Page Princess: USED by Lynetta Halat

Title: USED

Series: Unlovable, #1

Author: Lynetta Halat

Publish Date: 01.19.14

Publisher: Lynetta Halat

Category /Genre: New Adult Romance

Recommended for: 18+ due to sexual content

Grammar/editing: B – a few small errors – book received as an unedited ARC / errors excused

Received from: Lynetta Halat (in exchange for an honest review)

Tour by: Love Between the Sheets

Goodreads: Used

Date completed: 02.04.14

Description from the publisher:

I am a slut. No worries. I've come to terms with it, and you will too. I’m not one of those girls who thinks she’s too plain, too fat, too skinny, too shy … no, I don’t have that kind of luck. I’m the girl who knows she’s just right for everyone.— Denver

A reputation as Montana State’s favorite manwhore–with–a–heart–of–gold tends to precede me. But, I don’t do girls with issues, that is until this girl. It's this girl I want to fix. This girl I want to protect. And maybe … more. — Ransom

Being in love with the same girl your entire life isn't all it's cracked up to be. She uses me in every way imaginable. How does she see me? I am her perpetual one-night stand. No strings, no attachments. Just mind-numbing sex ... for her anyway. — Greer

Feeling like the life is being choked out of her in the small town of Anaconda, Montana, Denver Dempsey craves the escape that college offers … even if that means leaving her “best friend with benefits” and looking for a new way to forget. Thinking she's found the perfect hookup in Ransom, Denver's outlook on college is bright. That is, until Greer shows up looking for a second chance and Ransom's interest turns to hatred.

Love. Hate. Triangle.

Who's using whom?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shut Up, and Kiss Me

After a few minutes, Greer stretches out beside me and searches for my hand. Only his hand touches mine, but my whole being tingles. He threads his fingers through mine and runs his thumb over my palm. Something in me twists and splinters, shooting chills all through my body. My breath hitches in my throat because I can’t breathe around the knot that has formed there.

“You feel it too,” he says simply.

I close my eyes tighter, suddenly embarrassed by the fact that I’m not slick. “Yes,” I admit in a whisper.

“Look at me, Denver.”

Turning my head to the side, I open my eyes to find his blue-eyed gaze roaming over me. His eyes find mine, and we just take each other in. I want to say something, but I can’t think of one darn thing that sounds intelligent or even … sexy. Do I even want to be sexy for him? Yes. Yes, I do. I see stupid girls flirt with him all the time. I don’t want to be that girl, but I do want him to see me as a girl and not just his friend. Ironic, since I’ve spent my whole life telling him not to treat me like a girl.

“I want to kiss you so bad … but if I kiss you, it will change everything,” he says in that gravelly voice.

“Change is good,” I whisper.

Rolling to his side, his mouth is centimeters from mine. I can’t make myself move although I’m aching with want. But I haven’t been kissed—ever. And I haven’t kissed anyone since that time on the monkey bars in seventh grade when I stuck my tongue in Brian Thomas’s mouth on a bet. I shocked the shit out of him, and he didn’t even kiss me back. When the bell rang, he jerked back and hit his head hard, sending him to the nurse for the rest of the afternoon. Not my finest moment.

“I don’t want to lose my best friend,” he tells me.

I bring up my other hand and run it over his jaw. “You’re not going to lose me. No matter what. We’ll still be friends.”

“Relationships ruin friendships. We’ve seen enough of that.”

I shiver with that truth. “True. But we’re different. We’ve been together since before we were born. I can’t live without you, so I won’t hurt our friendship.”

Bringing our entwined hands up, he kisses my knuckles. “Me either. We’ll take it slow, all right?”

“All right, my golden boy,” I whisper.

The effect of my words is instantaneous; the blue in his eyes intensifies to boiling. He leans in, his lips brushing mine softly. “Denver,” he whispers against me. “I’ve always wanted to make you mine. Ever since I understood what that meant. I’ve never seen anyone but you.” And even though his eyes burn with passion, I hear a little tremor in his voice. Now, him always putting off those girls makes a whole lot more sense.

“I thought we were taking it slow,” I chastise, but I delight in knowing that he feels something more for me.

“I just want you to know that I don’t take this lightly. You’re the most important person in my universe. And I’ll do anything to protect us.”

His declaration unleashes a torrent of need in me, and I no longer want him to kiss me—I need him to kiss me. “Greer, will you shut up and kiss me, please?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Denver and Greer have grown up together. Born just hours apart, they have been best friends since before they were born. Denver's mother has a reputation as the town whore, bringing a succession of step-fathers and "uncles" into her life. At an early age, Denver began running the family ranch and winning on the junior rodeo circuit, but that doesn't prevent the high school rumors about her being like her mother. At college, she intends to find a new self, away from the gossips of her hometown. There she meets John Ransom. Ransom has already made a name for himself in the rodeos. Greer surprises Denver by changing colleges at the last minute so that he can be near her. Denver is left torn between the comfort of her best friend (with benefits) and the magnetism of Ransom. The night she is left devastated, she will find out who she can trust.

Denver has grown up with some warped views of the world around her. You can't blame her for that. She has had to raise herself. As hard as it is to parent as an adult, imagine trying to figure it out on your own. She is tough as nails, because she had to be to survive, but underneath it all, she's a child who was never able to be a child. All of the mistakes that we all make, without a nurturing parent, she blamed herself as her own failure… even when it is someone else's error.

This is the first book I have read from Ms. Halat. I found that she provides excellent writing and engaging characters. Like life, parts were funny and parts were heartbreaking. Have tissues ready. I have things I would like to say and ask of Ms. Halat, but that would be spoilers for ya'all. All I will say is "that" snuck up on me, punched me in the gut, and left me gasping for air! This was a bit of a mind-f*ck. I look forward to reading more from this author, especially the rest of this series!

Ms. Halat – your Google history must be unique!

One last word: John Ransom is mine. Ya'all can divvy up the rest of the cowboys.

Unlovable series: