For Everly by Raine Thomas (4.5 stars)

About For Everly

Determined to overcome a dark and tragic past, college student Everly Wallace is only months away from earning her degree in physical therapy. She’s consumed with school, caring for her ailing grandfather, and figuring out how to pay the next bill. The last thing she wants is a relationship, but it just might be the one thing she needs.
 

Major League pitcher Cole Parker hasn’t fought for anything in his life. He went from a privileged upbringing to a multimillion dollar All-Star career. But when his pitching shoulder starts to give him trouble at only twenty-four years old, he faces the possibility of his injury becoming public knowledge and costing him everything.

 

In a desperate bid to save his career, Cole decides to hire someone to treat his injury, someone who will keep things off the record and out of the media. He finds the perfect solution in Everly. As mysterious as she is beautiful, she provides an enticing distraction from his pain. Soon, physical therapy is the last thing on his mind.

 

When an act of betrayal brings the truths they both fear to light, Cole will have to fight for the first time in his life…not just for his career, but for Everly’s love.

 

Review

Usually I summarize the book, give my thoughts, and then wrap up with a conclusion suggesting why a reader should or should not pick up the book.

But there was so much I loved about For Everly that I thought I'd skip right to the gushing.

Memorable Characters

Everly is a multi-dimensional character.  She's strong, determined, resilient, and focused. And she is all these things after some very traumatic events and devastating losses. My heart broke for her. When she finally told Cole what had happened to her, I could barely see the pages for the tears.

Cole is sexy and charming. At first he seems a bit shallow for Everly, but he definitely grew on me. It didn't hurt that he was surrounded by an amazing family and entertaining friends. In the beginning, he came across as a screw up. But, by the end, he was willing to fight for love.

Heat

I found Cole and Everly simply combustible. There's a photo shot scene with amazing sexual tension. Lately, so many of the books I've read had detailed sex scenes but something was lost in the emotional tension part of it. Not here.

Powerful Story

Kudos to Raine Thomas for creating a powerful story and tackling such an intense topic as depression. What happens to Everly's brother and mother is simply heartbreaking. Then to see how it affected Everly... well, I mentioned the tears already.

In addition to memorable characters, heat, and a powerful story--as if that wasn't enough--I appreciated that this book wasn't predictable. A couple of times I thought a romance stereotype was looming, but then it went a different direction.

Big thumbs up!

Rating: 4.5 stars

About the Author

Raine Thomas is the award-winning author of a series of YA Fantasy/Romance novels about the Estilorian plane, including the Daughters of Saraqael Trilogy and the Firstborn Trilogy, and a New Adult Contemporary Romance, For Everly. She is a proud member of Romance Writers of America and is a contributing blogger to The Writer’s Voice. When she isn’t planning weddings, writing, or glued to social networking sites, she can usually be found on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches with her husband and daughter or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.

Website | Twitter | Facebook |Goodreads | Pinterest

Please visit other tour stops on the For Everly blog tour page.

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. No other compensation was received. A positive review was not guaranteed or requested; the views expressed are my own.