Collateral Damage

Cross My Heart #2

by Katie Klein

True love can blossom in unexpected places. This is Parker pretending not to care. . . .

Parker Whalen and Jaden McEntyre are a wrong fit from the start. Jaden is driven and focused, Harvard Med School within reach. Parker has a past—a reputation—and the rumors about his mysterious habits abound. So there’s no reason why, when they're assigned to work together on a project in English, they should discover they have anything in common, or even like each other, and they definitely shouldn't be falling in love.

What they have? It isn't real. Because the truth is Parker Whalen is a liar. This has never mattered…until now. Because lying to someone you care about—someone who matters, someone who believes in you—that's when people get hurt. And Parker is about to hurt Jaden in the biggest way imaginable.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, New Adult, High School, Ebooks, Contemporary Romance

Kindle Edition

First published May 21, 2013

About the author

Katie Klein is the author of a variety of coming-of-age novels (urban fantasy, romance, suspense, etc.) for adult and teen readers.

In the first year of its release, her YA Contemporary Romance, CROSS MY HEART, spent more than 150 days on the Amazon Teen Top 100 Bestseller list. It was also a 2011 Goodreads Finalist for Best YA Fiction. The original screenplay based on her novel ALL I NEVER WANTED was a 2021 Scriptapalooza Quarterfinalist.

She has taught post-secondary online writing and literature courses for more than a decade.

She can be reached at katiekleinwrites@yahoo.com, and maintains a web presence at: http://katiekleinwrites.blogspot.com.

Reviews

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mature YA
Rating: 3.75

READ: Cross My Heart first! It's in Jaden's POV and is the first book.

What I liked about this:
1. This book is solely done in Parker's POV
2. We see how things happen for Parker that we didn't see before
3. Certain things make sense after seeing what went down in Parker's POV
4. Fast read
5. EPILOGUE
6. H.E.A.
7. Getting Parker's true feelings
8. Kept me interested the whole way through
9. Made me feel some deep emotions a few times for Parker
10. No real teen angst and the drama isn't much
11. Even though this is Cross My Heart basically from Parker's POV, it felt like a whole other book. It didn't read scene for scene or word for word the whole way through which was nice. It was it's own book all the way through with some things being the same.
12. Clean read, except for a little bit of language

CONTENT: language

[Kinsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Not For Me Stars!

WARNING: There may be spoilers ahead. If you haven't read the first novel, don't read this review yet!

I want to do a review, but if I did, it would be 90 percent spoilers, so I'm just gonna sum it up and say it wasn't for me. Nice writing style and POV, just not for me. I can see why everyone else loved it though.

Me before hand...




1 minute in:





I didn't like the hero in this. It didn't feel like the Parker that we all loved. I just didn't connect with him. He truly seemed like Chris and not Parker. I fell in love with Parker not Chris...I want Parker back :( I think if they would have acted the same, I wouldn't have had a problem, but they didn't. So how are we supposed to fall in love with this new Parker?



-He had a girlfriend almost the entire time! He lied about loving her to Jade. Not COOL! WHY WAS THIS NEVER MENTIONED TO JADE OR AT ALL IN THE FIRST BOOK?! Did he really love Camille? He could have told Jade that he had been in love in high school. He didn't need to lie about that.. I could be wrong, but it felt to me like the author was creating drama and explanations for why they didn't get together sooner. It, to me, was just a stupid plot point. Kinda ruined the whole book to be honest..



-He admits he loves Callie while he has feelings for Jaden! He's in love with his girlfriend while in love with Jaden. That is so wrong.



Um, lets not ignore the sore thumb in the room. Does Jaden ever find out about Callie? We had two whole books and Jaden never hears the word Callie muttered..really?!



I HATED THE ENDING! The way that 'you know what' was found was exactly how it happened with Callie. I get that the author was showing comparisons but it didn't translate well at all! Just have him do it himself, why have her find it? It'd be more romantic if he CHOSE to do it first! Yes, I know she came across it by accident but why write that? Why not just have him do it! More romantic!!



There were parts of this book that I LOVED. And it is a shame that i was annoyed with most of this book. But that's the thing. It was still a well written book. Some of the things that bother me may not bother some of you. I'm picky, finicky. The stuff in this one might not even be a blip for you, so don't let my rant prevent you from reading this series. It's a well written series ,and I can 100 percent see why people love this book. I just don't like the way the plot twisted. It was never mentioned in the first book, and it just seems that the author put this in here for something to write about.

