Release Blitz & Review ~ Just Exes by Charity Ferrell

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

First things first – this cover. I hate this cover. This is NOT an accurate representation of what Gage looks like – there is NO WAY Gage is this skinny. Sorry, terrible cover. I digress…..

What sounded like a fun second chance romance was so much more. This was a really intense, gripping story of healing.

Gage Perry met the love of his life in high school. Lauren Barnes was his entire world, and she broke up with him with no good explanation, breaking his heart and causing him to move thousands of miles from Iowa to Chicago (the author wrote this and I laughed for a good 5 minutes – I live in Chicago and the furthest point in Iowa is hundreds of miles away).  Lauren never found love like she had with Gage again.

Fast forward 10 years – Gage moves back home to Iowa from Chicago, as his father is in bad health. He’s a police officer, and he’s called into a fire believed to be arson – and the suspect – Lauren. He arrests her, while whispering in her ear that he will hate her forever. It’s obvious right away that neither of them hate each other – in fact, they are still very much in love with each other.

Gage is an incredibly broken man. His story from Chicago is heartbreaking.  Lauren’s reason f or leaving Gage was not at all what I was expecting. I was a little shocked by it, in a good way.

Gage’s friends were hilarious. They HATED Lauren for hurting Gage and causing him to move away. His friend Kyle, in particular, was great. He called Lauren Satan.

The story moved at a great pace, and to be honest, I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it.  Despite their pain, it was clear they loved one. I loved how Lauren stepped up for Gage in his time of need.

I can’t and won’t give too much away, but this book is really good and I would recommend it. It’s a little more romantic suspense but full of rich characters you’ll be pulling for.

My first book by this author, and it will not be my last.