Book Review: Taking Chances by Molly McAdams.

Product details:
Publisher: Self-Published
 eBook, 331 pages.
Release date: September 1st 2012
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 17+ || New Adult
Source: Purchased.

Eighteen year old Harper has grown up under her career Marine of a father's thumb. Ready to live life her own way and experience things she's only ever heard of from the jarheads in her father's unit; she's on her way to college at San Diego State University.

Thanks to her new roommate, Harper is introduced to a world of parties, gorgeous guys, family and emotions. Some she wasn't expecting yet, and others she never knew she was missing.

She finds herself being torn in two as she quickly falls in love with her boyfriend Brandon, and her roommate's brother Chase. Covered in tattoos, known for fighting in the Underground and ridiculously muscled...they're exactly what she was always warned to stay away from, but just what she needs. Despite their dangerous looks and histories, both adore and would do anything for Harper, including stepping back if it means she's happy.

Her first year away is turning out to be near perfect, but one weekend of giving in to heated passion will change everything.

An addictive read that will touch you to the core, Taking Chances by Molly McAdams is an impossible-to-put-down tale of special friendships, first-time love and life-changing choices.

Eighteen year old Harper has never had a boyfriend.  She’s never dated. Heck, she’s never been kissed.  That’s because Harper has lived a life of constant rules and regulations under the watchful eye of her father, a Marine, who never showed her any love at all. But now, with college on the horizon Harper is finally moving on from her old life.  In Harper’s world college equates freedom and she’s determined to live her new life to the full.  She wants more than anything to experience all that she missed out on growing up. Finally it’s time to have some fun.

 Thankfully, Harper’s college experience gets off to a great start when she meets Bree, roommate extraordinaire and the best friend a girl could hope for. Bree takes Harper under her wing and into her world.  And what a world it is.  Bree’s world is a whirlwind of hot guys and parties, and, more importantly for Harper, Bree’s world also contains one very tattooed, very hot older brother, in the form of Chase.  Chase is the kind of guy Harper’s dad would hate her to ever hook up with, and while Harper knows Chase is trouble, and hell knows the guy can be an ass, there’s just something about him.  He drives Harper crazy with his behavior and yet she finds him hard to resist. But resist she must, because while Harper hasn’t had much, well, any, experience with guys, she knows trouble when she sees it, and she knows that this guy is no good for her.

But Brandon, Chase’s roommate just might be.  Also tattooed, also with a body to die for, Brandon is sweet on Harper from the get go.  He has none of Chase’s bad attitude or his snarky retorts.  Brandon is dreamy and Harper falls fast.  These two quickly become a couple and they are so happy and so in love, that it’s impossible to think that anything or anyone might come between them. But right there in the background is Chase, the guy Harper can’t get out of her head. As she gets to know Chase, Harper soon finds out there is so much more to him than just his bad boy attitude. And when Chase makes it clear he’s into her too, she’s totally torn.  What’s a girl to do?

Right about now you might have started thinking that Taking Chancesis just a typical love-triangle with a predicable outcome. It’s not, and I can guarantee that Taking Chances will shock and surprise as it takes you on an emotional rollercoaster of a ride with some major twists to boot. That’s all I’m going to say about that, but safe to say this book will suck you right in, and I, for one, could not put it down until I was done.  The best thing about Taking Chances is that it has stayed with me. I lived and breathed these characters and I’m still thinking about them now a whole two weeks on from reading the book.

 Taking Chances is a book that covers a whole spectrum of emotions and the highs and lows of life. This book will warm your heart, make you laugh and leave you in tears. Molly McAdams is a great storyteller with an engaging style, and even better, she writes the hottest guys and the steamiest make-out scenes!  If you’re looking for a great book to add to your ‘New Adult’ shelf, then make it this. Recommended. 

If you'd like to find out more about Molly McAdams and Taking Chances, read my interview: HERE.