Out Of Line (Out of Line #1)

"He swallowed hard. 'I love you, will always love you. I’m sorry I killed us before we even had a chance.'”So I've read plenty of romances. What twenty-some year old (boyfriendless) young woman wouldn't? The blurb sounded so interesting, so different from all the other romances out there. I'm glad I took a chance with this one. SO worth my time.Carrie Wallington, daughter of a paranoid senator, has been watched her entire life by bodyguards - even while sleeping. Creepy, right? But then she goes off to college and thinks (despite her misgivings) that her father might be laying off for a while and letting her live her own life. And she meets the delectably gorgeous Finn Coram, a Marine who works undercover for Carrie's father to be her bodyguard.I'm going to take a moment to worship my new husband. Griffin "Finn" Coram is absolutely perfect. He has curls that you just want to wrap your fingers through, muscles you can just imagine touching until you die from the ecstasy. And.....he has tattoos.This book is just SO well written, I can't even.The dynamic between Carrie and Finn tugs at the heartstrings, and the way he cares for her...It's so obvious that I want to just slap Carrie across the face and make her come to her senses.With the POV split between both protagonists, we get personal insight into both their lives, and it brings so much depth to their ambitions, motives, and feelings - makes them that much more real to me.Finn felt like a real man that I might (fingers-crossed) meet myself someday. Carrie, oddly enough, reminds me of myself in a lot of ways, minus the anal-retentive senator father. They were so real. So believably, heartwarmingly real.Jen, you toyed with me through this WHOLE book. Congratulations! It takes a lot - especially in terms of creating likeable, realistic characters, an enticing plot, and a beautiful story - for me to become a puddle of mush. Wonderful work. Absolutely spell-binding.Finn, baby, I'm waiting for you to return in the second book! I'm right here, arms and heart wide open!

Out of Line tells the story of Carrie as she ventured into the new chapter of her life, going out to College in California, away from her smothering parents and living independently for the first time. I know you'll be wondering why Carrie sounds desperate for her freedom. Well, first she's the daughter of a famous senator who's planning to run for the US presidency, and her parents has been very protective of her that she always have bodyguards around her...all the time. But despite her thirst for freedom, Carrie is such a good daughter - obedient, smart, very generous and really kindhearted with or without camera. So when her parents allowed her to move to California to pursue her college degree sans bodyguards, she was so thrilled. Finally, she doesn't have somebody shadowing her every move. Well, if only she knew... Then, she met the tattooed, jaw-dropping, bad-boy looking Marine surfer - Finn. Holy Smokes! This guy is effin' hawt. I mean I don't have to wonder why Carrie lost her train of thoughts when she met him that night...lol!Anyway, without spilling too much. I just want to say that I loved this book. I really did. It was short, sweet and funny with a dash of steam. This book reminded me of the movie Chasing Liberty less the world-trotting adventure of course. I loved the witty banters and the sexual tension? Whew! Such a tease. I just loved the chemistry between Carrie and Finn. Though sometimes, I want to smack these two to just give in to their desires and just be together for real. So when it finally happened, Wow! I did the happy dance thing...hahaha!All in all, I loved this book even with that HFN ending. The writing and pacing are nicely done. Just hated the fact that the 2nd book is not yet around so I have to be more patient. I'm dying to know what Finn's phone call is all about.A truly captivating read from start to finish, perfectly mixed with humor and angst. Lovable characters and can't stop myself from smiling the whole time I was reading it. Quite predictable but nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read.Highly recommended!

