TRUE by Erin McCarthy

When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…

Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

Type: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Heat: 2.5-3 out of 5
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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I'm not usually one for New Adult but damn Erin McCarthy won me over with her awkwardly geeky heroine and her bad boy has-his-penis-pierced hero. I mean. Totally won me over. I spent the whole book with that wonderful feeling of anticipation where I just couldn't wait to turn the page and find out what happened next. I just love when that happens.

Tyler was right there with the drink again, and having a bad boy as a nursemaid made me start to wonder if I was actually hallucinating. Maybe this was some sort of elaborate roofie-inspired fantasy.

I dribbled the red liquid all down the front of me.

Nope. Not a fantasy.

Just me, rocking the awk.

I really did love both Tyler and Rory. And enjoyed them as a couple, even with the shady way they originally got together. They're both more than you'd expect from first meeting them and they grow into people you can easily love and want to spend more time with. And it was a relationship I loved watching. It's awkward at times, steamy at others, funny and heartbreaking as they make their way into each others lives and for the first time really let some see the ugly dark things they keep hidden.


Tyler was a hero I couldn't help but fall for. He's a bad boy with a heart and despite his somewhat cocky outside appearance he really struggles with his horrible home life and self esteem issues. He's a young man trying his best to protect his younger brothers from an abusive mother and to make something of himself when his opportunities are very limited. I wanted to wrap myself around this boy and protect him like you wouldn't believe.

And Rory, she's led a very protected life and has a hard time socially with letting people close to her. She understands math and science but relationships and emotions are hard for her. She's a wonderful heroine though and I loved how she accepted Tyler and his home life. How she embraced his younger brothers and wanted to do what she could to make their lives better.

Heat-wise...kinda in the middle? There's great chemistry and tension, some yummy intimate moments but it's not incredibly detailed or explicit. I really wish that penis piercing had been explored just a bit more. 

"You are one bad-ass chick, Rory. You look so sweet and naive, but damn, your pretty face hides an amazing mind."

One of my favorite things was Tyler's family bond. Not with his mother who was just horrid but with his siblings. The four brothers are incredible. You can really feel how much they cherish each other and how they'd do anything for the others. It gets you a little choked up seeing these young men struggle and really try to make the best out of a run down and painful situation.

While I did think the ending was a little too abrupt I did like how things turned out for Rory and Tyler. They're really wonderful characters and ones I enjoyed spending time with. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series and seeing what happens with the rest of this group.

Have you read Erin McCarthy? Do you have a favorite?

Have you tried New Adult yet? What did you think? 
What do you think of heroes with...interesting piercings? 

I so forgot to add him in yesterday! Ahh. 
Okay, so why him? Because he just looks like one who could be sporting a pierced penis to me...
And he's pretty.