THIS BOOK HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL!! :(



Oh well, I hope the rest you like it more than I did!

[Zemira Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know what's the biggest difference between Walking Disaster and Collateral Damage? For starters, Parker is not Travis, that hot mess. They both work in law enforcement only Travis is this special agent or something silly like that. *eyeroll* While Katie Klein pulled us into a whole new world, where Parker has to go undercover and lie to everyone, Travis can only think about his crazy love for Abby and acts like a mad man all the time. Any way you look at it, Parker is a clear winner.

I was really surprised to find out what Parker's job was when it was revealed in Cross My Heart. I did not see it coming. I'm glad we got the chance to find out more about his job, read more about motorcycle riding scenes and especially those wonderful attic scenes.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll start by saying I absolutely LOVED Cross My Heart by Katie Klein, so when I heard she published this book which is Cross My Heart from Parker's POV, I was so excited. I loved Parker in CMH, so to hear his side of the story was so thrilling. I will say I was a little nervous going into this book because I didn't want it to be CMH word for word....and it wasn't. This truly is a story all in itself. It definitely cannot be read as a stand alone and you definitely need to read CMH first.

I will say that I didn't like this book as much as I LOVED CMH. Don't get me wrong I still really enjoyed this book but I didn't LOVE it like the other one. The one thing that I LOVED about CMH was the mysteriousness of Parker and that he was a real bad boy. The problem with reading this book is it kind of kills that illusion of Parker. We actually find out he isn't really the bad boy I thought he was. Plus the mystery behind the character is gone. Plus there is an aspect of Parker's life that we didn't know about in CMH and that comes out in CD, that really kind of upset me. It made me look at him differently. Now don't get me wrong...all the swoon worthy moments that are between him and Jaden are still in this book and are just as good, but there was just something about this book that kind of killed my love for Parker. It's really hard to explain, you just need to read the book to understand.

I am really glad I did read this book, because I got to hear Parker's thoughts on a lot of things. But I will say that I am probably going to stick with CMH in the future for my rereads of this couple.

[Shreeka · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read 'Cross my heart' along time ago. I remember the plot very well, even though not the details. Here,we thought Parker was a bad boy with a bad reputation and a big bad motorcycle. I thought it was going to be another good girl falls for bad boy story. But noo. it wasnt like that.. not at all. Maybe thats why I loved the first book because it was unusual and unexpected.
So, 'Collateral Damage' is the POV for Parker. I wish I hadnt read this book because it ruined my love for the first book as there were so many things i didnt like in this book . For eg, I didnt like how Parker ended it with Callie, his fiancee whom he dated for 4 freaking years!! It wasnt fair to Callie. I wished Parker hadnt acted like a coward. He should have said earlier that he wasnt ready for a marriage. But noo. he strings along his poor poor girlfriend while fantasizing about another girl, rarely feeling guilty... and I loathe those kind of men. And then the epilogue was...soo not OKAY!! Yes, it wasnt okay because thats how the whole marriage thing with Callie started and look where that ended. He should have been the one to propose not the RING!! I liked Parker in the first book, but now im not so sure anymore. Now i see him as a coward, selfish loser who isnt very good at being an undercover agent.
So yeah, it was bad for me... :(

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. God!
How I didn't know about this companion book before?

I absolutely love Cross My Heart. I lost count on how many times I've read the book or re-read my favorite parts.
To discover that there was a book from Parker's pov laying there for a while it was bittersweet. Let's face, or the author will ruin the story you love so much (I'm looking straight at you Walking Disaster) or it will be the best thing you have ever read.

And thank God Katie Klein nailed in the head with this one.
I can't put in words how much I loved this book.
Klein was able to retell the story without sound repetitive, she brought new elements and characters we didn't know before this book. It felt like I was reading Parker and Jade's story for the first time. I laughed when they laughed, I cried when they cried, my heart broke when theirs broke.

I can see why there are some fans disappointed to a thing we learned about Parker's. Matter of fact I would have been disappointed too if it was in another story. But Klein treated this element with subtlety. We know since the beginning that the particular element of Parker's life wasn't right for him. She didn't show us things that would make the readers choose a different side. She was cautious to only show us how not right that element was for him. The Ethan Frome references are more clear in this book.

The other thing that I have to comment is the new Epilogue! I freaking loved it! I was happy too see where the characters were in their lifes.

I really hope Collateral Damage gets more attention. it deserves it! And I really hope you give Parker a chance to tell his side of this love story.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed emotions about this book.
Note: Spoilers.


