Book Shelf: Stay with Me (Wait for You #3) by J. Lynn

At 21, Calla hasn’t done a lot of things. She’s never been kissed, never seen the ocean, never gone to an amusement park. But growing up, she witnessed some things no child ever should. She still carries the physical and emotional scars of living with a strung-out mother, Mona—secrets she keeps from everyone, including her close circle of college friends.

But the safe cocoon Calla has carefully built is shattered when she discovers her mom has stolen her college money and run up a huge credit card debt in her name. Now, Calla has to go back to the small town she thought she'd left behind and clean up her mom’s mess again. Of course, when she arrives at her mother’s bar, Mona is nowhere to be found. Instead, six feet of hotness named Jackson James is pouring drinks and keeping the place humming.

Sexy and intense, Jax is in Calla’s business from the moment they meet, giving her a job and helping her search for Mona. And the way he looks at her makes it clear he wants to get horizontal . . . and maybe something more. Before Calla can let him get close, though, she’s got to deal with the pain of the past—and some very bad guys out to mess her up if she doesn’t give them her mom.

More info on Goodreads......


Review:

Stay with Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout writing as J. Lynn is another sensational instalment in her Wait for You series that features yet another brilliant couple with an incredibly emotional and beautiful story. Showcasing why Armentrout is so talented at weaving together tales of electric romance and chemistry, Stay with Me is a powerful story of real issues and real emotions.

There’s yet to be a novel in this series I haven’t adored, and Stay with Me is no exception. Jennifer L. Armentrout never fails to please and the way in which she continues to dish out addictive stories with wonderfully deep and relatable characters never stops surprising me. Stay with Me is in the running for top place as my favourite in this series, but there’s no doubt in my mind that this may change as I’m sure whatever is still to come will be just as stunning.

Stay with Me follows Calla Fritz, a college student we met briefly in Be with Me as a friend of Teresa’s, and it’s in this novel that we have Calla’s tale with this incredible novel unfolding completely through her eyes. Stay with Me sees twenty-one year old Calla return to her home town when she discovers her mother has unexpectedly run off with all her money and left Calla in a world of debt. Scarred both inside and out from a tragedy during her childhood, Calla is very guarded when it comes to letting people into her life and the last place she ever planned on returning to was her home town. However with no choice but to track down her wayward mother, Calla’s life changes forever when she walks into her mother’s bar and discovers Jackson "Jax" James behind the bar.

Sexy and sensual, Jax instantly see’s past Calla’s scars and wants to get to know the woman she is. With her mother in deep with some nefarious individuals, Calla is drawn into her mother’s mess by association and it soon becomes clear that those involved are willing to go to great lengths to track Calla’s mother down….even if it means hurting Calla in the process. Jax is more than willing to protect the brave young woman he’s beginning to care for and soon both he and Calla are diving headfirst into an electric romance!

There’s no doubt in my mind that the moment I met Calla and Jax I fell in love with them. Calla is one of those vulnerable but incredibly strong willed young women that you can’t help but adore. And Jax is not only sexy as hell, but an honest to goodness good man. They’re wonderful individuals and the dynamic they share together as they slowly fall for one another was electric to read about--some of my favourite kind!

Calla is someone who has been through an extremely traumatic experience and has been literally scarred by it. That one moment changed her whole life and the loss she experienced has stayed with her ever since. With her mother a train wreck, Calla has built walls to keep people out and it’s only when she returns home and meets Jax does she begin to truly let people in again. Jax refuses to let Calla keep him out and it’s because of this that this incredibly sweet, courageous and insecure woman starts to come to terms with herself a lot more. I really felt for Calla and I loved the way Jennifer L. Armentrout wrote her character. She was endearing, had a good head on her shoulders, but had vulnerabilities that you couldn’t help but feel for her. Calla went through so much, but she such a great character you couldn’t help but adore her.

Jax truly was the balm Calla had been waiting for her whole life. Cocky, cheeky and confidant, Jax is comfortable with who he is and knows from the moment Calla walks into the bar he wants her. He sees her for all she is and doesn’t focus too much on her scars---in fact he thinks they’re beautiful and the testament to her survival that they really are. He makes her see herself in a new light, and though he does make a couple of mistakes, he always does the right thing by Calla when it matters. Honestly the boy was hot as sin, and the fact that he adored Calla and had such a severe devotion to her was stunning and very, very sexy.

When Calla walks into Mona’s, the sparks between her and Jax are there from the get go. There’s an underlay of attraction that simmers between them, even as Calla struggles to understand why Jax would want her and Jax makes it clear he wants to be there for her, no matter what. Jennifer L. Armentrout writes their physical relationship soaked in sensuality, with the sex scenes simmering and even the lead up to their romance so full of chemistry. You’ll feel the attraction and desire between these two throughout the story and the sweeter moments expressed balance perfectly with the physical ones. Honestly, they’re just spot on as a couple!

Jennifer L. Armentrout completes this novel with a whole new branch of fantastic individuals who work in or around Mona’s bar including Calla's awesome "Uncle" Clyde. Roxy and Reece are the feature couple in the next novel, and I know Nick will be in the one following with Stephanie which I'm really excited and even Brock---they all seem so fantastic and I have no doubt they’ll tell fantastic stories. I can only hope Katie will get her own happiness at some point too.

Perfectly paced, electric and incredibly addictive, Stay with Me is a brilliant addition to this series and one that fans are sure to absolutely adore. The characters are beautiful, the romance is stunning and this story couldn’t have concluded any better---simply perfect!

Rating:
Source: I purchased this from The Book Depository
Format: Paperback
Buy it: Bookworld | The Nile | The Book Depository | Amazon
My Recommendation: This is a great NA series and I can't recommend it enough!
Cover: Very sexy and fits with the others perfectly.
Will I read sequel/continue with series: Can't wait!