'When I'm with you... we're just Wren and Callum. We're the friends we were in our letters, but more. So much more.'
Holy granola! Just when you think that Julia Wolf can't possibly top any of her previous books, she goes and does it. With ease.
Stone Cold Notes is AMAZING. And Callum Rose is EVERYTHING. I literally adore him.
He's bossy, possessive, obsessive and slightly (read totally) stalkerish, but he's a man who will do anything for his girl, and I am here for it.
Need some proof?
He's romantic - 'I'm addicted to the way you reach into my soul and pour goodness and light in.'
Possessive - 'That woman is mine. I say who can talk to her. I say who can touch her. I say who can look at her. You were not given that privilege.'
Stalkerish - 'Over the years I considered taking her and keeping her... Her shadow had finally found her, and she was so busy with her life, she'd never once checked behind her to notice.'
Did I mention stalkerish? - 'You showed up at my house this morning and I don't remember giving you my address.'
'All it took was a little digging. You're not hard to find, Wren Anderson.'
And very, very sexy - 'Look at you, taking me. All stretched out and pink. My c*ck loves your sweet p*ssy. Never wanna leave it.'
Callum Rose is everything you want in a leading man. He's also so very sweet. A shy, introverted, socially awkward Alabama boy, who comes from a difficult background.
Wren Anderson is just as sweet, just as shy, introverted and socially awkward. She's such a lovable character, and her witty little sayings are so freaking cute!
The pair first meet via email when 17-year-old Wren sees Callum performing with his up-and-coming rock band, The Seasons Change, and she emails him. Callum responds and over the next year and a half they exchange hundreds of emails.
Then they stop.
Callum and Wren have unknowingly broken each other's hearts.
Three years later, Wren is beginning a new job at Good Music when in walks Stone Cold Callum Rose, living up to every bit of his cool and aloof reputation.
But when Callum sees Wren with another man, he loses his cool and claims her. Except he doesn't know Wren is his former penpal, and she's no longer the girl he once knew. What will happen when he finds out?
The chemistry and emotion Julia has created between these two just jumps off the page and instantly grabs you. Both characters are so beautiful; they're relatable, sweet, loving, with scorching heat between them, but they are also really likeable.
And Ezra? Oh my goodness, I really don't want to say much about him because of spoilers, but I love him, I want him. He's so adorably cute and sweet.
I can't praise Julia Wolf enough for Stone Cold Notes. Here we see her shift slightly to the dark side, with sex parties and voyeurism/exhibitionism, but it works, and it brings the right amount of heat and spice without taking anything away from the love story.
Low on angst, but with just the right amount of drama, Stone Cold Notes certainly hits all the right notes. And be sure to have tissues for the epilogue; I think Julia Wolf is trying to kill her readers!
Seriously though, Julia's really outdone herself. And I know I'm going to re-read this book countless times - I wanted to re-read it and I hadn't even finished!
There are many standout moments, but it's a couple of simple things that were my favourite parts. Like how Callum says Wren's name with his Alabama accent, as Wren tells us:
'Rin. Holy granola, how had I gone all my life without hearing him say my name like that?'
And this is perhaps my favourite line in the book. The line that made my stomach dip and my heart soar:-
'Little Bird, Don't shrink. I know.'
Oh, Callum. What are you doing to my heart?!
I can honestly say, if I take anything away from this book, it'll be those two words: Don't shrink. I have a tendency to do that, or, like many others, can often feel invisible; but I'll remember to tell myself not to shrink from now on.
Many thanks to Julia Wolf for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Do yourself the biggest favour and don't hesitate to buy this book. Stone Cold Notes releases on December 2nd. It's definitely my joint top read of the year. If I could give it more than five stars, I would.
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