A is for Abstinence

by Kelly Oram

"It may have been four years, Kyle, but that doesn’t mean I don’t remember how you operate."

I snatched her hand as she reached to open the door to the studio. I wasn’t ready to end this moment alone with her. "You don’t think I’ve learned a few things since then?"

She smirked and shook her head. "New tricks. Same dog."

It was impossible not to take her words as a challenge. I pushed her back until she was pinned against the door and leaned in close enough that our breaths mingled. Her eyes snapped wide the same way they always had whenever I’d invaded her personal space, and I watched, satisfied, as she sucked in a lung full of air and held it.

"That mentality will be your downfall this time around, Val." I leaned in, letting my lips linger at her jawline for a moment too long before bringing them to her ear. "Same old tricks," I whispered. "New man."

With that, I kissed her cheek and breezed past her into the studio, leaving her flustered and in need of another moment to collect herself all over again.

…

Best selling YA romance author Kelly Oram takes her first dive into new adult romance with this heartfelt and hilarious tale of a rockstar and a virgin.

Rockstar to the core, Six-time Grammy Award-winning musician Kyle Hamilton has it all—money, fame, talent, good looks, and a job he loves. His only regret in life: walking away from a certain notorious virgin because he was too prideful, stubborn, and even afraid to give her the only thing she asked of him—his abstinence.

Four years and a broken heart later, Kyle realizes that sex isn’t everything, and he suddenly can’t stop thinking about the girl that got away. Virgin Val Jensen got under his skin like no one else ever has. He wasn’t ready for her then, but things are different now. He’s grown up, he’s learned a few things, and he’s finally figured out exactly what he wants, or, rather, who he wants.

Kyle Hamilton wants a do-over, and this time he’s willing to do—or not do—whatever it takes.

Note from the author: A is for Abstinence is the second and final installment in the V is for Virgin series. While V is for Virgin was a young adult book, A is for Abstinence is a new adult romance and was intended for a more mature audience. Not only is this story told from the perspective of a notorious bad boy, the characters have grown from the first book and are older now. The book was written with a more mature audience in mind. It's still PG-13 (I don't write graphic sex scenes) but it's not as clean as my YA romance. Please keep that in mind if you're a sensitive reader or thinking about passing it to your teenage daughters.

• ISBN10: 0991457978
• ISBN13: 9780991457977
• Publish Date: 12 May 2014
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Imprint: Bluefields
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 282
• Language: English

Reviews

[ladygrey]

I'm tempted to give this 4 stars but I don't know if that's because I *just* read it and so am still a bit enthralled or if it's actually that good. I suppose I'll decide to be a bit overrated and pull it back later, if necessary.

But this is one of the better Kelly Oram books I've read. I was reluctant at first. [b:More than Jamie Baker|16162774|More Than Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker, #2)|Kelly Oram|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1363223607l/16162774._SY75_.jpg|22005265] and [b:Chameleon|16047646|Chameleon (Supernaturals, #1)|Kelly Oram|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353464808l/16047646._SY75_.jpg|21827630] really let me down so I wasn't excited to dive into this one, even though I enjoyed [b:V is For Virgin|15703297|V is for Virgin (V is for Virgin, #1)|Kelly Oram|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1345676801l/15703297._SY75_.jpg|21364310] well enough and was curious about Kyle and Val's story after it ended. I wanted the happy ending for them.

And boy, did I get it. This book is dedicated to the fans and she totally gave us exactly what we needed. This novel was more focused and well written narratively than any of the others. Oram's books tend to feel like they drag out a little too far at the end and aren't quite as tight as they could be - just in need of a bit of editing. This one was edited well. The plot moved along at a nice clip, built up well, hit the climax and ended as it should.

