In Which I Die of Swoons: My Roommate’s Girl by Julianna Keyes & Way Down Deep by Charlotte Stein & Cara McKenna

The day a judge gave me the choice between going to prison or going to college was the day I vowed to stop stealing. Never again would I see something beautiful and beyond my means and take it, just because I wanted it. Just because I could.

When I moved in with Jerry, it was with good intentions. I needed a place to live while I got my degree, and he needed a roommate.

Then I saw Aster.

Blond and beautiful, good, pure, sweet, smart…and Jerry’s girlfriend. She was everything I never thought I could have. Except…maybe I can.

So I put a plan into action. Yeah, I’d probably go to hell, but it would be worth it. I wanted Aster. I wanted her yesterday and tomorrow and every possible way.

But you know what they say.

Be careful what you wish for…because you just might get it.

Julianna Keyes’ books are what I want all NA romances to be like. They are swoony, entertaining and tend to be low on the drama. All that being said, I was quite nervous to read My Roommate’s Girl because I mean, it’s about a hero who has no shame and wants to steal his roommate’s girlfriend! Still though, I was willing to give it a shot, and lo and behold, I loved it! I think by now I should just learn to trust Keyes, because she can take even the most unpleasant scenario, and make me fall for her stories.

As you can tell, going in, I was very very wary of Aidan. Just from the first page, he gave off vibes of being selfish and completely thoughtless. But dammit if I didn’t fall for the guy as the story progressed and we got to know more about him. There was a lot more to him than reformed car thief, and I liked how complex his characters are. Julianna Keyes knows how to develop and flesh out her protagonists, and it was no different here in My Roommate’s Girl. Aidan was hard-working, driven and wants to make a good life for himself. More than anything, he’s willing to go to lengths for his friends and loved ones and damn if that doesn’t warm my cold heart. At first glance, Aster, is the complete opposite of Aidan. Sweet, wholesome and the good girl. But she has her secrets too and I have to say, I was quite surprised when they were revealed. But again, like Aidan, it really added to the richness of her character. I liked her a lot too, and loved how much she too wanted to change her life for the better.

I’m sure you’re dying to know more about the romance between Aidan and Aster, and how it develops. Well let me tell you. Yes, Aidan pulls a stunt that causes Aster and her boyfriend, Jerry, to break up. Yeah, it will probably make you mad, but Aidan definitely shows regret and he grovels hard! Plus, there was no cheating involved AND Aster finds out very early on about what happens. Despite not wanting anything to do with him, they find themselves around each other, and they start a friendship that develops into more. And what a romance it was. I was completely invested in them, and wanted nothing more than for them to find their happily ever after together. There was no denying their emotional connection, and their physical connection was even hotter. Keyes knows how to write sweltering and swoony kisses, as well as some very steamy sex scenes. What I love best about her sex scenes are that they are never gratuitous – they serve a purpose in the book and that is to show the depth of the relationship between Aidan and Aster.

There’s just something about Julianna Keyes writing that makes putting her books down impossible. You might have hesitations about My Roommate’s Girl, but I say give it a try. I bet, like me, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much you wind up loving Aidan and Aster’s story.

An erotic romance…told entirely through text messages.

The words he typed were never meant to be read, yet they found their way to her. Two wounded strangers, prisoners of their own lives, brought together by a wayward text.

Without ever hearing each other’s voices, a friendship blooms between them. Without ever seeing each other’s faces, an attraction grows. Without ever touching, the two become lovers.

But when words suddenly aren’t enough, will this bond be able to tear down the walls that keep them apart…or was it only ever fantasy?

I haven’t read anything by either of these two authors, but I was really excited to try Way Down Deep because it’s a romance that’s told entirely through texts … and I do mean ENTIRELY. Any time a romance novel has texts or letters or emails, I’m a goner, so I knew I had to try it. Way Down Deep was an emotional, heart-aching story with a lot of depth to it, and it completely surprised me.

The whole story was intriguing. In the beginning few chapters, you don’t even know who the guy is and who the girl is. I loved the way the romance developed. The two very lonely characters, Malcom and Maya, find solace in each other and develop a friendship. Both have heartbreaking backstories, that is only slowly revealed to the readers, but the amount of strength they both possessed was glaringly obvious from the beginning. There was an intensity to their relationship that I was surprised by given how they had never met, but I liked it a lot and Charlotte Stein and Cara McKenna had me rooting for the two of them.

I know that Way Down Deep is classified as an erotic romance, but I wouldn’t call it that. Yes, there are sex scenes that happen throughout the story, and yes, they occur through texts and were way hotter than I thought possible, but this was more contemporary romance in my opinion. The focus is not on the sex. It’s on the emotional connection that Malcom and Maya forge, and how slowly they infiltrate each others lives for the better. I do admit that I would have absolutely killed for an epilogue of sort, but looking back, the ending completely made sense given the context of the story.

There’s lots more I want to say, but I don’t want to spoil things for readers. This was poignant, addictive, and I could not stop reading it. Way Down Deep might be my first book from either of these authors, but it’s certainly not going to be my last.

Do any of these appeal to you? Have you read any books told entirely through text messages?
Let me know in the comments below!

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