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Forever Love #2.5

Before Lucky

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Before Lucky is a novella prequel to New York Times Bestselling book The Last Boyfriend

Zane Beaumont’s life changed the day he walked into Lou’s Burger Joint and saw Lucky Morgan for the first time. He wasn’t sure if it was her smile, or her chocolate brown eyes that captured his heart, but he knew that he would do anything to make sure he got to know her better.

We all know the story of how Lucky fell in love with Zane, now it’s time to see how Zane fell for Lucky. Before Lucky tells the story of how one handsome, but broken man found love for the first time.

**New Adult Contemporary Romance**

188 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2013

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3795 people want to read

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J.S. Cooper

260 books5,423 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
Profile Image for J.S. Cooper.
Author 260 books5,423 followers
June 16, 2013
Want to know what Zane was thinking when he first met Lucky??
Profile Image for CeCe.
3,612 reviews109 followers
September 29, 2013
I did not want it to end. I wanted Zane to retell everything in his POV. I loved it. Loved it. Read it one sitting. I could stop reading.

I want to recommend that you read The Last Boyfriend before you read Before Lucky otherwise there will be some spoilers. I think what made The Last Boyfriend more intense for me was the fact that

I had no idea what Zane was doing. Whether he cared for Lucky was simply using her like every other girl he took out. Plus, I was not sure who the good or bad guy was in the books.

Before Lucky starts from the very beginning where Zane first walks into diner and sees Lucky. Lucky from that point continues to be his waitress every Friday as he brings date after date to the diner. We get to look inside Zane’s inner thoughts about his goals and how he came to care for Lucky.

This is a novella, but it set up everything nicely. If you have not started reading the Forever Love series, I recommend it highly. There is love with a bit of mystery.

When I was done with Before Lucky, I wanted to start rereading The Last Boyfriend all over again.
Great job J.S. Cooper, I loved it. It made me love Zane even more.

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for SammiesBookBlog.
543 reviews8 followers
September 29, 2013
I LOVED Zane's story more than Lucky's, sorry Lucky. I love the girl, but the male POV I ALWAYS love more and it always gives me more back information, We got to see more of Zane's crazy humor, his thoughts and what makes him him. I loved reading about his dates, they were very amusing and hilarious. Loved reading how Lucky was through his eyes, made me love him even more. Zane is truly amazing and this was my favorite so far, I really enjoyed Zane's POV and I think everyone else will also. More to come at a later date when my computer id fixed ;-)
must read ladies! <3

"I'm talking about that moment when you know that you have made a connection that you can't explain or fathom. That moment when you realize that you can't control your mind. The moment when you realize your brain and your heart can play tricks on you."
Profile Image for Retta Rusaw.
57 reviews1 follower
September 28, 2013
Before Lucky was a great insight on what Zane was feeling when he first saw Lucky, and his first interaction with Lucky. We also get to see the constant turmoil he goes though with himself, he wants Lucky but he also wants to revenge his brother's suicide.

I absolutely loved Zane's POV, if you loved TLB and TLH this is a must read to see Zane's POV on how it all started!

Please remember that this is a novella about how Zane felt when he first met Lucky and NOT a novel retelling The Last Boyfriend or The Last Husband from Zane's POV!
Profile Image for Holly Craft.
76 reviews8 followers
September 29, 2013
Oh JS Cooper, how I love you! I was so excited to get into Zane's mind. I loved getting to know Zane and Lucky in The Last Boyfriend and The Last Husband and how amazing their story played out. It was awesome to see how Zane felt when seeing Lucky for the first time and trying to fight off his attraction to her but of course that didn't work :) At first I actually thought Zane was just a straight up player but getting to know him more and his reasoning's for his doings, everything made sense and I wouldn't have changed a thing! Can't wait for their story to continue!
Profile Image for Sara Nuñez.
71 reviews
October 31, 2014
"Hablaremos pronto, Zane". Y con eso colgo. Salte del coche y empece a correr. Me sentia euforico y emocionado. Por primera vez en meses, me senti como si tuviera una razon para empezar a vivir. Antes de que Lucky hubiera llegado, pensaba que todo estaba terminado en mi vida. Mi entorno se habia convertido en negro y yo caminaba alrededor insensible, con un solo objetivo en mente. Todavia tenia ese objetivo: conseguir a Braydon encarcelado por lo que le habia hecho a Noah, pero ahora, mi mundo se habia vuelto de nuevo a color. No fue algo que hubiera buscado, y ni siquiera era algo que entendiera. De hecho, me asustaba. No conocia realmente a esta chica y ella no me conocia pero teniamos algo. Habia un conexion alli que no podia explicar. Y ella nunca estaba lejos de mi mente. Antes de Lucky, habia sido una sombra de mi mismo. Nunca habia querido nada mas que lo que tenia. Pero ahora, ahora me sentia diferente. Estaba dispuesto a ver a donde nos llevaba este camino. Estaba dispuesto a tomar un riesgo, queria llegar a conocerla mejor, queria besarla y sentirla. Queria estar con ella. E iba a hacer todo lo posible para asegurarme de que lograba todos mis objetivos.
FIN