When I first saw that this book even existed I was beyond stoked. I couldn't wait to purchase it, because I was such a huge fan of Cross My Heart but once I did and started reading it...Well, things kind of went down hill for my excitement. First off, Parker was engaged! ENGAGED. Who would've assumed that?! Not me, that's who. For some reason this kind of ruined it for me. Mostly because Parker was kind of an asshole to Callie. Correction: he WAS an asshole to Callie.
Another thing that irked me, which this has more to do with Katie Klein then Parker as a character but the author used "this girl" too often.
Example: "I'd do anything for this girl."
"I don't want to lie to this girl."
This girl, this girl, this girl. WE GOT IT, it's all about THIS GIRL.
What I did love about this book was that we got to see Parker's point of view. Or well, Christopher's point of view. We got insight on his thoughts, and feelings which was great. We got to learn more about his job, and a little about his past.
Another great thing was that we got a view of Parker and Daniel's friendship because after all the craziness happened it seems they became more like friends.
I hate to say that I wasn't the biggest fan on the epilogue. Mostly because of the proposal. Or non-proposal because he didn't totally propose, it almost seemed like a fluke and it kind of was super similar to the Callie proposal or again non-proposal.
In the end I finished this book a little disappointed, I'm definitely more of a Cross My Heart fan.

[Anne OK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I was shocked with some of the new information that came to light through Parker's POV, the second installment made a lot of sense to me. Getting Parker's point of view proved invaluable in tying up all the dangling ends in this two-book series. Of course, readers will find some duplication in the dialogue which gets a bit annoying, but all in all, there really was enough new material to satisfy readers and pull the story together in a more believable way.

Although some may say Parker really overstepped some boundaries, I say he was young, people make mistakes, and he had some strong forces working against him. He may have been able to handle his decisions a little better in some instances, but then again, it is fiction and you've got to have some angst and challenges for an exciting story. Okay - it sounds good anyway. I still enjoyed both main characters and the manner in which the plot was written.

The Epilogue in the second book far outshined the one at the end of Cross My Heart. I love a solid ending with a good view into the long-range plans of our characters and that's exactly what you'll find. This ended up being a really enjoyable and entertaining reading experience.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025 Update ... I still loved this story and blew through it. It was wonderful to see the Cross My Heart story through Parker's eyes. This time reading through, though, I was struck with just how much of a cheater Parker is in this story. Yeah, technically nothing happens while he is ENGAGED to another person, but there is definitely some strong emotional cheating going on here. There really is no excuse for him sticking with Callie for as long as he did, and there is no way to sugar coat this in any way that makes Parker look good. I think the only reason I don't completely turn against him is because I already read Cross My Heart and was predisposed to root for him to succeed with Jaden. Maybe, if you use the background of Ethan Frome to explain the actions of this story, you might be able to let all this fly, but Callie is no Zeena, sorry to say. Still, despite my better angels, I have to say that I still loved this story. I love Parker. I love Jaden. And I really love Parker and Jaden together.

This is a book that I never even knew to look for. Had I known it was being published I know that I would have sat up all night, waiting for it to be uploaded to my kindle on release day. I would have been that excited to read it. But I didn't know ... until today, thanks to another goodreads reader (thanks Sarah!). And once I knew it existed I dropped everything else that I was reading so that I could start this one. Why? Well, Cross My Heart may be one of my favorite young adult books ever. I loved it. I'm not exactly sure why it touched my heart so much, but it did, and it is one of those books that I have no problem reading and re-reading over and over again. It was my go to book whenever I wanted a light, quick comfort read.

But, here's the thing ... it ended perfectly. It was a wonderful standalone book. There didn't need to be more of a story. I was happy with what it was. I didn't need more. So there was some potential that this second book could ruin all my good feelings about Cross My Heart. I have seen that happen before. Katie Klein was taking some risk in putting this out there.

But it's the same story told through Parker's point of view. Oh yeah! I had to read it. Yes, I knew that there was a possibility that knowing the behind the scenes action that was taking place in Parker's world might destroy all of my love for him. After all, a lot of his appeal was his quiet and mysterious nature. Would I feel differently about him if I knew all of his thoughts? It was a risk I was willing to take. And ...

I LOVED IT!!

I found out about this book this morning. I went to amazon right away and purchased it. And I finished it this evening. I couldn't put it down. Yes, many of the scenes were exactly the same as those found in Cross My Heart. But there was so much more. Many of those scenes were expanded so that we could hear more of the conversation taking place. And there were lots and lots of new scenes that made this book as enjoyable to read as the first book. It didn't feel stale and rehashed. It felt new.

