Meant for You

<i>Meant for You</i> was an amazing second chance at love romance with characters I couldn't help but fall in love with!<br /><br />Jenny Castelli has a habit of letting her temper get the better of her and because of it, she lies and says she's engaged to a rich man when her former classmates insult her son. Now, Jenny needs to find someone to play her fake fiancé for the night and the only person Jenny can think of to turn to is Owen Dalton, whose heart she broke two years ago. Despite their history, Owen agrees to her proposition and soon the situation gets out of control and they're left trying to determine what's real and what is simply part of the lie.<br /><br />Jenny is quite impulsive and quick to go on the defensive which causes her to lash out at nearly everyone. Also, due to her childhood, she has a lot of insecurities and doesn't believe she's deserving of love or that she would know what to do with it. She does however, have an amazing relationship with her son and is a wonderful mother. Over the course of the book, she grows to be more accepting and has more confidence in herself and her abilities.<br /><br />Owen is used to being the odd man out in life, having never fit in with his family. Despite the strained relationship with his family, he spends a large part of his time trying to make them proud. With his friends and those he cares about, he's a very kind person and goes to great lengths to help others in need. I also really enjoyed his relationship with Jenny's son, Cooper. Owen understands what it's like to be different as a kid and he has some great interactions with Cooper because of it.<br /><br />Jenny and Owen have a great relationship despite the past history they share. They're genuinely there for one another and willing to help each other when one of them needs it. There was also a great deal of chemistry and their physical attraction was intense. I loved watching them navigate the fake relationship and having it turn into something real when they were least expecting it.<br /><br />The characters are definitely the best part of this book. The author manages to get you to care about what happens to everyone very quickly. She even managed to make me care about someone who started off as a horrible person! I loved all of the interactions with the other three couples in this group of friends (who I'm guessing are the characters from the prior three books). The friendship between all of them is so genuine and I loved how supportive they are for each other. Scenes where all of the characters got together were definitely some of my favorites.<br /><br />Overall, <i>Meant for You</i> was a very enjoyable read and I will definitely be checking out the three previous books in the series.<br /><br /><i>** I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**</i>

This was quite the little firecracker of a book. I loved how the whole <i>fake fiance</i> came about. It showed exactly how spirited Jenny could be LOL And I also loved how Owen stepped outside his comfort zone to make it happen. It showed how truly meant to be these two kids were :)<br /><br />Jenny and Owen have history. History that isn't very favorable. They also have similar social tendencies, meaning they were both looking from the outside in as they grew-up, just in different ways...Jenny lacked the money to be a cool kid and Owen lacked the balls, for lack of a better term lol But that was then and this is now and someone got Jenny aaaaaall riled up so she turns to Owen to help her save face. Cue the journey to HEA :)<br /><br />I've never read a <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/6468588.Michelle_Major" title="Michelle Major" rel="noopener">Michelle Major</a> book and I kinda feel like I've been missing out. The story was easy (except maybe Jenny was a little too much. She got in her way a lot lol). It sucks you in and you get invested. Owen was an adorable character that stole the show on more than one occasion. Overall, very enjoyable second chance romance you can read in one afternoon :)<br /><br /><i>Copy provided for blog tour review</i>

