{Blog Tour + GIVEAWAY} The Only One by Magan Vernon

Title: The Only One

Author: Magan Vernon

Published: Oct 10th 2013

Age Group: New Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Source: eARC provided by author for honest review

Rating: 5/5

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BLURB:

Honor student, manager at the campus coffee shop, owner of an impressive sweater collection – Melanie Wilder has it all together. Then John “John Boy” Walden strolls into her life wearing nothing more than an impish grin and all-too-revealing loin cloth.

Soon, make-out sessions replace homework, lust triumphs over work. And to further crumble her perfect world, an unexpected phone call threatens to take away everything she’s worked for.

Now, as Melanie struggles to pick up the pieces, she realizes that John may be the only one to put her life back together…unless he shatters it first.

Their differences threaten to tear them apart, unless they can make one another their only exception.

**This is not a sequel to The Only Exception. It's a companion novel with two characters from the first book. You don't need to read The Only Exception to understand this book.**

REVIEW:

The story:

This story is one hell of an emotional and moving read. I went into this expecting Magan's signature humour & sarcasm that I've come to love, which it certainly did! Witty characters and sexual innuendos a plenty! But there is also a very serious and powerfully story being told here. I don't want to give away what the 'reveal' is because I think that was such an intensely emotional moment that you need to feel for yourself. I didn't see it coming at all and I was in as much shock as the characters where when they found out. It's at this point that we get to really know the characters. The way John Boy supported Melanie was beautiful, and together they find there own way of dealing with the situation.

Aside from this 'secret' storyline that I'm not going to reveal, there is of course the romance between John Boy & Melanie. It starts out more flirtatious and casual, when they meet at a Halloween party & John Boy is wearing no more that a loincloth *passes out*. But after John sees Melanie in a moment of vulnerability, he starts to want more from their relationship. He wants to be a better person and be there to support her.

The characters:

John boy...oh John Boy how I love you! He is the epitome of hotness and every girl of campus wants a piece of him (I can't blame them!). He's confident, knows how to have fun and is devilishly flirty. But that's not all there is to him, he might have the body of an pro athlete, but under that sexy loincloth clad body there is a smart, sweet and caring guy, that melted my heart. *sigh*

"Everyone thinks I’m just some big guy that wants to either f*ck or fight. Maybe I don’t want that.” - John Boy

I felt a bit a kinship with Melanie, the quiet Harry Potter nerd always studying and sometimes forgetting to just have let loose and have fun. She's very insecure about her looks & ability to fit in, always worrying what others think. She wants to loosen up but seems scared to. That is until John Boy shows her how be happy with who she really is.

We also get introduced to Melanie's family, most notably her sister Valerie, who was a fun and vibrant character. And we also get some awesome cameo appearances from Trey & Monica from The Only Exception (which is a companion novel, so they can be read in any order).

The romance:

I love an opposites attract romance, which essentially this is. But, while Melanie & John Boy are very different on the surface, they actually have a lot more in common than they first realise. My favourite similarity would have to be their shared love of Harry Potter!

"You’ve been through enough shit today and nothing makes a day better than baked goods and Harry Potter.” - John Boy

If a guy ever said that to me, he would freakin own me! The connection between these two is very sweet, as it grows from friendship to something more. And while they are hit with some heavy news early on, I felt that only made their relationship stronger. John's there for her when she needs him most. When she needs a shoulder to cry on, literally, he offers his up in a heartbeat. Even when she tries to give him an out, he doesn't take it, which just won me over a little bit more. These two also share some oh so steamy moments too, with the infamously epic love scene!! And the scene on the dance floor, I mean seriously hot, phew!!!!! *fans self*

The Writing:

I absolutely love Magan's humorous writing style, with some of John's innuendoes making me giggle like a teenage girl! But somehow she still manages to weave powerful issues throughout the story. She doesn't shy away from the truth, with some of the scenes being quite confronting and a little overwhelming - and this made me feel like I was going through everything with them, like this was happening to a friend.

The pacing was also very effective, with all the small pieces of the story coming together for a beautiful ending. And…there is a epilogue, hooray!!! I hate when stories end abruptly, especially if they're isn't a sequel. But this epilogue gives finality to John & Melanie's story and when I turned the last page I felt a sense of closure. Although I'm going to find it hard to say goodbye to Melanie & John, because I absolutely adored them, I was happy with where we leave them.

FINAL WORD:

This story has everything; relatable heroine, sexy & sweet hero, loincloths and an intense & emotional storyline. This is one of those books that I kept thinking about after I finished reading it. What happens to Melanie and how she & John deal with it affected me, and made me think how it could happen to anyone. The entire book is a roller coaster of emotions and is a must read for any NA romance fans! I can't wait to read Melanie's sister Valerie's story next!

CONTENT:

Sexuality: medium-strong / descriptive sex scenes

Violence: mild

Language: medium / some f*ck

Drugs & alcohol: mild-medium

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the insurance capital of the world. When not writing she spends her time fighting over fake boyfriends via social media. You can find her online at www.maganvernon.com.

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