The Basics:
Blue Lines by Toni Aleo
Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept
A Book in The Assassins Series
Romance
Published December 9, 2013
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Blurb:
Opposites do more than just attract in Toni Aleo’s latest Nashville Assassins novel about a very bad boy and the good girl he can’t resist.
The instant Piper Allen sees Erik Titov, she wants him—wants his rock-hard body, sure, but the strength and mystery that lie behind that superstar hockey jock demeanor, too. So when he sidles up to her at a bar and slinks his arm around her waist, she’s lost. What follows is the wildest night of her life . . . followed by inevitable heartbreak the next morning. And then, a few weeks later, a very big surprise: two blue lines on a pregnancy test.
Only a check to the head could make Erik fall for a nice girl like Piper. But since their crazy-sexy night together, he’s been trying to forget about her alluring body by falling into bed with every woman in Nashville, and it’s not working. So when Piper shows up at his house with a baby-bomb to drop, it doesn’t take much for Erik to suggest the nuclear option: marriage. While it’s supposed to be all for show, the second they say “I do,” the ice between them starts to melt into sizzling steam.
What worked for me:
The language, though foul, seemed pretty realistic to me, and Aleo didn't shy away from some of the realities of pregnancy and labour.
I was intrigued by Piper's relationship with her family. While on the one hand, she seemed to help out all over the place, they still seemed to treat her like a screw-up because she hadn't settled on a career. I'd like to think that this attitude - that we have to settle into a single career - is a throwback at this point because in today's economy - who stays in the same industry for long? That she had to cope with it, and with her family treating her in a really negative fashion, intrigued me. I was definitely on her side when she was pointing out that she was a functioning adult and didn't need anyone's permission or approval.
What didn't work for me:
There was nothing redeeming about Erik. After the first hundred pages, I would have quit reading if I wasn't committed to reviewing the book. He was a jerk, through and through. His behaviour was completely unforgivable - not only was he a 'man-whore,' as pointed out to him in the book (and usually I can forgive this as in the past), but he was also completely self-involved to the point of mistreating Piper. Telling her that she owed him because she got pregnant? Really? REALLY??? He was so oblivious to her needs and so focused on not hurting her in the one way that he didn't want to hurt her that he cut her in million other ways.
He was also patronizing - every time Piper stood up to him, his internal monologue - and sometimes his responses to her! - were that she was so sassy and such a spitfire. It completely wrote off his bad behaviour, which irritated me. Yes, he had a terrible upbringing and I felt some sympathy for that, but not enough to forgive the way he treats Piper. His gut reaction to so much of what happens in the book is so off-putting.
I didn't love Piper either, but Erik was the real downfall of the book for me. I couldn't get behind this romance because I couldn't understand why she was so love with him in the first place!
Bottom line:
I definitely did not get this book at all, so take this review with an extra grain of salt. There wasn't enough time spent with Erik when he was likable to override or redeem the many ways in which he was *not* likable.
Going to have to recommend you skip this one - but if you don't, please let me know what you thought, or what it was that I missed! Because I feel like I had to have missed *something*.
1.5 stars
For die-hard fans of hockey-themed romance.
The Basics:
Love the One You're With by Lauren Layne
Random House Loveswept
Sex, Love & Stiletto
Romance
Published December 9, 2013
Amazon.ca Kobo.com
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Blurb:
Lauren Layne’s Sex, Love & Stiletto series simmers to a boil as two high-powered magazine writers find love amid a war of words.
As a leading columnist for Stiletto, Grace Brighton has built a career warning women about rotten, cheating liars. She just never suspected her fiancé would be one of them. After Grace takes a heart-mending hiatus, her first assignment is to go on a couple of dates with a counterpart from the men’s magazine Oxford and report her impressions. Grace 1.0 may have been instantly smitten with the gorgeous correspondent, but Grace 2.0 has sworn off relationships for six months, and she’s not falling for his outstanding bod and trophy-winning kisses . . . or is she?
Jake Malone wants to get back to the fly-by-night, who-knows-what’s-next guy he used to be, and he knows exactly how to do it. Oxford is adding a travel section, and Jake—with no wife and no kids and a willingness to live anywhere, eat anything, do everything—is perfect for the job . . . except that his playboy reputation makes his new editor nervous. To get the gig, he must agree to a fluffy joint article with Stiletto. But after just one date with snooty, sumptuous, sensational Grace Brighton, Jake starts taking this assignment a whole lot more seriously.