Jenny was a gullible teenager and because she was so easy to manipulate she fell pregnant. She's now a proud single mother of a great twelve-year-old. Cooper's father, however, has never been part of his life. Jenny grew up without a father herself and this made her insecure and vulnerable. Plants are Jenny's passion and she owns a nursery. Everything she earns is going towards her son and a brilliant care home for her mother. Her mother used to work for a rich family and therefore Jenny had the chance to go to a good school, but her classmates made sure she never felt she belonged. That's why when she's being goaded by one of them about a reunion she tells her that she has a fiancé, Owen, who is a billionaire with plenty of money and status. How will she convince Owen to go with her after breaking his heart several years ago?<br /><br />Owen's family never appreciated him and the two women he loved left him. He is rich, drives a fast car and has a gorgeous place to live, but he doesn't have anyone to share it with. Jenny was the love of his life and when she asks Owen to play her fiancé he doesn't think it's a good idea, but he can't refuse her anything. He even buys her a ring and accompanies her to the reunion, but there's something Jenny has to do for him in return. He wants her to pretend to be his fiancée as well, for an entire week when he visits his family. Will they be able to keep their deal strictly business or are there so many feelings between them they forget their engagement isn't real?<br /><br />Jenny always says what she thinks, she swears all the time and she's completely herself in every situation. I liked her immediately. She has a heart of gold and she's a wonderful mother. Owen is rich, but Jenny doesn't care much about money. She needs it to pay the bills, but she's happy when she's among her plants and doesn't need to have a fancy lifestyle. She likes Owen because of who he is, not because of what he's achieved and how much money he has, which is something I loved about Meant for You. Owen is a kind, caring and gentle man. He's a sexy nerd and always has the feeling he isn't good enough because he isn't athletic. This made me feel sad for him, because he's such an amazing person. He's sweet, generous and chivalrous and he doesn't get the appreciation he deserves. It's clear from the start that Owen and Jenny are soul mates, but Jenny is afraid he'll hurt her. I kept hoping she'd let him in and give him a chance. They have fantastic chemistry and there's a beautiful deep connection between them.<br /><br />Michelle Major's writing has an easy flow and she has a great sense of humor. Jenny is funny, she usually speaks before she thinks and that lands her in the most complicated situations. She's bold and endearing at the same time and that combination of character traits managed to continuously put a big smile on my face. Owen is so adorable that he kept melting my heart. They're such fantastic main characters that I fell in love with their story from the beginning. Meant for You is a charming, cute and spellbinding romantic story and I highly recommend it.

<br />I have been a fan of Owen and Jenny since the beginning. My heart broke for Owen when Jenny sabotaged things. Now, in Meant for You by Michelle Major, they finally get a chance to find their own HEA, while working through their own demons. One knew that theirs was not going to be an easy road; the things that are worth it usually aren’t easy. Their courtship is like much of their relationship, Jenny is prickly and Owen is wary. Family dynamics certainly add an extra layer of conflict as both are still dealing with childhood hurts. It takes them far too long to figure out that they are better together, but Major makes it worth the wait. Sadly this is the last of the four friends. I can only hope Major has found a way to keep this series going.<br />

<b>DNF at 26%:</b> Too much sexual content and sexual innuendo for my taste. Shame because I enjoyed the premise and the writing style.<br /><br />*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.*

This story was ok as a standalone. As part of the series, it has some issues which I found very distracting.<br />First the bad:<br />1. In book one, Jenny has gray eyes. In book 4, her eyes are caramel-colored.<br />2. There is a timeline discrepancy. In book 1 Ty says that Jenny was barely 18 when she had Cooper. In book 4, Jenny is attending her 10 year high school reunion (making her 28-29) but Cooper is 12 years old.<br />3. In book 1, Ty says that Jenny's father had been his family's gardener/landscaper, taught him everything he knows, and that he worked for him many summers. In book 4, Jenny has never known the father that abandoned her as a baby and she has some serious daddy issues. This was repeated so many times throughout the book, it began to feel like filler words to make a word count. I personally felt like this part of the plot was unnecessary as Jenny could have had enough issues just from her teen pregnancy.<br />4. Ben's nephew is named Zach in book 2 and Austin in Book 4 (and book 3). Ben's niece is named Abby in book 2, Claire in book 3, and Abby in book 4.<br /><br />The Good: I felt like the way Jenny's emotions relating to her mother's advancing Alzheimer's was handled was very good. Having experienced that particular progression personally, I felt like Jenny's feelings were very authentic. I liked Cooper and how he seemed wise beyond his years though still acted like the kid he was. I liked Owen and how his character struggled with developing himself into who he wanted others to perceive him to be without losing his sense of self. <br /><br />Overall, I felt like there were too many things going on in this book and none of them developed particularly well. It felt rushed, redundant, and underdeveloped. I believe it had potential to be a great story. If it had half the plot devices and better development I would have really liked it.<br /><br />The lack of continuity in the series was jarring. This series was my first time reading this author. I felt the writing was good, the ideas were strong, and the settings were described beautifully. Unfortunately, I think that the author could use an editor who looks at the whole series when editing in order to avoid issues like those mentioned above. 2.5 stars