What I loved:

PARKER!!! I adore this character. Seeing things from his viewpoint really hammered in just how much of a tight spot he was in for this story. He was dealing with his growing love for Jaden a lot sooner than it seemed in Cross My Heart, and he was fighting them all along the way. He just could not go down that path. Spoiler alert!!!! He was totally engaged for much of the time he was getting to know Jaden. Engaged!!! That is so not cool, but I think that Katie handles this really well so that I don't feel the level of anger at Parker that I probably should have felt. In fact, I felt as if Parker's situation was similar in many ways to Ethan's situation in Ethan Frome, the literary work that frames so much of this story. I never really noticed that so much in the first book. I loved seeing the real tie between real life and fiction that came out as this story unfolded.

Jaden. She just reminds me of me in so many ways. I can't help but root for her in this story.

Jaden's family. They don't have a central role in this story since Parker rarely interacts with them, but when they are there ... they are just amazing. I especially loved Daniel and Sarah.

Ethan Frome. Have you read this book by Edith Wharton? You totally need to read it. It isn't necessary to read it before reading these two books, but if you have I think that you will see a richer story because you will understand all of the things they are talking about when they bring up this book. It's super short and totally amazing. But tragic. And frustrating. Check it out!

The epilogue. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. And a wonderful gift from Katie Klein to all the die-hard Cross My Heart fans out there.

Fans of Cross My Heart should fall in love with this story all over again. If you have not read Cross My Heart, you really should read it first. You don't have to, but knowing the story through Jaden's eyes first really makes Parker's story so much sweeter. I know I'll read this story again and again just like I read Cross My Heart. Loved it! Five huge stars!

[Ilona · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate you Parker. You'r such a liar! Even when you were already begging for forgiveness you didn't tell everything! what about Callie - or what-het-name? Ehat about your frigging name?! I wonder if Jaden would be so considerating if she knew whole true. Any way, Parker, you don't deserve her. She is pathetic, you say? You keep making fun of her? And all these things you thought of her... Well, surly it wasn't nice or fair. But you don't care about honesty or other people's feelings, right? Because you are sooo hurt. Guess what you f****** a*****? " It isn't always about you". And you have a lot more things you should be sorry for. But you aren't. Because she " doesn't understand". Well, how is she supposed to understand anything when all you tell her are lies?! And suddenly, because of some stupid faucet or whatever she trusts you again?! Seriously?! I will tell you somerhing, you j***. Regardless of what you think of other people, like Blake or actually everybody, you are the most screwed up person in a whole book. You are whining all the time you... You! When in reality your life wasn't bad or hard at all! One mistake YOUR MISTAKE and suddenly yoy are a victim?! You were really lucky then and you got a second chance! Appreciate it! And how dare YOU call HER pathetic?! HOW DARE YOU? You are coward almost all the time! Too scared to tell what you think, too scared to stand for something that's really matters...But she... She was strong, forgiving, selfless, compassionate... And that's what she gets?! "she is pathetic", "she is half-atractive"... I can't do this anymore. I'm too angry for that.
Parker... You shoud be honored to hear that you are on of few guys I sincerely didn't like in a book. Like, I almost always like the main man. But you? You aren't a man. You are a coward and a liar. And I hate both of these.

[Zoe and the Edge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that Collateral Damage isn't a recap of the same story. Through Parker's eyes, the story is transformed and given a facelift. Parker has a much bigger life outside of Jaden and school that we're only discovering now. There are some big surprises that really, well, surprised me. It makes me realise that Parker is a grown man falling in love with a highschool student. It's fascinating. I had to giggle at his description of her as a “half-attractive English partner”.

I liked that Parker's side of the story doesn't turn him into a sap or take the edge off his character. He's still got his bravado and arrogance. It's satisfying. Parker's side really helps me understand him. How awkward his position is. It's also incredibly romantic that he is willing to throw everything away for Jaden.

Erik is Parker's BFF and he's funny. This is his take on marriage.

”There's a person in your life who annoys the shit out of you twenty-four hours a day, but you'd never get rid of because you'd miss them too much if they were gone. Until you would get rid of them because they do, in fact, annoy the shit out of you."

I found the epilogue priceless because it doesn't depict a perfect, fairytale relationship. Sure, Jade is living out her dreams, but it just shows her and Parker for what they are, quirks and flaws. I loved that while Jade is a bit of a different person because she's older, she's still very much her. There's something special about the way her character has developed and matured from being under Parker's loving nurturing. It's an awesome epilogue.

