Jude has spent the whole twenty one years of his life
running. From what, he wasn't quite sure. His mother tried to keep him safe; a
low profile, a constant move on the horizon, a week's pay always stashed away.
She tried to instill in him that he was special somehow, though would never
elaborate. He never felt different. He was so completely normal and vanilla
that he wondered if it had all been in her head. But then she was murdered and
all he saw was a running silhouette of a man as his mother said three final
words to him. Three words that changed his whole being.
Never stop running…
Now he's semi-settled into a big town. The college is huge and easy to blend into. It's been three months since he had to move because 'Biloxi',
Never stop running…
Now he's semi-settled into a big town. The college is huge and easy to blend into. It's been three months since he had to move because 'Biloxi',
as he calls
the man who killed his mother, found him once more.
Then Marley, an eighteen year old girl who is as infuriating as she is blissfully ignorant of her gorgeousness, smashes into his car with hers. Then smashes into his life as he realizes that whatever it is he has that Biloxi wants, she has it, too. And now, they're after them both.
Then Marley, an eighteen year old girl who is as infuriating as she is blissfully ignorant of her gorgeousness, smashes into his car with hers. Then smashes into his life as he realizes that whatever it is he has that Biloxi wants, she has it, too. And now, they're after them both.
This is the first Shelly Crane book I have had the pleasure
of reading, and after finishing this one
I will definitely be going back for more.
Smash into you is the story of two people who are seemingly randomly thrown into each other’s lives at just the
right time.
I really liked both of the main characters in this
book. Jude is a great mixture of
tortured and emotionally unavailable, until he meets Marley. He is hot as hell and all the girls want him,
but he never gets attached. He
can’t. He’s always running, but because
of uncontrollable circumstances Marley is more or less thrust in his life. She is different than most girls. Marley is very strong despite or horrific
past. Their relationship grows the more time
they spend together, and they both see a wonderful hidden side to each
other. They also both get away with some
witty banter between the two that I loved.
This book is more than just a romance. There is the mystery that is both of the main
characters’ lives. When reading the
synopsis I thought this book might be a paranormal book, but it is not. Jude only know he must always keep running,
and Marley knows very little of where she came from or why she was dealt the
life she had. These unknowns are some of
the things that make this a great book. We get to find out all these things
through-out the book.
While this book is bit young for my taste, I still really
enjoyed it, and it was written very well.
It is a YA book to me, but it was definitely intriguing throughout the
book . Not only did the progression of
the romance keep my attention but the unknowns as well. The main characters are both likable and I
loved the epilogue. It gave a great
ending to this story. There was one more scene I was hoping for, but even
without it the epilogue was satisfying.
.jpg)
I showed up to work
with exactly thirty-seven seconds to spare. I blamed
gorgeous-crash-into-me-girl. I swore my truck was acting funny and I had no
cash to fix it.
I nodded to Pepe, the owner, and
winked at Mesha, the wife of the owner. She giggled behind her hand, and so our
day began just like every other day. Pepe owned a feed store and the guy had
muscles the size of tangerines. So, that was my job description. In fact, on
occasion, he even called me that instead of-
"Hey, we need muscle up
here!"
I shook my head.
"Yep!"
I trotted up front to help the
dude in duds load thirteen bags of chicken feed. It wasn't a glamorous job by
any means, and the pay was caca, but
it kept me fit and busy. That was what I needed. If I had to up and leave, I
wouldn't be leaving the guy in a jam because guys like me were a dime a dozen.
The day wore on and at punch-out
time, I felt a familiar hand reach across my back. Slither was more like it.
"Hey, Jude."
"Mesha," I mumbled
back without turning and rolled my annoyed eyes. Were all women the same? They
never wanted me for anything but a good time and then see ya later. Which was
great for my life, but dang did it get old. Especially since the tune never
changed.
"Pepe's playing cards
tonight." The insinuation hissed from her lips in what I'm sure she
thought was a sexy whisper. It made my skin crawl.
"That's great for
him." I grabbed my metal lunchbox and turned the other way, the long way
around the back, but it was worth it to evade her.
"That's it?" she
practically yelled. "I thought you'd jump on it?"
I stopped. Dang. She just caught
me on a wrong day. I turned. "Why? Because of what you've got between your
legs? Honey, there's a hundred girls on speed dial. Sorry. I'm a busy
guy."
And wait for it..."You're
such an ass, Jude! I was just testing you anyway!"
I waved above my head and kept
going. Women. Typical.
I threw my lunchbox through the
open truck window and prayed the truck would start as I climbed in. She
sputtered, but held out, I'll give her that. I tapped and rubbed the dash.
"Come on, girl. Come on."
She cranked and I drove straight
to the auto parts place. I popped the hood and waved away the heated smoke. I
sighed and closed my eyes. Mother...this was going to cost a paycheck to fix,
which I didn't have to spare. I went inside and priced a radiator. I almost
punched the man in his teeth when he told me the price. "Are they made
with titanium now and I'm just out of the loop?"
"Economy's bad for
everyone, son."
I held the counter with both
hands and hung my head. "Well...dang."
"Look, uh, I might need a
little help here tomorrow. If you come help me for the day, I'll take half off
the radiator, all right?"
I looked up, unable to stop the
incredulous look. People didn't do good deeds for nothing. It just wasn't the
world we lived in any longer. But I looked up into the older man's eyes and saw
that he was serious. There was a story there. A son, maybe, a nephew, he was
trying to make up for. I didn't want to know. I didn't want to get attached.
"You serious?"
"Dead," he countered.
I spoke slowly, "OK. I can
be here at around two when I get off from my job. That all right?"
"Yep. I need some help stocking
the shelves, so that's perfect. I'll work you a full eight hours," he
warned.
"It's worth it." I
swallowed and hesitated. "Thank you."
"Sure thing, son."
I nodded and turned to head back
to my busted truck, not real sure what to think. But for now, I'd take it.
Shelly
is a NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY bestselling YA author from a small town in
Georgia and loves everything about the south. She is wife to a fantastical
husband and stay at home mom to two boisterous and mischievous boys who keep
her on her toes. She loves paperbacks, coffee, and candy
No comments:
Post a Comment