There are very few authors who, when I hear they have a new book coming out, I literally squeal and clap and grow heart eyes waiting for the release.

And Karla Sorensen is one of them.

Fortunately, I was able to read an early copy of this one (probably because I was OB-FREAKING-SESSED with The Bombshell Effect and not-so-subtly begging for more from the other characters in this world). And once again, Sorensen has completely blown me away.

The Ex Effect has everything I love in a romance. It's steamy and hilarious, but it also tugs on my heart strings in just the right way. And with the "he used to date my sister" drama underlining the entire plot? Um... CAN WE JUST HOLD HANDS AND REJOICE IN THE ANGST, PLEASE?! God! By the time these two finally kissed, I was so squirmy I might as well have been a fish out of water on a hot boat deck. WHEW. And man, that first kiss was worth waiting for. LE SIGH.

"Oh, I knew Matthew Hawkins all right. My sister's ex-fiancé, and the man I'd had a ridiculous crush on in high school. And now he was going to be one of the men in the locker room across the hall."

JUICY!

Also seriously, I want Ava's job. PR for a professional football team? YES, PLEASE. And if there's one thing I love about Ava's character, it's that she is the TITS at her job. I mean seriously, BAD A*S BI***. There's nothing I love more than a strong, fierce woman who can wrangle some men and make them respect her.

ANYWAY, back to the nature at hand.

So, one of my favorite things about reading any Karla Sorensen novel is that THIS. WOMAN. CAN. WRITE. Like... it absolutely blows my brains up. She is the ONLY author I can even think of who can tap into my attention from the very first paragraph and suck me into her world. There's just something about the colloquial way in which she tells her stories, the witty and intelligent way she delivers her jokes, the absolute honesty with which she attacks life's most sensitive and brutal subjects. It's mesmerizing, and there's nothing I love more than falling under Karla Sorensen's spell each and every time I open one of her books.

And again... THE ANGST.

"There's a line, and we're about to cross it. That's what I saw in his face. It wasn't really a question. No should we? The inevitability of it may have been made easier with the sweet slide of alcohol in our veins."

I loved the slow burn in the first part of this book -- the little looks, the misunderstood words, the lingering eyes... SIGH. I live for that, y'all. LIVE. FOR. IT. And it was done so well in this story. I loved how the past family issues really played into who the characters are today and why they struggled with giving in to each other. I mean, here's this poor girl who's always been in her sister's shadows, so you want to HATE her sister, right? But then it's like... damn, THAT poor girl had all that pressure from her parents. Which is worse? And is anyone really to blame?

For Matthew, his trust is hard to earn and even harder to keep after the way things went down with his ex. Maybe that's why I was biting my nails down to the nub as certain things were kept from him, even if they were done so without malicious intent. And that leads us to...

THE BLOW UP SCENE.

"That's the thing no one tells you about being lied to, about the big things, the things that add up, that snowball, that grow and grow until that one white lie becomes a giant wall of ice. It should be cold. Feel cold. But the slicing open of your pride is hot and fiery, a slow burning trail of glowing orange magma that you can't stop, and it leaves a trail of ash behind that you can taste in your mouth for far longer than you want to."

Oh, dear LORD don't even get me started on that. I was full on SOBBING when the whole "betrayal" moment went down. When an author can have you laughing your butt off on one page, clenching your thighs together on the next, and then full on ugly crying just a few chapters later? Well, that's when you know you're not just reading any book -- you're reading an extraordinary one.

I really don't have the right words to sum up The Ex Effect and my ultimate love for Karla Sorensen as a writer. All I can say is that if you've slept on her up until this point? Now's the time to dive into her work. And if you've become acquainted with her work but you aren't sold yet? Let this book be the one to seal the deal. And, if you're like me -- an avid Karla Sorensen fan needing your fix -- then never fear, my child. The Ex Effect will be the sweetest hit, and just like any other drug, it'll leave you begging for more.

Football and angst lovers will rejoice at the fresh, heart-pounding story within these pages. This is romance at its finest, and writing at its best. Sign me up for a Washington Wolves jersey, only I don't want Hawkins on the back -- I want Sorensen. This is my official declaration of #1 Fan. Now... BRING ON THE NEXT GAME. #DibsOnLogan #GiveMeMyBroodyBoy