Called Up (Calling It, #2)

by Jen Doyle

• ASIN: B01EEWCEG2
• Publish Date: 2016
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Format: eBook (Kindle)
• Pages: 242
• Language: English

Reviews

[Cocktails and Books]

This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books

I always like a friends to lovers romance.  CALLED UP gives up just that.

Fitz and Deke have been best friends for a long time.  The hang out and understand each other.  But when they both start feeling something other than friendship "love", both of their worlds get turned upside down.

Fitz hasn't had the easiest life.  Her parents died in a tornado and she found herself being raised by the one woman who should hate her....life most of the town.  She's worked her butt off to atone for the sins of her father, but a small town never forget or lets you, leaving Fitz to feel like she needs to find someplace else to spread her wings.  She also realizes that spreading her wings might mean leaving behind the one person she doesn't want to be without.  Her best friend.

Deke is the easy going guy.  The one who's a lot of fun but doesn't really pay attention to what's going on around him.  That's how he missed all the things Fitz went through in high school.  And continues to miss how she's still treated by certain residents of their hometown.  Once her understands that what he feels for Fitz is more than just friendship, his eyes are suddenly opened to everything.  He's hurt and frustrated to know that he missed all of this while at the same time mad that Fitz never confided in him.

Fitz and Deke don't make it easy on themselves when it comes to their romance.  It takes an act of nature for them to get over the past and look to their future.  But when they do, this fun romance leaves you with a smile on your face.

 

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A big believer in happily ever afters, Jen Doyle decided it was high time she started creating some. Jen is a member of the Romance Writers of America, as well as a member of the New England, New Jersey Romance Writers and Music City Romance
Writer chapters of RWA. She is represented by Sarah E. Younger of the Nancy Yost Literary Agency. She has an M.S. in Library and Information Science and, in addition to her work as a librarian, has worked as a conference and events planner as well as a Communications and Enrollment administrator in both preschool and higher education environments (although some might say that there is very little difference between the two; Jen has no comment regarding whether she is one of the “some”).

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[Lynn]

I've previously read Calling It, book one in the Calling It series, so I dived straight into Calling Up; a much anticipated second book, where I'm instantly drawn into the plot by the familiar characters from Inspiration!

Angelica 'Fitz' Wade Hawkins is baseball player Nate Hawkins' half-sister. At thirty-two years old, she runs the Iowa Dream Foundation set up by her brother in Inspiration, the town where she's lived for seventeen years...if only it felt like home. After an incident during high school, her brother, and his friends provided a much welcome protective shell around her, as she'd lost trust in those supposed to be her friend. All those years later, she still prefers to be one of the guys, with Deke as her best friend. However, she's reached a crossroads in her life and begins to consider other options, only she didn't expect her best friend to make her life changing decisions more complicated.

Max 'Deke' Deacon, Inspiration's bar owner and League League coach is also a favourite with all the townswomen. He's never been embarrassed by the fact he's never wanted a serious relationship, yet recently, hooking up with any woman he fancies has lost its appeal...why?

I love Fitz and Deke together. Neither expected to come to some serious conclusions within their close friendship; the realisation they don't know each other as well as they thought!

How can best friends satisfy their new found lust for each other without ruining their friendship?
"Regular anything equals a relationship," she managed, closing her eyes.
"No," he said, "It's like… It's a schmelationship. Sounds like, but not the same thing."

We get to experience a full set of emotions from both protagonists as Deke realises he's found his 'your it for me,' with Fitz, but feels guilty for missing important facts in her life where he could have actively helped her overcome her issues. Fitz wants it all too but believes her past is too broken; that she's not capable or deserves to expect more from her life. It's a time for soul-searching; to find a compromise that works for them mutually once the secrets are out openly.

I really love that within each book in this series, the secondary characters are so much more than a quick introduction and exit. For those that have previously read Calling It, we get plenty of insight into how Nate and Dorie are doing. Other members of the Iowa Dream are included too as their lives are very much interwoven with those of the protagonists. However, this isn't overwhelmingly so, as Jen Doyle does a pretty good job at keeping the balance just right. All this is glued together with witty dialogue, some sizzling sexy times and a cast of likeable characters you'd want to befriend in the real world.

***arc generously received courtesy of Carina Press via NetGalley***