[Ari]

DNF at 17% sorry,,,,

I try to finish it since I quite like Parker voice, he doesn't sound boring, but at 17% I already have a quite list things that bothering me...

1. An undercover cop, as far as I remember, doesn't tell their undercover job to their family, girlfriend, everyone...because it's not only going to blow up the cover it's also could endanger their life. But Parker Whalen tell his family, his fiancee all about his undercover assignment, WTF?!!!

2. Parker Whalen did not tell Jaden about his fiancee, it not fair!!! Jaden should know there's another woman whose heart she ruined!

3. Basically it's the same story, the same event,so they said the same words!! argggg...I have no fuckin time for this! What's new in this companion book is Parker relationship with his fiancee and his family, which I'm not very fond about it.

My personal advice to this author is please DO NOT write about police, undercover cop, or anything about it, just STICKS with high school romance!

And my advice for ALL AUTHORS is PLEASE DO NOT WRITE SAME-STORY-SAME-EVENT-DIFFERENT-POV SEQUEL!!! PUHHHLEASEEEEEEE

[lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this book is the companion novel to the first book, and it tells the story from Parker's POV. You will have to read the first book first.

I adore Parker in Cross My Heart, but I thought his "secret" was a bit unrealistic at the time. Collateral Damage successfully explains that bit and expands it, so now the whole thing makes more sense to me. & Ms Klein gave us a peek into what Parker's life really looks like. We get more on his background, his relationship with his family, and what really goes through his mind when he's with Jaden. And I love seeing everything from his perspective.

One of my fav quotes:

We drive all the way to Hamilton. I take Jaden to the zoo because there are penguins, and it's impossible to have a bad day when you're hanging with penguins.

YES TO THE PENGUINS.

A great read.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites book "Cross my heart" Parker and Jadens Story in Parkers POV. I don't like this new trend of re-writing a book in a different POV, but in this case it worked as there is so much more to Parker then we knew in the first book. The fact that Parker was actually engaged to someone else was a bit of a shock but in the end it worked out anyway

[Vikki ~ *squee* lite ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved having Parker's review - even if I wanted to kick his ass. Full review to come.

[Hazel *Craves the Angst Reviews* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find This and Other Reviews At Craves The Angst.

4 Cross My Heart Stars!

The Review:
AWESOME READ!!

Collateral Damage is a companion book to one of my all time favs, Cross My Heart. I do suggest reading CMH first or some of the events in this book will be confusing. Plus I think the big reveal needs to be read from Jaden’s POV first.

When I saw there was a book in Parkers POV, I jumped on it so quick, the buy button wasn’t fully pressed before I was opening it and on the first page! I loved Cross My Heart and have read it three times since I first found it almost three years ago. It was one of the first book I’d read in the YA, high-school angsts genre and it has remained one of my favorites, years later. I always wondered what Parker was thinking, how he was feeling and I got it. I loved how the original story was completely retold with new and surprising information included in this fantastic book.

Parker Whalen wasn’t the guy I thought him to be from CMH, but I think I fell for him even more. He wasn’t perfect. He was flawed and had this other life going on behind the scenes of CMH we never knew about... and it was exciting, angsty and full of surprises. I know some people had a problem with that other life, but for me, I saw it as a beautiful tale of how true love wins out. He was young and had this past that he was trying to live down. He was at a crossroads and being with Jaden, changed everything for him. He saw his life changing, his feelings changing and his heart changing. I loved him, flaws and all.

We get up close and personal with how he felt about his life, his job, his relationships, his friendships and what he was going through during his time undercover. I loved getting his perspective and I also really loved that it wasn’t some insta-unrequited-love with Jaden as he suffered from afar. He knew about her, he was in class with her but he had the wrong impression about her and it wasn’t until the bathroom scene that he started to see her in a different light.

Their romance was wrong on so many levels but also perfect on every level. Getting his side of all the major points in CMH along with the extras from his own personal and professional life was so much fun. And I enjoyed the HEA epilogue we got in this book. We see a different side to both of these characters through Parkers eyes and they left me with a feel-good that has made this book a wonderful addition to their already amazing story.

