Shallow

by Georgia Cates

Going Under Series, Book Two

Book Description

Payton Archer’s best friend, Claire, strives to be perfect in every way. Payton doesn’t and this is her story.

Nick Hawke likes his car fast and his girls even faster. He blows through females quicker than his muscle car races down the “The Strip” in Collinsville and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Determined to avoid the devastation he has watched his father endure in the aftermath of his mother leaving, he believes there is no room in his life or his heart for a relationship lasting more than one night. He seeks happiness in things that won’t let him down…fast cars, adrenaline and one night stands. To his absolute dismay, all of that changes when he unexpectedly runs into an old friend and is introduced to Payton Archer, the first girl he ever wanted for more than one night. There’s only one catch…she is completely immune to him and his smooth talking ways.

Payton Archer is looking for what Claire has with Jessie, but she has given up on finding it…at least until she leaves for college in the Fall because she is certain that is where she will find the perfect guy to fit into her perfect world. She plans on Summer being nothing but three uneventful months of fun, but it turns out to be anything but ordinary when Payton is introduced to Nick Hawke, one of Jessie’s old Collinsville friends. She is shocked by her immediate and intense attraction for “Hawke” because nothing about him is what Payton is looking for. Sure, he’s hot and sexy but he comes from Collinsville and that is definitely not on her list of prerequisites. Everything about him makes Payton’s heart speed because he is exciting and dangerous, but his fast car and the dangerous chances he takes aren’t what scares Payton the most…it’s the way Nick Hawke makes her feel every time he looks at her. Can Payton find that moment of total fearlessness and make the decision to leave the safe, shallow end of love to risk going under completely?

MY THOUGHTS: 4 OUT OF 5 FLEURS DE LIS

Shallow by Georgia Cates

Payton Archer is a take no prisoners, lay it all out there kind of girl. Nick Hawke is a player and has had more than his fair share of female attention. Yet when the two meet, sparks fly and from then on, neither can get the other out of their mind.

Nick is an adrenalin junkie, and Payton is by no means backing down from the challenges he presents to her. But she also doesn’t want to be just another notch on his bedpost. Add to that the pressure from her parents to stay away from him, and his mother issues, and it’s a volatile combination. Payton and Nick must decide if they want to stay away, or explode with each other.

This book wasn’t exactly a sequel to Going Under, it was more of a spin-off. The Payton in question is Claire’s best friend from Going Under, whom I loved for her wit and quick, sarcastic insults. She definitely comes back with more in Shallow.

When they first meet, Nick is taken aback by Payton’s attitude and simply her difference from every other conquest he’s ever had. He makes a bet with her, and if she loses, she must go on a date with him. From there, the relationship moves pretty quickly, though I never felt that insta-love vibe.

I adore Payton so much. She is NEVER afraid to speak her mind, no matter to whom. There were several quotes from her that had me literally laughing out loud. But she’s also quick tempered, and it doesn’t take much for Nick’s past to anger her.

The sexual energy between Nick and Payton was HOT, HOT, HOT! They are sexual opposites–Payton is a virgin, while Nick is the farthest thing from one. Despite that, I was really touched with how Nick went against his own personality to take his time with her.

I didn’t feel like the drama in this book was on the same level as Going Under. Also, I thought the end moved pretty fast. I was a little annoyed by how little it took for Payton to believe and forgive Nick in the end.

This book drew me in right from the beginning and never let go. This is the fourth book I’ve read from Georgia Cates, and I am definitely a huge fan!!

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About the Author

I am a wife, mother of two daughters and a labor and delivery nurse. I have recently added Paranormal Romance Writer to my list of things to keep be busy, but I am ecstatic to release my debut novel, Blood of Anteros, the first book in The Vampire Agápe Series.  I am also the author of Going Under and Shallow.

Like others that enjoy a great story of paranormal romance, I am easily bored by the tale of an obtainable, ordinary romance and was inspired to create The Vampire Agápe Series. When I am not tied up with my family or delivering babies, I am working feverishly on the third book in The Vampire Agápe Series.