Short & Sweet (10)

Mini-reviews of New Adult and Romance novels that I enjoyed

Irresistibly Yours (Oxford #1) by Lauren Layne

pub 10/6/15 by Loveswept
Romance

After reading Blurred Lines by Lauren Layne, I immediately went onto Amazon to find more of her books. She had a lot to choose from but something about this caught my eye and after reading the synopsis, I knew it would be the one to buy. It’s about two people who have these pre-conceived notions based on first impressions and yet, they can’t help being drawn to the other. For Cole Sharpe, he’s a talented sports editor who’s been freelancing for Oxford and believes he’s a shoo-in for a new position that’s opened up. Then he finds out his competition is none other than Penelope Pope (of course he’s surprised she’s female!). She’s equally talented, if not more so, and 100% gunning for the same position. What I enjoyed is that they start off as rivals, become friends as they realize everything they have in common and eventually that leads them to much, much more. Watching their relationship evolve was definitely the best part. But I also enjoyed that while their characters feel familiar (he’s kind of a hotshot, she’s one of the guys and somewhat tomboyish), their emotions and little quirks (Penelope’s knowledge of sports is amazing) make them feel real. It’s clear neither of them expected the chemistry and passion between them, which only made every moment that much more swoon-worthy.

I have to mention I didn’t realize this new series is a spin-off of an earlier one called Sex, Love and Stilettos but that, in no way, affected my reading experience. But a handful of the secondary characters are mentioned and have an obvious familiarity with Cole (he was in the original series) so that might’ve been nice to know beforehand.

Do I recommend? I do! I’m not sure if I’m going to read the original series but I will definitely continue this one.

Make It Count (Bowler University, #1) by Megan Erickson

pub 6/3/14 by
William Morrow Impulse
New Adult 

This is probably one of the lightest NA books I’ve ever read and reminded me very much of a romantic comedy. Kat Caruso is used to having a string of boyfriends who only last a couple of months. She’s convinced she needs to get rid of them before they decide to dump her first.  Because of this (and for many other reasons), she can’t understand why she’s so incredibly drawn to Alec, her current boyfriend’s best friend and her new math tutor. Personally, I can totally see why she’s into him! Unlike the current jerk she’s dating, Alec is kind, smart and truly appreciates her for who she is. Likewise for Alec, he knows he should stay away from Kat but can’t help falling for her all the same. Even though I already liked Kat a lot as a character, I appreciated her even more when seeing her through Alec’s eyes because of his obvious adoration. Their interactions were super cute and funny and it’s easy to root for them to find their way to one another. But what surprised me most about the book was that the main storyline did have a serious and extremely relevant aspect to it. (And no, it’s not one of the typical NA dramatic tropes.) Although a big part of me missed the angst and sexy times of my usual NA reads, I absolutely appreciated the realness of Megan Erickson’s story and characters.

Do I recommend? Yes! After reading this, I will definitely be checking out more of this author’s books. I think the fluffier stuff isn’t quite for me so I’m going to move onto her other romance and NA which I’m looking forward to. But if you like lighter NA, this one is definitely for you.

Finding Center (District Ballet Company #2) by Katherine Locke

pub 817/15 by Carina Press
New Adult / Romance

OH GOODNESS THIS BOOK. Scratch that, THIS SERIES. I love a good ballet book and I picked up this series because Estelle had just bought it and thought I would like it too. (Clearly, she was right.) It focuses on ballet in a completely different way. Oftentimes, I’m reading the YA perspective so it’s all about trying to make it in the ballet world. In District Ballet Company, it’s about two people who are already at the top of the world and lose it. Can they come back? Or better yet, can they hold onto it? It’s a more mature viewpoint but that’s what made the story so striking. As with the previous book, it alternates between Aly and Zed. Their two greatest loves were and continue to be ballet and each other but after the accident six years ago that nearly ruined Aly’s career and ruined Zed’s, they never expected to be where they are now. Aly dancing full-time and pregnant again with Zed’s child. But there are fears they both need to face. For Aly, she’s afraid of losing everything again. And for Zed, he wants to take care of Aly but at the same time, there are his own demons he needs to address. Namely, he needs to find some sort of closure and peace between himself and ballet. I felt so invested in everything about this book. They’re both such passionate people and it showed in their relationship (which wow, this one definitely turned up the heat) and in their individual day-to-day lives. It’s intense at times because there’s a heavy weight on each of their shoulders. But it’s also what makes the journey to the end so satisfying. Because yes, there are good days and bad, but more importantly, there is healing and so much love between them.

Do I recommend? I do! I haven’t read any other New Adult ballet books and this one knocks it out of the park.

Did you read and enjoy these books as much as I did?

Or do you have any NA or romance recs for me? 

Let me know in the comments!