| Title | : | Cold (Cold, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 247 |
| Publication | : | First published November 5, 2019 |
that were inflicted by others.”
I’ve forever felt like people were staring at me, judging me for the way I looked, the bullying I endured in high school only fueled these thoughts.
Despite working hard at becoming a successful journalist, I was still insecure with my larger figure, it shadowed a lot of my success, especially since I worked in the land of beautiful people; LA.
But after the number one quarter back in the USA, Kellan Hart, surprisingly pursued me, then declared he loved me for who I was, my body issues just started to … fall away.
But they couldn’t be locked away for long. Plunged into the public eye, chased and hunted by the media, tagged as the most talked about couple in the sporting world, meant that everyone had an opinion about the hot athlete dating a plus sized girl.
As much as I tried to avoid it all, it was constantly thrown in my face, insecurities rose their ugly heads again and I was forced to make some difficult decisions.
Decisions that would have dire consequences on my life and the people I loved.
Cold (Cold, #1) Reviews
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Every now and again I like to step away from my go to authors and try something new and I’m so glad I did with this book. Talk about angst, my goodness, I couldn’t put this story down!
Mackenzie is journalist, at the beginning of her career when she gets asked to tag along to an event with her boss. She reluctantly goes and homes that she will be able to blend into the background as much as possible, despite being told she needs to mix and mingle. Mac does not like to be the object of anyone’s attention, especially men - particularly good looking men.
After suffering through some horrible years in high school being teased and taunted for being ‘fat’ because she developed earlier than other girls, she is skeptical about any man that shows interest in her. When one of the men at the event she is at catches her eye, she is quick to look away. However, her eyes seem to move of their own accord and each time, he is staring at her.
Kellan Hart is a star quarterback and having to participate in events like this goes with the territory. Unwanted attention from women is one of the reasons he dislikes attending but when one gorgeous woman catches his eye, he can’t ignore the pull and is determined to seek her out. When Mac is approached by Kellan she finds it very hard to believe that he actually wants to talk to her, surely this is a set up and someone will record it so they can all laugh at her expense.
After a long and refreshingly open conversation with Kellan she is surprised to discover his interest is genuine. He really is a lovely man. Dates soon follow and before too long they are the most wanted couple in the celebrity world. Mac’s body issues take a pounding from not just the media but fans and groupies of Kellan. He has never made her feel any less than beautiful and he helps her navigate her way through the media interest that comes with his high profile job.
'If you don't put yourself out there, then you don't run the risk of getting hurt. But with Kellen, the risk would be worth it, I'm sure of that.'
It only takes one stupid, silly moment by Kellan for all of Mac’s insecurities to become open festering wounds. This is an epic disaster, not just for Kellan’s career but Mac’s greatest fear about dating him has come to fruition. Kellan has always been so protective of Mac, he loves her deeply and would never intentionally hurt her. Basically, their life is now a shit storm and the only way Mac can see a path through it is to walk away from the only man she truly loved.
Oh yes, this story does not end here folks, after having my heart bashed around and mind filled with angst I will now have to wait for the conclusion to Mac & Kellan’s story. If you enjoy a good sports romance, or storylines of a famous person meeting an everyday person and falling in love then you will love this :) -
Two people discover the chance for an all-consuming, all fulfilling love, but world’s lust for salacious gossip, fifteen minutes of fame, and one woman’s over-inflated insecurities are about to make that love impossible, if it was really real.
COLD by Tania Cooper is a high angst romance about a star quarterback, always fodder for the gossip rags, who meets an insecure, overweight journalist in a love-at-first-sight tale in a story where anything that can go wrong, does. Will Kellan and Mackenzie find a way to withstand the onslaught of lies, lack of privacy and Mackenzie’s “woe is the fat girl” attitude?
I adored Kellan, he wore his heart on his sleeve, wanted nothing more than the love he had found and tried to withstood the prying eyes of the world foaming at the mouth for a piece of his soul. Definitely the cost of fame in a world and country too eager to see the mighty fall.
Mackenzie has always been overweight, an easy target for bullying all of her life, and instead of gaining strength from the childhood taunts, and heaven forbid, doing something about her weight for herself or even accepting her choice to remain “large,” retreated into self-centered, self-pitying and self-destructive mode, believing the gossip instead of the man she supposedly wanted for the rest of her life.
