He can’t stand anything about her, but can’t keep his hands off of her.
Frankie
I wasn’t looking for him.
He found me.
With his sexy smirk and irresistible body.
I wanted nothing to do with someone like him.
Judgmental and brooding.
So full of himself.
But now, I’m stuck playing the fool.
Falling for him.
And losing it all.
If only for one night.
ZEKE
Stuffy, rich, entitled.
The kind of girl … rich, entitled.
The kind of girl that gets what she wants.
When she wants it.
And I want nothing to do with her.
Yet, I can’t stay away.
I’m drawn to her kindness and compassion.
Her beauty.
She holds me when the pain won’t subside.
And now, if I can help it, I’m going to hold on to her…
Forever.
more
Seeing Zeke torn between being his own man in control of his own destiny and the son he thinks he has to be is tough. This book made me feel like I had whiplash. One moment I was angry at Zeke for being a jerk and in the next I felt bad for the life he’s been dealt. Seeing both characters suffer with desire to have their parents around, though for totally different reasons, brought out many emotions. Zeke and Frankie meet under less than ideal circumstances at a terrible time but fight to make the lives they want.
Zeke and Frankie what a ride!!
Frankie goes to visit her grandma in Utah for the summer, not expecting to fall for the ranch hand, Zeke, but when she sees him, she can’t help it. He’s playing a push and pull game…. one minutes he’s being all sincere and the next he’s spitting vile words her way. He has a lot of issues he feels that are out of his control and falling for Frankie is one he can control.
When he invades her space, can she take watching him with other girls and the crowd that is mean to her?
This had me in tears more times than I could count!!
Catch Twenty-Two is an emotional rollercoaster ride with just enough drama to make you want to chunk your Kindle. Every time Marie James writes a Bully Romance, it’s completely different than any other and completely amazing to read. Zeke, the “Hero”, is so frustrating, you wonder if he can be redeemed. And Frankie, the Heroine, is frustrating in her own right, but you can’t help but love her. As you keep reading, this book evolves and just keeps getting better and better. If you want a satisfying and entertaining New Adult read, grab this book now! 5 Stars!
Yes book two is better then book one and that is saying something because I really enjoyed book one. This one however really had my emotions. I HATED the Zeke, he was the ultimate high school a a**hole and there were times I just wanted to hit him and hard. That is what made this story for me however, the very connection to Frankie and wanting to protect her, praise her and follow her on her journey. Zeke had a lot of things going on in his life and that just added to the story because this was written in duel POV so I got to understand what was going on in his head at the same time as I was chewing him out for his actions. Frankie wasn’t as innocent as she my seam. She has her own issues and insecurities that really came out within the story. Mix all these together and this story was brilliant teen angst what what turned out with perfection. I received an ARC and am leaving an honest review.
Frankie has to spend the summer with her grandmother. Zeke family has expectations of him by his family and they think Frankie should be one…. with his choices taken away zeke decides to make Frankie’s stay hell. Zeke is a bully to Frankie and she has had about enough till one night zeke gives in to his felling and frankie can’t resist hers any more. Just when the think she will never see zeke again she finds out zeke is moving to Westover and she will be in a new hell….this book was amazing and I could not put it down
Catch Twenty-Two
By: Marie James
Review by Kristie K
Bully romance has never been so good…
The second installment of the Westover Prep series by Marie James is a truly epic tale of a young man caught between a sense of powerless chaos and a passion he can’t deny. Zeke is straddling a chasm of anger and uncertainty that grows wider by the day, and the only balm to his soul is the beautiful and selfless girl that taunts him daily with the life he can’t have. Frankie is visiting her Nan for the summer, and is excited when she first catches sight of the gorgeous ranch hand working her Nan’s ranch. Bewildered by his change in demeanor from one moment to the next, Frankie vacillates between wanting his touch and keeping her distance. Self preservation battles with desire as these two circle one another in a devastating dance of pain, loss, and love. Marie James drew me in, chewed me up, and spit me out with this one! Oh the feels!! Zeke Benson is a man child you love to hate. The pain emanating from him is palpable. But like an injured wolf, he lashes out at those who get too close. And Frankie?! Oh, this girl is an angel on earth. Selfless and loving, even when she has been burned so many times before. I adored these characters. Their pain, their passion, their flaws…they were REAL. Ms. James has never let me down with her books, and this one is no exception. A hidden gem. Even if you aren’t a fan of bully romance, this one will reel you in and make you feel.
