Blog Stop ~ ‘Lost in Us’ by Layla Hagen.

Lost in Us by Layla Hagen
Publication date: February 17th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

SYNOPSIS

Serena has learned to live with her past, locking her secrets and nightmares deep inside her. But when her boyfriend of six years abruptly leaves her, she’s catapulted back into pain, nursing a broken heart. When indulging in mountains of chocolate doesn’t work, Serena decides the best way to deal with her shattered heart is to indulge in something else. A rebound . . .

The night she swaps her usual Sprite for tequila, she meets James. The encounter is breathtaking.

Electrifying.

And best not repeated.

James is a successful entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. A man who has amassed a fortune by taking risks. A man who has shunned commitment completely, and still does. He’s the exact opposite of Serena. But sometimes opposites attract. Sometimes they give in to burning passion. Sometimes opposites are perfect for each other.

James is everything her damaged soul could want. His kisses are intoxicating, his touch out of this world. He makes her forget. He grants her peace from her pain. But as they grow closer, Serena discovers she isn’t the only one with a past. James carries the scars of a past much darker than hers. One that has left him damaged, hurt, and wary of love. A past that gives him the power to shatter her.

Now James and Serena must find a way to mend one another. Or risk losing each other forever.

~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ B&N ~

The Prequel ‘Lost’ is free to download on Amazon. Check it out!

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Book Review ~ ‘Lost in Us’ by Layla Hagen ~ 5 Stars!

‘Lost in Us’ is really a spectacular book. It’s one of those ones that I don’t even know how to review because there are so many things about it that I adored. Layla Hagen has created and emotional, heartbreaking and stunning literary debut with this story, and days after reading this book I am still caught up in the world, the characters and the storylines.

At first I was a little unsure of how to rate this book as I felt the first quarter of the story was very fast-paced, almost so quick that I was a little surprised at how serious and deep rooted James and Serena’s feelings for each other were. So with this at the forefront of my mind I continued reading a little dubious, only to be blown away by the incredible story that followed. When making my decision between 4 and 5 stars I just knew that I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt so emotionally entwined with the storyline in a book. My heart ached so much whilst reading of Serena’s struggles with her feelings for James, and I honestly felt my heart break when they couldn’t be together, because I really admired Serena for putting her feelings first and not letting James walk all over her, but the pain that she felt when they were apart had me sobbing and holding my chest.

I couldn’t deny the impact this stunning writing had on me, so it just had to get five stars, so I say now to any potential readers, if you are a bit unsure of fast-paced starts, do try to get past that as the story that follows and the strength of the writing is just phenomenal.

I loved Serena as a character. She was just so human and so real to me. I loved her strength, yet admired how she let herself wallow in her pain for a time but didn’t let it win and have her crawling back to James. It always annoys me when young girls show no emotion, I think, we’re young, hormonal and we damn well need to cry. Serena did that and I admired her so much for it, for showing her emotions and not being ashamed to admit that she missed the man she loved.

James was one of those characters that had to grow on me. He had deep-rooted issues (which I love in characters) and had to overcome them. I liked how Serena didn’t fall to his feet everytime he apologised, and I liked how he had to understand that her feelings were just as important as his. His desperation to get her back was commendable, but I felt offended on Serena’s behalf when his friends said that it was her being selfish. What I liked was how James had to grow past his issues to understand the importance of Serena’s feelings and the way that their relationship plays out, whilst rocky, is beautiful and meaningful.

This was a beautiful story and I can’t begin to express how much I loved it. 5 Stars!