Review: Wicked Beginnings

Wicked Beginnings by L.A. Cotton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved the story line!!! This was my first L.A. Cotton book and I'm glad I read it. I AM DYING TO READ BOOK TWO!!! (I've already pre-ordered!) This book is not a cliff hanger but there's so much more to the story leaving you wondering. There is so much tension ready to break through and drama oozing out of the pages. With everything Lo has had to deal with, I felt connected to her heartbreak and need to self destruct. She fights her natural reaction to turn back to bad habits, but as a reader you can understand and relate to her. She's dealing with the trauma one day at a time and really can't look beyond the next day when it comes to her future. She's a relatable character with vulnerability, feisty attitude refusing to be anything but herself (not needing to be in the spotlight, wearing what she wants without caring who judges her), and her unapologetic imperfections on display through her actions and communication with others.

***

The last year has been the worst of her life. Eloise Stone has faced a life altering tragedy and now she's being uprooted from the only home she's known in England to move closer to her dad's family in California. She's not the same girl she was last and only time she visited before the accident; she lost a huge part of her identity. After spiraling out of control, she figured she could make the best of the situation and try to adjust to her new life. That was, until she came face to face with the one boy who made an impact on her last summer. The one she never thought she'd see again, Maverick. And if that wasn't bad enough, it turns out they're family...
Maverick was closed off last summer, but he's not the same either. He has so much resentment and rage radiating off him that you can't help but wonder what happened to him. They had something last summer, for one night she saw a different side of him. But he's acting like she's invisible or worse, like she's just another problem added to his list. But while the two can't seem to get along through their minimal exchanges, they also can't help the magnetic pull they feel for each other.

Moving into the pool house of her aunt/uncle/cousins was not ideal. Throw in her dad's constant disappearing act, she's feeling more alone then ever. The Stone-Princes may seem like they have everything put together to outsiders but her perspective shows differently. Maverick and his full sister Macey, aka her step cousins, can't stand to be a part of the family unit and are brooding 24/7. Cousin Kyle is the joker who breaks up the family tension using his charm and humor. But even that seems like an act sometimes just to keep the family from exploding. Summer, the youngest cousin, is quiet and reserved but is still learning to forge her own way while dealing with her overbearing family. There is a brewing tension between the adults and kids but no one is letting Lo in on the secret.
Hoping school would be a relief is just a joke. Although she found a close knit group of friends quickly, she's not wanting to let her full guard down. While Devin wants more than friendship, and her new friends are encouraging it, Lo knows she's not capable of anything more than friendship after the long year she's had. Plus she can't seem to push Maverick out of her mind long enough to let anyone else in.




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