Come on men!!!!! go go go go go!
07/09/2014.
Sara Nuñez

Profile Image for Nicole Baylor.
124 reviews3 followers
September 17, 2014
I was pretty disappointed with this one. Yes, it was nice to see Zane's point of view but there were a fee things that bothered me..
1- the timeline of Zane and Lucky's interaction in the diner was off. There were details of 3 dates Zane took to the diner (which would make that 3 weeks of interaction) and then the next chapter said "Two and a half months later." That would then bring it to over 3 months. And there was still another week or so before the famous party. So in this book, it seemed like their interaction was for over 4 months.
2- a conversation between Zane and Leeza before the party happened was changed in this book. And the change left out important details that happened in The Last Husband. If you're going to write a second book that has the same scenes or descriptions of the same scene, they should match.
3- I was disappointed that we didn't get to see Zane's reaction to the first time he and Lucky kissed and slept together. I would have loved to know what was going through his mind the first time they almost had sex and then when they finally did..
Profile Image for Caroline Hattrich.
69 reviews
September 29, 2013
Loved this book. This is an awesome series. It's the prequel before Last Boyfriend and Last Husband. This book gives Zane's point of view and the first time he sees Lucky. Once I started I was hooked and just could not put the book down. After reading this I highly recommend you read the Last boyfriend and the Last Husband if you have not done so already. Congrats Jamie another awesome book. You rock!!!
Profile Image for aldi.
93 reviews42 followers
January 30, 2014
Aburrido e innecesario. Casi me duermo.
Profile Image for Mary Winstead.
1,263 reviews16 followers
December 9, 2017
Before lucky is Zane's point of view of how,he saw,and wanted lucky. It's the prequel to The Last Boyfriend. Great story line. Both wanting two different things because of love. Need to read. Cannot wait to read the next installment of this series. Must read.
Profile Image for Kristel.
77 reviews
December 12, 2017
This is Zane’s POV.
It starts before the first book begins and it ends when Lucky takes his job offer.
It’s interesting to get Zane’s POV, but I didn’t really feel I learned anything usefull new info.
3,790 reviews7 followers
May 16, 2018
This is basically My Last Boyfriend from Zane's POV. It didn't really reveal anything that you couldn't have guessed from the 1st book, but if you like dual POV's, it might be worth it for you to read.

Just ok for me.
400 reviews1 follower
January 10, 2020
Before lucky

I really enjoy reading this book.I will tell my friends and this author. I was happy that everything worked out
Profile Image for Bookoholic Anom.
82 reviews45 followers
October 14, 2013

I really love novellas and I especially love it when they come after you have read most of the series. I feel like the Author’s are giving their reader’s a special treat into the lives of the characters that we have grown to love. Which I’m sure is exactly the case, no doubt.

With Before Lucky (the novella in the Forever Love series) gives us a lovely insight into Zane Beaumont’s head when he first laid eyes on Lucky. We get to go into his inner thoughts and battles about his feelings for this beautiful brown-eyed female. I don’t know why, well maybe I do, but I tend to love books that are from the male’s point of view maybe a bit more than when it is from a female’s point of view. I think it could be because as a female I think it would be helpful and just fun to swim inside a man’s head and see his thoughts and what he battles with when he is conversing with the opposite sex. What really goes on in a man’s head? I also find it interesting that a lot of female Author’s tend to do this a lot and a few male Author’s tend to write from female’s point of view. That has always intrigued me as to why this is. I think it works out great. Especially in Before Lucky.

In Before Lucky, Zane Beaumont is in town solely to find out if a certain person by the name of Braydon is indeed behind the death of his brother Noah. He is on a mission to find out as much as he can by dating all of Braydon’s exes. This mission is not being done on his own with no back up he is basically undercover for a Special Agent who is helping and directing him along the way. This for me is the darker side of Zane. He isn’t really doing anything dangerous or bad boyish except for taking a different girl out every night. This is what brings Lucky in his path at a diner he goes to with a date one night. From then on she slowly starts seeping into his mind at every waking moment and then starts consuming his dreams. For Zane this the first time ever that a woman has affected him in such a way because he is a no relationship type of guy. He never sees himself being in a relationship and that is what he continues to tell himself even when all he can think about his being with Lucky in any way.

