Tongue-Tied by Christina Lee (Franklin U 2 Book #6)

TITLE: ⟫ Tongue Tied

AUTHOR: ⟫ Christina Lee

SERIES: ⟫ Franklin U 2

RATING: ⟫ 3.75/5

BLURB: ⟫ Confessing feelings for your best friend takes being tongue-tied to a whole new level.

AUSTIN

Dex has always been my best friend, so it’s no surprise that we attend Franklin U together. We’re complete opposites. Dex is charismatic and outgoing. Me? Let’s just say I wish I could infuse some of his confidence into my veins. Making friends is hard enough, but trying to meet guys, even with Dex’s help? I’m useless. Maybe it’s because Dex is all about hooking up, but I want my first time to be straight out of the pages of the romance novels I read.

DEX

After a string of mishaps, I swore off helping Austin land guys. But when he asks me to show him the ropes with practice sessions, I get the feeling he’s desperate. Our dates are pretend, so why am I getting so into them? I want to make Austin happy, but the line between friendship and something more is getting really damned blurry. The fluttery feeling, that electric energy every time we touch…it’s addicting. I’m getting overprotective, not only of my time with Austin, but with douchebags who might break his heart.

Eventually, the pretending has to end so Austin can strike out on his own. But how do I tell him I’m not ready to let him go, when every attempt at confessing leaves me tongue-tied?

REVIEW: ⟫ This was a friends to lovers story in its’ most purest form. Dex and Aus have been friends for what feels like forever and despite their very different personalities and experiences, they are the very best of friends. When Dex moves out of their shared accommodation, they have to make more of an effort to spend time together and it makes them both appreciate the other even more.

Austin wants to move on with his love-life – or rather, start to actually have a love life – and as his best friend, Dex steps up to help him gain the confidence to get out there and find his man. What begins as a sweet attempt to help out turns into a series of dates and situations that make both of them realise just how much the other one is their person. But the big question is whether or not they take the risk on their friendship in order to have something more.

This was a very sweet story, with two young men who don’t want to lose what they have together who don’t realise how much they already share, with a group of friends who are rooting for them, and some nicely steamy moments. I received an ARC from GRR.

Making Waves by Christina Lee (Franklin U #7)

Title: ⟫ Making Waves 

Author: ⟫ Christina Lee 

Rating: ⟫ 3/5 

Blurb: ⟫ Alex Larsen 

 Remy Duval was my high school crush and secret first kiss, but he’s also so much more. A painter, a tattoo artist, my best friend Bailey’s older brother…and Bailey’s sworn enemy. 

It was easier to keep my distance the past two years, but now that Bailey and I are attending Franklin University with him, I’m only drawn to Remy more. I should be loyal to my best friend, focus on classes and swim team, but the more I see Remy around campus, the harder it becomes to stay away. 

Remy Duval 

My brother hates me, but that’s no surprise. I’ll take the fall for ruining our family if it means doing the right thing. But as soon as my brother and his best friend show up on campus, I know I’m in trouble. 

Alex is all grown up, and I can’t help wanting him, especially when he’s in those tiny swim briefs that emphasize everything. One kiss leads to more, and before we know it, we’re tumbling into secret, no-strings-attached hookups. 

But who knew Alex would understand me in ways few others have? And I think, just maybe, I understand him too. I keep telling myself it’s temporary. Alex doesn’t want to disappoint his best friend, and after what my parents went through, I’m not looking to settle down. 

Making waves is nothing new, but the further I fall, the more I drag Alex in the deep end with me. 

Review: ⟫ I hate to pile onto the character hate that I’ve seen on Goodreads and Amazon, but OMG Bailey!! Why was he given so much power in this book? 

I get not wanting to upset your best friend; I get not wanting to pile on to someone who is struggling with realising their hero isn’t worthy of their adoration – I get all of the possible reasons why Bailey was struggling with what his father did. But. What the heck – this man-child had absolutely everyone making excuses for his atrocious behaviour and was responsible for pretty much all of the angst in this book. So much so, that it was almost impossible to understand why Alex and Remy let him get away with it. Someone needed to tell him to take several seats and get a grip! 

The actual romance between Alex and Remy was sweet, especially the way they were both trying to deny how attached they were to each other. From attending all of his swim meets, to cooking for him, cuddling with him and sharing his art, I loved Remy as a character. I thought he was really sweet and deserving of all of the love. Alex – I didn’t get much of a feel for him, although the backstory of his sister and parents made sense of a lot of his thought processes. 

But unfortunately for me, Bailey overshadowed all of that and utterly ruined the story for me. Ugh – just, no.