Nickayla Quinn is not a damsel in distress.
Six months after she experienced a horrible betrayal at the hands of her best friend, her world is turned upside down. At the end of her rope, Nickayla can no longer go on... Determined to end it all, her plan is foiled when she’s pulled out of the darkness in a timely rescue in the form of Colin Westwick.
Colin never thought that saving the mysterious, drowning girl would be the end of his life as he knew it. Fueled by a desire to be around each other as much as possible, their walls come down and they let each other in, all the while battling demons that neither wants to share.
Nickayla’s not a weak girl who needs to be saved…she just needs to find the most important thing that she lost: herself.
REVIEW:
This isn’t the story of a boy who saves a girl. Though, Colin
does rescue her when he dives into the ice cold water to keep Nickayla from
drowning. It’s the story of a boy who loves a girl enough to give her the tools
she needs to save herself. The strength she needs to rescue him, in return.
One night changed Nickayla’s whole life. One deep, dark
secret she keeps buried that’s slowly eating her alive until she can’t take it
anymore. Until she’s willing to do anything just to feel alive again. Even risk
her life.
In steps Colin. He seems like the perfect guy, with the
perfect life. Guess what? He’s not. Perfect doesn’t exist. Everyone has their
own demons to battle. The question is, do you battle them alone or trust
someone enough to face them together?
I was impressed by the strength of these characters. Their
determination was inspiring. And their relationship, while quickly paced, was
believable and heartwarming.
Another thing that really makes a book for me are the
secondary characters. Sometimes I feel they’re even more important to the final
product than the main characters. Memorable secondary characters can add a lot
to a story, a new depth. This book has those, as well.
Besides both of their families, Nickayla has two best
friends, Brody and Michele. Brody may be a bit . . . overprotective, but all I
can say is everyone should have friends like them!
Losing Me is a
fast paced book that will keep the pages turning. It’s a love story that will
harden your heart and melt it all over again. A tale of fear and faith, sorrow
and support, loss and love.
This is just the beginning of the Nickayla Quinn series and
I look forward to seeing where Colin and Nickayla go from here. I recommend
this book to readers who enjoy YA/NA contemporary romance, but caution that it
does deal with some sensitive issues.
EXCERPT:
“Colin,” I said. “Babe, look at
me.”
His
eyes ceased the seemingly never-ending search and he finally met my gaze,
opening his arms for me. I clambered into his lap, reveling in the feeling that
his embrace was something of a safe haven for me. I closed my eyes, resting my
hands upon his as they wrapped around me, resting in my lap.
“I’ll
never leave you,” I said. “The only place that I want to be, the only place
I’ll ever want to be is right here with you. No matter what happens,
Colin, you’re endgame for me.”
“Endgame?” he asked.
“Endgame,”
I repeated, nodding. “It means no matter what, I plan on ending up with you. I
say show me the ugly, show me the uncomfortable, because none of it will change
the way I feel about you. I will be with you as long as you want me.”
I
tilted my head back, eager to get a look at him and his reaction to what I’d
just said. His eyes were peaceful, serene, something that I hadn’t really seen
in him since the other night with his dad.
“I’m
sorry, is it too soon?” I asked.
He
shook his head frantically, leaning down and kissing me on the forehead.
“No,
Nic, it’s not too soon at all,” he said. “It’s perfect.” He took a deep breath,
releasing it slowly as his breath made a whistle of some sort. “So you want to
hear all the ugly, huh?”
Was
that what I wanted? Did I want to hear every deep, dark detail that was hidden
in the depths of Colin’s soul? Maybe I didn’t. Maybe hearing about the things
and people that hurt him would be the end of me. But maybe, just maybe, it
would be the beginning of us.
“Yes,”
I said. “Whatever it is that’s in your heart, I want to know about it. Take me
there.”
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Jasmine Carolina is a twenty year old college student who
has been passionately writing from the raw age of ten. It was the love of the
Harry Potter series and the Chronicles of Narnia that sparked her love for
writing and all things creativity.
Losing
Me, book one in the Nickayla Quinn series is her debut novel.
She currently resides in Los Angeles,
California with her family and her two dogs. Along with writing, Jasmine has an
enthusiasm for books, musicals, travel, makeup, and anything involving beauty,
however, she’s not afraid to get her hair messed up or her nails broken.
