Sunday, October 26, 2014

Review: "Epic" by Lark O'Neal


A GOING THE DISTANCE NOVEL Jess Donovan wants a better life than the one she was born to, but how do you figure how what you want when life has never been anything but a series of hurdles? A sexy series about figuring out what you want by falling in love, trying life on, and uncovering the secrets that have held you back for a lifetime. EPIC Book Three Every decision is an ending ... and a beginning Broke and close to broken-hearted, Jess Donovan doesn't know what to do with her life. She's lost her job and she's discovered that the man she loves, the charismatic and elusive Tyler Smith, has a troubled past that's left him damaged...perhaps beyond repair. Unable to trust him or her feelings, when her long-lost father invites her to visit him a continent away, she leaps at the chance to get some perspective. In dazzling New Zealand, her fortunes seem to be turning way, way up. She lands a lucrative gig in a tourism commercial, cast opposite Kaleb Te Anga, a guy who's Tyler's opposite in every way. When things heat up between them on-set, fake kisses turning to hot real kisses, Jess finds herself torn. Is this just a holiday hook-up, or something deeper? How can she feel so much for two different people, and how will she ever choose between them? If she gets that chance ... because her indecisive heart might mean she'll lose them both. EPIC is the third installment in the Going the Distance series. Read Random and Stoked, the first two books. Coming in Winter: BRILLIANT
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

So after I read "Stoked", I was totally on board Team Tyler. Like, I could've been voted president, that's how pro-Tyler I was. And I thought Jess was being extremely unfair by breaking things off with him just for keeping the whole snowboarding/parole arrangement thing secret.  But that was all before I met Kaleb.  And man, after reading "Epic", I can totally understand Jess's dilemma.  Choosing between these two guys would be a nightmare!  I have no idea what direction Lark O'Neal is going to take this series, but either way, I just have to find out!

Not only are the characters in this series fantastic, the setting is too.  I've always wanted to travel to New Zealand, but realistically, that is not going to happen for quite some time.  Seeing New Zealand through Jess' eyes, and with Kaleb as her tour guide, I could clearly picture everything from the cities to the beaches and vineyards she visited.  It was a truly wonderful reading experience!

There's a bit of a mystery surrounding Jess' past.  She does not remember much of her childhood in New Zealand, and wants very much to find out why her mother took her from her father and moved them across the world to the States.  While this part of the story takes a backseat to the romance/love triangle aspect, it was present enough to make me curious and want Jess to find all her answers in "Brilliant".  

In short, if you love the New Adult genre and haven't discovered the "Going the Distance" series by Lark O'Neal yet, get your butt in gear!  The first book, "Random",  is free right now everywhere ebooks are sold (oh, except Barnes and Noble, looks like)!  Read my four star review here.  

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My rating: 4 stars


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