Review: MAVERICK by Anna Cruise

Title: MAVERICK

Author: Anna Cruise

Source: ebook from author for review

AMAZON  GOODREADS

goodreads...

Kellen Handler is in deep.

Ever since he can remember, he’s wanted to be a professional surfer. And he made it, rising to the top of the ranks, traveling the world and riding every break he’s ever dreamed of. His good looks and reputation for living on the edge—both in and out of the water—have made him an international superstar. But when his best friend dies in a tragic accident, Kellen wipes out big time, spiraling so badly that everything he’s worked for starts to disintegrate.

Tour officials scramble to do damage control and demand he work with a public relations company to clean up his bad boy image. It doesn't help that the person assigned to him, Gina Bellori, has her own demons associated with the surfing world.

Against her better judgment Gina accepts the job and concentrates on repairing Kellen's tattered reputation, despite his protests and despite the pain it causes her. With her past colliding with her present—and Kellen in the thick of it—she begins to realize that some secrets can't stay hidden.

And suddenly, Kellen Handler is no longer worried about losing his career.

He's more worried about losing his heart.

My take...

Kellen isn’t a bad guy...just going through a rough patch and making some bad decisions. Decisions that have landed him in hot water, so to speak, with the Tour and now has to be babysat by his new PR manager. But as time goes by and he finds himself spending more time with Gina, he realizes he has feelings for her. And Gina realizes she has feelings for him too. So they have little surfer babies and sail off into the sunset to live happily ever after.

Yeah, not really. Both Kellen and Gina are plagued by their pasts and the ghosts that won't leave them. Together they face them head on and try to overcome it. But will they succeed? Will they be able to forgive themselves and find the happiness they so desperately need? Or will they come to terms that their pasts are embedded too deep within themselves to ever move on?

I hit the jackpot with this one. It had everything in a book I look for...an amazing storyline and two characters with a lot of emotional baggage to keep it interesting. I adore a book that evokes the emotions and this one certainly did. I was tore up over these 2 and felt a need to comfort them both. You have a feeling what is coming as the story progresses but when the revelation is dropped on the reader, you are not as prepared as you think you are. They hurt, the reader hurts, everyone is hurting.

I will tell you this...there is a happy ending. And I think it is a fabulous one. I wouldn't be recommending a book if there wasn't. I couldn't do that to you. So pick up MAVERICK and get ready for a fantastic book that I know you will love. Well done, Cruise. I enjoyed this book so much!