A track star with nothing to lose. A college coach who may lose everything to save her.Will Langstrom has too many responsibilities, and the last thing he needs is Olivia Finnegan, a beautiful but troubled new transfer student.Olivia is her own worst enemy, with a smart mouth and a past she can’t seem to escape, and the last person she wants help from is a cocky track coach she can never seem to … coach she can never seem to please. Refusing to be pushed away, Will is determined to save her…and determined to resist an attraction that could destroy them both.
You don’t want to miss Waking Olivia, winner of the IBPA’s gold medal for romance. Buy this seat-gripping story of forbidden love today.
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Will is almost the best #bookboyfriend and only the “almost” part because as Brendan points out many times he had his head up his ass for too long. But OMG when he finally pulls it out… Actually that’s not true, all the things he does for Olivia are just perfect. Truly #bookboyfriend material.
I loved Olivia’s tough as nails attitude, hated how she got it, but boy is she one strong lady. Will is perfect for her.
How cute is Will’s mom??? I just loved her and her HEA, I hope to read more.
The epilogue was perfect just missing one bit of info (time frame) I’m guessing at least 8 yrs, then that just makes what could be a spin off book of Brendan seem too far long, they should be well married and with kids too by that time. But whatever, not my book. It could be a “reconnected” type of thing.
4 STARS!
A forbidden romance between a track coach and rising track star. Yet, Olivia is reeling from a lackluster performance and assault charges at her previous college. Speculation of her “issues” can’t be further from the truth and when her coach discovers the truth, he goes above and beyond to help her reach her potential.
This was a great read with a terrific twist. What ails Olivia is so unlike anything I have ever read before. It was such an intriguing premise and I devoured this book. The romance is only forbidden due to the roles of the H/h, rather than an improper age difference. I could easily root for their HEA due to that factor. There were a few underdeveloped as well as over-dramatic points, but nothing I couldn’t overlook. I definitely recommend this entertaining NA novel and will look for additional stories by this author.
Elizabeth O’Roark is a new writer to me but after reading ‘Undertow’ and liking it very much, I really wanted to read more books of her. So I decided to read ‘Waking Olivia’ next and I was so happy with my decision to read this book because I really loved it!
I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this book after reading the blurb but the story was so much more than I expected.
I would love nothing more than to tell you all about the story but one of the things that I liked about this book was the discovery I did about Olivia past, chapter after chapter. So I will try to tell you something but not much. You just have to discover this story for yourself!
It’s very hard to start someplace new when you have a ‘bad’ reputation, because the truth is that people love nothing more than to gossip about it or being curious about all the ‘bad’ things that you have done in the past. Olivia Finnegan knowns this but she doesn’t have much choice. She’s lucky enough that she got another scholarship after what happened at her other university. So she just have to make the best of it. But that’s not easy when there are some things that you don’t have control over and when your new coach isn’t you biggest fan.
After giving up his big dream, Will Langstrom is now working two jobs. After his father’s dead he took over the family ranch. But because of debts, Will is also working part-time at the university as a coach of the women track team. Will isn’t happy with the new transfer student, yes the track team needs her but the last thing he needs is more trouble or stress. And he’s afraid that that is just what Olivia will bring to his life, more trouble. And he’s right, Olivia brings trouble with her, she has a big mouth, isn’t very social and she doesn’t listen to him. But the more he gets to know her, the more Will is thinking that there is something more going on with Olivia. That maybe she’s more than a girl looking for trouble, maybe she is a girl IN trouble. But does Will really want more responsibility in his life? Isn’t his life hard enough at the moment? Because Will knows that getting involved with Olivia and her problems, not only could cost him his job at the university but also his relationship with his girlfriend! Is Olivia really worth all that trouble?
Olivia knows that the best thing that she could do is to stay far away from Will and his family. But it’s hard for her to stay away when for the first time in her life she finds people who sincerely care about her and her future. For the first time in her life Olivia feels something more than anger, lost and frustrating, now she also feels hope and that’s the most dangerous feeling to feel! Because hope can be so easily destroyed. But what both Will and Olivia don’t know is that more they discover about Olivia’s past, the more dangerous it becomes for her.
Just like in her other book ‘Undertow’ one of the main character (Will) has a relationship with someone else. Normally this would bother me but in both books I could understand the reason for it and it didn’t bother me. This was a story that I couldn’t stop reading. Will was for me perfect. Not too good, not too bad, loyal, kind but also a little alpha if needed. And although Olivia was a tough girl, she was also fragile deep inside. The story took me on a journey and after each chapter I discovered a new little piece of the puzzle. I’m looking forward to reading more books of Elizabeth O’Roark.
Wow what an amazing read full of emotions and true character chemistry and growth. It is a romance so different from the cookie cutter versions we, as readers enjoy and all in a very good way. Waking Olivia is full of twists and turns, friendships, love and the humor/sarcasm is truly a highlight of the story. This story takes hold of your heart and completely transports you into the life and times of Olivia and the struggles she must live with and learn to overcome as her journey brings love, lust, pain and clarity. This was my first read from this author and not my last. I was unable to put this book down.