Synopsis:
What happens when the fairy tale ends before it even begins?
Three years, two graduations, an engagement and a move to another state later, Emogen and Ryan are more in love than ever. He’s the one man she never expected to have and the only man she’s determined to keep. He’s her forever, and there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for him.
Almost, that is.
Ryan announces that he’s accepted a job offer that requires yet another move. Angry he didn’t discuss his decision with her first, Emogen refuses to pack up and follow. She has a career, too, and she’s not ready to give it up.
Although determined to make the long distance thing work, their lives and careers begin to take a toll on the relationship, leaving them to wonder if they’re doing the right thing.
Sometimes love isn’t enough.
When you lose the one thing you are certain of, will you fight to get it back? Or will you let it go?
What happens when the fairy tale ends before it even begins?
Three years, two graduations, an engagement and a move to another state later, Emogen and Ryan are more in love than ever. He’s the one man she never expected to have and the only man she’s determined to keep. He’s her forever, and there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for him.
Almost, that is.
Ryan announces that he’s accepted a job offer that requires yet another move. Angry he didn’t discuss his decision with her first, Emogen refuses to pack up and follow. She has a career, too, and she’s not ready to give it up.
Although determined to make the long distance thing work, their lives and careers begin to take a toll on the relationship, leaving them to wonder if they’re doing the right thing.
Sometimes love isn’t enough.
When you lose the one thing you are certain of, will you fight to get it back? Or will you let it go?
Erin's Review -
I know I’m supposed to write a small review since we’re all 3 reviewing today, but it’s tough. I read Mine to Lose originally in December, and completely fell in love. I fell in love with the story, with the characters, and with the emotions it brought out. I felt like I needed to reread it in order to write a decent review, so that it’s fresh on my mind. I was really worried it wouldn’t be the same the second time around, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. If anything, it was better the second time.
I completely adore these characters. Ryan and Emogen are two of my very favorites…ever. Ryan is everything you want him to be – Loving, caring, swoonworthy. You probably don't think so when you first start, but give the guy a chance. You'll see he's amazing. He has his flaws, sure (they both do), but in the end, it all comes down to just being with Em, no matter the distance. And Emogen! So strong, in so many different ways. That girl powers through so many different obstacles throughout this book, and keeps her head up through them all. I love that she stands up to Ryan in the beginning, even with the consequences of that decision. I say that I love this or love that all of the time, but I’m not exaggerating this one. I love these characters and their relationship. They’re the epitome of a couple in love for me. Even with the lies and heartbreak, they just want each other. It’s so simple, yet…not? Hmm.
Rapp really pulls out all of the stops as far as emotions go. You feel them all. Think of an emotion – You’ll find it here. That weird tummy/heart flip-flop butterfly feeling? Lots of that in Mine to Lose, but for different reasons. There’s the good flip-flop that has you swooning when Ryan says just the right thing (or maybe a different character…?) There’s the bad flip-flop when you think you know what’s about to happen and you want to stop time (I was screaming at my kindle “No no no! Don’t you do it!”) You’ll be completely heartbroken and angered. Giggling, then crying. And angst. Lots of angst. It covers them all. In the end, I just enjoyed reading this book so much. There were also a couple different touchy subjects covered in the last half of the book, but Rapp handles them with care and I feel like she wrote them in just the right way. Even with those subjects, it never feels like she added them just for the sake of drama. It all flows and it’s never TOO much.
5+ stars. Go one-click! You won’t regret it.
Katie's Review -
To me this book started very slow. I had a hard time getting into it. I pushed myself to keep going hoping that I would like it and it would pick up and it didn’t. And then all of a sudden it struck me. I couldn’t put it down.
When I started it, I thought I knew where it was going. I kept reading thinking yup, I was right. But in the end I wasn’t. Things that I thought were going to happen, didn’t happen. And things I didn’t expect, happened.
I really liked the main character, Emogen or Em. I liked how honest she was. She told Ryan exactly how she was feeling. She told him exactly what would happen in their relationship when he moved. She did the same with Trey. She could have strung him along. But she didn’t. She is someone I could be friends with in real life.
Ryan to me was an ass. He wanted to do what he wanted to do. There was no talking to him about it. He made the decision to move and told Em after and even after much discussion still would take her point of view into account. He was going to take this job and it didn’t matter what she said. In the end, I liked him but I spent a majority of the book not.
