Review ~ Bend by Kivrin Wilson

Book Description:

MIA

Jay Bradshaw. My boyfriend’s best friend. 

He was never supposed to be anything more—until he was. 

When my college boyfriend betrayed me and left, breaking my heart, Jay picked a side. He chose me. He stayed, and for the past six years, he’s been my rock, my anchor, my compass…

Now we’ve grown up, finished school, and have careers. Me as a nurse practitioner; Jay as a doctor. He’s been everything I needed, but now I want more. I can’t stop thinking about him, and I’m done hiding it. 

It’s time to find out if he wants me, too. 

JAY



A friend. Not a lover. That’s who Mia Waters is to me. 

I’ve tried damn hard to make sure our relationship stays that way. I’m the shoulder she leans on, the last one to talk to her before she goes to sleep at night… And after six years, she means more to me than my own family.

The moment I met her, I wanted her. But she belonged to someone else, so I pushed the need down. I didn’t take what I wanted. I’m not that guy. Her happiness meant more. 

Until now. Until she asks me a question that shatters our unspoken boundaries. Have you ever thought about having sex with me? Six years of keeping her at arm’s length, and I can feel myself starting to give in and lose control with her.

I can’t let it happen. There are reasons I didn’t get close. She hasn’t let go of her ex-boyfriend, not really. And she has no idea about the lies I’ve told her.

What if she finds out about me? What if she finds out who I really am?

And what will she do when I leave?

Buy Links:

Total bargain at 99c!

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/22OkB8b

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Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 stars

“Sucks to live with regret. Don’t be that guy.”

Kivrin Wilson is a debut author and to say that I was impressed is an understatement. Friends to lovers is one of my favourite storylines and it either works really well or falls really flat. Kivrin Wilson delivered this story with great character connection, fantastic dialogue and two incredibly adorable characters that you couldn’t help but fall in love with. This book was so well written that I breezed through it effortlessly, totally engrossed in Mia and Jay’s story with the will they won’t they push and pull that this storyline typically delivers.

“That was the best art lesson of my life.”

Mia and Jay have been best friends since college. Mia had her heart broken by Jay’s best friend and typically sides are taken, but Jay remained loyal to Mia and he has held her hand through her heart break and has been there with her through thick and thin. These two became best friends, they knew what the other was thinking, they did everything together, family parties, holidays and typically spent every spare hour together. Both had demanding jobs, Mia being a nurse and Jay being on his second year residency, but they always found time to text, call and just be together.

Mia and Jay’s relationship as friends was fantastic, Kivrin Wilson really delivered in making the reader believe that these two were actually inseparable, that their connection was the forever kind and that they truly were soul mates. Soul mates that had never crossed that line but life without the other didn’t bear thinking about. These two needed one another to survive and really it was only a matter of time before they realised what everyone else did, Mia and Jay belonged together together.

“I’m in love with Mia Waters. And somehow, that’s both the best and the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Jay knew everything about Mia, but when looking at it, Mia didn’t really know everything about Jay, there were obvious things he didn’t like talking about and Mia had just left it alone. Jay obviously had issues that still troubled him and Mia just wanted to be there for him when he was ready to open up, but sometimes, these issues have a way of coming back to haunt you and sometimes you just wish you had the courage to be open from the start.

“Life is filled with heartache, tragedy and cruelty. It’s shit piled on top of shit. I’ve learned, through necessity, how to cope.”

Jay was completely and utterly adorable, he was the worry wort, the sensible one, he tries to do “the right” things bless him, he tries his hardest to stay in control and keep his best friend as a best friend, but when the woman you have fantasised about for years suddenly says she wants more you are a bit taken aback. When crossing the line is mentioned for the first time I literally heard his jaw hit the floor, I felt him catching flies with his mouth agape. I felt his inner turmoil and this is what I love about friends to lovers. I love my angst and while this wasn’t over the top, you had enough to believe and enough to keep the story real and relatable.

“So in those six or seven years or whatever, have you ever thought about having sex with me?”

Mia was a fantastic character, she had no filter, says it how it is and takes no crap from anyone. But she had the kindest heart and was beautiful on both the inside and out. Her love for Jay was infinite and while it took her years to wake up and smell the coffee, when she does, you feel it and you cannot help but smile. Mia was a bit wild in her own way, a bit of a free spirit and Jay was her anchor, he kept her on the straight and narrow and kept her safe (mainly from herself), these two were ying and yang and they complemented each other perfectly. I loved this couple and was rooting for them from the get go and totally invested in their love story.

“I don’t think we can forget it…I definitely can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve opened Pandora’s box.”

Bend is a dual POV book, so you live both sides and this really helped nail the character connections, flawlessly written with such an engaging writing style I really loved this authors voice. If this is a sign of things to come I am itching for her next book, Kivrin Wilson maybe a newbie on the block but she has made her voice well and truly heard. Fantastic read, loved it.