*A sizzling romance from a USA TODAY Bestselling Author**This is a full-length novel (NO cliffhanger)* Dani has her future all planned out. She’s not the type to fall for a bad boy, no matter how panty-melting his grin is or how shamelessly he flirts. But Damon draws her in and slowly, she uncovers the secrets he hides: underneath his arrogance lies a lonely soul, his flirting smile masks … lies a lonely soul, his flirting smile masks despair.
Damon arrives in Dani’s life against his will. His father insisted he change high-schools right in his senior year. He can’t wait to turn eighteen and be in charge of his own life. He knows he should stay away from Dani, but she’s so lovely he just can’t keep himself from gravitating around her.
When life throws at them more than they can handle, their paths split.
But Damon is determined to win her back. When he steps back into her life one year later, hell-bent on proving her he’s become the man she deserves, will he convince her to lower her guard and give their love a second chance?
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I loved the way this book started out. The way they started as friends and started flirting was perfect. I do wish it had been more of a slow burn though.
What disappointed me most was that we kinda rush into their relationship and then they are pulled apart. Then we jump a year and they get right back to where they were. I just felt like once they’re separated the entire rest of the book felt pointless and it dragged. It was extremely slow after that and nothing really happened. Then you have the dramatic part that happened quickly and that I didn’t care about by that point.
I would have liked it much more if we had given more time and life into their budding relationship in the beginning, and maybe had them struggle a little to get back to each other. No one worked for anything. I don’t like drama, but this felt entirely too easy.
But the scenes in the first half are very steamy.
Caught in Us by Layla Hagen is the final book in the Lost Series, and I think that Layla saved the best story in the series for last. I just loved the story and the wonderful characters. I really enjoy how Layla writes in the first person and changes the perspective between Dani and Damon. Caught In Us is the story of Dani Cohen, a high school senior and Damon Cooper, bad boy and fighter, whose mother recently passed away and he is forced to live with his father, who he never met. Caught is Us takes places prior and after Found is Us. The book starts in the spring of Dani’s senior year of high school. Dani’s first meets Damon in English class, when he in the new guy at her high school. Dani finds herself falling for this bad boy. When the school administration informs Dani’s parents that she is hanging around with Damon they do not approve and forbid her from hanging around with him. There is danger surrounding Damon, since he recently beat Gabe in a match. Eventually, Damon’s bad boy actions cause his father to send him to boarding school in Canada, with the help of Dani’s father. Damon tells Dani that he will come for Dani once he gets his life in order. The book skips ahead one year, with both Dani and Damon enrolling for the spring semester at Stanford, unbeknownst to each other. Dani decided to leave London after one semester and return home. Dani lives in a dorm room with her best friend Hazel. Dani runs into Damon in the Orientation office on her first day at Stanford. Dani and Damon pick up where they left off and confess their love for each other. Gabe is out of jail and is seeking revenge from both Dani’s brother, James and Damon for his stint in prison. Once again Layla Hagen has delivered a wonderful story and proved once again that she is an amazing storyteller. Caught in Us is filled with bittersweet and poignant moments, along with her usual plot twists. The book finishes five years after it begins. I loved every minute and I loved getting caught up with Serena and James, and Jessica and Parker. So glad that Dani got her happily every after. Caught in Us was a tremendous story and I loved every page.
-Next book in this series about Dani, James’ younger sister from the other books in this series. She meet Damon in high school he is the ultimate bad boy but they find a connection between each other and it is sweet and beautiful. Unforeseen circumstances tear them apart but a year apart even with a dark cloud over them they try to find a way back to each other. Just Fantastic
So much fun and sexiness! This is Dani’s story, if you are a fan of the Lost series then you met her in James story, Dani is his sister. In this story we go back before James and Parker stories to when Dani is still in high school and a new boy moves to town, Damon. Damon is angry at the world but Dani is having it so she puts him in his place, just what Damon needed. Who knew these two would be friends and kindred spirits but their fathers aren’t happy about it. Sadly, Dani and Damon spend a chunk of time apart, when they end up at the same college, well, will the same sparks fly? Has Damon really changed his ways? Will Dani be willing to open her heart again? I loved Dani and Damon’s journey which has the added benefit of giving you some other insights into James and Parker along the way since the timeline is a bit different. Layla Hagen delivers another fun, sexy ride to escape into.
Favorite Quotes:
“There’s only one conclusion for you to reach: we might be onto something beautiful.”
“I want you to be my everything, Jessica,”
“I’ve never wanted to give a man everything before. Until now. I want to give him my heart, my soul, along with all of the things I never knew were mine to give away. I want the same from him too. I want it all.”
“There’s no weapon more effective than words. They lash deep wounds that can cripple in a second and heal excruciatingly slow, sometimes not at all. Because words can’t be unheard. Or forgotten.”
My Review:
I read this book immediately after reading the first in the series, Lost In Us, and didn’t expect I would enjoy the character of Jess, as she was not all that trustworthy or responsible in the first book. Silly me, I should have had more faith in this talented author… although, in my defense, this is only my second time reading her marvelous work. I lapped both books up like a dehydrated camel, all 546 pages, and like a thirsty camel, I wished for more. Either book could be read as a stand-alone, which I totally appreciate, although I did enjoy getting a little more of the Serena and James story from Lost in Us. And despite my misgivings at the start, I found I actually enjoyed this book even more than I did the first one. Sensual, addictive, and beguiling. I had a hard time putting it down.