Book Review: Pretty Instinct (Finally Found #1) by S.E. Hall

Liz Carmichael comes from a fairly screwed up family dynamic. Her father is pure evil, so when her mother died, she bought a tour bus and hopped on it with her brother Connor and her two best friends to tour the country as the band See You Next Tuesday. Connor, Rhett, Jarret and Uncle Bruce are her family and the bus is her only home. But now they are in desperate need of a new bassist. Could the stunning male specimen trotting across the rest stop caring a guitar be the answer to their prayers?

Cannon Blackwell's fiance, now ex-fiance, dumped him at a rest stop with is bag and guitar and no way to call for a ride. Plain and simple, he is stuck in the middle of nowhere. Until a petite little thing approaches him and demands that he pee in a cup and join her band. And as crazy as it sounds, he finds that he just can't say no to her. What follows is a beautiful journey to finding true love amidst all the other crap life throws at you.

I seriously don't even know where to start. I don't think that S.E. Hall is capable of writing anything other than stellar 5-star books. I've read her entire Evolve series and loved them all, but Pretty Instinct top s them all. It is witty and funny, sweet and romantic and painfully heartbreaking. These characters and their emotions became a part of me and became my emotions. I was so heavily invested in this story and the outcome that I stayed up until 3:00 AM to finish it. Is it hard to function on 3 hours of sleep with 4 kids? Hell yeah! But it was more than worth it.

First there is Elizabeth. Or Liz...Lizzie...Bethie...pick a nickname. I'll go with Lizzie since that is what Cannon calls her. She loves fiercely with all of her heart and everything she has, but spends all of her energy making sure others are happy while neglecting herself. Her childhood and teen years were pretty much a disaster and she carries those scars with her as armor. She uses bitchiness as a defense mechanism to keep people out and at arms length. But Cannon is having none of that. From the moment he sets his eyes on her, he'd been completely under her spell. I swear to you, Cannon Blackwell has firmly pushed all previous book boyfriends out of the way and now firmly stands on top of the podium in victory. He is hands down, the best all around guy. Ever. In both fiction and reality. Handsome? Check. Sexy? Check. Funny? Check. Sweet and loving? Check and check. I'm telling you...perfection. So perfect in fact, that I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and him be a total ass.

Lizzie is not an easy girl to be with, comes with a ton of baggage and still has issues to overcome; but that doesn't push Cannon away. He is going to help her with all of it. But you know what I love best about him? When the two of the finally, FINALLY, end up in bed together, you see another side of him. Yes apparently Cannon has a dirty center hidden beneath his sweet candy shell and dammit it is like the most delicious and sinful piece of chocolate ever. I don't think I could ever get enough of him and Cannon Blackwell will now be the standard to which I measure all other book boyfriends.

Pretty Instinct has some twists and unexpected turns and you will cry. But you will also laugh and smile and it truly is a beautiful journey. And while this book might be considered on the longish side, I felt it was perfect. It wasn't too long for me and I was left 100% content at the end. This was hands down one of my favorite reads of 2014!

Favorite Quotes (so many!!)

"Soon, I promise you, very soon I will cherish every single part of you with every single part of me."

"Take me in, baby, slow and easy. We only get this moment once. Savor it with me."

"Cannon, I've, uh, never--" "Good," he snarls possessively. "That's the dick you'll suck for the rest of your life. Get friendly. You can't do it wrong, Siren, promise."

Marianna's Rating:

**I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Excerpt

I check my phone for the tenth time. It’s almost 2 am, surely they’re asleep and I can sneak to my own bed. Sleeping with Conner isn’t as fun as you might think, unless you think being caged with a wild animal sounds like a party. As quietly as possible, I slink out of the bed and through his door, pulling it closed; halfway there. Sending up a silent prayer I don’t meet any open, awake eyes, I turn, relieved at the lack of spectators, and scurry to my bed. After sharing my song tonight, I need some time to pass before I look them in the eyes—those lyrics, the tremor in my voice as I sang—I’m not ready for questions or commentary. “Pssst.” Of course I didn’t pull off the covert bed switch undetected. This bus—40 x 8 feet—might as well be a shoebox. I draw back the curtain, squinting my eyes against the dimness. “Hey,” Cannon greets me with a whisper and grin from his bed, curtain also pulled open. Giving him back the smile I can’t contain, I finger wave. Has he been waiting up for me? Was I secretly hoping he’d still be awake? Do I want to know either answer or what it says about me? What planet am I living on that this is now an issue? “Here.” He scoots to the edge of his bunk and hands across…an earbud? Eyeing him curiously, I turn on my side, facing his way, and put it in my ear. “Shhh.” He puts a finger over his lips then winks and slips the other bud in his own ear, only breaking eye contact for a split second to tap the phone screen, then reconnecting in the muted light. “Hello, Lizzie,” his voice sounds in my ear and as my eyes pop in surprise. He once again does the “shhh” thing, nodding to me to just listen. “I thought about playing you ‘You Are So Beautiful,’ but surely you already know that. This, you may not.” There’s a brief pause, then music starts… It’s “Have a Little Faith in Me.” I know I whimper aloud, but I force my eyes to stay on his no matter how badly I want to hide them and the building tears. Through the entire song, I stare and he stares back, mouthing the words every once in a while. With the closing notes, his voice returns. “Not too corny, I hope. Just…think about it. Sweet dreams, Lizzie.” Apparently picking up on the fact I’ve been rendered incapable of functioning, he reaches over and gently removes the earbud, taps the end of my nose with his fingertip, then closes my curtain for me. I’ll have the corny with a side of corny please.

Title: Pretty Instinct
Author: S.E. Hall
Series: Finally Found #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/21933947-pretty-instinct

Blurb:
“If opposites attract, then I am nothing. Because you, you are everything.”

There’s no easy road traveled to such an intense sentiment, one I never dreamt I’d feel…

But I also never planned on Cannon Blackwell climbing aboard my tour bus.

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About the Author
S.E. Hall resides in Arkansas with her husband of 18 years and 4 beautiful daughters. When not in the
stands watching her ladies play softball, she enjoys reading and writing. She's also being clutch at Baggo, when it's warm outside!

Amazon:  www.amazon.com/S.E.-Hall/e/B00D0AB9TI
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/7087549.S_E_Hall
Facebook: www.facebook.com/S.E.HallAuthorEmerge
Twitter: @emergeauthor






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