amazon UK:   http://amzn.to/1oMFJ9G

Amazon.com:  http://amzn.to/1oRRaBZ

Synopsis:

Love. Romance. Sex. There's a first time for everything... 

As far as Bliss Edwards can tell, she's the last virgin standing, certainly amongst her friends. And she's determined to deal with the 'problem' as quickly and simply as possible. 

But her plan for a no-strings one night stand turns out to be anything but simple. Especially when she arrives for her first class and recognises her hot new British professor. 

She'd left him naked in her bed just 8 hours earlier.

My Review: Surj 

Despite getting mixed reviews, Cora Carmack’s “Losing It” had me intrigued. For a debut novel, it hit the New York Times Best Sellers list and the synopsis sounded interesting so I got stuck in. And I’m so glad I did. My experience with student teacher romances has been quite limited, fear usually keeping me away (would the student be really young? The teacher much older?) Definitely not in this case. For a start, Bliss wasn’t your typical young student and the age gap between the student and teacher wasn’t huge. Bliss was Twenty-two and Garrick only a few years older (big sigh of relief). 

“Losing It” was just what I was looking for in my next read. It was a light hearted easy read with lovable characters that kept me captivated. Yes maybe the protagonists were a little clichéd but who cares, it’s what gets us going. And Garrick definitely got me going. This guy oozed sex appeal:

Blond hair falling into crystal blue eyes, just enough scruff on his jaw to give him a

masculine look without making him too hairy, and a face that could make angels sing.

The icing on the cake? the British accent (not for me as I’m British but if that floats your boat, you’ll get the accent here). The cherry on the top? He rode a motorbike!!!!! (squeeee!!!). I just love a guy on a bike (fans self). But did he have the personality to go with the looks? Most definitely. Garrick was intelligent, he was kind and he was caring. When Bliss got mono, I loved the way he took care of her, even though he didn’t have too. But I did see a little “alpha male” in him too, that little possessive streak that said “I want you and no one else can have you:”

"It was just a kiss. It didn't mean anything."

"I don't want anyone kissing you."

"Garrick...."

"I know I'm being not being fair. I'm being a right bastard actually."

Yup he was being a bastard... you always want what you can’t have... right? 

And sweet naive Bliss, there were times she had me giggling quietly but other times really laughing out loud (so much so my husband threw me that... WTF... laughing at a book... really? look) but the girl brought humour and I liked that: 

“I mean not that there’s anything... not that we... I mean we didn’t actually.... um, 

the beast with two backs and all that.”

OH. MY. GOD. KILLLMENOWKILLMENOWKILLMENOWKILLMENOW.

The beast with two backs? Seriously. I’m twenty-two and rather than just 

spitting out the word sex I used a Shakespeare reference. 

Bliss was someone I could imagine being friends with. Cora portrayed her in such a realistic manner, making her so easy to relate to, she could easily be the girl next door. Part of the humour definitely came with the fact that Bliss was such a confused character. She struggled to make decisions in both her private and college life and definitely over thought things:

I hated not knowing things. The trouble was... as much as I didn’t want to be a virgin, 

I also didn’t want to have sex. The conundrum of all conundrums.

But although she may have been a little clumsy and naive at times, I did see a stronger side to her where she did stand up for herself, especially when others interfered:

“This is none of your business,” I told Garrick.

“It is my business when you both bring your outside issues into rehearsal.”

“You’re probably right,” I said. “Maybe relationships have no place here at all. 

It’s a bad idea to mix them, don’t you think?”

The relationship between Garrick and Bliss started off smoking. There was this immediate chemistry and part of me was hoping that it would lead to other things!!! Lol What? We all love a bit of sizzling naughtiness. But as much as it started off heated, it did slow right down. Well it had to:

Because the new professor had been naked in my bed a mere 8 hours ago.

Garrick was my teacher. 

Both Garrick and Bliss were under no misconceptions... this was wrong on every level imaginable and so they played down what had happened and chose to forget about it. But you always want what you can’t have and these two were drawn to each other like a magnet:

Cade was a great guy. And I loved spending time with him. And the kiss had definitely 

been good. It made sense to like him. I wanted to like him, but.... Garrick was the but. 

Could I stop thinking about Garrick? Stop wanting him?

I loved the awkwardness their interactions bought (again making their situation believable). And their dialogue felt natural, even when things were intense between them. I didn’t find myself cringing or feeling uncomfortable by their words which was a huge plus and a huge relief for me. 

“Losing It” was a lovely short novel with a story line that definitely kept me entertained. Although there was no real angst or heart breaking moments, this didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book as it still had its fair share of drama. It was well written with a story line that flowed and although told from Bliss’s POV, the epilogue did give us Garrick’s perspective. This is a standalone so you will get closure on their story. The epilogue will make you want Garrick even more!!! (definitely some swoon worthy, big sigh moments at the end).

I rated this book 4 Hearts. 

The second book in the series “Faking It” tells the story of Cade and Mack and is out now. 

Synopsis: 

Mackenzie "Max" Miller has a problem. Her parents have arrived in town for a surprise visit, and if they see her dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings, they just might disown her. Even worse, they’re expecting to meet a nice wholesome boyfriend, not a guy named Mace who has a neck tattoo and plays in a band. All her lies are about to come crashing down around her, but then she meets Cade.

Cade moved to Philadelphia to act and to leave his problems behind in Texas. So far though, he’s kept the problems and had very little opportunity to take the stage. When Max approaches him in a coffee shop with a crazy request to pretend to be her boyfriend, he agrees to play the part. But when Cade plays the role a little too well, they’re forced to keep the ruse going. And the more they fake the relationship, the more real it begins to feel.

For those of you who loved Garrick and Bliss, Cora Carmack is bringing out a novella this summer entitled “Keeping Her.” This one tells the story of Garrick and Bliss, a trip to London and a meeting with his parents!!!! A walk in the park... right? 

(Click on the book cover to pre order)