Girl Gone Viral (The Modern Love Series, #2)

by Alisha Rai

[Sam@WLABB]

Katrina had once lived her life in front of the camera, but became rather reclusive following a traumatic event. For the past few years, she had slowly been working through her severe anxiety via exposure therapy. During one such outing, a patron at a neighboring table live tweets the encounter between Katrina and "CafeBae", and of course it goes viral. In an effort to protect Katrina's privacy and make her feel safe again, her bodyguard, Jas, whisks her away to his family home. She was looking to feel safe and secure again, but now she must deal with her attraction to Jas, while they are stuck waiting for things to settle down.

I had previously read, and really enjoyed, the first book in this series, The Right Swipe. I adored the hero and heroine, and liked that Rai incorporated some real issues into the story. The streak continues, because once again, Rai has gifted me with a hero and heroine I couldn't help but love, while also incorporating timely topics in this wonderful slow burn romance.

Katrina was a sweet, wonderful, and caring person. She had to overcome so many terrible things from her past, and was sort of in hiding from some of those things. The possibility of being outed on social media due to her viral cafe encounter was terrifying, and I thought this was an interesting way to challenge those nosey tweeters. In this day and age of social media, I think we forget, that the people in those tweets are actually real humans. They are entitled to their privacy, and it's a story like this, which I hope will make some reflect on such trespasses, which are becoming more and more common.

Then, there was Jas. His affection and adoration for Katrina was so sweet, but this man was battling his past as well. He was a war veteran suffering from PTSD, and keeping it from his loved ones. However, he couldn't hide it from Katrina as they shared the small house on his family's property.

These two were phenomenal together. They had a decade of mutual longing, and I so wanted to see this "thing" happen. The way they understood and supported one another was a beautiful thing. I found it quite touching, when Jas talked Katrina though a panic attack, or when Katrina soothed Jas after a nightmare. I knew they would be ok, because they had each other.

It was great seeing these two grow from the viral experience as well. Their hands may have been forced, but both faced some of their biggest demons. They had to confront things from their past, and it was fantastic to see them come out on top.

Overall: A brilliant addition to the Modern Love series, which examined some serious issues with great sensitivity, while delivering a great and sexy slow burn romance.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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