[Haya · Rating 1 out of 5]

For fans of Katie Klein's Cross my Heart, don't read this. I, too, had wished to read about the events of the original story from Parker Whalen's point of view, but this was a major bust pun unintended. This book was extremely disappointing, I don't think I'll be able to review it properly. Where Cross my Heart touched upon themes and issues that were written so elegantly, with a romance that did not overshadow the poignant details of the story, Collateral Damage was a complete 180. The author reduced it to textbook YA or NA, written so badly, I could not help but cringe every time Parker thought about Jaden--which was all the time. I actually would've loved if the author passed up on the word-for-word conversations that he had with Jaden and focused more on Parker--or rather, Chris: his undercover work, his life, his interactions, his thought processes... The author provides little insight, focusing mostly on interactions between Parker and Jaden that we've already experienced in Cross my Heart. I probably would not have minded as much, if within the dialogue, she had included more of Parker's thoughts. I'm not interested in reliving the events of Cross my Heart, because I already know what has transpired. If this is a book written from Parker's perspective, I expect more of Parker, not some fan service.

The only times Collateral Damage was remotely interesting were the moments he wasn't thinking about Jaden, when he was more focused on his work, his fiancee, perhaps even his conflicted feelings towards liking Jaden. Instead, it's an obsessive Parker that we're dealing with. And any undercover work that occurs is flimsy at best (and I possibly cannot understand why, for an officer working undercover, he'd use his middle and last names). The climax of the novel was, well, anti-climatic, because there was no proper build-up prior to the incident. I wish I hadn't read this, because everything about Parker that I loved in Cross my Heart has been ruined.

Even that ending--which should've probably redeemed this whole mess--was boring, hackneyed, and disappointing.

[BookHookup · Rating 5 out of 5]

What could be better than re-reading a story you really enjoyed? Reading that story from a different point of view!!! Collateral Damage is a companion novel to Cross My Heart and it’s told from Parker’s POV!! Why am I so excited about this? Well, Parker won my heart in the first book but he was such a mystery. His life away from Jaden was provided to us only in short glimpses. While that was necessary for two reasons (first, because it was Jaden’s story to tell and, secondly, because of the surprising moments at the end), it did leave me wanting more. Now I’m glad to report that I’ve learned more about Parker’s life, his friends, the challenges he faces and the reasons behind the decisions he makes. And I’m even happier to tell you that I’ve fallen in love with him all over again!

There is so much goodness here! Although it follows the path of the first book, there are new scenes and new characters that could only be shared with us by Parker. We meet his friends, family and colleagues. We learn about his life before this story begins and how he gets to be where he is now. And, most importantly, we hear his every thought about life, love and Jaden. *sigh* I’ll be honest, there is an element of Parker’s life in this book that normally might turn me off of a character but, somehow, the way he handles the situation and the feelings he struggles with redeem him in my eyes…you’ll know what I mean when you read it. Cryptic enough for you?!? Well, I don’t want to give away anything because you need to experience this story for yourself! By the way, you don’t need to read Cross My Heart before this book but I highly recommend you do.

One last thing, even though I already knew the ending of the book, my heart was still broken, it was still happy and it still beat a wild rhythm as the story unfolded. This is thanks to the wonderful writing and rich storytelling. I’m so glad the author decided to give us this extra glimpse into Parker and Jaden’s world…I miss them already! Great read!!

[Tara]

IS THIS REALLY FROM PARKER!?!?!!?!?!?

OHMYHOTPARKER!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS OHMYGOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I AM JUST WAY TO EXCITED!!!!

[Marla Mei · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this. Excited to get inside Parker's head. But when I got inside all I ever wanted to do was to get out. I was able to tolerate Jaden's quasi-cheating on her boyfriend even though I hate cheaters, but Parker, he was freaking engaged!! They were both cheating on their significant others and my heart just broke for them. Guess my rating was hugely dependent on my opinion regarding cheaters. I could tolerate reading about them sometimes but only if the reason is reasonable.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this was a pretty umm.. Unpredicatble read. 'Cause in the beginning, I was so bored. I expected a lot, 'cause I loved Cross My Heart. And then Collateral Damage was actually damaging my expectations. But things started to look up after a few chapters. And then I was so relieved. I was like, "FINALLY!".

Well, I loved Parker. The way his described his love for Jaden was very, very sweet. It was just so refreshing. In short, I adored it. 4 out of 5 staaars.

[Preri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yas. This was brilliant.

I enjoyed Parker's Pov more than I enjoyed Jaden's. At first, I was kind of annoyed at Parker because of his feelings...

but I really liked this book.

And the epilogue! Cuteness! Ah! So adorable!

[Mitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5stars.

