Here are Bethany's reviews for the released installments in
S.E. Hall's Evolve Series.
Emerge
(Evolve #1)
Synopsis:
Synopsis:
Laney Walker is a quick witted, athletic, southern tomboy who lets few get too close, using her sarcastic zingers to deflect. She also has no idea how others view her, Evan having protected and coveted her since they were children. But college puts a gap between Laney and Evan that neither of them were prepared for- old relationships are tested, new ones are formed and nothing will ever be the same.
Especially when in walks one Dane Kendrick, not at all the familiar, southern charmer of home, but an animal all his own.
A story of growing up, friendship, loyalty, first love, primal love...and life.
Review:
5 Stars!
This book
made me laugh, made me swoon and made me fall in love….twice. Let me explain.
Seeing how
Laney and Evan met and started out was probably the best beginning to a
relationship I have read yet….it was hilarious and it made me just laugh! I
loved it! They grew up together from a very young age….always together, always
doing things with each other and their other close friends, all through high
school. Soon, it was best friends turned first loves. Evan is the epitome of
the first ‘love’….the first boyfriend.
He is kind, he is loving and thoughtful, he does everything to make Laney feel loved, important, and beautiful. He
respected her boundaries and her thoughts. He does ALL with his heart….for
Laney, and I just felt the deep and powerful affection he had for her. Laney
was the typical beautiful tomboy that didn’t know how beautiful she was, was a
spitfire with a great attitude and wit, and was always there for her friends.
She wasn’t pretentious or full of herself, therefore her beauty was from
within….although, she was gorgeous on the outside as well. I really connected with her and loved her
mentality and the way she viewed things. I was giddy and felt the love when they took
their relationship to the next level…..naturally and without pressure. I
fell in love with the way Evan loved Laney and placed her on a pedestal
for the world to see her perfection. They have a bond that cannot be broken….it
is deep and true and cannot be replaced, no matter the circumstances. This very
bond gets tested….and their relationship is truly put to the test.
College. Separated. Lies. Heartbreak.
Laney and
Evan end up at separate colleges, despite applying for the same one. The
heartbreak that poured off the pages from Laney and Evan having separate lives
that they are trying to hold together, long distance….I could just feel it. My
heart broke for Evan…he wanted to continue their relationship and Laney wanted
to make sure he enjoyed his freshman college year. Seeing it from Laney’s
perspective, she was trying to do what she could so that Evan could have a good
college experience. She decided that they needed to be single and not attached
in a relationship while at separate schools, and she felt that she knew what
“temptations” were out there and she didn’t want Evan to feel bad if he
accidentally got caught up in a situation. She really was thinking about him
through all this….no matter the pain and heartache she felt. He was on a football scholarship and she figured that he
was going to be super busy and surrounded by lots of girls. It was inevitable.
He was handsome and a pure gentleman.
Laney’s
alone at her college but she has an amazing roommate…..so she at least makes a
good friend quickly. Bennett is a sweetheart and is always happy and goes out
of her way to make the shy and uncomfortable Laney pull out of her shell and do
things she wouldn’t normally do to enjoy her freshman year at college. I loved
her exuberance and cheerfulness. She was so fun! College tradition: Hall Crawl.
This is where all the girls in their dorm go and meet all the guys in the
dorm….and the guys open up their rooms and serves snacks and drinks. Sounds
fun, harmless and a good way to meet your dorm neighbors with it being a timed
visit, so you get to meet everyone. Laney is NOT exactly enjoying
herself….there are some weirdos in the dorm, that’s a given. The last room was
the best room. She met some really down to earth guys and they were
normal….well, as normal as guys can be.
Last room. There he is. Dane Kendrick.
Dane turns
to us, and Good Lord….I hope their parents are breeding professionally because
they’d make a fortune! If big brother is hot, then little brother is illegal,
immortal, and too damn pretty not to be a girl. This guy seriously belongs on
the cover of “World’s Sexiest Reasons to Drop Your Panties.”
We meet
Sawyer, Tate and Dane in this room…..can I just say that if I ever got stuck in
a room, can that please be it??? Hotties galore! Wow! Laney’s quirkiness and wit shines through. She
makes me laugh!!
“I won’t
share you, Laney. Not your lips, not your thoughts, not your body, and
especially not your heart. You don’t have to give it all to me just yet, but
give me nothing if any of it belongs to him. Do you understand?” ~Dane
He doesn’t
force her to make decisions. He says that he will wait and stand by….I fell in love with him even
more. Dane is a MAN. A grown man that knows how to treat Laney, knows how to
love Laney, and sure knows how to keep a cool head. #TeamDane
Talk about
a pull, a magnetism to something or someone that is so profound that there is NO explanation for it
whatsoever. It just…..IS.
“Um, Dane,
have you been checking me out?” I blush.
This is a
story of a journey of young love that blossoms into more.....and something
deeper and more profound. The growth in
this book and the character development was spot on. I learned, I read, I loved
and I felt….this book was great! The friendships formed in this book are what
lifelong friendships should be made of. I loved the bond that Laney developed
with Zach and Sawyer and the sisterly bond with Bennett. I really felt this was
an amazing and well-rounded story. The ending was a cliffhanger, but not an
awful one. I am just very glad I had book 2 to read right away!! This was a
funny, articulate, witty and downright wonderful book. I loved it and truly
think that this book was an amazing story and I blame Lydia/HeaBook
ShelfBlogger for not making me read it sooner. This book will easily become a
favorite of mine for this year. I
highlighted SO much in this book; it was really hard not to just tell you the
whole story!! I laughed….oh gosh, I laughed. It.was.great.
5 wonderful stars for this read.
Purchase:
Embrace
(Evolve, Book 2)
Synopsis:
Evan Allen is a handsome, athletic, southern gentleman who now attends Georgia Southern University for no good reason.
After what he expected to be the romantic gesture of the century, Evan is looking at no friends, a year of ineligibility on the football team, and no girl.
He's starting over alone and doesn't know quite how to proceed. Certain members of The Crew refuse to let him face things by himself, taking him under their wing, and it doesn't take the ladies long to notice him, either.
Sometimes life doesn't go as you had planned. Sometimes it goes better.
Embrace it.
Embrace, the second book in the Evolve Series by S.E. Hall, follows the characters from her debut New Adult romance, Emerge.
Review:
4.5 Stars!
Embrace is
such a good addition to Emerge….but it is essentially Evan’s story as he
processes what happened to his relationship with Laney and how he is going to
move on, but still continues on with the main story and characters as well.
Evan gave
up everything to be with Laney…..everything. He gave up his scholarship in a
romantic gesture….a way to get back closer to Laney and nurture their
‘relationship’. It broke my heart at the end of Emerge, but I also knew that it
just wasn’t meant to be for them. If Laney could give her heart to Dane, then
it wasn’t Evan’s in the first place. The pain, mental and emotional, that Evan
goes through in this book was very palpable. I felt his hurt, his anger, his
pain….I felt it.
“Absence
makes the heart grow fonder” my ass. Not stitching that little pearl of wisdom
on a pillow anytime soon. How about “absence makes the head dizzy and fills the
heart with aching bewilderment.” ~Evan
I also saw
him war with himself as he was meeting others and trying to move on. Sawyer
took in Evan and made sure he wasn’t destructive to himself, or to Laney and
Dane’s relationship. It seemed as though Sawyer was a backwards wingman to me.
Instead of helping him get the girl, he was helping him move on. However, not for
lack of trying was Sawyer also trying to get “A” girl for Evan. From this odd alliance comes a bond that
grows into an amazing friendship. Sawyer and Evan become really good friends.
Laney and Evan need to figure out their relationship now. It takes some getting
used to….and certainly a mind shift on Evan and Laney’s part, but at least they
can start to come to terms with their new lives and hopefully become friends
again. Laney wanted nothing more than to get back her friend….she hurt for him.
I felt that compassion from her….even when Evan was mad and lashing out, she
understood what he was going through. She was hurt as well by his actions, but
I think that the way it played out and the way it was written made for a really
good storyline. I loved seeing Evan grow in this book and learn more about
himself and who he really is. I wanted to smack him a few times for his
thoughts on things, but overall he showed that he really is a true southern
gentleman.
Evan is a
good man….and him moving on was inevitable, he just needed to come to terms
with it. Eventually, the ladies notice and he starts to feel normal again. He
struggles for a bit about moving on from Laney, but once he finally does and
opens up and accepts that this was supposed to be the way it was, he can
embrace his happiness. I loved seeing Evan get his smile…I loved seeing him
finding someone that touched his heart, and the fact that he got to feel what
love was heartwarming.
