Character Connection (1)

Character Connection is a new meme hosted by Jennifer of The Introverted Reader. The idea is simple, but fun: share your favorite characters! There really aren't any rules, except to be careful not to give away any major plot twists. And be sure to mention the title and author, of course! Be as creative as you like! For more information, visit here!

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One of my all time favorite characters is John After from Jennifer Echols' GOING TOO FAR, who from here on out will be referred to as Johnafter, as he is in the novel. If you've ever read one of my reviews, it's obvious that I'm a big romantic. I love all types of books, but if they don't have at least a small romance, it probably will not be an all-time favorite. Since I purposely look for books with love stories, I'm consider myself a bit of romance expert... and let me tell you, GOING TOO FAR takes the cake.

As ridiculous as it sounds, my boyfriend might have reason to be jealous of Johnafter. Well, if he were real. There is just something so mesmerizing about this character. I pretty much fell in love with him as Meg, the main character, did. He is so flawed and so - yes, I'm going to say it - sexy. I've never been one of those girls who swoons at a guy in uniform, but Johnafter may be my exception. Add to that that he is artistic and funny and I'm gone.

But honestly, I think the hottest thing about Johnafter is how absolutely perfect he is for Meg. That is really what makes me fall for a character. I'm a sucker for stories where opposites attract to find that they actually fit together as perfectly as puzzle pieces. And he loves her - despite how horrible she acts and how hard she tries to push him away. There relationship is not perfect... it's painful and terrifying and full of so much emotion it might burst at any moment. I was enthralled.

Some Johnafter related quotes from GOING TOO FAR:

"Vat have you been up to, Governor?" Skip asked with an Arnold Swarzenegger accent.
"The relentless pursuit of crime," John said. He pronounced crime with a long southern drawl and a wink. Then he burst into laugher with the rest of them.
Seeing him jogging at the park had cracked a window so I could peek into his soul. Seeing him with his friends threw the window wide open.
He was so nineteen.

His dark eyes challenged me. They were weapons that could hurt me. Here was the worst thing about them: I could tell that if Johnafter loved you, his dark eyes would be beautiful and friendly and warm. So every time he cut me down with a look that was cold and unfriendly and ugly, it was a double insult, a reminder of what I could never have. I found myself avoiding his dark eyes when I could.

I have an absolute favorite quote from GOING TOO FAR, but I don't want to share it here because I want you to read it yourself! :) For those of you who have already experienced the awesomeness that is GOING TOO FAR, flip to page 182 and read the last 3 paragraphs. Everyone else: go out and get yourself a copy!

Cover Alert: Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Forget You by Jennifer Echols
Publisher: MTV Books
Pub. Date: July 20, 2010
Summary:
Zoey’s life in her Florida beach resort town is happy and organized. She’s the captain of her high school swim team, and she works for her dad at his popular water park. Then her dad has an affair with one of his employees, and her mother has a breakdown. But Zoey begins a committed relationship with a hot lifeguard, which makes her feel stable, even if things aren’t perfect at home. Everything is still under control.

Until she has a car accident that she can’t remember. She should have been with her boyfriend that night, but he doesn’t seem to know anything about the accident—and he doesn’t seem to care. The person who does care, and knows more than he’s telling, is Doug, Zoey’s darkly handsome arch-enemy who saved her from the wreckage. As Zoey begins to piece together what happened that night, she finds her sense of control over her life was only an illusion. And she inches closer to discovering the darkest secret of all: why Doug has fallen in love with her.

GOING TOO FAR is one of my all-time favorite books, so I've been looking forward to Echols' next MTVBooks novel pretty much since I finished the last line in GTF. The cover art for FORGET YOU is just as compelling as Echols' last novel... and the plot summary sounds amazing as well. This book is definitely one that I will be rushing to the bookstore for. And devouring. Immediately.

Waiting on Wednesday (12)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine!

*Not final cover image
Forget You by Jennifer Echols (MTVbooks, July 2010)
Zoey’s life in her Florida beach resort town is happy and organized. She’s the captain of her high school swim team, and she works for her dad at his popular water park. Then her dad has an affair with one of his employees, and her mother has a breakdown. But Zoey begins a committed relationship with a hot lifeguard, which makes her feel stable, even if things aren’t perfect at home. Everything is still under control.

Until she has a car accident that she can’t remember. She should have been with her boyfriend that night, but he doesn’t seem to know anything about the accident—and he doesn’t seem to care. The person who does care, and knows more than he’s telling, is Doug, Zoey’s darkly handsome arch-enemy who saved her from the wreckage. As Zoey begins to piece together what happened that night, she finds her sense of control over her life was only an illusion. And she inches closer to discovering the darkest secret of all: why Doug has fallen in love with her.

Jennifer Echols' Going Too Far is one of my favorite books of all time, so you can imagine my excitement at hearing MTVbooks is releasing another of her books! Forget You sounds absolutely amazing - I have a feeling that I'm going to be rushing to the bookstore to get this one the day it comes out! I definitely have high expectations! :)

P.S. Sorry that this is up a day early! I messed up the scheduling a bit... :S