ARC Review: Mine by Katy Evans

After reading Real by Katy Evans I absolutely could not wait to get more of Brooke and Remy. I loved them both and their story was one that I really felt connected to. But as I read Mine, I just couldn't help but feel as though this was not the story that I had been waiting for. As much as I still really love Remy and like Brooke, I had quite a few problems with this book. Mine is the second book in the Real series and should only be read if you have already read Real. I highly recommend that if you haven't already read Real, that you definitely check it out, especially if you plan to read more in this series. I hope that as the series goes on that we get more of what Real was like and get back to everything that made us fall in love with Remy and Brooke to begin with.

Mine picks up after where we left off with Real, and we get to see what happens as Brooke and Remy are back together and have reconnected. With Remy's sacrifice of the championship in Real, he and the team are more determined than ever that he will win this new season. But Scorpion is also more determined than ever to make sure that he keeps his title as well as continues to get to Remy. Brooke and Remy are more committed to each other than ever before, but when something comes up and Brooke is forced to leave Remy, what will happen to them? Can Remy and Brooke move forward with a relationship? Or will their insecurities and time apart cause them to break up before they really have a chance at a future together?

I absolutely adore Remy. He is the reason that this book received as many stars as it did for me. He is absolutely impossible not to love, and you can't help but want to root for him. He is sweet and caring and so vulnerable that at times it really breaks your heart. But he is also so strong and sexy and a fighter through and through. I loved that he continued to be so passionate and protective when it came to Brooke. You could really tell just how deeply he feels for her and that he is one hundred percent devoted to her. Brooke on the other hand I had problems with this time. She was extremely emotional at times and almost immature. I found myself getting irritated with her at points and even though I get some of why she felt the way she did, it was her own fault that she was in the situations that she was in. She really seemed to lose some of what I had loved about her from the first book and almost seemed to have a different personality. I did feel that Remy and Brooke had a connection that was able to endure anything though, and it was nice to see them work through problems as they arose. I still felt as though their connection and chemistry was extremely strong and their love is what kept me turning the pages on this one.

My main problem with this book though was the repetition. I felt as though there were so many times that things were said and done over and over. It really made this one start to drag for me and I found myself losing interest at times. I would feel like skipping entire paragraphs because it seemed like I had just read the same thing only a few pages before. I also really had a problem with some of the sub plots in this one. I really disliked Brooke's sister Nora. I felt like her storyline in this book was pretty much the exact same thing as what we had gone through in Real. I'm not sure why that was needed in this story, and I felt like there were already enough reasons for the conflict between Remy and the Scorpion without having to rehash similar things. I also really didn't understand the drama with Brooke's parents. It seemed like something that was just thrown in for a little extra drama and angst before they did a quick turn around and became supportive. I'm just not sure that it was needed. I would have liked to have seen more about Remy and his parents. I absolutely despised them and the way they acted.

Overall, I really felt like this book had so much potential and promise and just couldn't quite live up to the expectations. I still really love Remy and I liked how things ended between Brooke and Remy. But I just felt that this book took too much time repeating things and I think that really took the reader out of the story. I am glad that Brooke started to redeem herself at the end though after her behavior in the beginning and it was nice to see her really support Remy no matter what. I still think that Brooke and Remy have an undeniable connection and their love is definitely one that will stay with me. I will continue to read more in this series, and I hope that the author gets back to what was so easy to fall in love with in Real. I really like the author's writing style, and I am excited to see where she takes her characters in the future. I am also very interested to read Remy and get more of him and his POV. He is what really makes this series for me, and I am definitely greedy for more of him! I do think that this book is one that fans of Real will want to read and I would recommend reading it as long as you have read Real.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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