Tania Cooper has done a remarkable job of creating an atmosphere of high tension, over-the-top emotional turmoil and exposing the damages of the ability for humanity to be cruel while focusing on the superficial, and in the scheme of things, trite issues. The question is, was it believable for me? The invasion of privacy was, for sure. The heroine’s entire focus on her perceived weaknesses and victimization, yep, it is easier to wallow than to do ANYTHING about it and I am not saying lose weight, I am saying move along. There is more to oneself than appearances. How can one love someone else if they do not love themselves first?
That said, Ms. Cooper did a great job evoking my emotions, and pulling me into this tale far enough to want to rattle the cage of the heroine. Although about American sports celebrity issues, often there were terms used that were definitely not American, not a huge thing, but definitely there. I did want to like this more than I did, I know it is a successful and often-done trope, but this time out, I may have had too much over-ripe, over-cooked fluff with this clichéd story.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Tania Cooper and Inkslinger as part of a blog tour review. My voluntary review contains my honest opinions.
Series: Cold - Book 1
Publication Date: November 5, 2019
Publisher: Tania Copper
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Available from:
Amazon |
Amazon UK |
Amazon AU |
Amazon CA |
Amazon
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From the moment that Kellen and Mackenzie's eyes met they were instantly drawn to one another, but Mac couldn't imagine why a man like Kellen would possibly be interested in someone like her. It's blatantly obvious that they come from different worlds, he's a standout athlete, wealthy, gorgeous and is constantly in the public eye. She is a normal woman, with a less publicized career, and not anything like the svelte women he is usually photographed with.
When he approaches her and shows immediate interest in connecting again she instantly has doubts about his sincerity, there is no way he can honestly be attracted to her... or can he?
She reluctantly agrees to meet up again, and it winds up being the start of something she never thought would happen to her... she finds love, honest and true love. But with her constant worry of measuring up, and his very publicized life constantly lurking she feels like her happiness has a time limit... and she feels like it just a matter of time before she loses it all!
Between the pages of Cold readers will find a heart-wrenching tale about a couple who finds everything they could ever want in each other, they have that once in a lifetime kind of love... but only behind closed doors. Once they step outside that love is under a media microscope, the paparazzi just waiting for any inkling that something is wrong, which brings unimaginable stress to their relationship. In the beginning they are determined to not let that outside world interfere, but as hard at they try it's not enough, it starts to seep into their private world, and things start to unravel... and your heart will start to break. This story has many emotional highs and lows, ones that will play games with your feelings, one moment you will feel their pain, and then moments later you will find small bits of joy. This one completely monopolized my attention, the moment my eyes found the words, I was hooked, it was impossible to pry them from the pages. I cannot wait to see how this one ends, I have so many unanswered questions. Highly recommend this one, it's an angsty and emotional and destined to keep you enthralled from beginning to end!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion. -
Mackenzie has spent her entire life feeling less than worthy because her body doesn’t match what the public believes is beautiful. She accepts who she is and how she looks but that doesn’t mean the opinions of others don’t hurt . When she draws the attention of a sexy and successful quarterback she is torn between wanting to be with him and believing that a relationship between the two of them would never last.
Kellan is used to being around beautiful women, but he realizes that beauty on the outside doesn’t equate to beauty on the inside. He is drawn to Mackenzie in a way he has never felt before and he is determined that they belong together but protecting her from the public scrutiny and hurtful comments is the biggest challenge of all and when things reach a breaking point will it bring them closer or tear them apart?
This story takes you on an emotional journey as Kellan and Mackenzie try to maneuver the outside forces that are threatening their relationship and it leaves you wondering what the future has in store for them. -
There is nothing really wrong with this book – The story was well written and flew nicely my issue was more with the characters.
I’ve been myself bullied in high school due to my weight and suffered low-self-esteem and I doubt the author suffered from this because how Mackenzie reacted to the situations. I couldn’t relate to her at all.
As for Kellan….umm there is no explaining either on how he fell so hard and fast for MacKenzie.
It was very insta-love which is one of my main pet-peeve.
Unfortunately, the characters felt quite uni-dimensional and I didn’t manage to get in the story. However, the end cliffhanger intrigues me and I might check the sequel – unsure yet.
