A SWEET GIRL

Nicola Hart grew up under the heels of her older brother and his best friend, Cash Garrison. Years of ignoring the spark between her and Cash didn't keep their attraction from turning into a slow burn. Just shy of her twentieth birthday, Nicola needs to know: he wants her or he doesn't.

HE CAN'T STAY AWAY FROM

She's his best friend's little sister. The definition of hands off. Cash has tried to ignore her for years. Instead, he's looked at every pretty little thing who's crossed his path, all to ignore the girl he seems destined to want. But when half the school is interested in Nicola, it's time to stake a claim and hold the hand of the one he really loves.

Sweet Girl is the novel length prequel to best-selling Garrison's Creed. Before Cash and Nicola can fall in love forever, they have to suffer through their first love.

Having read Cash and Nicola’s novel, Garrison’s Creed, I already had a good idea where this novella was going, plot-wise. But only having the bare bones overview of their past, I was excited to get more detail about their college years. 

Cash and Nicola have been friends as long as either can remember along with Nicola’s brother, Roman. Attending the same college, Cash and Roman are constantly protecting Nic, keeping most guys away from her. Their overprotectiveness works for Nicola, as she doesn’t have much interest in anyone except Cash, and she’s too afraid of ruining their friendship to make a move. Besides her fear, there is also Cash’s reputation as a player, and the fact that Roman will lose his mind if he learns his best friend and his sister are together. 

Cash’s protective alpha streak is just beginning in this story. He has always watched out for Nicola, but when they make the switch past friends and he considers her as his, it was like a switch was thrown and the streak became his focus. 

This Nicola is a much sweeter version of the Nicola we met in Garrison’s Creed. She hasn’t lost the innocence that her sheltered life has allowed, and hence the creation of Cash’s nickname for her. 

Despite knowing the big events that the whole novella was moving towards, I was still crushed when the end arrived. Cash’s reaction, especially, was heartbreaking to watch as the details come out. Because as much as the title make one think this has a HEA, their HEA doesn’t happen here.

This story reads much more like a New Adult book than the rest of the series, understandable in that this is set during their college years. Even though they are all in college, Roman and Cash haven’t considered a career in the Army, and Nicola is working on a degree in business, there are still aspects of a romantic suspense, in the form of numbers that don’t add up at Nic’s internship. 

And while I have been devouring the Titan novels this weekend, I am not finished. This book was a sweet break from the intense action in the rest of the books. It reinforced the basic story of the past from Creed while filling in the blanks that were left out. 

I was gifted a copy in return for my honest review.

Cristin Harber is a USA Today bestselling romantic suspense and military romance author. Fans voted her onto Amazon’s Top Picks for Debut Romance Authors in 2013, and her debut Titan series was #1 romantic suspense, #1 military romance, and a USA Today Top 100 bestseller.

She lives outside Washington, DC with her family and English Bulldog.