The First Time is the Hardest

Author: L.A. Cotton Austin Brothers #0.5

Publication Date: July 6, 2016

Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Novella

Purchase: Amazon US | Amazon UK

SYNOPSIS

Mila Austin and her best friend, Lucas Gennery, made a pact: graduate college, return home, and start the rest of their lives … together. One phone call changed everything. Now, Mila is back in Radeno, Texas, lost and alone with an ache in her heart eased by the one person she shouldn’t get close to—Lucas’s older brother, Ryan. Grief bonds them, tethers them in a way Mila didn’t see coming, and when it’s time to let go, she’s not sure if she can. Because finally letting go of Lucas could mean losing Ryan as well. Saying goodbye is never easy, but the first time is the hardest.

REVIEW

[Janet]

Amazon/Goodreads Rating: 4/5

In Patti's Imagination Rating: 8/10

This book is a novella that is the start of a new Austin Brothers series. We briefly meet the brothers but the novella focuses on their sister Mila Austin. She is away at school when she receives the call that her best friend Lucas Gennery has been killed in an accident. She returns home for the funeral and is struggling to deal with the loss of her best friend. She finds comfort with Lucas’s older brother Ryan, who is the outcast of the family and town. Her brothers are not happy with the friendship they are building but only Ryan truly understands what she is going through.

This was an emotional book and one you will want to have tissues for. Although it was a short read it most definitely wasn't a light and easy one. Mila is a mess after learning of Lucas’s death. Ryan is estranged from his parents and the town sees him as the bad boy who's always in trouble. Now they are both back for the funeral. It did seem predictable at times but the author did an incredible job of throwing in some twists and turns.

Due to some confusing and unexplained things with Mila, I am unable to give it 5 stars. I was left with too many lingering questions. There were a couple other times where I felt the story was slightly choppy with the transition from one scene to the next. With a few updates and this could be a five star read. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series and getting to know each of the brothers more as we only saw a glimpse of them.

TEASERS

About L.A. Cotton

Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense…written with feeling L.A is author of the Fate’s Love Series and Chastity Falls Series. Home is a small town in the middle of England where she currently juggles being a full-time mum to two little people with writing. In her spare time (and when she’s not camped out in front of the laptop) you’ll most likely find L. A immersed in a book, escaping the chaos that is life.