[Vani · Rating 4 out of 5]

QUÉ BUEN LIBRO.
No esperaba nada la verdad, y sin embargo me encantó un montón.
Tanto Jaden como Parker fueron divinos, tomando las decisiones necesarias sin importar nada.

Sin palabras <3

[cEe beE · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 stars. Great companion piece and sequel to Cross My Heart. Author Katie Klein did a great job portraying the POV from the male's perspective. Will definitely read more of her work!

[Tanz the Fluorescent Adolescent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was what I needed. It bridged the gap between the Parker I knew for majority of Cross My Heart and the one I discovered he was by the novel's end and made the plot twist less jarring. I love that he still had the personality, in his inner monologue, of the cocky loner/bad boy/reader he was when he first met and developed a relationship with Jaden even though that was supposedly only who he claimed to be. Looking through the eyes of a mature Parker, I saw an awful lot of me in Jaden in a way that I didn't in the first book. Her extreme passion sometimes made her look extremely immature but also endearing.

One thing that actually made my heart ache was the retelling of the scene after the infamous motorcycle ride where Jaden and Parker talk about their lives and Jade encourages him to go to college. After reading Cross My Heart, I was on such uneven ground emotionally that I didn't have time to dwell on how certain scenes changed after the revelation. Now that I've read this companion novel, I just felt like I was being kicked in the gut every time Parker pretended to be someone he's not. This was particularly the case in the couple's discussion about their pasts; when I initially read this scene in the first book, it became one of my favourites because it was sweet and developed the characters' relationship. Now, it has been shattered by the lies and the deceit, which reiterates how this story was definitely not your typical bad boy/good girl high school tale. Regardless, I'm happy I got to see Parker's side of things and his reasons for doing what he did. What with the story being the same, the addition of scenes showing Parker's life outside of Cross My Heart was interesting at times and infuriating at others, but served to make the transition from Parker to Chris less jarring, as I mentioned before.

This was just really good- not as good as the original but definitely a solid follow-up. I'm still reeling from the fact that Parker isn't the archetype I thought he'd be, seeing as I thought him being a reader of classics was edgy enough, but this book has softened the out-of-nowhere blow which was the reveal of who Parker was. Either way, I still loved him and "The Blushing Hero" needs to become a thing.

I'm giving this book five stars simply because it was well-written and had the good story the first book had but I'm making great distinction that the first book was "spontaneously life changing" (as it's on that shelf in my bookshelves) and this one was not. It just lacked the same emotional impact.

(There was one song I listened to a lot when reading Cross My Heart and I listened to it a lot when reading Collateral Damage too. I forgot to mention it in my review for the first book but it was "Prune, You Talk Funny by Gus Dapperton. The lyrics have absolutely no link to the story but the song reminds me of sunshine breaking through clouds like Jade always wanted to happen in winter... which is making me have second thoughts on how I feel about Parker. GUHHHH! This was only meant to be a typical foray back into YA. I want to go back to a time of innocence when that plot twist wasn't even close to being on my radar just to make things simpler for me!)

[Yhen Villas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally, I have finished another book this Summer! It's been a while since the first two books of The Divergent Trilogy. As soon as I finished my review of Cross My Heart, I went on and read this companion novel and it feels so warm reconnecting with Parker Whalen, so much I can still feel that fuzzy feeling in my stomach. I am actually currently listening to the book's playlist. Katie Klein's got some pretty good taste in music, mind you.

Before reading this book:
I'm always up for the leading man's POV; I have loved Flat-Out Matt so much (I'm thinking of re-reading it and doing a fast review of it one of these days), swoon over Alex Sheathes in his bonus POV chapter of Lauren Oliver's Requiem and of course, Edward Cullen's POV in Midnight Sun (some of you might judge me, it's okay, but I really loved Midnight Sun I almost wanted the whole Twilight Saga to be based on his narration.... and I pretty much guessed that Katie Klein might liked Twilight since A Thousand Years and All I've Ever Needed were both in the soundtrack of the movie adaptation of Breaking Dawn and are also included in this book's playlist.) And also, I loved the way Katie Klein titles her books. I don't know why. Most of the time, I wanted that cheesy title on a good romance novel (like the way Sarah Dessen titles her works) but still relates to the story.

