ARC Review: Never Been Ready by J.L. Berg

Never Been Ready is the second book in J.L. Berg's Ready Series. I couldn't wait to read this story the second after I finished When You're Ready. Even though this is the second book, you could very easily read this as a standalone. I highly recommend that you read them in order though as the characters are interconnected and you get so much more insight into everyone if you have read the first book. Not to mention the fact that J.L. Berg is an amazing writer, and these stories are absolutely fantastic. I cannot believe these are the first books that she has written! They are absolutely amazing, the stories are interesting and complex, the characters deep, and they have such a natural flow that is just so easy to get lost in. I am a huge fan after reading these books, and I can tell you that I will absolutely be reading anything I can get my hands on from J.L. Berg in the future!

Leah grew up with an alcoholic father and no mother after she walked out when she was young. She grew close to her best friend Clare and her family took her in as their own. Now years later, she is a labor and delivery nurse and lives her life thinking that she will never find love after her childhood and a boyfriend who left her when she needed him the most. So when she meets Declan James, Hollywood's newest up and coming actor she figures one night with him couldn't hurt. But six months later, she can't bring herself to be with anyone else and he is all she thinks about. After being left heartbroken years ago, Declan lives his life with no commitments and the rule of only one night with a woman. But months after meeting Leah, he is still thinking about her. When his current movie takes him back to Virginia, he figures he needs to work Leah out of his system. But soon, he is falling harder than ever before for Leah. Even though they are both nervous about the feelings that are growing between them, they realize that they have a shot at a future together. However when a sudden revelation from the past is revealed, will they be able to move forward together or be torn apart?

I honestly wasn't sure that I was going to like Declan after we briefly met him in When You're Ready. I thought that he was arrogant and bit of a jerk. But he won me over so quickly in this story it wasn't even funny. He was charming and sweet, extremely thoughtful, and so much deeper than I ever expected him to be. I loved seeing how passionate he was about movies and his love for film. It was so much more to him than just a career and fame. I loved seeing him become a better man because of Leah. I think my favorite thing about him was that he didn't try to fight his feelings for Leah once he realized where things were going with them. He just accepted them and was determined to make her his. He was also really sexy, and the chemistry between him and Leah was off the charts hot! I loved Leah from the first book, but she grew on me even more in this story. She is so much fun, she is feisty, and I love how strong she is. She is one of those heroines that I would love to be friends with in real life. She has such a blunt and straight forward way of saying things and going about life that you never know what will come out of her mouth next...and I absolutely love it! She is also kind and giving, and is always taking care of others. I loved how understanding and patient she was with Declan and all the things that they were dealt. She really just kept an open mind and was always there for support or whatever he needed. These two had such an amazing connection, and I felt like they were so easy to become emotionally invested in.

Overall, this book was a fabulous follow up to When You're Ready. Sometimes with a series, the second book falls a bit flat and just doesn't live up to the expectations that can develop after such a great start. That was so not the case with Never Been Ready though. This book was as amazing as the first story, and in a completely different way. I can't say that it was better than the first, because they are both favorites of mine now and for completely different reasons. But this one was definitely more than I could have hoped for and I am so excited to read more from Berg in the future! I loved seeing more of Clare, Logan and Maddie as well as getting to know Leah and Declan better. This series is shaping up to be one of my all time favorites. I can't wait to get to know Clare's brother Garrett better in Ready For You, the next book in this series. This series is an absolute must read for romance fans, and I seriously cannot recommend it enough. There is no way to say everything I love about these books, but they are definitely worth the read. These books always go in different ways than I would expect, and I love that I never know exactly what is going to happen. J.L. Berg has definitely become a favorite author of mine, and I can't wait to read more from her in the future.

**ARC provided by AToMR**

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