What worked for me:
This book has a double-dose of flirtatiousness. The repartee between Grace and Jake is quick and clever. I love good wordplay and intelligent, sharp dialogue. I find chemistry between characters really pops when they've got good banter, and these two have it in spades!
Layne leverages social media to amp up the tension between her endearing romantic leads - not only are all their moves being analysed by each other, the world is watching. And the complication of trying to decide what's part of the game and what's real and whether there's a line between those two any more.... It's all so delicious, I loved it!
I also really enjoyed the back and forth as they each tested the waters for something more, and then pulled back, remembering their own, independent goals. The give-and-take here was excellent.
What didn't work for me:
The book started a little shaky for me as I was worried Jake's slightly superior attitude was going to rub me the wrong way - it was a little alpha, a lot manipulative. BUT, he quickly won me over by being willing to admit his errors and by being a good sport about Grace's revenge.
I also have to admit that I was already over the Grace 1.0 / Grace 2.0 device after the cover copy. I have no problem with conflicted self-dialogue, nor with a character torn between their old habits and the new ones they're trying to deliberately adopt, BUT.... But. This really made me think of the inner goddess thing in Fifty Shades of Gray (which I admittedly have only skim-read), and that was cringeworthy.
Bottom line:
The second title I've read written by Lauren Layne, and I'm becoming a, dare I say it? - a fan. This book was a witty, flirtatious, fun read that I recommend you check out.
There's obvious leads to the next books in the series, and I'll be watching for them!
4.5 stars
For fans of contemporary romance, witty banter.
The Basics:
Isn't She Lovely by Lauren Layne
Random House Publishing Group - Flirt
New Adult, Romance
Published Date: October 28, 2013
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In a modern, New Adult take on Pygmalion, Stephanie is a Goth film student paired with Ethan, a preppy business student to work on a screenplay for their summer class. When her sublet apartment falls through, Ethan offers her a deal - fake her way through a few parties and events as his girlfriend, and she can stay in his apartment. The catch? She'll have to undergo a makeover to fit in with his upper-class social set, and they decide to use the experience as the inspiration for their screenplay. As their attraction to each other grows, Ethan begins to wonder if Stephanie really can fit into his world, while Stephanie's concerned Ethan may be attracted to the fake version of herself rather than who she really is.
What Worked for me:
Frankly, I'm a fan of Pygmalion inspired stories. Something about the tension between before and after the makeover, and the discovery of identity beneath image, the development of self-confidence... there's just a lot of material there that I enjoy.
Isn't She Lovely was a delight. I lost a few hours of precious sleep (I'm a new mom!) racing to finish the book, and I didn't regret it. It was my first New Adult book, and I quite liked it. While I enjoy the freshness and teenage drama of Young Adult novels, there's a maturity in that New Adult period that I was happy to embrace. I can also see how this genre will explode in the next few years as all those teenagers devouring Young Adult books move to this genre. Can we start calling Young Adult books Teen books now?
On the characters front, both Stephanie and Ethan face personal issues apart from the tension developing between them. Ethan was particularly convincing as he faced his problems - I won't be more specific to avoid spoiling the book for anyone. Let's just say that I felt like he was very genuine.
My favourite moment is late in the book when Stephanie is caught in a conversation about whether or not being Goth is a phase for her - there's a line about how life is full of phases, one after another. The idea of this really resonated with me. I'm not a fan of romances about couples who reclaim or renew their relationship, but this conversation really piqued my interest in reading one that embraces the idea of phases of life and renewing a relationship as the individuals enter new phases in their own lives, and new phases together as a couple.
What didn't work for me:
There wasn't anything that stands out as being a low point for me. Obviously the Pygmalion/opposites attract-makeover plot has been done before, but I liked Layne's spin on it, and I found her resolution satisfying.
Bottom Line:
I highly recommended this book. It was fun, with great pacing. It made me think about modern prejudices based on clothing and class, which so often fails to account for backgrounds and attitudes. I'm already looking for more New Adult books to read, and I'll add Lauren Layne to my list of authors to watch for in the future!
5 stars
For fans of She's All That, My Fair Lady, Grease and any other Pygmalion-inspired movie, fans of new adult romance, fans of Sarah Dessen.