After reading this book:
So yeah, I thought there's not much difference from Cross My Heart since it's just narrated from Parker's POV but I'm wrong. I'm really, really wrong. There's actually a whole lot of new additions in here including Parker's little bit of backstory, his training, his friends and family and the biggest shocker ever written on a first chapter of a book is about his long-term girlfriend and now fiancee, Callie. Seriously. It didn't even crossed my mind that Parker had a girlfriend prior (and during) meeting Jaden. And they're even engaged! But it's not Parker's fault that that girl assumed so fast and became too crazed planning their wedding. Sorry, I got carried away. But that only added my understanding in how Parker juggles his work and Jaden. Here, I got to answer some of the things I've been asking in Cross My Heart. I mean, how does Parker feels when he's lying and what is he thinking in those times when Jaden was so confused and torn about her own feelings for him? I also loved that I got to know about his family more. I've said that already, I think. And oh, I loved the paintball scene with Erik. Too much, in fact. And also the Epilogue. You guys should also watch for that.

What to expect:
Parker's detailed POV of all of the scenes involving him and Jaden, a new major character that you'll loathe (or love, I don't know about you), how Parker knew about Vince De Luca and the whole secret undercover mission (and Daniel's, yep Jaden's dashing older brother, past encounter with Vince) and speaking of Daniel: his conversations with Parker before he fixed Jaden's faucet and a lot more. I can't say too much, but you'll find yourself knowing new details, something that may have mentioned in the first book or is completely new information.

And I've been wondering what the book Ethan Frome had something to do with the story itself from the first book. This is where we get answers, finally.

What not to expect:
I never expected anything actually that doesn't appear on this book. I think it's safe to say that you shouldn't expect too much new scenes. Most of the chapters are straight from Cross My Heart, only in Parker's POV. Some I just skipped because I already knew them by heart but I also stop to read how Parker actually felt in those times.

Some notes:
I somehow felt betrayed in behalf of Jaden because she doesn't get to know about Callie. I understand Parker in this. It's not a healthy relationship when a woman becomes too clingy or dominant or pushy. A man doesn't ever want that kind of woman. And it is clear that the only reason why Parker still goes on with his relationship with Callie is that he feels obligated to stay and he feels like he owes Callie's father a lot. It's seems only realistic to me why Parker haven't told Jaden that he had a girlfriend. It's better to stay out of an unhealthy relationship rather than lying to yourself and regret about it for the next 10 years and sulk. So seriously guys, don't go judging Parker all the way like you haven't known that he knows himself that he definitely is an asshole most of the time. I know he goddamned messed up so bad several times and Parker really did worked his issues out. I think that's the reason why I loved this: it's because the story and the characters are so flawed and realistic, it's the only way you could say it was perfect. I found myself nodding and muttering "Yeah, well this shit happens sometimes" and it is healthy for us to finally get over with those characters who always seemed to be boring, predictable and perfect. Parker's imperfections makes him unique and lovable and I loved the way how the author gave justice to his character.

[Jai · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I think you fall in love with someone when you least expect to. When it's the last thing you want. That's what's so great about it." — Parker Whalen, Collateral Damage

Katie Klein is an incredible storyteller. I am so glad I stumbled upon Cross My Heart a couple of years ago because I now have a small collection of stories that while they are works of fiction, feel so real.

If you have not read Jaden's POV Cross My Heart, please do! You will not regret it.

This book was honestly such a gift to anyone who read Jaden's POV and was completely awestruck. Due to his life situation, Parker was an extremely complex character, which I think made him having his own POV book a great idea. Reading all that was going on in his life, makes it easier to understand exactly what was going through his mind when decisions were being made in the first book. Parker was a likable character, just as he was in the first book, but with his POV you realize that he was not perfect. While I did not like the way he handled certain things, his character felt real because of those flaws, which is something I admire about this book.

Would I read it again at some point? Definitely! And if you have read and enjoyed both Jaden's and Parker's POV I would recommend you look into other works by Katie because her storytelling is incredible.

[Nella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't want to read this. After loving Cross my heart, I know this could absolutely shatter the perfect story. But it didn't.

Finding out about Callie was a sore point for this book. I had nothing against her, just that she shouldn't have existed. I know that sounds harsh. But in the end she brought in an element of drama, that I think worked for its favor.

Parker's character was in constant conflict over Jaden or Callie. It is hard to know how Klein manages to portray these emotions perfectly, leaving me feeling sorry for him.

The song that I thought of while reading this was Collide by Howie day.

[yuvi ● ia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected much more from this book. This had so much potential. Most of it was just repeated from the first book, and the extras that were added in the first book's timeline were just not my thing. The only saving grace were the last few chapters of the book. Still, I can't believe he didn't say a word about Callie to Jaden.