The chemistry between the two of them is undeniable and Zane can literally feel a shock whenever she touches him or they are extremely close to each other. Zane purposely starts bringing his dates to this diner where Lucky works just so he can just to her or even just get a glimpse of her. He realizes he becomes jealous when she is talking to other guys and he has become so in tuned with her that he quickly picks up some of her habits and tells. While Lucky is consuming his thoughts he still tries to stay on course with the investigation that he was sent there in the first place.

I loved the story and I think it just adds to the greatness of the series and it was nice to be able to get into Zane’s head and find a bit more about him before he met the love of his life. The story was nice and sweet, not needing to be any longer than it was because I merely took it as a glimpse into his thoughts and reactions. I think anyone that loves the Forever Love series will love and appreciate this novella.
Although I feel you do not have to read the other two books in this series to read Before Lucky, but I think it would be more fun for the reader if they were to read this book as the third installment and read the first two books first. Make it a nice Zane Beaumont treat for yourself.
Profile Image for Aimee.
358 reviews24 followers
May 25, 2014
“I suppose I was a bit of a challenge, the man that had never been in love. The man who didn’t do relationships. Little did they know, that was never going to change. I was never going to let some woman come in and destroy me.”


YES!

We get ZANE'S P.O.V. !!!!

description

“Before Lucky, I had been a shadow of myself. I’d never believed in love or soul mates. I’d never even wanted anything more than what I had. But now, now I felt differently. I was willing to see where this path took us. I was willing to take a risk, I wanted to get to know her better. I wanted to kiss her, and feel her. I wanted to be with her. For however long it lasted. I wasn’t going to run away anymore. Before Lucky, my life was focused on bringing Braydon down, but now, my life was also focused on her. And I was going to do everything I could to make sure that I achieved all of my goals.”


Here in this book…or novella I guess since it had only few chapters…we see how Zane fell in love with out fave girl Lucky.

description

Shall we say he fell for Lucky at first…dance?

He saw her dancing that salsa step and then…BOOM.

Guy fell for the girl. But guy doesn't want to admit since he openly tells in his point of view that he is not capable of "love". Or serious relationship. Or happy endings.

But we all know the ending right?

*sigh*

So happy for Zane and Lucky.

“It was as if she held the key to a place in me that had never been opened before. A place so dark and secret that I wasn’t sure if I wanted it to be found.”


description

Why Ms. J.S. Cooper did that end there????
I reallllllyyyyy want more.

description

But thank you so much for this!

Thumbs up for this one! :)
Profile Image for Dawn Smith.
188 reviews16 followers
October 1, 2013
I just finished reading the Before Lucky novella by J.S. Cooper and it has left me totally astounded. I knew going into this read that it would be good, but I had no idea how thought provoking and pragmatic it would be.

Just listen to this: The grief never goes away, but sometimes it hides out waiting to be found. Grief is tricky like that. It likes to play games. It likes you to think that it’s gone. But then when it’s found and the guilt hits you once again, it is even more unforgiving, because it makes you think: how could I have forgotten? For even one second?

I had to go back and keep re-reading this paragraph because it literally took my breath away. It is such an elegant turn of phrase. This really puts you in Zane’s mindset and sets the tone for the rest of the book.

I loved reading about how Zane and Lucky first met, especially from Zane’s POV. Even as he struggles with his feelings towards Lucky their chemistry is undeniable

”I felt as if I had been electrocuted. That’s how powerful the connection was.”

This may be a shorter read but the writing and plot are outstanding. Ms. Cooper has written these amazing characters that are intelligent, witty, and full of life. She puts words into Lucky’s mouth that break your heart and make you fall in love. It was fascinating to get inside Lucky’s mindset and view falling in love for the first time through his eyes.

I adored this book. It just goes to prove that you do not need a 500 page juggernaut to express all that the author has revealed in this novella. I really want to read more about Noah and cannot wait for his book to be released. I whole heartedly give this story a five out of five stars.
Profile Image for Ashley.
8 reviews
September 30, 2013
Before Lucky is a novella prequel to New York Times Bestselling book The Last Boyfriend

Zane Beaumont's life changed the day he walked into Lou's Burger Joint and saw Lucky Morgan for the first time. He wasn't sure if it was her smile, or her chocolate brown eyes that captured his heart, but he knew that he would do anything to make sure he got to know her better.

