Collide by H.M. Ward

When Mari accidentally overhears that Trystan is in love, she can't believe it. He's pining over some girl that doesn't know he's alive. The confident swagger and endless stream of girls is a facade. It conceals his loneliness and hides how messed up he’s really become trying to flee from a life that’s battered him to his core.

Trystan tries to figure out how to make it clear how much he loves her. But every insincere kiss, every broken promise haunts him because she knows them all. Now Trystan has to prove to the one girl who thinks true love is real that she’s not just another conquest.

Mari keeps his secret, but quickly learns about an even bigger secret about Trystan Scott—one that is impossible to keep.

Rhonda's Review:

 col-lide: to come together with a solid or direct impact.

Collide is the first story I’ve read by H.M. Ward, and certainly won’t be my last. This was another case of cover love that hooked me into reading this story, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. This is a YA contemporary romance from an author who is likely best know for her YA PNR. This is Vol. 1 in The Secret Life of Trystan Scott. And H.M. Ward is an evil woman for splitting this story up in to multiple volumes. ;)

Trystan Scott has a few secrets, from his home life to the girl he’s fallen in love with. He doesn't believe in love, that is until it happened to him.

"But there’s no such thing as love. Love’s a concoction of the Hallmark Channel.” My mouth fell open as he said it, but he didn’t stop. “At least I thought there was no such thing. Now I’m not so sure."

Mari has been assigned to helping Trystan with his lines for the past 2 years. Trystan, the guy that all the girls swoon over, and all the guys want to be. And now Trystan is "in love" and Mari is is very curious about the girl who has gotten to Trystan like this. But Mari is finding herself falling for the guy who likes to kiss the girls, the one who likes to love them and leave them. As Mari falls she has no idea that she is the object of Trystan's affection.

He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to taste her. He wanted to learn the curves of her mouth and feel her kiss him back. And not because she was rehearsing some lines from a play. He wanted her to kiss him back because she wanted to, because she felt something for him.
 
This was a really sweet story, and I enjoyed the characters who were well developed for a short story. Trystan is so much more than he appears to be on the surface, he's lovable and damaged, and trying to survive the bad hand he was dealt. Mari is sweet, and likable, I do wish I knew a little more about her. This story is told in alternating POV's. Mari is told in the 1st person, and Trystan is told in the 3rd person. I am looking forward to the next volume in The Secret Life of Trystan Scott! I'm also looking forward to reading more from H.M. Ward who also writes saucy adult contemporary as Ella Steele.