Kassiah

1-1/2 stars.

This review also appears on Steamy Guys After Dark.

I love New Adult, and watching characters make decisions that guide them from childhood to adults is one of my favorite parts about the genre. Hopeless for You had the potential to display that transition for both of the main characters. Unfortunately, it fell flat and left us with a watered down storyline and characters whose actions made little sense.

A week after proposing, college sophomore Ash Jensen's high-school sweetheart was killed in an accident, leaving her devastated and unable to even think of being with anyone else. Despite her parents' insistence that she be pre-med, she really wants to be a veterinarian and drags her friend to British Columbia, Canada to intern and study falcons. While there, she meets bad-boy loner conservationist Kade Gyllenhahl, who seems to be the total opposite of who Ash would ever go for.

Sparks immediately fly and there's definitely flirting going on, but a strict no-fraternization policy, along with both of them being afraid to take a chance, keep things at bay--until Ash and Kade end up alone for days after trekking through the forest to tend to some falcon habitats. Things happen.

...I wanted to reach out and hold her in my arms.

I could lose myself in those eyes.

I could lose myself in her.

It felt like I'd known her all my life. That I'd been waiting all these years to be united with the girl I was meant to be with since I was born.

When they get back to civilization, there's more hot and cold and then...the story ends. Pretty abruptly and with no clear idea of what's really going to happen or any of the loose ends tied up.

I liked parts of this book. The scenery was beautiful and Hill's descriptions made me feel like I was right there with them. The parts that I didn't like, however, far outweighed what I did like. Both Ash and Kade flip-flopped on the way they were feeling so fast and frequently, I thought I'd get whiplash. One moment they love each other, the next moment they have to stay away, one moment they're no good for each other, the next moment they want to get married. It was so much, even they noticed it.

"I don't get it. One second you're giving me a look like you'll eat me up and the next you're cold as ice. What is it with you?"

There are some words that I could have done without reading, like areola, vajayjay, moist slit, and labia. I hated her friend, Gina, and thought that her reactions were unrealistic, too. There were just so many things that didn't add up. This is without a doubt that would have benefited from having a professional editor. This book mentions having one, Bev Rosenbaum, and I hope for the sake of any writers that hire her that her advice was not followed, rather than non-existent. Authors, please get an editor who will actually edit your work!

The part that I hated the worst was by far the lemon. I don't want to spoil all the things, but Kade's knee was dislocated. Now, I've dislocated my knee twice and all I have to say is Kade is a better man than I am. LOL Add to that the fact that even though condoms were mentioned, they were only addressed as protection from pregnancy. Ash was concerned about Kade being a man-whore the entire book, and suddenly, they're not worried about that. There were some medical things that didn't make sense to me, like the fact that Ash knew how to make and effectively use a splint but didn't know that you're not supposed to let someone with a concussion go to sleep.

Like I said, the idea for this story was good, and there was definitely emotion with these characters. The errors and lack of clear direction just messed it up for me. To be fair, I think have an advance copy, so some of them may have been fixed, but it would have to be a lot of editing for me to recommend this book to you.