Trey was a nice guy but he was pushy. He knew he wanted Em and he was going to get her. He tried to ease his way in and no matter how many times she said she wasn’t ready, he didn’t care. I understand that he wanted to be with her, but give the girl some time to get over that she broke up with her fiancé. She’s not going to be ready right away for a new relationship. It’s going to take a while. He was patient but pushy at the same time. But he was a gentleman while doing it.
In the end, I really liked the book. Actually I want more. I want to see where the story goes. I want to see the future.
Jamie's Review -
Coming soon
I know I’m supposed to write a small review since we’re all 3 reviewing today, but it’s tough. I read Mine to Lose originally in December, and completely fell in love. I fell in love with the story, with the characters, and with the emotions it brought out. I felt like I needed to reread it in order to write a decent review, so that it’s fresh on my mind. I was really worried it wouldn’t be the same the second time around, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. If anything, it was better the second time.
I completely adore these characters. Ryan and Emogen are two of my very favorites…ever. Ryan is everything you want him to be – Loving, caring, swoonworthy. You probably don't think so when you first start, but give the guy a chance. You'll see he's amazing. He has his flaws, sure (they both do), but in the end, it all comes down to just being with Em, no matter the distance. And Emogen! So strong, in so many different ways. That girl powers through so many different obstacles throughout this book, and keeps her head up through them all. I love that she stands up to Ryan in the beginning, even with the consequences of that decision. I say that I love this or love that all of the time, but I’m not exaggerating this one. I love these characters and their relationship. They’re the epitome of a couple in love for me. Even with the lies and heartbreak, they just want each other. It’s so simple, yet…not? Hmm.
Rapp really pulls out all of the stops as far as emotions go. You feel them all. Think of an emotion – You’ll find it here. That weird tummy/heart flip-flop butterfly feeling? Lots of that in Mine to Lose, but for different reasons. There’s the good flip-flop that has you swooning when Ryan says just the right thing (or maybe a different character…?) There’s the bad flip-flop when you think you know what’s about to happen and you want to stop time (I was screaming at my kindle “No no no! Don’t you do it!”) You’ll be completely heartbroken and angered. Giggling, then crying. And angst. Lots of angst. It covers them all. In the end, I just enjoyed reading this book so much. There were also a couple different touchy subjects covered in the last half of the book, but Rapp handles them with care and I feel like she wrote them in just the right way. Even with those subjects, it never feels like she added them just for the sake of drama. It all flows and it’s never TOO much.
5+ stars. Go one-click! You won’t regret it.
Katie's Review -
To me this book started very slow. I had a hard time getting into it. I pushed myself to keep going hoping that I would like it and it would pick up and it didn’t. And then all of a sudden it struck me. I couldn’t put it down.
When I started it, I thought I knew where it was going. I kept reading thinking yup, I was right. But in the end I wasn’t. Things that I thought were going to happen, didn’t happen. And things I didn’t expect, happened.
I really liked the main character, Emogen or Em. I liked how honest she was. She told Ryan exactly how she was feeling. She told him exactly what would happen in their relationship when he moved. She did the same with Trey. She could have strung him along. But she didn’t. She is someone I could be friends with in real life.
Ryan to me was an ass. He wanted to do what he wanted to do. There was no talking to him about it. He made the decision to move and told Em after and even after much discussion still would take her point of view into account. He was going to take this job and it didn’t matter what she said. In the end, I liked him but I spent a majority of the book not.
Trey was a nice guy but he was pushy. He knew he wanted Em and he was going to get her. He tried to ease his way in and no matter how many times she said she wasn’t ready, he didn’t care. I understand that he wanted to be with her, but give the girl some time to get over that she broke up with her fiancé. She’s not going to be ready right away for a new relationship. It’s going to take a while. He was patient but pushy at the same time. But he was a gentleman while doing it.
In the end, I really liked the book. Actually I want more. I want to see where the story goes. I want to see the future.
Jamie's Review -
Coming soon
Excerpt 1:
This is the question I haven’t wanted to answer to anyone, even myself. Do I have feelings for Trey?
“Do I find him attractive? Yes. Do I enjoy working with him? Yeah, he makes me laugh. But do I have feelings for him? No.”