We all know the story of how Lucky fell in love with Zane, now it's time to see how Zane fell for Lucky. Before Lucky tells the story of how one handsome, but broken man found love for the first time.

**New Adult Contemporary Romance**

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I first have to say I am so HAPPY that we finally got to be in the mind of Zane! I always wondered what he was thinking at specific moments in the first book. Now I know that this was just a short book to explain the first part but I wish it was the whole first book! I LOVE knowing what is in the male mind of the book. We didn't even get to the first kiss or having sex! UGH!!!

That being said it was wonderful. Although I understand that portions of the first book were used in this on (why rewrite it when you can copy and paste) but really there are select few areas where the wording is wrong because it was made from Lucky's POV. I would have liked it to be a bit more cleaner in that area.

It was another great book written by J. S. Cooper. You can never go wrong. I can't wait to read the rest of Zane and Lucky's story or Noah's!!!
Read
October 4, 2013
Before Lucky is a novella that is the Prequel to The Last Boyfriend!

I’m not sure what it is that makes a male’s POV so much better than a female’s but let me say…. IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!! I loved-loved-loved getting into Zane Beaumont’s head and hearing his struggles and thoughts!

From the moment Zane meets Lucky at the diner there is an instant connection between the two. He tries to fight the feelings though because he is so set in not ever wanting a relationship. Zane has meaningless sex with women but never commits, so where are these feelings coming from all of the sudden??

The best part is getting to hear Zane talk to himself, trying to pull himself together when he is around Lucky. Nothing ever comes out correctly and sometimes he is harsher than he means to be. He wants to build some sort of relationship between them but every time he starts he ends up sticking his foot in his mouth and always trying to figure out how to make things better.

The amount of endless women he brings into the diner sure doesn’t help his case either. It makes you want to slap him and yell, “stop with the women” but you know there is a purpose behind his actions. He has to try and find out information on Braydon and this is his way of finding things out.

Overall…. I LOVE ZANE! I think JS Cooper did a fabulous job with Before Lucky and giving us Zane’s POV! I can’t wait to see what is next!!!
Profile Image for Larissa.
680 reviews8 followers
September 28, 2013
As the title implies, Before Lucky will show Zane’s true feelings, expectations, missions, his mood swings (obviously present), everything Zane was/used to be before he was lucky enough to meet Lucky.

After the [supposed] death of Noah, Zane’s only thought is to get the one responsible for his brother’s death into jail. Little does Zane is aware, he’s going to meet a girl named Lucky, who will be lucky enough to “destroy” Zane’s walls around his heart. But first, Zane will have to understand himself, discovers what he can survive with, share… and all that relationship thing we’re all aware about. He’s only human, you guys!

Here’s a quote from the book that I enjoyed pretty much, which also works as a overall kind of review:
"Before Lucky, my life was focused on bringing Braydon dow, but now, my life was also focused on her. And I was going to do everything I could to make sure that I achieved all of my goals".


For the full review with snapshots, and more opinions... ALL HERE.
Profile Image for Love Those Books.
15 reviews15 followers
September 28, 2013
Well I may be slightly biased because well I am head over heels in love with both Zane and Lucky and to have more of their story revealed and to get into Zanes head was awesome!'

I was so excited to see how true to Lucky he was prior to even getting to know her. The battle he had going on his head on whether he should see her or stay true to his mission with finding all about how Brayden was involved with Noah. I like to believe that Love at first sight is attainable other then in fairytales and after reading this it seems Mr. Baeumont had fallen victim to Love at First Sight. This little gem made me happy to see what my crazy Zane was up to while he frequented Lou’s for no other reason than to see his favorite brown haired waitress who had a laugh that captured him from the beginning. To watch him feel the overwhelming feeling of protectiveness right from the beginning was amazing. It was the little things that made stand out to him mostly the fact that she didn't try to be beautiful she just was. I CANNOT wait for more of Zane and Lucky and will be marking my calendar for the upcoming release of Lucky and Zanes First Christmas.
Profile Image for Michel Reinhard (Saucy Southern Readers).
1,760 reviews52 followers
September 28, 2013
I am so addicted to this series....it is one of my 2013 favorites!

This a novella from Zane Beaumont's point of view. This novella takes the reader back to the beginning. Zane Beaumont is on a mission. He is seeking revenge for his brother's death. His life has spiraled out of control. Guilt and the need for revenge consume him. His every thought is centered around this ...that is until he meets Lucky.