2.5/5 -
Kellen and Mac are great characters. Highly recommend this story
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First and foremost, I want to start out by saying there was so much awesome in this story for me, and since Tania Cooper is a new to me author, I was definitely taken in instantly by her talent. This is the story of Kellan Hart, QB extraordinaire, and all around great hero. Our heroine is Mackenzie, aka Mac, who was bullied throughout her adolescent years for her weight. It's definitely did a number on her which I understood, but despite her being all grown up & a successful journalist & blogger, her body issues made her seem like a baby more than once, which got old really quick because at this point, she should have gotten more counseling for real. Kellan wanted her the first time he spotted her, and never saw her as anything but sexy as hell, and fell hard for her quickly. I could see that, because when Mac wasn't crying about her issues, she had a big heart which I did love. Of course, Kellan is a public figure, so I'm not sure how Mac wouldn't think that things would get out of control with the media, especially since she worked in that industry, and even her boss kept reminding her that things aren't what they seem when it comes to gossip sites. It didn't help that everything that could go wrong did, but again, Mac just got on my last damn nerve every time she went into drama queen mode, as Kellan didn't give her any reason to doubt herself, so maybe she shouldn't have even tried to get into a relationship to be honest, until she loved herself. When the crap really hit the fan, things went sideways, but in the aftermath, Kellan did everything he could to get her to at least talk to him, and guess what?! She was crying her eyes out AGAIN! He made one big mistake by keeping something from her, but again, I still think she should have pulled up her big girl panties & talked to him. And then, Ms. Cooper flings us off the side of a cliff, and frankly, I NEED MORE NOW! I need to know that Kellan's whole life isn't destroyed because he fell in love with an immature woman, who needs daily counseling. I pray that Mac comes back in the next book stronger, because right now, I wouldn't hold it against Kellan to find someone else to be honest, and since I usually tear the men down in any sort of angsty story, this is a big deal for me. So, I won't lie & say that I'm not dying inside for the next book, because I totally am, which means that I do HIGHLY RECOMMEND everyone one click Cold to decide for themselves!
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My head hurts.
My eyes are sore.
My heart has just completely splintered into a million pieces.
Cold put simply has broken me.
And let me tell you I loved every minute of it.
We meet Mackenize.
Working as a journalist, Mackenzie is happy with her life.
She's young, independent and beautiful.
But Mackenzie doesn't see herself that way.
Her self-esteem was shattered when she was at high school so badly that beautiful is something she's never and never will label herself as.
She's single, a relationship not a possibility.
Mackenzie could never let anyone in, her scars too raw and painful. Her tormented soul couldn't handle it.
We meet Kellen.
An NFL quarterback player, he's young, driven and yes ladies he's the whole sinfully delicious package.
Kellen is single because the groupies scene is old and doesn't interest him anymore.
He's looking for that one girl who will be his everything.
But Kellen is losing hope of ever finding it.
But what happens when Mackenzie and Kellens worlds collide?
What happens when self-conscience Mackenize meets strong and gorgeous Kellen?
Will there be sparks?
Will there be chemistry?
Will they be each others game changers?
You are just going to have to read this guys to find out.
Raw, gritty, sinfully delicious.
Tormenting, heartbreaking, painful.
Hopeful, loving, sinfully yummy.
Heartwarming, heartbreaking, earth shattering.
These are the emotions that come to mind when describing Cold. It had absolutely everything as a reader I could've asked for and so much more.
The characters.....Guys you will love them.
Kellen...I fell in love with instantly with his charm, wit and tender and endearing heart.
But Mackenzie.....It was an instant connection. And why?
Because I could relate to everything about her. Her scars, her tormented soul, her lack of self-confidence with herself as I was once in the exact same situation. Her story shattered me.
Overall a brilliant read that you definitely need to read.
5 stars. -
I struggled hard with this one, but stuck with it because I could relate to the insecurity of the main character... to a point. Keep in mind that this is intended as a duet, so there will be a cliffhanger ending.
Mac is a bigger girl who was bullied terribly in her youth. One particular nickname and event haunts her. Kellan is an NFL quarterback who is drawn to her from their very first meeting. Take every difficult part of relationships, add a bunch of deeply ingrained insecurities and a whole lot of media attention and you get this difficult love story.
I wanted to love it and rate it higher, but the characters make everything so much harder than it needs to be. For a confident, independent professional with an amazing support system around her, Mac is a terribly insecure, sobbing, vomiting mess what feels like all the time. She has gotten therapy, but needs loads more. Kellan has issues being 100% honest and forthcoming with the woman he adores, and isn't blameless in the mess, but her over-reactions and lack of logical thinking kill the tension for me. I really wanted to love this story, and look forward to the second half for some redemption for these characters. -
Let me first say I really hate it when there is an unexpected cliffhanger. If it’s going to be a trilogy or series just say so. I slogged through the book thinking that at some point the characters would grow up only to realize I get to wait and pay more to find out. The book was just ok.
