Title: Together
Author: Jennifer Van Wyk
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Small Town Romance, Surprise Pregnancy

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I wake up feeling like complete shit. My head hurts like I’ve actually been hit by a truck, there’s no way I won’t have the beer shits today, and there’s gotta be cement blocks on my feet weighing me down. It was all fun and games last night — literally — but this morning, I’m having regrets.

But not about the girl.

That was fun.

Spending the evening with her, forgetting and laughing and drinking and eating. Drinking a little more. The darts and singing and dancing. Drinking.

I groan.

Too.

Much.

Drinking.

Then a groan that matches mine but is far more feminine sounds next to me and I… oh, shit.

I’m naked.

Birthday suit naked.

Surely we didn’t…

God, if there was ever a time to give me whiskey dick, please let it be last night.

I can’t believe I just prayed for God to give me a malfunctioning dick… or that I said dick in my prayers. Or that I’m even praying about drunk sex. All so I didn’t have drunk sex with her. Not that I wouldn’t want to have sex with her, but as drunk as we were? No. No way. I’m better than that. Not that much of an asshole. Right?

Now I’m lying here overthinking my prayer while naked in my bed with Sally — or Ashley, as it turns out her name really is when we confessed to each other that we aren’t Harry or Sally — who I hope we didn’t have sex with only because I’m still drunk the next morning.

Fuck… I’m a mess.

Though, oddly enough, guilt isn’t one of the feelings bubbling to the surface right now.

Regret that I don’t remember much of it does, though. I just remember her falling asleep to the point where neither Roy or I could wake her up when we arrived at my house and after a few moments of both of us freaking out, I realized she was fine, just an incredibly sound sleeper. If the snoring was anything to go by, anyway.

Then she woke up abruptly when we got into the house, looked at me with wide eyes that could have only meant one thing, and so I quickly directed her to the guest bathroom so she could throw up the plethora of liquor she had consumed.

When she emerged she looked at me and said, “I’m sure this may come as a total shock, but my name is Ashley, not Sally.”

I mock gasped then grinned, told her my name is Nikolas but I go by Nik and she grinned back, then groaned, then we sat on the couch.

And, apparently, ended up getting naked and into my bed at some point. That’s where things get fuzzy.

“Did we have sex?” Ashley asks in a quiet voice next to me.

I don’t even lift my head to look over at her when I respond, “No clue.”

She shifts a little bit and winces. “We definitely had sex.”

NICUnurse’s Review of Together by Jennifer Van Wyk

I simply adore Jennifer Van Wyk’s writing. I have since stumbling upon From the Ground Up not long after it released. And I’ve devoured all of her books since then. Some authors you connect with their writing from the first paragraph, and some you don’t. Obviously, her words connected with me from the get-go. Maybe it comes from growing up in a small town. Or something more. I haven’t quite put my finger on what it is, but regardless, I just love her books.

Together was another in a long line of her books that I’d highly recommend. I’m a character girl, so if I can’t connect with the main characters, it’s hard for me to connect with the plot. Nik and Ashley were simply fabulous. Ashley and Nik are both looking for the same thing but have yet to find it. They are drawn to each other instantly, despite the less than stellar circumstances surrounding their chance first meeting. And when the big oops happens, he’s amazing. Supportive, never placing blame on her, sweet, loyal. Nik is one of the really good ones. And he’s so patient while Ashley figures things out in her own way, even holding back on the physical relationship to build a solid friendship with her. Talk about swoon-worthy! (Move over, James…I think Nik just knocked you out of the top spot of my fave male characters in JVW books!) Who wouldn’t fall for a guy like that? In spite of the Wham-Bam-Thank-You-Ma’am start to their story, the rest is a slow-build. I had a very difficult time putting it down to do necessary things…like eat and sleep!  

Jennifer Van Wyk writes from the heart. She can feel her characters’ emotions so well. Then she is able to translate those emotions into beautiful stories. And just so it’s not all heavy, she sprinkles some sarcasm and snark (sometimes more than a little) into the storylines. Being a bit of a sarcastic gal with some well-placed snark at times, I genuinely like that about her books. Together was this excellent combination of imperfect yet lovable and relatable characters (and they were also funny at times), emotional situations that had me all over the place (tears to rage and everything in between), and a slow-build that had me rooting for the good guy to come out on top (along with getting his girl), and a life lesson thrown in here and there.  

If you like small-town contemporary romance with a surprise pregnancy thrown in, you’ll definitely want to grab a copy of this book and dive right in. 

NICUnurse’s Rating: I give Together by Jennifer Van Wyk 5 out of 5 propellers!

Enter the RELEASE GIVEAWAY for Together!

From the Ground Up is Jennifer’s first published novel, with the hopes of many more to come. Jennifer makes her home in rural Iowa with her high school sweetheart, three beautiful and amazing kids, one crazy Jack Russell terrier. This is where her love for all things reading, baking, and cooking happen. Jennifer’s family enjoys camping, boating, and spending time outside as much as possible. When she’s not writing or editing/proofreading manuscripts for the many talented authors she’s come to love, she’s sipping coffee or iced tea with her kindle in her lap or binging on Netflix.

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