Review: Nine, Elizabeth Reyes

July 14, 2018

Review: Nine, Elizabeth Reyes

Synopsis

After years of gravitating to douchebag players with no more to offer than a wildly good time and zero promises, single mom Drew has graduated to dating a real man. He’s the responsible, mature kind—willing and able. To offer her and her daughter a real future.
Then along comes Nine.
More like a ten, is her first thought when introduced to the tatted-up, foul-mouthed, unapologetic player. The guy might’ve been her kryptonite five years ago.
But she has a child to think about now.
With every new encounter she has with Nine, she begins to realize there’s so much more to him than just good looks and his bad boy image. She sees a vulnerability in him she never expected. Worse yet, he’s sending out vibes that whisper of promises he’s never made to any girl before.
Is she willing to trade in Mr. Perfect for someone who’s one impetuous decision away from proving that her first impression may have been heartbreakingly spot on?

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Review: 4,5 stars

I'm not new to Elizabeth Reyes but I'm new to the Boyle Heights world. And although this book has a lot of the other characters' stories, you can read it as a complete standalone. But having read this and seeing what happens to some of the characters, I'm super curious to go back and read the other books to get the full story of their journey, specially Leo and Annie's.

Nine first appears as the typical bad boy, sleeping with a girl every other night, never having been in a relationship, arrogant, cocky etc etc.

Drew has a baby girl and is in a committed relationship with a nice guy who loves her and her daughter, but when she meets Nine, even though he's everything she used to want but now stays away from, she can't help but feel attracted to him. That night when they find themselves stranded together they have a deep conversation that stays with them both long after, and makes Nine think about his life and what he wants from it.

Nine stood at the top of the stairs, smiling. It wasn’t one of his usual wicked smiles either. It was sweet and genuine as if seeing her made him as dangerously happy as it made Drew to see him. The man was more gorgeous than she remembered if that was even possible.

These two keep being forced together due to having friends in common, and their interest grows with every interaction. They both know they can only ever be friends because Drew is in a relationship and Nine is everything she doesn't looks for in a guy anymore. But every conversation they share, touches Nine in a way that he subconsciously becomes the man Drew looks for, he becomes a better man. With every interaction, convo and touch they fall deeper for each other but there's always that slight problem - Drew is taken and she still sees Nine has the bad boy.

Only she's not happy, she doesn't really love her boyfriend, only how good he is for her and her daughter and that he has her baby's daddy approval.

“So was the entire wedding party told to compete with the bride and groom to see which couple could look even more hopelessly in love than them?” Tay laughed as she lifted a spoonful of beans but stopped short of putting it in her mouth. “Because I gotta say you two won hands down.” Nine stared at his mother as she chewed her food, still chuckling, and Dulce glanced between them. Hopelessly in love? He knew it’d been pretty bad—bad enough for Brad to get up there and practically get in Nine’s face about it. But he wouldn’t call what he’d felt holding her in his arms that night love.

After a very intimate dance at their friend's wedding in front of everyone, there is no doubt to anyone that there's a certain spark and intimacy between them, and that finally makes Drew realize that she can't stay in a relationship that has no real future. But not even after being boyfriend free, does Nine get the girl. Drew still sees him as the guy who she needs to stay away from, he is not the type of man to take home to her daughter... so she tries to stay away from him but Nine won't let her go that easy. He has something to prove. He needs to show her how much she has changed him and that he IS the man for her. And that in itself comes with drama, lies and doubt, lots of doubt.

“I remember.” Nine smiled, moving even closer to her because he was done keeping his hands and lips off her. “I said you were hot. I didn’t know you well enough then to know if you were beautiful. I do now, and you’re as beautiful as they get.”

It is not easy and Drew makes him work for it but what they share is so real, so powerful, it is beautiful to watch them even when they both have doubts and fight their feelings. These two were meant to be from the start. And I loved the slow burn, and the friendship they built before taking the next step. I really really enjoyed this book and everything about it. I loved the characters, even when they frustrated me and all I wanted was for them to open their eyes to what was right in front of them. I loved the plot and the love, oh this was such a beautiful love story. I can't wait to read all the other's stories now.

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