Layla Flaherty had the perfect life, or close to it.
Until a stranger gunned her parents down right in front of her, leaving her
with seizure inducing PTSD. After years of trying to pass as normal and failing
miserably, she resigns herself to being invisible. But new to town Landen
O’Brien sees her, and he likes what he sees. Much to Layla’s surprise, he
doesn’t freak out when she has a seizure in front of him. He does the exact
opposite, calming her until the tremors subside. But Landen has secrets of his
own. Secrets that both bind them together and tear them apart.
Scarred by loss, Layla leaves her hometown of Hope
Springs, Georgia, hoping to put her painful past behind her and start over in
college in California. When she runs into Landen at freshmen orientation, she
has a choice to make. Reinforce those steel walls she's built up around herself
or give the only boy who can keep her still a second chance.
Landen's more than ready to tear down those walls but this time when they come crashing down, they might bury her.
E M O T I O N A L
I fell into the story headfirst and really adored both Landen and Layla.I read the novella Let You Leave before I read Keep Me Still. I liked it that way, but it’s not necessary. I feel like the novella really allows you to connect to the characters on a deeper level. I wanted to soak up every little thing about Landen and Layla that I could. Young love is powerful love and you get to see that in Let You Leave. Plus, Landen is a sweetheart. Wait till you see how he asks her to the dance. Swooning just thinking about it! *sigh*
She throws a little dagger in your heart at the end of Let You Leave, but you can dive right into Keep Me Still so breathe easy. It’ll all be ok ;)
****
"Past tense used to place an action or situation in the past. Or in my case, tense shit from the past that just won't go away."
Keep Me Still opens up with a broken hearted Layla and Landen. Neither was able to let the memory of the other go after Landen moved away from Hope Springs, Georgia. They are both starting college and Layla just wants to get a fresh start. She’s just been given some bad news and wants to live her life without the stigma of her illness. She chooses her dream college. A few month's earlier, she was planning on going to college with Landen in Georgia, but since that relationship crashed and burned she’s getting the heck out of dodge.
The last person she expects to see on campus is Landen. She’s trying to move on and is absolutely shell shocked when she sees him. She can’t fall into him again. He has the ability to break her. Plus, she has secrets she doesn’t want him to find out. What she doesn’t know is that Landen has some secrets of his own. She has to make a decision. Should she let him back in or let him go for good? Could she even let him go if she tried?
You'll feel the highs and lows of Landen and Layla's inner struggles. What do you do when the person you want the most is the person that could destroy you? Or what if you know that you could destroy the person that you love the most? Life is short and no one is guaranteed tomorrow. I loved reading about Landen and Layla fighting for tomorrow. Their love was out of this world intense.
OH. MY. You have no idea how sexy this book is. Let's just say, you will never think of a cherry in the same way again. NEVER. Now, when I see a cherry, my mind goes straight to the gutter. WOW! It's not just sexy. It's funny too! I laughed out loud too many times to count. I was on the brink of tears multiple times. Plus, I was in lust land for like half the book. Caisey is the ultimate tease! She has you begging for more and it's always SO worth the wait.
Nothing gets to me more than when a characters health is in jeopardy. I thought I was going to have to go to therapy after reading this book at one point. It's so different from the Kylie Ryans series that I didn't know what to expect. I was thinking...."She's going to rip my heart out isn't she? No. She wouldn't. Oh gosh. What if she does?"
Talk about anxiety! Don't worry, Caisey doesn't destroy your heart at the end. You definitely want more, but it's a sweet ending. By the end, I loved the characters so much that I couldn't stand to let them go. What more could I ask for out of a book? It poked and prodded at all my emotions. It was amazing!
This is a novel that sticks with you long after you've finished. The writing is utterly captivating and fiercely sexy. I melted into the book and still haven't managed to peel myself from the pages!
Casting:
P.S. I think the novella's add so much to the story. In fact, I recommend that you read both novellas because you're likely to enjoy the book a lot more. PLUS, with this edition, they're both right there for you to read. NO SKIPPING!
MY RATING: 5 Stars
AUTHOR
Caisey Quinn lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, daughter, and other assorted animals. She is the bestselling author of the Kylie Ryans series as well as several New Adult Romance novels featuring country girls finding love in unexpected places.
Thank you so much for participating in the tour and for the precious review, Erica!! I've read it so many times I have it memorized I think! ;) Love my Gutter Girls!
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