Em & M Books

Lyv is a curvy and optimistic girl who can't wait to finish high school and run away from her drunk mother. Emotional abuse is what that woman dishes out best in the family's Long Island diner.

Lyv's only support is her best friend Ten, a passionate guy from the right side of the track. But Ten has already moved on to college so there's only so much he can do to help her get through her senior year and then he'll soon be going away to study in Europe for a term.

When the Christmas holidays come around, Ten takes Lyv out for a night on the town. That's how Lyv meets Alexander, a talented rising rock star. Spark flies during this chance encounter. Just before the start of his first tour, Alexander shows Lyv how to welcome the New Year with a hot and heavy night of passion.

Life is finally looking up for Lyv ... That is, until she finds out she's pregnant.

With the two guys in her life out of reach, a baby on the way and an abusive mother, Lyv has some tough calls to make. Can she make the right ones?

Lyv and Ten have grown up together, offering one another support, friendship and the love that each of them crave but have never received from their families. When Lyv meets Alexander, Ten is happy that Lyv has found someone that loves her and makes her happy. Lyv knows that Alexander’s music is going to take him from her, but they cherish the time they have together before he has to leave on tour. When Lyv learns she is pregnant and both Alexander and Ten, who is studying abroad for a semester, are not available to help, she must forge ahead with all that is thrown at her…and let me tell you there is a lot thrown at her!

I really enjoyed this book and was drawn into the relationship that Lyv and Ten shared. It’s not often in life that you meet someone who you know will be there for you no matter what, and the depth of Lyv and Ten’s relationship was portrayed in such a way that you could feel the bond that existed between them. I was so thrilled for Lyv when she met Alexander – she was finally able to see her true beauty through his eyes, which helped her begin to heal some of the scars that had been created by the abuse she suffered at home from her mother. Lyv was a very strong character and it was wonderful watching her find her strength and see her self-worth.

I don’t want to say too much more about the book since anything more will be a spoiler, but I loved the emotions that I felt while reading Lyv’s story and the depth of the characters. I especially loved Ten and just how much he truly loved Lyv and wanted nothing more than for her to be happy – he was definitely swoon-worthy! The other thing about this book that I enjoyed was that it took place in the past – the book starts in 1978. This definitely impacted the plot and storyline, and it was refreshing to read a story where cell phones and computers were not a factor!

Although this book isn’t a cliffhanger, there are several things that are left open that will hopefully be brought to closure in the next book in this series. This was a great read that had me hooked from the first chapter and kept me turning pages all night!