The characters were also rather great. After I finished, I went back and read pieces of the first book. The characters in that one were very much teenagers - impulsive and emotional and irrational - it was part of the fun of the first book. But in this one the characters have matured and communicate even when they get their feelings hurt and compromise and it was really kind of cool to see them grown up. Kyle's narration was really fun. He's playful and egotistical and doesn't apologize for it but he's also thoughtful and sweet, sometimes. I just really like characters that are honest and don't pull punches and then don't apologize for it. And both Kyle and Val are that kind of character.

The title makes it pretty clear this is a book that talks about sex, but it's really more about their hearts and the story and conversations handle the topic in a very real way. But the story is also funny. And sweet. And kind of fun to live in Kyle's completely idolized rock star world.

oh, but the fashion!! So, so bad! Cara, our award winning daytime soap opera actress who is married to a rock star wants to dress "conservatively" for a lunch so she wears a jean skirt! and it's not a period piece set in the 90s!! And when Val gets dressed up for her first date with Kyle - she wears something "classy and tasteful" because that's exactly how one describes a strapless red cocktail dresses. It's a good thing it made me laugh for other reasons too.

[Sam@WLABB]

Kyle broke my heart when he walked away from Val, but he's back, and he is a man on a mission. Four years have passed, yet Kyle could never forget Val. He walked away physically, but emotionally, he was still tangled up with Val. This book gives us the romance and the love story that we never got in V is for Virgin. We finally get to see if Val and Kyle can make it. Along the way, we discover how they have grown and changed during their time apart, what they have accomplished, and what they want to achieve. This book is from Kyle's perspective. I really liked getting inside his head. I found out there was a lot more to Kyle than we learned in the last book. He is a lot more charming, sweet, caring, giving and less egotistical, self-absorbed and heartless than we previously thought. Again, Kelly Oram made me laugh, smile and swoon.

[ellieroth]

Thanks so much, Kelly ♥



Publicado originalmente: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Ah, este libro. Los POV masculinos tienden a tener algo especial, te brindan la experiencia completa, nuevas perspectivas, motivos que quizá nunca pensaste. O que simplemente te derritas de ternura como en el caso de A is for Abstinence. Recuerdo claramente haber dicho en la reseña de V is for Virgin como es que Kyle Hamilton no me agradaba mucho, no tanto como que odiara al personaje, sólo que lo sentí extrañamente real, las circunstancias que me rodeaban ese momento también tuvieron que ver. Así que fue una completa sorpresa lo mucho que este libro me tuve con esa sonrisa boba que una le da cuando lee la perspectiva del bad boy.

Cómo siempre, siempre voy a resaltar con los libros de Kelly es que si bien son sencillos y muy rápidos de leer, al final siempre me dejan con esa sensación de más, de que sutilmente me enseñó algo pero no le logro poner nombre, me gusta mucha esta escritora, obviamente.

Because you're worth it. I'm not going to like everything about you, and you're not going to like everything about me, but that doesn't mean we can't make this work.

Había algo en el primer libro que se me hacía un poco incómodo y es que Kyle es demasiado extrovertido, su gusto por ser el centro de atención se me hacía tan incómodo, siendo yo una persona muy reservada prácticamente antisocial no entendía como es que Valerie lograra convivir con ello. Kelly en A is for Abstinence explica bien el balance de las relaciones, a veces en algunos libros alguno de los protagonistas, extrañamente casi siempre es el lado masculino, cambian de la noche a la mañana, es como se enamoran y puff "ahora soy una buena persona, limpiaste mi alma en el momento que te conocí" y así. Me ha gustado mucho sentir la relación posible en la realidad.

I'm here now. Give me one day. Just today. If that works, then give me tomorrow.

Y sip, este libro es completa, absolutamente derretible (?). Kyle sigue siendo Kyle pero maduro, no cambió de la noche a la mañana y eso es lo que me gustado e incluso al cambiar de perspectiva pude sentir las emociones de Valerie, este libro no cambió para nada mi opinión de Valerie.

AMÉ completamente A is for Abstinence.

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