Finding It by Cora Carmack
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Everyone deserves one grand adventure, that one time in life that we always get to point back to and say, “Then…then I was really living.”
Cora Carmack has done it again. Finding it is book 3 in the Losing It series and lives up to its predecessors. Carmack is a standout in the New Adult genre for sure, an author that I can count on for a story that has memorable characters and a story that keeps me riveted page after page.
Kelsey Summers is trying to find herself.
Her recent graduation from college has left her with no responsibilities and no plans. She’s taken to traveling, drinking, dancing and sleeping her way around Europe. You know the phrase ‘poor little rich girl’? That is Kelsey to a T.
Enter Jackson Hunt.
“Strong, stubbled jaw, delicious muscles, epitome of tall, dark and dangerous, big, warm, masculine, buzz cut, ex-United States Marines Crops”
Their first encounter isn’t anything to write home about. She spies him across a bar laughing hysterically at the man who is basically eating her face under the guise of giving her a kiss. When they finally meet face to face, their attraction is immediate, though Jackson is determined not to give in to it.
Jackson is mysterious… He has secrets … ones that he can’t share with Kelsey and though their attraction is intense, instead of taking advantage of it, he convinces her to go on an adventure with him. But Kelsey has her own secrets she’s not willing to share just yet.
I have to admit that I did figure things out pretty early on in this story, the secret that Jackson was keeping from Kelsey wasn’t hard to figure out. But that didn’t take anything away from this story itself. I still found myself turning the pages wondering what would happen next.
I was intrigued by Kelsey. It’s rare that we get a bad girl as the protagonist and she was all that and more. But getting to know her along the way, you realize that she is so incredibly self-aware, and you can’t help but cheer for her. There is a turning point where she wants to be a better person than she is, and for me that was admirable. Don’t get me wrong, you may not like her at all… she’s spoiled and whiny and sometimes… incredibly irritating but she gets better.
What starts out as a random trip for her to get away from her parents and her regular life eventually turns into a trip filled with moments of healing and discovering who she truly is.
Let’s go back to Jackson for a minute.
The man is sexy. And sweet, and protective and just plain wonderful. He will definitely give you the swoons.
So, Dark and Dangerous was really just a Prince Charming with buzz cut. That shouldn’t have been appealing. Normally, I couldn’t stand that kind of thing. But against all odds, I could feel myself softening, the edges of my will blurring
“You’re not horrible, Kelsey. You are vibrant and beautiful, and you burn. Burn so vividly. Fires can damage, but they’re also beautiful and vital and they can purify and give the chance to start fresh. You’re not horrible. Not at all.”
The chemistry between Kelsey and Jackson was off the charts and I loved it. The big issue though, is that while Kelsey is finding herself, and leaning on Jackson along the way… and falling for him, she never truly knows him because he can’t share the secrets he’s hiding. When everything finally hits the fan, boy it really hits the fan.
If you’re looking for something in the New Adult genre that’s well-written with intriguing characters definitely give this one a read.
Thank you to William Morrow and Edelweiss for the advance copy for an honest review.
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