Monday, January 26, 2015

Combust by Tessa Teevan

 
 After years of being called a tease and then being labeled the Virgin Queen, Andi Kane decides that when she goes off to college, she's ready to ditch the labels. She's grabbing the bull by its horns and riding as wild as she can.
 
Fate must be smiling on her the night she meets Cohen Wellington, the cute boy-next-door and fellow music lover. Their connection is instant, and as the night progresses, she knows she's found The One. Only...it doesn't go exactly the way she had planned it. And even though she can't get him off her mind, some humiliations are just too much to overcome. She walks away, never planning to see him again.
 
Three years and a whole lot of experience later, Andi and Cohen are suddenly drawn together again, and it doesn't take long before it's clear their connection is stronger than ever.
 
Fate. Destiny. Kismet. Whatever you want to call it, these two fall hard and fall fast. Their love burns hot, but when their plans for the future seem to move in two different directions, will it be enough to sustain the flames, or will the fire consume them, their relationship combusting before their very eyes?
 
Sometimes love comes quickly without question, without hesitation, and without fear. But this kind of love is once in a lifetime, and sometimes you just have to ask yourself, can it really last?
 

 
5 I-drop-my-panties-for-Cohen STARS
 
Okay, you can go ahead and do it. Slap me in the face. Why haven’t I picked up a Tessa Teevan book yet? I do.not.know.why!
 
But my cherry popped and Combust was so AWESOME, adorable, CUTE, LICKABLE (yes a book can be lickable) and kind of realistic (which is one of the reasons why I loved it so much).
 
Things I enjoyed
 
College dynamics
 
Realistic expectations
 
No FLASHBACKS!
 
Totally cute moments
 
Romance and great character development
 
Rambling Thoughts…
 
Where do I even begin?! Andi and Cohen meet at frat party, totally typical for any college kids. It’s freshmen year and both are 18 years old. Andi wants to lose her virginity. She isn’t saving herself for marriage, but she wants to lose it the right way. Cohen wants to be a doctor. This is his dream and as a nerd he doesn’t have any time for relationships.
 
Andi and Cohen form a bond through music and go back to his place to hook up.
But! *gasp* Andi is just embarrassed by the whole situation and leaves. Cohen doesn’t even know her last name!
 
I love the way Andi and Cohen first meet.  Don’t you remember dating for the first time in college? I remember thinking everything was about myself and life was just dramatic! Because Andi and Cohen are pretty dramatic.
 
I gobbled this up completely
 
The first half of Combust has angst and yes, everyone knows I can’t stand it, but this angst just worked for me. It kept me on my toes and I just wanted Andi and Cohen to figure out their problems. Both are so young and so inexperienced, they don’t know what they want.
 
I loved reading the tension between the two and I semi was pulling my hair. Maybe not pulling my hair, but a little tug here and there (just a tiny bit).
 
The second half the book shifts and it’s a completely different pace. It’s unexpected, but yet again, IT WORKED FOR ME.  This was probably my favorite part of the book.
 
Oh and I love that Cohen is a nerd!  Yes, I love my dominate alpha males, but a smart dominate alpha male, well yes please!
 
The thing that worked for me was that Combust was simply about Andi and Cohen’s relationship. The ups, downs and all around. I love these kind of reads. It gives me fond memories of my past relationships and yes it helps me hold on to my youth.
 
If you ever dated in college, you can totally relate to this couple. It was 100% up my alley. I loved it from start to finish.
 
BUT you don’t have to have a relationship like Andi and Cohen to relate to the story, I feel like if anyone wants a relationship to work and strives to feel wanted and loved (even if it’s not the right moment in your life) then you can relate to Combust. Does that make sense? If not, sorry I digress.
 
Overall, it’s a great story, with a touch of angst, but filled with adorable, makes-me-smile moments.


 
She stands up and begins looking around. “She was actually just here about ten minutes ago, but I told her you weren’t due in until one. She said she’d wait, but I don’t see her.” She continues looking until her eyes light up. “Oh, there she is. I’d spot that beautiful red hair anywhere. She’s at the table in the corner, her back turned to us.”

 At the mention of beautiful red hair, my heart nearly skips a beat. I mentally ridicule myself. I have no idea why I still think every single redhead I see is going to be Andi. As I turn to see where Mrs. Marsh is pointing, I easily spot the redhead. I’m about to thank her and head towards the back table when someone across from her nods in my direction. Slowly, she turns her head, and as our eyes meet, I can’t move from my spot.
 
 Less than twenty feet away from me is the girl I’ve been simultaneously looking for and avoiding for the past three years.
 
 The girl whose mixtape has nearly worn out from continuous play.
 
 The girl I’m supposed to tutor and not five minutes ago I made a vow to keep my hands off of.
 Less than twenty feet away from me is Andi. For the first time in over three years, I’m face to face with her. My Ruby.


 
 
Tessa is a twenty something book junkie who is also obsessed with sports. Bengals, Buckeyes, Reds are her teams! She works for the government during the day, hang out with Air National Guard on the weekends, and has been married to her own book boyfriend for over seven years. They currently live right outside of Dayton, OH with their two cats.
 
 If she's not writing or looking through tons of photos of hot men, all in the name of research, then you can probably find her curled up with her Kindle, ignoring the rest of the world. Tessa loves  her sports almost as much as she loves her books. Tessa's other obsessions include red wine, hot men, country music, and all things Grace Potter. 
 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TessaTeevan
 
Other Books: 
Conflagration (The Wellingtons #2)
 
Ignite (Explosive #1)
 
Incinerate (Explosive #2)
 
Inflame (Explosive #3)
 
Sweet Southern Sorrow (Sweet Southern #1)
 



 
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

3 comments: