One & Only by Viv Daniels (Review, Guest Post, & Giveaway!)

One & Only by Viv Daniels
Release Date: November 8, 2013
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages: 264
Series: Canton #1
Review Source: eARC from author

Synopsis:

One night they can't forget...

Tess McMann lives her life according to the secrets she's sworn to keep: the father who won't acknowledge her, the sister who doesn't know she exists, and the mother who's content playing mistress to a prominent businessman. When she meets the distractingly cute Dylan Kingsley at a prestigious summer program and falls in love, Tess allows herself to imagine a life beyond these secrets. But when summer ends, so does their relationship -- Dylan heads off to Canton College while Tess enrolls at the state university.

One love they can't ignore...

Two years later, a scholarship brings Tess to Canton and back into Dylan's life. Their attraction is as strong as ever, but Dylan has a girlfriend…who also happens to be Tess's legitimate half-sister. Tess refuses to follow in her mother's footsteps, which leaves her only one choice: break the rules she’s always followed, or allow Dylan to slip away for a second time.

...And only one chance to get things right

My Thoughts:
I absolutely love how Viv Daniels writes New Adult -- it's exactly what I've been wanting from the category. This isn’t a huge surprise to me, because her alter-ego, Diana Peterfreund, wrote my favourite New Adult series, Secret Society Girl. One & Only is a romance, definitely, but it’s also about school, friends, and family. It’s about Tess as a whole person, and the book examines her problems and goals outside of her romantic life. Another bonus is that while there are definite family issues going on (I mean, just check out the synopsis!), they’re presented without this being another “tragic past” story.

I loved Dylan and Tess together right from the beginning with their summer together at Cornell, and it was great to see them come back together. They had such fabulous chemistry -- you could tell that their relationship was special. There’s a real love and acceptance between these two characters that Tess has been hungry for. It was awesome to see her explore a relationship where she was valued and accepted, something she hasn't really seen before. I enjoyed Dylan as a love interest, because he was so unique for the New Adult category. He’s hot stuff, sure, but he’s also unapologetic about how geeky he is, and he values honesty above everything. Three cheers for nice guy love interests!

Another special thing about this book is how Hannah isn't presented as this horrible other woman just because she’s with Dylan for part of the book. Hannah is definitely different from Tess, but you can see that she's a nice person. This is a refreshing change from a lot of other books where you think “If this guy is so awesome, why is his (ex)girlfriend such a bitch??”. I was really intrigued by Tess's reactions to Hannah. I definitely thought it spoke to Tess being hungry for acceptance and family. (Viv actually wrote a whole guest post about Hannah, which I didn't know when I wrote my review. You should definitely check it out!)

I had big expectations for One & Only, and the book definitely lived up to every one of them. Highly recommended for fans of New Adult who want some substance with their swoons.

The Cover:
Like!

Rating:
[5/5]

Purchase Links:
Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords

About Viv:
Viv Daniels writes love stories for the young and young at heart. Like many of her characters, she met her husband in college, and knows all the ins and outs of navigating that kind of relationship — from how to date when you’re both flat broke to how to fit two people in narrow dorm room bed.

Her favorite new adult authors include Tammara Weber, J. Lynn, and Cora Carmack.

Viv can usually be found on her Facebook page or Twitter feed, chatting with readers about her favorite New Adult fiction, or sharing pictures of cute boys.

Where to find Viv:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Guest Post from Viv Daniels

College Love Stories

My new book, ONE & ONLY, is set at the fictional Canton College, a competitive private university in a mid-size town. I think there’s something so special about a college romance, especially one that takes place in a small school, with all the fishbowl attributes that go hand-in-hand with that.

Why do I love college love stories? Well, the first reason is obvious: I met my husband in college. I was a senior, he was a junior, we fell hard and fast and here we are, thirteen years later, married, with a house and a dog and a kid… I know for a fact it can and does happen—you can find the love of your life as an undergrad. Many of my friends are in the same boat. College is prime time for dating, and of course, for dating drama.

Oh, the drama! In the “real” world, when you break up with your boyfriend, the chances that you’ll ever see him again is slim to none. But in college, those guys are in your classes, your dorm, your dining hall every time you turn around.

When I was in college, I knew a guy who slept his way through an entire suite of girls. Talk about awkward! I was literally in a bathroom stall once when I heard a girl at the sink talking to her friend about hooking up with my very recent ex-boyfriend and all the trash he was talking about me.

Yeah.

Boy did I have fun strolling out of that stall, washing my hands, and not saying a single freaking word to that girl as she stared at me, open-mouthed.

I wanted to write a story like that. High emotion, first loves, people you can’t help but run into again and again —whether you want to or not. Dylan is dating Tess’s sister. Tess becomes friends with Dylan’s former lab partner, a young woman who also has quite the history with our hero. You can’t walk into a restaurant or a coffee shop or a frat party without seeing someone you know.

I love it. The intensity, the drama, the potential for gripping, once-in-a-lifetime stories… college romance is where it’s at. And that's what I hope readers find in One & Only.

Book Labyrinth Exclusive Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Wide Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks so much for stopping by today, Viv! I thoroughly enjoyed One & Only, and I hope the buzz will continue to grow for it.

You can follow along with the rest of the tour HERE. Each stop will have their own exclusive giveaway, giving you even more chances to win!