<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1532900299i/26048119.png" alt="meant" width="500" height="450" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br> MY RATING: 3/5 STARS <br>I received a copy from Thomas Allen &amp; Sons in exchange for a honest review.<br><br>Meant for You is the forth book in the Colorado Hearts series and having read the first one, Kissing Mr. Right, I have to be honest and let you guys know I didn't finish it. I couldn't bring myself to care about this story because the way it was written was very bland or boring or just so structural that I lost interest in our characters. And my god, did I want to enjoy this story but I couldn't push myself to finish.<br><br>Meant for You follows the story of our spicy hot heroine, Jenny Castelli, who is a single mom who made a very poor mistake when back when she was just Jenny and not a mom. Well, Jenny's a firecracker and when she heard the mean moms making a side comment about her child not having a father, she tells everyone that she's very much in love and possibly engaged to a millionaire tech mogul. Enter her saving grace and also her ex and possibly the one person that she might have fallen head over heels for, our hero, Owen Dalton. Owen used to be this geeky man who looked like the stereotypical tech nerd but now after years and heartbreak caused by Jenny, he changed into this sophisticated sexy man who rock Jenny to the core. It was fun to watch Jenny being all flustered in front of Owen now instead of the other way around. I also must admit, I was extremely attracted to Owen. I just have a thing for nerds.<br><br>But even with a hot nerdy man and a firecracker heroine, I couldn't get myself to finish the story. I'm sure it's just me and my personal problems with the lackluster writing style and the story was actually really touching, emotional, romantic etc. For now, I must DNF and maybe in the future when I'm in a better head space, I might go back and like it.

I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads. <br /><br />As a mom, you will do anything to protect your kids and Jenni is no exception. Twelve years ago, her world was turned upside down with an unexpected pregnancy, the rich boyfriend who turned out to be a douchebag and once again all the "mean girls" at her fancy private school looking down on her as if <i>she</i> were the trash that needed to be taken out. Now the mean girls are back and have goaded her into attending her high school reunion with her current <i>fiance</i>, the one and only Owen Dalton. You know, the nice guy that she just happened to run off because he was "just that into her"? Oh, did I forget to say he was rich, too?<br /><br />Owen hasn't forgotten Jenni or what she did to him almost two years ago. He misses the friendship he had with her and hasn't quite gotten over the feeling that he wasn't <i>enough</i> for her. One more person in his life that he wasn't quite <i>enough</i> for. His parents tended to think he wasn't athletic <i>enough</i>, his former fiancee' probably thought he wasn't sexy <i>enough</i> and it was obvious that his brother thought he wasn't <i>enough</i> of anything since he was the one who stole his former fiancee' away from him.<br /><br />Today is different. Jenni needs a favor and so does he. Owen will pretend to be her fiance at her high school reunion and Jenni will return the favor at his brother's wedding. The sticking point? What will Jenni's twelve year old son think? Turns out that Cooper is the man with the plan.<br /><br />Loved the book and all its elements!<br /><br />~~Wicked Reads Review Team~~

"Received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for a fair review"<br />I really liked this story about a man who feels ostracized by his family, despite his professional success, and the impulsive single mother he’s in love with. I thought it was an original perspective because in the end neither the hero’s assumptions nor the heroine’s about each own family were completely right, but those assumptions shaped who they are. I enjoyed watching how the hero begins to see his family dynamics in a new light with the heroine’s input.<br />The hero is yummy, slightly damaged, caring and kind. The heroine is full-mouthed, and, when scared, tends to sabotage the good things happening to her. Her son is a great character, and there are a bunch of other good secondary characters.<br />Good writing, good characterization and setting, a lovely story!<br />I'm grateful to the publisher, Montlake Romance, and NetGalley for providing a free copy.

Michelle Major is one of my favorite authors. A big reason why is because she exposes love from all sides. She shows warts and all. That makes for stories that are at times heartbreaking but rewarding. Meant For You cast a spell on me. It's hard to be vulnerable when it can lead to open wounds, hurt feelings and insecurities. Jenny is a warrior when it comes to protecting her son and her pride, but this mama lion has scars embedded into her heart so deeply, that her biggest strengths have also become her worse weaknesses. Case in point, a lie of convenience snowballs into more than she bargained when she has to put up or shut up. Will the solution turn into an answer to a prayer or the beginning of an even bigger nightmare? I lost my heart to Owen. He was a man with his own share of painful insecurities but his heart was a thing of beauty. Identifiable characters and memory defining moments made for a poignant read.