Kristie
Marie James has done it again bringing us a bad boy you can’t help but love to hate.
Frankie goes to visit her grandmother and help on her ranch, where she meets Zeke, a local, who works with his dad for Frankie’s grandmother. While Frankie is instantly attracted to his outside appearance, the minute he opens his mouth, it goes downhill and fast. Zeke is emotional and angry and pretty much all over the place throughout the entire book.
In the moments when Zeke allows his true self to come through with Frankie and the reader gets to see some of his vulnerability, I found myself really feeling for Zeke and his situation. He felt like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. I enjoyed the moments when his softer side came through and I felt like he and Frankie had some pretty great chemistry physically.
I enjoyed the snippets throughout the book of Piper and Dalton also since their story was the highlight of book one in the series.
This book kept me engaged 100%. I absolutely loved the story line and cannot wait to read more from Marie James!!!
Frankie was Piper’s allusive friend in One Eighty. The friend that wanted to be there for Piper physically and emotionally, but distance prevented it. Catch Twenty-Two is Frankie’s story. A painful story. I hated Zeke right away. But I’ve heard the saying about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. Would I have acted like Zeke? I’d like to think NOT, but I’ve not walked in his shoes, in his heartbreak, in his pain. Some may read this story and hate Frankie, for allowing Zeke’s actions, but walk in her shoes. She didn’t have the perfect life that Zeke hated her for. This story has love, hate, forgiveness and growth. Life as a teen isn’t easy these days. Perfect title for this story.
PS: I didn’t think much of Frankie’s parents. How about you?
This was a great story. I couldn’t put it down. Catch Twenty-Two was written well with a strong plot with many emotions. Zeke and Frankie were strong characters, their relationship was like a rollercoaster. Frankie, she was a fighter, Zeke put her through a lot. They didn’t start out on the right foot. It took a lot before Zeke finally realized Frankie wasn’t what he thought and once that happened, their relationship, the connection grew stronger. They were good for each other, their chemistry was off the chart. They were just great together. I enjoyed their story. I’m looking forward to reading more.
I’d recommend reading this story and series, it’s great.
Thank you, Marie James. Great work 🙂
Ezekiel Benson, or Zeke, met Frankie, or Frances Young, at her grandmother’s ranch where he worked, although this story is split into two parts with the first half set in Utah at Frankie’s grandmother’s ranch, then the second half is in Colorado where they both attend Westover Prep for their senior year.
I can’t say I liked Zeke all that much for a lot of the story, yes he had trauma and troubles but the way he handled his situations was disgusting and down right nasty. Underneath the layer of cowardice and anger was a nicer person but a weak one too who had to dig deep to find his backbone. Yet, given his age and the loss he suffered I forgave him… magnanimous of me I know.
Frankie on the other hand was a down-trodden girl who had been bullied at school and ignored at home for so long she had tried to build barriers to protect herself. My heart definitely broke for her and I wanted to go to battle with the other bullies on her behalf. By far she was the shining star for me as the leading character in this story, however, Dalton and Piper are terrific support characters as well and it’s great to see their relationship continuing to grow.
Frankie’s parents made me so annoyed with their lack of interaction with her and any sign of feelings except her father’s repeated warning of ‘no hanky panky’! Honestly I have no idea why they even had a child and wonder about people like these characters who unfortunately are very real.
If you haven’t read book one, One-Eighty, then hop right onto that as you need to read it to enjoy the full story plus it’s a great read.
A bully romance that has a great push and pull and up and down of emotions. Catch Twenty-Two has a broken, vulnerable bully that not only broke my heart over and over, but also made me cry for the girl who he was broken up over.
Zeke and Frankie had that magnetic chemistry where they were constantly being pulled together and when the magnets were correctly aligned they couldn’t stay apart, but if the magnets were flipped they definitely pushed each other away.
Zeke was probably the most vulnerable bully I’ve read to date. He was already broken by life, taking on the burden of his family, having lost their ranch and home, and then watching his father deteriorate right before his eyes. Zeke was angry at circumstance, at things he had no control over, and lastly at his own hormones when he finds himself attracted to Frankie when she arrives for the summer to live at the ranch Zeke works at. It doesn’t help that his family keeps telling him that he’ll adore Frankie and they will be great friends and probably more. He was building up to already dislike her before she arrives and his attraction to her just adds fuel to the fire.
Is Zeke spout vile words? Yes. Is he mean? Yes. Does he care about his family? Yes. Does he loathe treating Frankie horribly? Every single time, but he still does it because deep down…well, he has a lot of emotional reasons which I won’t give away here, but he really is just a broken boy.
