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Going Under Complete Duo: Going Under and Shallow
GOING UNDER—
Jesse Boone is a self-proclaimed bad boy and doesn’t march to the beat of anyone’s drum but his own. Growing up in less than desirable circumstances has made him no stranger to the hard knock life but his determination to leave it behind is fervent. He sees an opportunity to snag a college football scholarship when he’s transferred to East Franklin High School but Forbes Henderson has other plans. The player Jesse intends to replace doesn’t plan on giving up his spot as starting quarterback so a rivalry is born. Jesse is determined to show his nemesis that he’s not only going to take his position as first string quarterback, he’s going to take his girl, too.
Claire Deveraux is perfection at its best. She’s beautiful, intelligent, and unaware she just became Jesse Boone’s conquest to settle a score with her boyfriend. Like her flawless performance as the perfect daughter and student, Claire’s production of being the perfect girlfriend has everyone fooled, except Jesse Boone. She fears this tattooed bad boy will see her secret desire to explore his crude threats and promises of rocking her perfect world. If she decides to give in to one uninhibited moment with Jesse, will she learn too late that it was all an act of vengeance or will Jesse learn that the taste of first love is sweeter than that of revenge?
SHALLOW—
Nick Hawke wants his car fast and his girls faster. He blows through them quicker than his muscle car races down the drag strip in Collinsville and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s determined to avoid the devastation he has watched his father endure in the aftermath of his mother’s abandonment. He believes there is no room in his life or his heart for a relationship lasting more than one night. He seeks happiness in things that won’t let him down––fast cars, adrenaline highs, and one night stands. All of that changes when he unexpectedly runs into an old friend and is introduced to Payton Archer, the first girl he ever wanted for more than a night. There’s only one catch––she’s completely immune to him and his smooth talking ways.
Payton Archer is looking for love––the true, mad, deep kind. She’s given up on finding it, at least until she leaves for college because she’s certain that is where she’ll find the ideal guy to fit into her perfect world. Her summer plans include nothing more than three uneventful months of fun but it turns out to be anything but ordinary when Payton meets Nick Hawke, one of Jesse’s old Collinsville friends. She’s shocked by her immediate and intense attraction for “Hawke” because nothing about him is on her checklist for the perfect love. Sure, he’s hot and sexy but he comes from Collinsville and that is definitely not on her list of prerequisites. Everything about him makes Payton’s heart speed. He’s exciting and dangerous but his fast car and chance taking aren't what scares Payton the most. It’s the way Nick Hawke makes her feel every time he looks at her. Can Payton find the courage to leave the safe, shallow end of love and risk going under completely?
Jesse Boone is a self-proclaimed bad boy and doesn’t march to the beat of anyone’s drum but his own. Growing up in less than desirable circumstances has made him no stranger to the hard knock life but his determination to leave it behind is fervent. He sees an opportunity to snag a college football scholarship when he’s transferred to East Franklin High School but Forbes Henderson has other plans. The player Jesse intends to replace doesn’t plan on giving up his spot as starting quarterback so a rivalry is born. Jesse is determined to show his nemesis that he’s not only going to take his position as first string quarterback, he’s going to take his girl, too.
Claire Deveraux is perfection at its best. She’s beautiful, intelligent, and unaware she just became Jesse Boone’s conquest to settle a score with her boyfriend. Like her flawless performance as the perfect daughter and student, Claire’s production of being the perfect girlfriend has everyone fooled, except Jesse Boone. She fears this tattooed bad boy will see her secret desire to explore his crude threats and promises of rocking her perfect world. If she decides to give in to one uninhibited moment with Jesse, will she learn too late that it was all an act of vengeance or will Jesse learn that the taste of first love is sweeter than that of revenge?
