Thursday, May 12, 2022

First Love by Xavier Neal {a review}


Xavier Neal is back with a heart-wrenching second chance romance that is going to blow you away. First Love is the first book in The Love Duet, and it is simply amazing. This book will tug on your heartstrings, and you may find yourself trying to figure out how these two are going to get back together. I know I am!

Ooh did I fall hard for Presley & Ryder's story! Their story is filled with passion, and with a connection so deep that you just know they are soul mates. Of course their story is also filled with heartache and pain. This first half of the story dives into their past, and also shows us where they are current day. We see them as adults, and how they are trying to live their lives. For Presley life seems a bit easier, but Ryder is dealing with a lot and has someone walking him through how to heal, how to cope, and how to return to a "normal" life. 

From their high school romance, to their soul mate like connection, I just could not get enough. Ryder has this dark element to him that brought on conflict, heartache, and drama. Presley is more of the quite person who tries to blend in, yet her relationship with Ryder made that difficult to do. These two opposites held my attention throughout the book, and I cannot wait to see how their story concludes in Last Love.

Xavier Neal did a fantastic job of taking us from current day back to when they were in high school. We were able to witness everything that happened, and see how it is still affecting Ryder and Presley to this day.

These deeper books, the ones that hit a bit harder, are some of my favorites of Xavier's. They are what keep me coming back for more.

I need Last Love immediately so that I can find out how their story concludes, and to see just how they reconnect. My gut tells me it is going to be explosive, passionate, but also filled with a lot of hate to love moments. I hope that Presley does not make it easy for him to work his way back into her life. So make sure to pre-order that one, or at least mark the release date (5/26) on your calendar.

Thank you for taking the time to read my random thoughts on First Love. I wish I could have gone into more detail about what was going on, but I also didn't want to ruin anything for you. Also, if substance use (/addiction) is something you struggle to read about, maybe sit this one out. It isn't over the top, but it is featured.

Happy Reading,
Laura




Ryder Collins wasn't always this broken.

This bitter.

This miserable.

Once upon a time he was whole.

Happy.

Excited for what his future held.

So, what happened?

His soulmate walked out of his life.

Forever.


(First Love is the first half of The Love Duet. It does end up on a cliffhanger that is concluded in part 2, Last Love)


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About the Author


Xavier Neal is a best-selling romance author who enjoys hopping from sub genre to sub genre like a game of Hopscotch she can't resist.

In between writing, she loves to read (everything from romance to self improvement books), watch movies (old and new), eat too much Tex-Mex (her Chuy's t-shirt collection is out of control), and watch AHL hockey games LIVE (preferably against the glass whenever possible). 

She currently resides happily in Texas with her bearded husband "Lumberjack" and their two fur babies.


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Thank you to Xavier Neal, and DS Promotions, for providing me with an advanced review copy of First Love.