A Dream Within A Dream: Going Under Tour: Review & Giveaway

Going Under
Author: Georgia Cates

Genre: YA Contemporary

Description:

Jessie Boone is a self proclaimed bad boy and doesn’t march to the beat of anyone’s drum, but his own. Growing up in less than desirable circumstances has made him no stranger to the hard knock life and his determination to leave it behind is fierce. When he finds himself transferred to East Franklin High School, he sees his opportunity to use his athletic ability to snag a college football scholarship, but Forbes Henderson, the player Jessie means to replace isn’t giving up his spot willingly. In fact, Forbes is willing to go to extreme measures to retain his place as first string quarterback. When Forbes’ malicious plan to injure his replacement fails, Jessie is furious and determined to show him he messed with the wrong person; not only is he going to take the position of first string quarterback, he’s going to take his girl, too.

Claire Deveraux is perfection at it’s best. She is beautiful, intelligent and unaware she just became Jessie Boone’s conquest as revenge against her boyfriend, Forbes Henderson. Like her flawless performance as the perfect daughter and student, Claire’s production of being the perfect girlfriend has everyone fooled, except Jessie Boone, and she fears this tattooed bad boy will see her secret desire to explore his crude threats and promises to rock her perfect world. If she decides to give in to one uninhibited moment with Jessie, will she learn too late that it was all an act of vengeance or will Jessie learn the taste of first love is sweeter than that of revenge?

Goodreads Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13380138-going-under

Review:

Going Under is the first book in a young adult contemporary series. It revolves around Jessie, who has had an incredibly hard life and has transferred to a new high school to play football and hopefully get a college scholarship to escape. At his new school, he meets Claire - a seemingly perfect rich girl who appears to have a perfect life. Against all odds, they have a strong connection that they can't ignore. Will Claire rock the boat of her perfect life to see what's between Jessie and her? Will Jessie's plan for revenge against Claire's boyfriend end up changing his life forever?

I don't normally read contemporary romance novels, but I'm glad I gave this one a chance. It is very well written and has a completely believable storyline. The characters are easy to identify with and I immediately felt like I knew them personally - which only made me root for them and empathize with them all the more. Jessie and Claire's story reads like a classic tale of star-crossed lovers - from different sides of the tracks and with completely different lives, yet there is something that brings them together. This novel was beautifully written and told in a way that really brings the reader into the story. I was brought to tears more than once - which doesn't happen often. The romance between Jessie and Claire was palpable and really electric - there was some mushy romantic things, but it was perfect for the story and only made it better. This is a great contemporary romance and a wonderful start to a new series by a talented author - highly recommended!