xo, Zach

Kendall Ryan

Jan 2018 · Kendall Ryan

About this ebook

 The first time we met was at a party. 
Your ex arrived to show off the person he'd left you for last month, and you asked me to pretend to be your date. 
I was more than happy to help. You were attractive, smart and witty--and that kiss we shared? It left me wanting you for days. 

The second time we met was in my office on campus where we were both surprised to discover you were the new master’s degree student in poetry that I would be working with. You promised to be professional. I did no such thing.

The late nights and intense study sessions spent alongside you majorly throw me off my game. I want you, and I fight with myself daily over this fact. 

I know I'm crass, that my sexual innuendos and dirty mouth annoy you, but I live for those two bright spots of color in your cheeks. If that's the only reaction I can get out of you, I'll gladly take it. 

You hate Mondays so every Monday I slip an anonymous poem into your bag and your smile gets me through the week.

I think I'm falling for you, and I know it's wrong. I know that I'm only supposed to be your adviser and nothing more, but here's the thing. I think you're falling for me too.
xo, Zach

Ratings and reviews

***5 “Team Zach” Stars*** You know when you’ve been reading a lot and enjoying either all, or the mass majority, of the books you’ve picked up and then you hit on one that, though you knew you’d enjoy it, it quickly became THAT book you didn’t know you needed right at that moment and you just fell in love with it? Well, xo, Zach was that book for me. It just hit that right spot for me. It had characters I could connect with and feel as if I’d really have fun hanging out if I were to ever meet them and had a good balance of sweet and smexy with just the right amount of drama tossed in to keep things interesting until there were no more words to read. Zach has made it on to my book boyfriends list. He writes poetry, but isn’t the broody, let me suffer for my art type, he’s got loads of charm ~ even when he’s being all kinds of crass and dirty ~ he’s charming, and he’s straightforward and honest about what he wants and what he’s feeling. And when the man goes into alpha mode...lethal. I absolutely admired Poppy. She has a plan and is determined to follow through on it, but she isn’t a stick in the mud, she’s just focused. She has a lot going on and yet she does find away to let loose when necessary and is thankful for those around her who get her and are more than willing to lend a helping hand. Their journey to their HEA could have taken any number of paths and detours, but I really liked the one that took. It felt real from the first time they collided to the next time the collided and they realized that fate may be playing with them a bit. The whole student/advisor issue was handled very well and I really enjoyed watching as they got to know each other while working through the obstacles laid out in front of them. The chemistry between them was smokin’ hawt and the connection they had on an intellectual level only heightened it and made their journey absolutely worth all the bumps in the road they dealt with. I have to say that of all the books by Ms. Ryan I’ve read so far, xo, Zach is my favorite. The writing was engaging, the pacing of the story was good and I enjoyed all of the characters. I loved what the supporting cast brought to the table, though it is a toss up between Kody and Velma on who my favorite was because they are both fabulous in their own right. So, if you’re in the mood for a fun, sweet, smexy read with a little taboo flavor tossed in and low on the angst, then you need to read this baby! ~ Copy provided by the author via InkSlinger & voluntarily reviewed ~

There was a lot of hype leading up to the release of Kendall Ryan's brand-new standalone. The question is, does xo, Zach live up to it all? This contemporary romance brings with it some humor as well as some angst. It's the story of Zachary Austin a twenty-nine-year-old writer who works as an adviser at a university and whose dating life--or lack thereof--has given his well-meaning mother free reign to poke her nose in his personal business. Who would have thought he would meet the woman who would consume his every waking thought and live in his every dream and fantasy at a frat party while pretending to be her boyfriend? They part ways with only a singular soul-burning kiss and without last names or contact information exchanged. All hope is lost...then she walks through his office door. There's a bit of a forbidden love element in this story in terms of Zach being an authority figure and Poppy being under him (although not in the way he kept hoping she was). I liked that these two shared one unforgettable kiss that lay the foundation for all the sexual tension between them as they struggled to toe the line. Zach didn't pussyfoot when it came to what it was he wanted for the two of them, and that was something that I appreciated. Poppy, on the other hand, was a walking, talking contradiction, and it did get to the point of frustration at times. I understood that she had priorities but I also felt that she had all these preconceived notions about Zach and she would be all flirty and touchy feely with him only to run off and avoid the poor guy. So yeah, I wasn't that much of a fan of hers. As far as the author's writing is concerned, the story itself was enjoyable and Ryan's created a male main character who I wouldn't be surprised to find on more than one book boyfriend list. There were times where the transition between scenes would be somewhat abrupt. However, this was a quintessential Kendall Ryan read, one that was both sweet and steamy and had a couple of memorable supporting characters that helped to bolster the story without necessarily trying to be scene-stealers. Okay, maybe Kody (Poppy's neighbor and close friend) was scene-stealer material, as was Zach's filter-less mom. So, what's the answer to the question I posed at the beginning of my review? Did xo, Zach live up to the hype? It almost did, which is why I'm giving it 4.5 stars out of a possible five. ♥

Eloquently penned with a memorable and touching storyline! xo, Zach is a sweet, emotional, and a bit angsty love story about two people who were destined to find each other. Zach and Poppy’s dynamic sparked from the pages the instant they met, and their chemistry together only grew more intense and passionate as the story continued. Let me just say that Zach is hands down one of the BEST characters ever written. Intelligent, funny, charming, and utterly gorgeous with a dirty mouth, he’s the epitome of the perfect guy. And the more you learn about him, the more he displays his romantic, deeply affectionate, and fully compassionate soul. I don’t know how she did it, but Poppy has lady-balls of steel for resisting Zach the way she did! Poppy was the more reserved, focused, and serious character of the two. With her past and true motivation for achieving success, her buckled down attitude is all too clear as to why she pushes Zach away, and resisting what could be one of the best things to happen to her. The author delivers another engaging and heartwarming must-read, layered with thoughtful and evocative aspects. xo, Zach is an extraordinary twist on the unconventional student/teacher relationship. The storyline is a build up of desires and intensity that warms your heart until the very end. 5 Stars!