FOR CROSBY (For You #3) by J Nathan

‘I laughed, but my laughter was silenced by the softness of his lips and the slow glide of his tongue as he kissed me. He was saying what neither us wanted to say. What we were too stubborn to say. This thing between us could be real.’

We’ve adored the For You Series, and it has to be said that J Nathan writes exceptional NA stories, relying on emotion and engaging characters to drive her stories, and both For Finlay and For Forester were examples of her captivating prose; both stories filled with sweet, emotional, moving moments, delivered with an injection of humour, that have managed to sweep us off our feet.

In For Crosby, we’ve moved from the football field in previous books, to the Hockey arena, and you could say Crosby and Sabrina’s first meeting was a tad unconventional …..After all, it’s not every day you meet a woman whilst you’re naked and tied to a tree! And she walks away and leaves you there!

Sabrina is Finlay’s friend from For Finlay (Finlay and Caden’s story), the girl who always seemed to fall for the guys who had fallen for someone else, like Trace Forester in Finding Forester (Trace and Marin’s story). Does Sabrina love the challenge or is she desperately unlucky in love?

One thing she’s not, and that’s a pushover! Sabrina is sassy and fiercely loyal! She’s not afraid to speak her mind and she certainly gives Crosby Parks a run for his money, and the snarky banter between these two was spot on. Enemies, to friends, to lovers and it was all wonderfully done!

‘She added light to the otherwise bleak existence I’d been living.’

Crosby has transferred mid semester from college in Texas, where he was on the cusp of being scouted for the NHL, to college in Alabama where he is at the mercy of his hockey team mates who, led by the awful Jeremy, seem jealous of his talent and make it their goal to ostracise him.

“No one wanted to be hurt, and letting people in was a sure-fire way to do that.”

Sabrina believes Crosby to be a cocky, arrogant arse but soon uncovers the reason why Crosby is so shut off and so prickly. Crosby is carrying a lot of weight on his young shoulders and our hearts broke for him.

J Nathan does an excellent job of telling Crosby’s story which we learn firsthand via intermittent pov’s from Crosby himself, lending to the emotional intensity of the story, whilst making you swoon in the process.

“I want you,” he murmured against my lips.
“I’m right here.”

This series is one of our favourite NA series for a reason. J Nathan knows when to pull at our heartstrings, when to provide us with a giggle or a smile, when to heat up the pages and when to deliver the sweet romance we crave. She delivers it all and whilst For Crosby may not have been our favourite to date, there’s no denying we enjoyed every book in the For You series so far!

“I wish you could see your face right now.”
“Why?”
“Because you look so damn beautiful.”

Whilst this is the third book in the series, it can be read as a standalone, however for us it was fabulous to catch up with the characters from previous books which provided a little added bonus.