ARC Review: XO, ZACH by Kendall Ryan

The first time we met was at a party.

Your ex arrived to show off the person he'd left you for last month, and you asked me to pretend to be your date.

I was more than happy to help. You were attractive, smart and witty--and that kiss we shared? It left me wanting you for days.

The second time we met was in my office on campus where we were both surprised to discover you were the new master’s degree student in poetry that I would be working with. You promised to be professional. I did no such thing.

The late nights and intense study sessions spent alongside you majorly throw me off my game. I want you, and I fight with myself daily over this fact.

I know I'm crass, that my sexual innuendos and dirty mouth annoy you, but I live for those two bright spots of color in your cheeks. If that's the only reaction I can get out of you, I'll gladly take it.

You hate Mondays so every Monday I slip an anonymous poem into your bag and your smile gets me through the week.

I think I'm falling for you, and I know it's wrong. I know that I'm only supposed to be the adviser to your program and nothing more, but here's the thing. I think you're falling for me too.

xo, Zach

One-click! http://amzn.to/2Gj6tAi

REVIEW

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I fell in love with Zach within the very first page. It’s a conversation with his mother and you can tell a lot about a man by the way he deals with his mom. I could see that Zach was well-rounded, had a sense of humor, was incredibly respectful, and was an overall decent guy. His mom cracked me up and their interaction sealed the deal for me. Zach was the kind of man with whom I could put all of my eggs in his basket. He was a keeper. Just gotta watch out for his dirty mouth - exploding ovaries material right there.

I’m obviously not talking literally here people. It’s just that Zach was the kind of guy you would want to give you babies. He was sweet, smart, charming, romantic, and he had absolutely no problem showing his heart or his vulnerability. On top of all that he was a sexy, gorgeous adonis. C’mon, you’d be throwing yourself at him just as I would!

Now granted, Poppy felt this way too but she wasn’t as willing to put herself in his hands. She wasn’t as eager as I was. And it was frustrating, a lot of the time. However, I understood her position. In fact, I’ve found myself in the same circumstance so I know how it is. But it was Zach. The quintessential ‘perfect man’. Well, as perfect as one can be. He wasn’t a serial dater, he was looking for ‘the one’, he had found her, and he was open to exploring forever with one person - Poppy. It took him much of this story to finally get her on board. Which made this entertaining to say the least.

There was virtually no drama aside from the nonsense brewing in Poppy’s head. She was drama in and of itself. But that was it. Zach was funny and with his mom and Poppy’s friends, humor could be found throughout the plot. This romance was sexy and sweet and the ending gave me everything I could hope for.

Release: Jan. 23, 2018 | Genre: Contemporary Romance | POV: Dual - 1st person | Heat: 3 out of 5 | Standalone