The moment the words come out, I know it’s a lie. Of course I have feelings for him, otherwise I wouldn’t have been the slightest bit jealous that he had a date with him the other night and I wouldn’t be trying to figure things out. My heart rate wouldn’t sound in my ears when he compliments me.
This is the question I haven’t wanted to answer to anyone, even myself. Do I have feelings for Trey?
“Do I find him attractive? Yes. Do I enjoy working with him? Yeah, he makes me laugh. But do I have feelings for him? No.”
The moment the words come out, I know it’s a lie. Of course I have feelings for him, otherwise I wouldn’t have been the slightest bit jealous that he had a date with him the other night and I wouldn’t be trying to figure things out. My heart rate wouldn’t sound in my ears when he compliments me.
Excerpt 2:
Ryan’s eyes shift over my shoulder and his look is murderous. When I turn to see why, there is a man standing behind me.
Walk away, I think to myself.
The guy looks down at me, never making eye contact with Ryan, “You okay?”
“She’s fine,” I turn to face Ryan as he responds for me. “My wife and I were just leaving.”
I smirk at Ryan and his use of the term “wife,” before turning to see my would-be hero. He’s attractive; in fact, he looks like Joss’ type. The guy narrows his eyes assessing me and I give him a tight smile and nod that I am okay. He doesn’t look completely convinced, but I’m glad when he walks away. Part of me is grateful to see Ryan act out of sorts. But the other part of me is annoyed, because being the jealous guy isn’t his thing and now is the wrong time to start showing off his tough-guy act.
Ryan’s eyes shift over my shoulder and his look is murderous. When I turn to see why, there is a man standing behind me.
Walk away, I think to myself.
The guy looks down at me, never making eye contact with Ryan, “You okay?”
“She’s fine,” I turn to face Ryan as he responds for me. “My wife and I were just leaving.”
I smirk at Ryan and his use of the term “wife,” before turning to see my would-be hero. He’s attractive; in fact, he looks like Joss’ type. The guy narrows his eyes assessing me and I give him a tight smile and nod that I am okay. He doesn’t look completely convinced, but I’m glad when he walks away. Part of me is grateful to see Ryan act out of sorts. But the other part of me is annoyed, because being the jealous guy isn’t his thing and now is the wrong time to start showing off his tough-guy act.
MTL Spotify Playlist:
Songs that were included in MTL or playing while it was written
The Lumineers – Classy Girls
Tracy Byrd – Keeper Of The Stars
Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight
Wakey!Wakey! – War Sweater
Shinedown – Simple Man - Acoustic
David Gray – Mystery Of Love
The Avett Brothers – One Line Wonder
Lily Allen – Friend Of Mine
David Guetta – Sexy Bitch (feat. Akon)
The Lumineers – Slow It Down
Alice In Chains – Don't Follow
The Avett Brothers – The Clearness Is Gone
Rihanna – Stay
John Newman – Love Me Again
The Avett Brothers – Morning Song
Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat – Lucky
The Avett Brothers – Vanity
A Great Big World – Say Something
The Avett Brothers – Good To You
Songs that were included in MTL or playing while it was written
The Lumineers – Classy Girls
Tracy Byrd – Keeper Of The Stars
Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight
Wakey!Wakey! – War Sweater
Shinedown – Simple Man - Acoustic
David Gray – Mystery Of Love
The Avett Brothers – One Line Wonder
Lily Allen – Friend Of Mine
David Guetta – Sexy Bitch (feat. Akon)
The Lumineers – Slow It Down
Alice In Chains – Don't Follow
The Avett Brothers – The Clearness Is Gone
Rihanna – Stay
John Newman – Love Me Again
The Avett Brothers – Morning Song
Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat – Lucky
The Avett Brothers – Vanity
A Great Big World – Say Something
The Avett Brothers – Good To You
Mine To Lose Dream Cast and Character Bios:
Emogen
(Britt Robertson)
Emogen - Emogen is young, but not naïve. She grew up in a home where happy endings didn’t happen. Ryan is the one guy she’s put all of her stock into, but when he falls short, he ideas of his perfection fade.
