Based on the glowing reviews I’d read for Finding Me, I had high expectations.  Let me tell you, I was not let down!  Stephanie Rose deserves every single one of those glowing reviews, and then some!  I was drawn into Bella’s intriguing story from the beginning and I stayed glued to this fab book until the end.  Okay, okay, that’s a lie.  I needed a few breaks to regain my composure.  Ms. Rose had me riding the Verklempt Express and I loved every minute of the journey.  She does a superb job of putting emotions into words and making her readers feel them all.  Her characters are not only wonderfully complex they are real.  Her writing is beautiful, compelling, and best of all she’s taken a been-there-done-that subject and made it fresh and exciting.  

When Bella arrives at Culver University, it’s on the heels of a pretty awful senior year.  In the blink of an eye and the touch of the Post button on Facebook, Bella’s world blew up in her face.   With the help of her awesome parents (whom I loved!), she survived the worst year of her life.  Now it’s time to move on.  She’s chosen a university four hours from home with that very intention; a place where no one knows her.  We don’t know all the dirty details of Bella’s humiliation right away.  And I loved that.  It’s not hard to guess, but the full on story!  No wonder she’s wary of everyone.  Especially gorgeous, confident guys who have no business chatting her up.  Especially when they’re popular hockey players.  And even more especially, when they have the power to render her speechless.  

I’d planned—or at least hoped—to meet someone new here eventually. But I wanted to get my feet wet first. A gorgeous jock who left a trail of panting girls in his wake was definitely jumping into the deep end of the ocean without a life preserver.

Owen “OT” Thompson is the center for Culver U’s hockey team.  He’s not sure whether he’ll get noticed by the NHL or follow in his father’s footsteps and make a career out of sports management.  Regardless, he graduates in May.  Owen may have the reputation of being an ice-jock manwhore, but that’s not the whole truth.  And, from the first moment he meets Bella in Bean Shooters coffee shop…decision made.  He’s officially off the market.  This beautiful girl, this shy but snarky girl, is adorable and he wants more.   As luck would have it they’re in the same advanced accounting class (she’s quite the math ninja.)  Owen begs, pleads, and finally convinces her to tutor him.  Surely she wouldn’t want to see him get kicked off the hockey team? When Bella insists on keeping their tutoring professional, Owen uses his Southern charm to wear her down.  His momma raised him right, and this guy is so freaking dreamy.  He’s all impeccable manners and sweet romance and oh boy, is he hot!  He’s also shocked as hell at the strength of his feelings for Bella.

All I saw—all I wanted—was Bella. She consumed me that much. What the hell was happening to me? My need for her was primal, blinding, and frightening as hell. Ethan was right, I was never like this with anyone else.

It’s clear from day one Bella and Owen belong together.  Their chemistry is the stuff of great love stories.  And Finding Me is one great love story, indeed.  Ms. Rose’s characters are brilliantly written.  I could relate to them, as well as feel every bit of their emotional highs and lows; the butterflies of new love, the hurt, and anger of betrayal, the uncertainty that they are making the right decisions .  There is also some twisty turny, anger inducing action that will have you gritting your teeth and making silent pleas to the story gods.  But it also serves to show that Bella’s strength outweighs her vulnerability, and that Owen is head over heels dedicated to protecting his girl.  There are so many layers to Finding Me that it’s impossible to describe this story completely.  It’s tightly written and fast-paced.  It’s emotional, exciting, witty, and sexy.  If you’re looking for an all-absorbing love story that will keep you riveted and stay with you for days, I highly recommend Finding Me.

I couldn’t quite make eye contact with Ethan since the last time I came back to the apartment with Owen before Thanksgiving break. We caught Ethan naked in the hallway—on a date and thinking they had the place to themselves for a night. I was no prude, but seeing junk not belonging to my boyfriend turned me three shades of red. I hadn’t even seen Owen’s, but I . . . felt it . . . a lot. On my leg, against my stomach, sometimes rubbing my back if he was holding me from behind. Why I was so bashful I couldn’t say, especially since I didn’t have a cherry to pop. But it was only one guy and only one time, shortly before he shredded my heart and then stomped all over it. Even though I couldn’t make my virginity grow back, I wasn’t quite ready to go there again. However, not being ready for sex had absolutely nothing to do with wanting it. Our time together always ended with a scorching kiss and groping against the nearest wall. Owen’s Southern gentility was probably wearing thin these past few weeks.

“Owen? The movie starts in a half hour!” I called as I strolled down the hallway.

“Hey, City. Give me a minute, practice ran late.” Owen had just stepped out of the shower and was dripping freaking wet. The V on his hips disappeared into a towel cinched around his tapered waist. Water traveled from the stray tangled locks at his neck and trickled down over his ripped chest and his abs before disappearing into the bunched up material at his waist. I licked my parched lips and tried to remember how to speak. How many damn abs did he have? Six? Eight? I was gaping at a wet, half naked Owen while the corner of the bastard’s mouth turned up in a smirk. I didn’t have the faculties to scowl back. My tongue didn’t want to work unless it was tracing the water trails across Owen’s body.

“Keep looking at me like that, baby. We won’t be going anywhere tonight.”