In this novella we see the instant attraction Zane has for Lucky. He is drawn to her and cannot stay away. His attraction becomes as much of an obsession as his need to have justice for his brother's death. But can have both.

The reader gets into Zane's head.

This short story is fantastic. The series is fantastic. These characters come alive and jump out of the pages.

I look forward to more of Zane and Lucky's story. Don't miss this series!
Reading Order
The Last Boyfriend
The Last Husband
Before Lucky (a reader may want to read this before The Last Boyfriend or right after The Last Boyfriend)
Profile Image for Crystal Marie.
1,483 reviews68 followers
November 5, 2013
3.5 Stars!!

I have enjoyed the Forever Love series by J.S. Cooper since the first book came out! While I’m not usually a fan of the New Adult genre, there are some books that just make me smile. The Last Boyfriend and The Last Husband were extremely cute and I couldn’t put them down when I started them. So when I found out that J.S. was going to be releasing Before Lucky, I was excited!
However, once I started reading it, even though I did enjoy that the story was told from Zane’s POV, I didn’t enjoy this story as much as I thought that I would. There were some parts of it that seemed to be dragged on, in my opinion, as well as there were a lot of repeats that were happening. If you have already read The Last Husband than you understand what Zane is hiding.
Overall, while I did enjoy the other books in the Forever Love series, this one just wasn’t up to par for me.
Profile Image for Hanleigh Bradley.
Author 67 books1,592 followers
April 14, 2016
This book is a must read for anyone who has read The Last Boyfriend and The Last Husband. It's a prequel novella from Zane Beaumont's perspective. It's beautiful and intense and a little bit intimidating. If you though Zane was a little bit creepy when you were reading the other two books, that feel is going to grow even more with this one. It appears that everything is orchestrated and planed by Zane. Everything. He used the snippets of conversations with her in the restaurant to plan how to get her into his bed, his life and eventually his heart. It's only a short one but it's no less intense than the others and it's hard not to love Zane Beaumont.

It was fantastic to see what Zane first thought of Lucky as he took in the sight of her dancing. "I felt myself smiling and it wasn't for my date, I would have stood there waiting for a few more minutes as well." It was amazing, watching as Zane's entire life changed focus... the centre of his life was no longer revenge but Lucky Morgan.
Profile Image for Christine Lacombe.
292 reviews16 followers
September 29, 2013
First let me say you need to read The Last Boyfriend (Forever Love, #1) & The Last Husband (Forever Love, #2) before reading Before Lucky (Forever Love, #3)!! This book is all about Zane, his point of view, of how he first met Lucky at the diner and all of the events leading up to where The Last Boyfriend starts. I found this really interesting as we watch their instant connection to each other unfold, seeing Zane on these Friday nights, his interactions with Lucky and all of the things going on in his head. It gives us insight into what was going on in his thoughts about Braydon, Noah and Lucky. Right now the book is only .99, so you can't go wrong in buying it. I received an arc of this book for an honest review. Thank you JS Cooper for writing this book and letting us into Zane's life.
14 reviews2 followers
September 29, 2013
JS Cooper...you have done it again and again!

Before Lucky is in Zane's POV and talks about why he does the things he does. We get a true insight into his motivation to catch Braydon in the act and convict him of his wrongdoings. "I was going to make it my mission to avenge Noah's death, and nothing was going to get in my way. This was my life now." Zane has so much animosity and anger built up due to his brother's untimely death, that all he sees is a world filled with drugs and deceit. What he doesn't realize (although he does later), is this amazing person willing to fill that void left by his brother.

I would suggest reading the first two books before you read Before Lucky because I think it will give you a better understanding of the story line and help with the complete picture. I can't wait for Noah's story and more from Zane and Lucky!!!!
Profile Image for J-J lover of books.
686 reviews9 followers
October 5, 2013
Read this in one sitting. It just a prequel to The last boyfriend.

I love prequels, they open up so much more insight into the character. Knowing their frame of mine, the feelings and their point of view.

I so enjoy being in Zane's head, seeing it from his point of view. It made me fall for Zane even more. For him to feel the connection between himself and Lucky for the first meeting. He cared about her right from the start. he was prepared to do anything, to protect her. Even if it was mainly from himself. It made me feel all gushy and warm inside. He really had a negative view of himself. He blames himself for his mom leaving and Noah dying. That is way too much guilt for someone so young.

I can't wait to read more of this series. I am looking forward to following them on their journey, see where it takes them. I will be with them every step of the way.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews

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