Ryan
(Austin Stowell)
Ryan - Emogen’s loving and devoted fiancé. While his decisions may be shortsighted, he loves her and wants nothing more than to do everything for their future. He will have to prove to Em that she made the right decision in saying yes to his proposal.
Joss
(Anna Kendrick)
Joss - Em’s roommate and best friend is fun, spunky and a bit of a troublemaker. She is there in an instant anytime her friend needs her, whether it’s to forget her troubles for a night, or give her the comic relief she needs.
Trey
(Derek Theler)
Trey - Emogen’s new client. Trey is smart, good-looking and into Emogen. The more time they spend planning his business function, the easier it is to become comfortable around him.
Langley
(Eva Amurri Martino)
Lang - Em’s older sister/pseudo mom. Only a couple of years older, she is very protective of her sister and knows her better than anyone. She is one of the people in her life that tells her what she needs to hear, not what she wants.
Emogen
(Britt Robertson)
Emogen - Emogen is young, but not naïve. She grew up in a home where happy endings didn’t happen. Ryan is the one guy she’s put all of her stock into, but when he falls short, he ideas of his perfection fade.
Ryan
(Austin Stowell)
Ryan - Emogen’s loving and devoted fiancé. While his decisions may be shortsighted, he loves her and wants nothing more than to do everything for their future. He will have to prove to Em that she made the right decision in saying yes to his proposal.
Joss
(Anna Kendrick)
Joss - Em’s roommate and best friend is fun, spunky and a bit of a troublemaker. She is there in an instant anytime her friend needs her, whether it’s to forget her troubles for a night, or give her the comic relief she needs.
Trey
(Derek Theler)
Trey - Emogen’s new client. Trey is smart, good-looking and into Emogen. The more time they spend planning his business function, the easier it is to become comfortable around him.
Langley
(Eva Amurri Martino)
Lang - Em’s older sister/pseudo mom. Only a couple of years older, she is very protective of her sister and knows her better than anyone. She is one of the people in her life that tells her what she needs to hear, not what she wants.
Biography:
T.K. Rapp is a Texas girl born and raised. She earned a B.A. in Journalism from Texas A&M and it was there that she met the love of her life. He had a contract with the U.S. Navy that would take them across both coasts, and ultimately land them back home in Texas.
Upon finally settling in Texas, T.K. worked as a graphic designer and photographer for the family business that her mom started years earlier. She was able to infuse her creativity and passion, into something she enjoyed, but something was still missing. There was a voice in the back of her head that told her to write, so write, she did. And, somewhere on an external hard drive, are several stories she started and never finished.
Now at home, raising her two daughters, T.K. has more time to do the things she loves, which includes photography and writing. When she’s not doing one of those, she can be found with her family, which keeps her busy. She enjoys watching her kids in their various sporting activities (i.e. doing the soccer mom thing), having Sunday breakfast at her parent’s house, singing out loud and out of key or dancing like a fool. She loves raunchy humor, gossip blogs and a good book.
Contact Links:
· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/T.K.Rapp.Author
· Twitter: https://twitter.com/TKAM78
· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19380769-mine-to-lose
· Website: http://tkrapp.weebly.com
· Blog: http://modestview.wordpress.com
T.K. Rapp is a Texas girl born and raised. She earned a B.A. in Journalism from Texas A&M and it was there that she met the love of her life. He had a contract with the U.S. Navy that would take them across both coasts, and ultimately land them back home in Texas.
Upon finally settling in Texas, T.K. worked as a graphic designer and photographer for the family business that her mom started years earlier. She was able to infuse her creativity and passion, into something she enjoyed, but something was still missing. There was a voice in the back of her head that told her to write, so write, she did. And, somewhere on an external hard drive, are several stories she started and never finished.
Now at home, raising her two daughters, T.K. has more time to do the things she loves, which includes photography and writing. When she’s not doing one of those, she can be found with her family, which keeps her busy. She enjoys watching her kids in their various sporting activities (i.e. doing the soccer mom thing), having Sunday breakfast at her parent’s house, singing out loud and out of key or dancing like a fool. She loves raunchy humor, gossip blogs and a good book.
Contact Links:
· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/T.K.Rapp.Author
· Twitter: https://twitter.com/TKAM78
· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19380769-mine-to-lose
· Website: http://tkrapp.weebly.com
· Blog: http://modestview.wordpress.com