So, let's get one thing straight. I like to think of myself as an intelligent woman, I mean I'm well educated and I have a healthy dose of common sense but I know when I'm being manipulated and that's exactly what Jen McLaughlin did with Out of Line. Let's take Finn, romantic lead and general heartthrob of the novel as the prime example here.1. He's a marine.Who DOESN'T dig a man in uniform?! He's strong, muscular, brave and protective of Carrie, he actively wants to take care of her. Can you say swoontastic?2. He has tattoos.So, there's a hint of a bad boy lurking underneath then. Plus, tats look hot on a guy.3. He surfs.So he has a great body and a killer tan. Maybe he's also a little spiritual and a bit of a deep thinker. Yep, I'm liking everything I see so far.4. He holds Carrie's hair when she pukes.I have no words but secretly, I would love to be with someone who cares THAT MUCH about me that he's willing to see my stomach contents.5. He's good in bed.This is a given nowadays with male characters, right?6. He's pretty much perfect.And that sums it up in a nutshell. He is the perfect guy because not only is he easy on the eye, but there's something upstairs (and downstairs...ahem...) that makes him interesting. He's also snarky at times and likes to tease Carrie which we all know, means he likes her.Jen McLaughlin has taken EVERYTHING that women want in a man and thrown all of the character traits together to make the main character - Finn, which by the way is a cute name considering he surfs. Yes, ladies and gentleman I have been completely manipulated by the writer and you know what?I DON'T CARE.I don't care that Jen has plucked the perfect guy right of my head and materialised him on the page because I loved every minute of it. I loved the characters, I adored the situation of Finn being undercover and the chemistry between Carrie and Finn was sizzling.Out of Line tells the story of Carrie Wallington, a freshman in college who has gotten out from under the watchful gaze of her father, who happens to be a senator. All her life she's had to put up with bodyguards and the like but now she's at college, she is finally free. Or so she thinks. Enter Finn, just a guy she met on the beach outside of a frat party. There's an instant attraction there and Carrie surprises him more than he thought she ever would. She's not the average college student - she's a bit of a goody goody but she's kind and generous and helps out at the soup kitchen at the weekend. Finn tries to fight his growing attraction towards her because he REALLY shouldn't get involved but can he hold out? Crossing the line would cost him everything.Out of Line is a contemporary New Adult romance that will grab hold of you and not let you go until you've finished the book. I should know, I blew off all my morning chores to stay in bed and finish reading. I know a lot of people aren't that big on cliffhangers and my take on it would be that there wasn't a cliffhanger as such, just an introduction to the next book in the series and the suggestion of conflict to come. There's no story without a bit of conflict, right?!I'm looking forward to book two because I want to see some consequences, dammit and that's all I'm going to say about that. Let's just say that there is a lot more of this story to be rolled out and I can't wait to sit back and watch it all unfurl.Out of Line is well written with a decent plot and characters to swoon over. Now if I could just meet Finn in real life, I'd be a VERY happy girl.

I was in the mood for a YA romance - girl and boy in college, that kinda thing - and this book ticked those boxes.Carrie is a 19 yo Senator's daughter, off to college in Southern Cali, her whole life has been led with security watching her every move. No wonder she really wants to break free.One evening she bumps into Finn, the 23 yo marine / surfer boy.Carrie falls pretty hard for Finn, he teaches her surfing and takes her on his motorcycle, she, for the first time feels free of the security watching her every move.....oh the irony(!) that turns out to be Finn IS her assigned security, and he has fallen hard for her too. How will he break it to her?That's the basis of the story.What kinda irked me with the storyline was that you never really get to grips with the characters. I liked Finn as the male lead - he had alpha qualities. But Carrie, phew, she was a whole other story! She admits that she is a dork, a loner and has never had any friends, yet, she has these social relationships, that would not come from someone who's best friend was Google. I just could not get to grips with her at all.Typically I get taken on a journey of the book, where I can visualise the situations that I am reading, as if I am there as an observer. I never really connected like that with this book. I am not saying it is bad, but it just did not touch me like other books have. It was just a bit, meh!So the setup for the follow-up....when Carrie does find out that Finn is her assigned security, she feels betrayed and hurt by him and decides that she can never trust him again. The little madam starts getting really sassy, and that doesn't really ring true either. The feelings that are shared by the author, are in the main, just on the surface and didn't go deep enough for me. It was a sweet read, an easy read, but I just wanted to get shook up and little bit and that didn't/doesn't have to be introducing (more) sex, just more.....SOMETHING!!Having said all of that, I most likely will check out the follow up books - of which there are 2....

While I felt as if the story-line was obvious, the relationship and characters drove the story giving it the extra edge in the enjoyment factor.Told in dual first person narrative, alternating between Finn and Carrie. Both Finn and Carrie are a little judgmental of each other to begin, making assumptions that have no bearing on who they are. Trying to maintain a cool distance proves impossible as they get to know each other on a more personal level. Family background and personal expectations are revealed throughout adding depth and understanding to the story.The relationship within Out of Line is the aspect that really stands out. You cannot help but become enamored with both Finn and Carrie. I am not going into detail about the plot in case of spoilers, just know that you too will be rooting for Finn.The cliffhanger ending has left me eagerly awaiting Out of Time, although I am a little afraid of having my heart broken :)

Brought at a bargain, I was intrigued by the blurb, good book with a strong heroine, and I like how the boy love interest wasn't a bad boy turned good. Gave four stars due to a few indescrepencies and the fact they fell in love so quickly, I like my books to be a little realistic, although I've yet to meet a man like any of the guys in these books. Story was left on a cliff hanger but I'm pretty sure I know where the stories going so I probably won't read book two, but a good read with a few steamy scenes, my first read from this author and it won't be my last.

This book had me hooked from the start and I read it in one sitting!!! Absolutely amazing characters and so believable everyone can relate to an over protective dad (maybe not quite as bad). I can't believe I got to wait though until next year. I just hope it's half as good as this one and it would definitely be worth the wait!!! One little thing though it better be a happy ending and not a heart breaking one because that would ruin it!!!