Keeping Her by Cora Carmack

Title: Keeping Her (Losing It 1.5)
Author: Cora Carmack
Release Date: August 13, 2013
Source: Inkslinger PR and Edelweiss
Goodreads

Garrick Taylor and Bliss Edwards managed to find their happily-ever-after despite a rather . . . ahem . . . complicated start. By comparison, meeting the parents should be an absolute breeze, right?

But from the moment the pair lands in London, new snags just keep cropping up: a disapproving mother-in-law-to-be, more than one (mostly) minor mishap, and the realization that perhaps they aren't quite as ready for their future as they thought.

As it turns out, the only thing harder than finding love is keeping it.

THOUGHTS:

I may be alone in this, but wasn't exactly gaga over Losing It. No, don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't like it - I did enjoy it - but I didn't really find it that memorable. Other than Bliss and Cade's friendship, there was really nothing else that pulled me in. Losing It was a light read, funny at times, but I never quite connected with the main characters. While I did find Bliss a ridiculously entertaining character, I simply can't relate to her. She was supposed to be this awkward college senior... but she's not. Clumsy, sure, but awkward? Not really. Also, I never did understand just what the fuss was all about with Garrick. I mean, sure, he's British (and let me roll with the stereotype that British guys are the bomb), but honestly? That's all I remember about him. I can't remember anything else! I wasn't exactly sold on the relationship between the two either - there was just no chemistry. I don't doubt that they cared about each other, but everything was... bland. And for all the talk about the relationship being forbidden, that aspect wasn't really explored either.

And now, you may ask... why on earth did I read this novella? Simple. It's in Garrick's POV, and I do want to learn more about him. Also, I wanted to figure out just how Bliss and Garrick fell in love (you know, that forever kind of love, because Garrick did propose to Bliss - and again, I can't help but feel that the proposal came out of nowhere) because I was never convinced that they ever were, and a peek inside Garrick's head just might help me figure this conundrum out. And, again, while I'm not exactly this series' biggest fan, I do enjoy Carmack's writing. Besides, a trip to London to meet the rigid in-laws promises all sorts of fun shenanigans, right?

And.... sigh. Again, I found the entire read just okay. No matter what I do, I just can't seem to make myself invest in the relationship of these two characters. One of the reasons I still somehow liked Losing It was because of Cade, Bliss' best friend, but now that I'm reading a novella that has Bliss and Garrick and no one else, I found it really difficult to keep myself interested. Heck, I read this novella just last week and I can't think of a single scene to include in this review. Yup, that bad. Sadly, I still don't understand all the hype that the relationship between these two characters get, and since Carmack has stated that this is her last novel that would focus on these two as main characters, I might as well give up trying. On a positive note, I did like the next book in the series, Faking It, much better (though I did have my issues with it too)!

Rating: 3 Stars