Review - You and Tequila by Crystal Donahue

You and Tequila

By: Crystal Donahue

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila… Score!

Cassel Bailey's life hasn't exactly turned out how she planned. Between the tragic death of her parents, a brother that practically despises her, and working her way through nursing school alone, she's learned to stay guarded, relying only on herself and her friends for love and support. Over time they’ve become her surrogate family. So when one drunken night at the bar lands her in bed with her close friend, Will Tanner, it threatens to change their otherwise platonic relationship forever. Life as she knows it suddenly begins spinning out of control as she struggles to understand her conflicted emotions.

Guided by her authoritative best friend, Tina, and her quirky next-door neighbor, Rita, Cassel must decide between fighting to keep her friendship with Will alive, or going with Plan B and risking it all for something more.

Just when she thinks she knows what she wants, Cassel is bullied into caring for a patient that, unbeknownst to her, played an important role in her sad past. The stunning secret this person reveals about her former lover, Dane, threatens to open up previously healed wounds and leads Cassel to question not only the career she loves, but where her heart truly lies. Everything she thought she knew about life, love, and promises is shattered like an empty bottle hitting the floor.

One thing is for certain, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade... when life gives you limes, you grab some salt and a bottle of tequila and learn to take it one shot at a time.

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 My Review

What should you do when you don't really know what you want, but know what you want could cost you the most important relationship in your life?  If you're like Cassel Bailey, the main character in Crystal Donahue's You and Tequila, you accidentally get drunk, sleep with your best friend and second guess every decision you've ever made.  A quirky, occasionally funny and emotionally angst filled contemporary romance, You and Tequila is definitely best served with lime.

Cassel Bailey has a job she loves, friends who are as close as family, and loves the Chicago Bears.  A nurse at a local hospital, Cassel is intelligent, caring and good with people.  She also has issues with trust, has two best friends, and an ex who doesn't seem to understand the meaning of the phrase "get lost".

Secretly in love with his best friend, Will Tanner just passed the bar exam and is looking forward to his first real job.  Celebrating with Cassel, and some of their other friends, is all he's got planned for the night.  Getting drunk, making out and taking her home is more than he had planned.

The scenes between Cassel and Will are full of snappy dialogue, and lots of emotional and sexual tension.  Secretly attracted to each other for a while, neither one quite knows how to take their relationship from best friends to something more.  Ms. Donahue does a good job developing likable characters that are easy to connect with, though I'll admit there are a few times I want to shake "Cass" and smack her upside the head.  While both are mature, responsible people, they both have issues with trust, self worth and seriously needed to work on their communication.

The secondary characters are well written and all contributed to the story.  I especially loved Tina, Cass's best friend, who refused to choose side between Cass and Will and was determined to help them see they were right for each other.  While there is no real "villain" in the story, Dane, Cass's ex- boyfriend and Will's ex-best friend, provided plenty of angst, tension and trouble.

Will Cass finally decide what she really wants?  And will she take a chance on love?  You'll have to read  You and Tequila to find out.  I enjoyed it and I think you will too.

My Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Stars 

FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.