Maybe your
true self only thrives in the accompaniment of the one made to bring it out in
you. ~Evan
First
love? First love is so much about curiosity. I read that somewhere and agree.
But what I’ve found, and what I think Evan may be discovering as well, is that
the only forever we were meant to be for each other is friends. ~Laney
We got to
see a little more of Tate and Bennett’s relationship and watched as Laney and
Dane’s grew as well. Dane showed a very possessive side in this book, and it
was panty melting…and I will admit, I am still madly in love with him. I loved
how much deeper their love became, and the growth of their relationship. The
intensity gets ramped up in this book and we get to see what Dane is really
made of. Oh my. Just….mmmm. He is delectable.
I loved the focus shifts, but also enjoyed that we still got to focus on
Evan as well. We got to see his love and understanding grow….and it was
beautiful and romantic. He is such a romantic at heart.
4.5 stars for a wonderful addition to this great
series.
Purchase:
Entangled
(Evolve, Novella 2.5)
Synopsis:
Things heat up, and not just the Georgia summertime, when Dane and Laney go head to head over plans for her new duplex. But Laney's got his number, and knows just how to coerce her bossy, domineering man. Spend the summer with the gang and find out...just how many is a crowd?
The members of the Evolve Crew are getting older; so is the content. Mature audiences recommended.
Review:
5 Stars!
I loved
the last line in the synopsis for this….they ‘are getting older, so is the
content’. Perfect disclaimer, because it’s true. It heated up and the timeline
on this little novella was perfect. It took place during the summer off from
college. We got to focus a lot on Dane and Laney in this novella and I was
excited. I am literally IN LOVE with their story. I messaged SE Hall and told
her never to quit writing their story. I want to keep reading about it!! I love
it that much….Dane is so very sexy, domineering and loveable and did I mention
sexy? Hot? Swoonworthy? Oh man, he is IT!! He wants to sooo badly take care of
Laney, and her stubbornness and competitive side doesn’t let go very easily! He
loves her so much and gives her everything he can…..but sometimes he has to
make her see it his way.
Relationships are about compromise, I know this. Love is
patient, love is kind, blah, blah, blah, but this woman is literally gonna turn
me into a saint….or kill me. I’m not sure which will come first. ~Dane
We also
got a deeper look into Dane and who he really is as a person….and his thinking.
I loved that we were able to get to know him better. After all, being in love
with him….I should know something about him, right?? He just makes me shake my
head and smile….he really is an amazing man. Total alpha, dominant man that
knows that Laney is all he wants and needs in his world. The rest is
inconsequential.
I knew it the moment I first saw her. Something instinctual told
me that together, we’d be magnificent. Until you’ve felt it, it sounds cliché.
All you can do is pity the skeptics who haven’t ever experience it-I should
know, I was one until that night. ~Dane
I loved
the loose ends it tied up and background to Parker and his family. There was
some heartache that the friends had to go through, but it strengthened bonds
and helped friendships solidify. I loved how it all worked together and brought
up some old stuff, but built on the new as well. AAAAANNNNNDDD!!!! It was also the PERFECT
precursor to Sawyer’s story!! Entice review is up next….and, I must say…..read,
catch up, re-read, review….do what you need to do, because Sawyer’s story is
one for the record books. PHENOMENAL.
I give
Entangled an easy peasy 5 stars for deep
truths and emotional bonds. ‘Perfect novella’ to a story doesn’t even begin
to describe it. I loved it and would recommend this to EVERYONE.
Purchase:
Read Jodie's review ➜ here
SE Hall has a way of adding so much humor into
situations….I was laughing so hard I was crying throughout this entire series!
Do yourself a favor, pick up ALL of the books in this series and sit down and
read them in order. I was so glad that I did it this way…and it was simply
amazing! I loved this series and I honestly begged her to keep writing!! It is a
great series that made me sit back and relax and actually enjoy the
books……truly amazing! I really liked how each book carried on the story, but
the focus shifted each time to a new couple, all the while still visiting the
other couples we grew to love. Great job!!
Love,
Bethany
About the Author:
S.E. Hall
S.E.Hall resides in Arkansas with her husband of 17 years and 3 beautiful daughters. When not in the stands watching her ladies play softball, she enjoys reading YA and NA romance.
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