SHALLOW—
Nick Hawke wants his car fast and his girls faster. He blows through them quicker than his muscle car races down the drag strip in Collinsville and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s determined to avoid the devastation he has watched his father endure in the aftermath of his mother’s abandonment. He believes there is no room in his life or his heart for a relationship lasting more than one night. He seeks happiness in things that won’t let him down––fast cars, adrenaline highs, and one night stands. All of that changes when he unexpectedly runs into an old friend and is introduced to Payton Archer, the first girl he ever wanted for more than a night. There’s only one catch––she’s completely immune to him and his smooth talking ways.
Payton Archer is looking for love––the true, mad, deep kind. She’s given up on finding it, at least until she leaves for college because she’s certain that is where she’ll find the ideal guy to fit into her perfect world. Her summer plans include nothing more than three uneventful months of fun but it turns out to be anything but ordinary when Payton meets Nick Hawke, one of Jesse’s old Collinsville friends. She’s shocked by her immediate and intense attraction for “Hawke” because nothing about him is on her checklist for the perfect love. Sure, he’s hot and sexy but he comes from Collinsville and that is definitely not on her list of prerequisites. Everything about him makes Payton’s heart speed. He’s exciting and dangerous but his fast car and chance taking aren't what scares Payton the most. It’s the way Nick Hawke makes her feel every time he looks at her. Can Payton find the courage to leave the safe, shallow end of love and risk going under completely?
516 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 25, 2015
83 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Georgia Cates
50 books7,177 followersGeorgia Cates is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author—and a former labor and delivery nurse who now delivers swoony love stories instead of babies. A lifelong reader and proud cat wrangler of three, she writes romance with heart, heat, and a dash of Southern charm. Originally from rural Mississippi, she’s married to her best friend and is the proud mom of two amazing daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 28, 2015
Going to vomit...disturbing find...otherwise ok read...
Georgia Cates is a seasoned writer with a fluid style but with both Going Under and Shallow, her stories are starting to lack originality. Her characters belie the same old flaws and secrets, and their travails are nothing new.
In Going Under, Jesse and Claire are hot enough and nice enough and imperfect enough. But three years into their relationship, their feelings for each other haven't changed and therein lies the crux, as in all these HEA's. What happens to the rest of their lives?
In Shallow, I found something disturbing: If Vivian/Payton's mom and Mattie/Nick's mom are sisters, doesn't that make Payton and Nick first cousins? Am I the only one who noticed this? Eewwwww!!!!! Aside from that, it was an okay love story with interesting characters. Payton was a brash no-nonsense heroine looking for real mad love. Nick has been reformed of his manwhore ways. I love that he would change himself for her. Ofcourse, anything for your own family, right?, blood is thicker than water...eewww! They form a strong love and deep bond. Oh wait, they're still cousins!!! Nevermind. Maybe I missed something (like Vivian and Mattie are step-siblings) and I'm wrong. Let's hope so because otherwise, again, eewwwww!
Georgia Cates is a seasoned writer with a fluid style but with both Going Under and Shallow, her stories are starting to lack originality. Her characters belie the same old flaws and secrets, and their travails are nothing new.
In Going Under, Jesse and Claire are hot enough and nice enough and imperfect enough. But three years into their relationship, their feelings for each other haven't changed and therein lies the crux, as in all these HEA's. What happens to the rest of their lives?
In Shallow, I found something disturbing: If Vivian/Payton's mom and Mattie/Nick's mom are sisters, doesn't that make Payton and Nick first cousins? Am I the only one who noticed this? Eewwwww!!!!! Aside from that, it was an okay love story with interesting characters. Payton was a brash no-nonsense heroine looking for real mad love. Nick has been reformed of his manwhore ways. I love that he would change himself for her. Ofcourse, anything for your own family, right?, blood is thicker than water...eewww! They form a strong love and deep bond. Oh wait, they're still cousins!!! Nevermind. Maybe I missed something (like Vivian and Mattie are step-siblings) and I'm wrong. Let's hope so because otherwise, again, eewwwww!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2023
Jesse & Claire: 5 stars
*****Spoiler Alert*****
Audible Premium Plus borrow 04-28-21, audiobook review. Dual POV. Standalone and book 1 of 2 in the Going Under duet. No cliffhanger. I really enjoyed both narrators. High school romance. Trigger warnings: drugs, alcohol, murder, attempted murder.
