Roxy's Reviews: Review + #Giveaway: Relinquishing Liberty by Maureen Mayer

Title-Relinquishing Liberty

Series-Second Chances Book #1

Author-Maureen Mayer

Genre-New Adult

Publication Date- August 26th, 2013

On the outside, Liberty Davis appeared to have it all…a loving family, a tight knit circle of friends, and a bright future ahead of her. Everything was perfect. That is until her brother tragically took his own life, turning her whole world upside down.

Left to pick up the pieces of her broken family, Liberty is faced with focusing all of her attention on helping her parents cope with the loss of their son, while putting her own life on the back burner. But what no one seems to realize is that she is just as broken inside.

Now, four years later, twenty year old Liberty is taking back the reins of her life. She leaves behind everything she’s ever known, hoping to make a fresh start…one where she isn’t faced with the constant reminder that her brother is nothing more than faded memory. What she didn’t expect to find along the way was Shayne.

Tall, dark and tattooed, Shayne Thompson has developed quite a reputation for being a player. Despite everyone’s negative perception, Liberty still finds herself drawn to him. When she learns that Shayne knows all too well what it feels like to lose someone you love, she finds that they have a lot more in common than just a physical attraction.

When Liberty discovers a secret from Shayne’s past that threatens to tear them apart, she begins to question everything she’s ever felt for him. Will Liberty choose to follow her heart or will she give up the one person who finally made her feel whole again?

**This story contains language and sexual scenes, some of which may be unsuitable for younger readers.**

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REVIEW

I had a hard time getting into this story. It was only really when things started to heat up with Shayne, that I really started to enjoy it. However, I still didn't connect with most of the characters.

I've been reading many NA Contemporary Romances of late, and I usually really enjoy the somewhat exaggerated drama that comes with them, but at times it felt like this book was trying too hard, in a too obvious way. What do I mean by this? Well, the Maddie situation. I saw it coming a mile away, and it was really just a case of when, not if. It was too coincidental that Maddie never once got to meet or even see Shayne; she knew Liberty's mystery man was a local, but she never asked what his name was or anything of that sort, because obviously his identity would go up in smoke with him having such a bad rep and everything; and then, at the most opportune times, she interrupted Liberty just as she's about to say his name. Yeah, those weren't tiny little hints that something major was bound to happen, they were huge, neon warning signs.

Other than being the catalyst to the bomb that threatened to destroy Liberty and Shayne, Maddie had no other role in this book. Don't get me wrong. I loved her. She was fun and exciting. I just wish there had been more to her. I know every girl needs a great girlfriend to pour their heart out to but it seemed that that was more Brett's job than Maddie's. I am excited to see what lies in store for her in the second book in this series though, as I believe it is all about her.

Speaking of Brett, he was a little over-bearing and creepy at times. I loved that he was there for Liberty, and he laid his heart on the line for her on more than one occasion. I was just glad that he was man enough to accept defeat without becoming a total tool.

Liberty and Shayne were a fun couple. Liberty was a little flakey at times but I kind of understand why she acted that way. Shayne on the other hand was charming and sweet, nothing at all like bad ass player he was earlier in life. It seemed he could do, and say, nothing wrong. He swept me off my feet, just as he did Liberty, and even though some of his actions were a bit cliche, it was okay, because honestly, I love a man who is willing to do everything he can to impress his girl. They felt very much like a real couple, with real fears and anxiety.

Even though this book was quite predictable and the characters didn't have much depth, I was still entertained and had a fun time reading their story.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maureen Mayer was born, raised and currently resides in Buffalo, NY with her loving and supportive family and boyfriend of 8+ years. She’s always had a love for the outdoors, and when the city isn’t buried under snow, she can be found hiking, fishing, camping or lying on the beach. She’s a sucker for off-color humor, but holds a sweet spot for sick and twisted horror films.

Thanks to authors like J. K. Rawling, Stephanie Meyer and E. L. James, Maureen has rediscovered her love for reading. When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in bed with her kindle, diving into a steamy romance novel. She is currently working on her first new adult novel and hopes to self-publish it late this summer.