Frankie went out to Utah for the summer to visit her grandmother and was hoping to escape the bullying she received while living at home. She never thought she would receive it from the beautiful boy working on her grandmother’s ranch, especially since she speaks so highly of him. Zeke turns out to be two different people; a kind, sweet boy in front of everyone else and a vile, mean bully when they are alone. The hot and cold gives her whiplash all summer until she leaves and finally returns back to Westover where she believes she will never have to see him again. Little does she realize that he will be standing in the hallways of Westover Prep on the first day of school. Which Zeke will she be greeted with, the good or the bad?
As much as you might want to hate Zeke, all I wanted to do was give him a hug. His wounds were so fresh and he really did inner-reflect a lot. He carried guilt and self loathing over how he behaved, but he couldn’t stop himself from hurting those around him. The lion with the thorn in his paw that lashed out in anger.
Frankie is also no delicate flower. She holds her own against his mean behavior, which is why he is continually drawn to her and has a hot and cold shoulder as well. She’s grown up with boys very similar to him, but he’s also new in his emotional state.
I adore this couple and really look forward to updates going forward in the Westover Prep world.
“Silly little girl,” he rasps in my ear. “Did you really think I’d kiss you?”
This is book 2 in the Westover Prep Series, where we get to meet Frankie and Zeke.
I love bully romance books. This one again strays a bit from the standard format.
When Frankie arrives at Nan’s house for the summer, she meets Zeke. Zeke’s family lost the ranch that was in the family for generations. Ranch that was supposed to be handed down to him one day. Now he and his Dad work on Frankie’s grandmothers ranch and live in the foreman’s house on Nan’s land.
Frankie loves the idea of spending the summer with her Nan, simply because that means she gets to have a breather from all the bullying by the teens at her school.
Zeke is one very handsome, strong boy and Frankie finds herself attracted to him. While he’s a gentleman to Frankie in front of Nan, he’s nothing but nasty and mean when Nan’s not around.
In the events that follow, we are witnessing Zeke’s world falling apart. He struggles and he grieves, and he’s taking it all on Frankie.
There’s a distance between them now. But when Frankie finds out a secret of her own, they are forced to face it together.
Will they make it this time and grow stronger together?
Pick it up is see it by yourself. Because it’s so worth the read. So beautiful.
I loved this book and would reccomend it to everybody. The character’s in this story are fantastic, even though it is a Bully story. It’s a story about Frankie’s summer vacation at her grandmother’s farm. It’s not really where Frankie wants to spend here summer, but she can’t talk her mom into changing her mind. The only thing that makes her think that it might turn into a very nice summer is the guy (Zeke) that helps the foreman happens to be gorgeous and more importantly he doesn’t know her and he doesn’t know how the kids at Westover Prep have treated her for years. That’s the great part of her Nan living in another state. But summers are long and you can never know how things will turn out. Will Zeke be nice, or a complete jerk? Will they get along and have something hot for the summer or will it blow up in her face like the rest of her life? Will everything work perfectly to her like or will they live happily ever after? To find out the answers to these questions, pick up a copy of Catch Twenty-two today and enjoy the read.
WOW!! This is my favorite of the Westover Prep series. Zeke and Frankie great. They start out rough, but as the book progresses things come together for them. However, being a teenager with wacky hormones, Zeke tends to be hurtful and mean when he fights his feelings. Then tragedy strikes and things get a little out of hand. So worth the read and once you start, you will not be able to put it down. I voluntarily received an ARC copy of this book and I have left my honest review.
This series reminds me why I hated high school. My emotions were all over the place. My heart broke for Zeke and Frankie. They both go threw some rough situation. But they grow together. I enjoy reading these characters grow emotionally. I can’t wait to read more.
Zeke and Frankie are everything!!!! I still need more of them. My heart hurt for the both of them. Two broken pieces coming together to make a whole. Catch Twenty Two has all the emotions in it. Definitely my favorite sonfar in this series. You don’t want to miss out on this book.
Zeke, Zeke, Zeke what am I going to do with him. He was a major jerk to Frankie. I understand why he was but my heart broke for her. Frankie had a lot of crap thrown at her but I think she handled herself well and put Zeke in his place a time or two. I have some sympathy for Zeke and all he endured throughout the book but that was no reason to treat her the way he did!! I’m glad that things turned around for them. Can’t wait for more from this series!! Marie James can seriously write a great bad guy that will have you falling in love with them!!