Review & Giveaway: Caught Up in Us by Lauren Blakely

KINDLE

Caught Up in Us by Lauren Blakely
Contemporary  
Lauren Blakely Books (January 19, 2013)

Rating: B
Heat: Warm

Heroine: Kat Harper – Jewelry Designer, Graduate School 
Hero: Bryan Leighton – Cufflink Designer, Successful Businessman 
Setting: New York, USA

Miz Blakely is also giving away THREE ebook copies of Caught Up in Us to THREE random (and lucky) readers!



Synopsis:


Review:

Brian was butterflies-in-the-belly, my soft-and-hungry-and-never ending kisses. He was all the kisses I’d ever want. He was all the kisses I’d ever want. Because he was kind, and he was witty, and he always wanted to know more about me, and maybe that’s why he kissed like a dream – he was my dream guy.

When Kat Harper was seventeen, she meets Bryan, her brother’s best friend. Even though there is a five year difference between them, they have a lot in common. And, as they spend the summer together going to the movies, spending time in NYC, they both fall hard for one another. Kat’s plan is to go to NYU in the fall and continue her relationship with Bryan. But, suddenly out of the blue, Bryan breaks things off with her. With no rhyme or reason, he tells her that they shouldn’t be together. Bryan completely shattered Kat’s heart. And, as time goes by, Kat has never felt the same way about any man she’s dated since Bryan.

Five years later, Kat Harper is in graduate school pursuing her dream to expand her jewelry line – My Favorite Mistake. She makes cute, original charms to go on necklaces and bracelets. What she didn’t expect is to see Bryan in her class. To make matters worse, he is assigned to be her mentor for the semester. Kat tries really hard to get her professor to assign her to another mentor, to no avail.

The attraction that should’ve fizzled after so many years is still going strong between them. Bryan is still the same handsome, good guy Kat used to date, but now he’s all grown up running a very successful company making cuff links. The first moment they are alone together, sparks fly. In that moment, Kat realizes just how hard it’s going to be to keep their relationship professional.

I really enjoyed Kat and Bryan’s story. They have a great dynamic together with the flirty banter and sexy phone calls. Kat really tried to resist Bryan, especially since he broke up with her without an explanation. But, being around him reminds her exactly how much she still really cares about him. And, because Kat is the kind of gal who takes risks, she took the chance to go for what she wanted instead of playing the jaded ex-girlfriend. That doesn’t mean she still didn’t have reservations about Bryan. She still deserves an explanation. Not only that, being with him means she could fail her class since her professor plainly states on his website, “no hanky panky” with your mentors. Because of this policy, Kat and Bryan had to put a pause on being together, again. So, for the most part of the book, these two spend a lot of time having a secret relationship…on the phone. Wink wink. But when the sexual tension and feelings become too much, how do these two people, who are magnetically drawn to each other, keep their distance from one another?

This is a very sweet and romantic story about two people who get a second chance at love. And I love second chance love stories! Kat and Bryan are fun and relatable characters, who I admired for their maturity in the way they handled the relationship the second time around. However, I wish there were more of the flashbacks from when they were dating, to strengthen the reasons why they were still in love with each other five years later. Also, even though I understood and agreed with Bryan’s reasons for breaking up with Kat, what I didn’t understand is why he didn’t just tell her! I was baffled to say the least.

On a side note, I enjoyed reading about the jewelry designs and the steps Kat went through to pick out original pieces for her charms. I especially liked the part in Paris where she found some interesting pieces. One of my hobbies is making earrings and bracelets, so this part of the story was a lot of fun for me.

Overall, this story is worth checking out for contemporary romance lovers. I am definitely interested in reading more books written by this author.


Giveaway!

Three randomly drawn readers will win a digital copy of Lauren Blakely’s Caught Up in Us! Open Internationally. Please follow the Rafflecopter widget directions and terms and conditions. Giveaway ends at 12:01am on 1/27/13.

Please leave us a comment telling us why you’d love to have a romantic book affair with Bryan!

And don't forget to add Caught Up in Us to your Goodreads shelf!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

25 comments:

  1. Because I love flirty banter and sexy phone calls!

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  2. Not sure about Horse BUT Bryon from Caught Up In Us sounds wonderful.
    From what I saw on the previous post though Horse is a bad boy kind of sexy so that would work as well

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    1. Jeez o'pete! Thanks for pointing out my flub, Dione! That's what I get for copying a previous rafflecopter.... Fixed.

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  3. Because I love flirty banter and sexy phone calls!

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  4. Who doesn't want one?? Great Giveaway!!

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  5. Oh thank you for the giveaway! And great review! This book sounds sweet and sexy. :)

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  6. Sexy phone calls! I love the forbidden aspect plus they get a second chance. Thanks for the contest :-D

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  7. Amazing giveaway, really want to win and read the book!

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  8. Well what I have heard of him who wouldn't have a book affair with him? ;)

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  9. Because he's giving love a second chance and any guy that fights for love as my vote :)

    Thank you for the giveaway!! Will go put this tittle on my TBR list :)

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  10. I love book boyfriends! He seems like a total catch! :-)

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  11. not sure havent read it or about him..

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  12. He seems like he's totally dreamy! And, you know, it's a second chance love story. I LOVE those! Thanks for the chance! (:

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  13. I'm a sucker for great kisser...and how is it my man of 15 years doesn't like to kiss...so I could seriously could fall for a great kisser

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  14. Because of the sexy phone calls!

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  15. I <3 second chance romances and would really like to know why Bryan dumped her so cold.

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  16. I'm a sucker for second chances so I'd give Brayn one :)

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  17. I've been seeing the authors name on a couple of the book blogs I follow and would love to read her story.

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  18. Bryan sounds he's sexy, has a good sense of humor and kisses well ;) Just the kind of guy I dig! I've got this on my TBR list and I can't wait to read it. Thanks!

    tess_halim(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  19. I'm seriosuly stoked to read this book and Caught Up In Us, just ranked #956 on Amazon Best Sellers!!

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