Great story about a pair of high school seniors. Claire was adopted by a wealthy couple soon after her addict mom abandoned her after delivering her, is the valedictorian hopeful, head cheerleader, dating the quarterback, and all around good girl. Jesse transfers to a new school in a wealthy area after he almost died in a drug deal gone wrong. Jesse is a phenomenal ambidextrous quarterback that his coach is excited to have join his football team. Jesse's poor background and football skill make him the target of Forbes, the current quarterback & Claire's current boyfriend. The two quickly fall for each other, overcome family obstacles and are married with a new daughter in the epilogue.
The final chapter is the first 2 chapters of book 2 in the duet which is Payton's story. Payton is Claire's best friend. JP
1st read/listen 04-29-21
======
Nick and Payton: 3 stars
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Audiobook review; borrowed through Audible Premium Plus 05-03-21. This is a YA/NA insta-love story. It barely earned a PG-13 for me. I have read/listened to and recommend Georgia Cates' Indulge standalone, Dear Agony standalone, Beautiful Illusions duet, Beauty trilogy, and The Sins trilogy. I've started Shallow multiple times, but this is the first time I've listened to the entire audiobook. It's listed as 7 hours and 2 minutes; I listened at speed 2.0 for 3 hours and 30 minutes. I own the ebook boxed set: Going Under Complete Duo; Shallow is book 2. Dual POV narration. The audiobook must be an updated version because a lot of it didn't match up with the ebook. It's seemingly the same story it just didn't match word-for-word, and a few details were different. While the narrators read well, the constant change of "player" to "playa" annoyed me (I think it was only 8 times in this book, but it seemed more frequent). Content warnings: underage drinking; h mom is cheating on her dad with his business partner; H mom abandoned her family for another man; street racing; betting; and a paternity lie/other woman drama.
Nickolas Aleksei Hawke (aka Nick/Hawke) and Payton Caroline Archer (aka Pate/Miss Shallow/doll face) are recent high school graduates who meet when Payton rear ends Nick at a stop light, both are on their way to a street race. There's a lot going on in this story, and the majority of it happens within one month (June). Payton is a virgin, a good girl, an only child, and pampered by her wealthy parents (investor father and former lawyer mother). Nick is an adrenaline junkie, middle child of three, a playboy from the wrong side of the tracks, and is being raised by his single cop father. Nick's mom left his dad when Nick was 6, and he hasn't heard from her since. The night of Nick's dad's award dinner, Nick and Payton run into her mom and her dad's business partner at the elevator.... As the story plays out, Nick learns his mom is Payton's aunt and is married with two children living happily in the next town. She fell for a man who didn't want to raise someone else's children and she was in love with him so she left her family for him. In the end, Nick and Payton are married, expecting their first baby, and Jesse and Claire are married and have just delivered their first daughter. JP
1st listen 07-28-2023
1 out of 5 on my spice scale
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2017
Perfect YA
This duo was such a perfect YA read. Rich girl meets guy from wrong side of the tracks with a twist in both books that was expected but not totally guessable. I really enjoyed the characters in this series. I would love to read about Dane and Dallas.
This duo was such a perfect YA read. Rich girl meets guy from wrong side of the tracks with a twist in both books that was expected but not totally guessable. I really enjoyed the characters in this series. I would love to read about Dane and Dallas.
October 14, 2016
Nice
A couple of nice little stories from this author, I have enjoyed all of her books, they all have their own little twists and turns, and the stories don't repeat themselves as a lot of books do
A couple of nice little stories from this author, I have enjoyed all of her books, they all have their own little twists and turns, and the stories don't repeat themselves as a lot of books do
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews