Review: The Mistake (Off-Campus #2) by Elle Kennedy

Title: he Mistake (Off-Campus #2)
Author: Elle Kennedy
My rating: 3 of 5 Stars

MY THOUGHTS

A while ago all I’ve seen in my feed was this book: updates, quotes, reviews and comments nonstop. I decided to wait until the hype would wear off a little before picking it up.

The book started off well. Elle Kennedy’s writing is engaging and easy-flowing. I was really enjoying the first third of The Mistake, but gradually I began to lose interest and became annoyed.

This book is about Logan, whom we know from the first book. He’s in love with his best friend’s girlfriend. He’s ashamed of it and copes with it with a stream of girls and meaningless sex. One day he stumbled into Grace’s dorm room by mistake. She is a freshman who has been worshipping hot hockey-player Logan from afar. One thing led to another and she almost gave her V-card to him. But Logan ruined the evening with his behavior. Now summer is over and with school year starting Logan has all intentions to win Grace back. Only will she let him?

I really liked Logan and Grace together at first. Their interactions were believable and the chemistry definitely was there. However when they met again after their fall out my interest began to waver.

I didn’t get why Logan was so obsessed with Grace. Why he decided that she was the one for him. It was like one moment he was hang up on Hannah, and the next it was all about Grace.

There was another thing that grated on my nerves. How Logan described himself in his POV. Here an example for you. Logan’s mother called him right after he had a shower:

“Hey, Mom,” I greet her, gripping the edge of my towel as I head for the dresser.

“Hey, Mom,” I greet her, gripping the edge of my towel as I head for the dresser.
And later during the same call from his mother:

I set the phone down and drop my towel, then yank a pair of sweatpants up my hips. My hair is still wet, sprinkling droplets down my bare chest, so I rub the towel over my head before picking up the phone again.

I found this ridiculous. I get that the author wants us to drool over Logan’s hotness, but wasn’t there another way to do it? Like maybe in Grace’s POV…

I also wasn’t happy with how Logan’s family issues were handled. Some serious topics were raised in this book, but it was like the author just used Logan’s situation at home just to make him more interesting. It all felt forced and not genuine. And this abrupt half-baked resolution didn’t help either. The last scene between Logan and his father made me roll my eyes.

The best aspect of The Mistake for me was the bromance between the guys. Their teasing and banter make me smile and laugh out loud. It’s apparent that they cared about each other and when one of them was in trouble, others were ready to help.

I realized that my review sounds more negative than I intended. It’s just that there were several aspects that annoyed me a lot, but overall my feelings after finishing this book were positive. Though The Mistake was just an ok read for me, in comparison to many bad NA it definitely stands out. This was an entertaining, lighthearted story with steamy romance and a lot of funny, laugh out loud moments. If you liked The Deal, I definitely recommend The Mistake to you.

Review: The Art of Lainey (The Art of Lainey #1) by Paula Stokes

Title: The Art of Lainey (The Art of Lainey #1)
Author: Paula Stokes
Publication date: May 20th 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
My rating: 3 of 5 Stars

SUMMARY (from Goodreads)
Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is gearing up to spend an epic summer with her amazing boyfriend, Jason, when he suddenly breaks up with her—no reasons, no warning, and in public no less! Lainey is more than crushed, but with help from her friend Bianca, she resolves to do whatever it takes to get Jason back.

And that’s when the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. With just one glance, they're sure they can use the book to lure Jason back into Lainey’s arms. So Lainey channels her inner warlord, recruiting spies to gather intel and persuading her coworker Micah to pose as her new boyfriend to make Jason jealous. After a few "dates", it looks like her plan is going to work! But now her relationship with Micah is starting to feel like more than just a game.

What's a girl to do when what she wants is totally different from what she needs? How do you figure out the person you're meant to be with if you're still figuring out the person you're meant to be?

MY THOUGHTS

The Art of Lainey is a very cute and adorable book. But don’t wait for depth; it was a book for entertainment mostly. In my opinion it could be so much better.

Our main character Lainey is a popular soccer star; she dates popular jock Jayson and is friends with his sister Kendall. When Jason suddenly breaks up with her at her work for all her coworkers to see, Lainey is devastated. But she doesn’t give up. With the help from her friend Bianca and a copy of The Art of War she tries to get Jason back. She makes a deal with her coworker Micah to fake-date so they can win back their exes. One of my problems with this book was an emotional detachment. I found it difficult to connect with Lainey. She was a little bit shallow and too fixated on Jason to see good things and new possibilities around her. Though she grows throughout the story I didn’t care for her much.

Big part of the book consists of references to The Art of War, by the Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu. While many readers find it interesting I didn’t like it. It felt forced to me and I think the book would be better without it. Though many readers admit that The Art of War was the reason they’d picked The Art of Lainey out of curiosity. So maybe it was the author’s purpose.

Our love interest, Micah is not your typical bad boy. He has tattoos, piercing, mohawk and he smokes. At the same time he is sweet and has a great sense of humor, he cares about his mother and little sister and he wants to go to a cooking school. He is so different from the majority of bad boys in YA. I mean a tall muscular guy with tattoos and bad attitude, often with controlling and anger issues, whose abs make our heroine drool and lust after him. No-no! Micah doesn’t works out, he is lean, and Lainey is taller than Micah. So I found Micah very refreshing. But I think Mycah is underdeveloped. I wanted to know more about his past, about his father. It was as if his problems were only sketched.

Unfortunately, the romance didn’t work for me. I really appreciate that there wasn’t insta-love and their relationship progressed from mutual dislike to friendship to romance slowly. I liked the funny banter between Layney and Micah. Then what’s wrong? I think it is lack of chemistry. Of course there were several swoony scenes, but it wasn’t enough for me. One of my favorite fake-relationship books comes to mind. I mean Isn't She Lovely by Lauren Layne, where the chemistry between the main characters was palpable. There was also great build-up and anticipation. I know it is probably unfair to compare these two books; I only made this example to illustrate what I wanted from the romance in The Art of Lainey.

Also I thought The Art of Lainey would be not only a love story, but a coming of age, finding oneself story. Maybe it would sound harsh, but in the end it was all about choosing instead of a popular, athletic and rich, though not very bright Jason, not so popular, lean, poor, but smart and funny Mycah. What about self-discovery? Isn’t a little bit shallow?

My other complaint is that by the end of the book so many plot lines were unfinished: her relationship with Kendall and Jason, her decision about college.

The Art of Lainey also has some great stuff. This book is very sex-positive. Layney has sex, she likes sex and she discusses it with her friends. I especially liked her mother’s reaction on Layney’s sex life. I think every teenager wants to have such an understanding parent. Actually I liked how parents are portrayed here. They are realistic and present in her life. Of course there are topics Lainey as a teenager is not happy to discuss with her parents, such as sex, but it is obvious they love her and care about her. I also liked relationship between siblings. I mean Micah’s sister and Lainey’s brother. It’s obvious they were close and supportive of each other. Another great thing is Lainey’s relationship with her best friend Bianca. They don’t keep secrets; they are very supportive and help each other in crisis.

Despite all my complaints The Art of Lainey wasn’t a bad book. I give it 3 Stars and for me it is a positive rating. If you want to read a fluffy book with different bad-boy hero and funny banters between main characters, and of course fake-relationship check it out.

Review: Flat-Out Sexy (Fast Track #1) by Erin McCarthy

Title: Flat-Out Sexy (Fast Track #1)
Author: Erin McCarthy
Publication date: November 4th 2008
Publisher: Berkley
My rating: 4 of 5 Stars

SUMMARY (from Goodreads)

Independent single mother Tamara Briggs wanted to find a new, sexy, no-strings-attached man - just not one as young as NASCAR driver Elec Monroe. But he sure does get her heart racing. And after she’s tricked into a blind date with him, Tamara gives in to her passion. Things screech to a halt, though, when he asks to meet her children. Whatever happened to wham-bam-thank-you ma’am? Suddenly Tamara has to decide how much risk she’s willing to take to experience the power of true love.

MY THOUGHTS

I picked this book by chance. I was in a mood to read some erotica and Flat-Out Sexy caught my eye. I was surprised when I saw that the author was Erin McCarthy. I’ve read True from her True Believers series, and I had no idea she also had an adult series. So I decided to give Flat-Out Sexy a try. I was expecting light sexy mindless read, but this book was so much more.

It's an adult novel, so it has explicit sex, but the sex is only one aspect. Flat-Out Sexy is also character-driven story, with great main hero and heroine and amazing second characters. Our heroine, Tammara Briggs is a 32 years old widow with two children. Her deceased husband was a race car driver, who died in a racing accident 2 years ago. Now Tammara is trying to juggle raising children and career and trying to start dating again. At a party she bumped into Elec. They are instantly attracted to one another which led to a night of hot sex. However in the morning Tamara discovers that Elec is younger than she is (he is 26 years old), he's also a race car driver. So she decides that it was a one-night stand. But despite the age difference and her apprehension of being with racecar driver again they just can't stay away from one another.

I think Tammara is portrayed very realistic. It’s really difficult not to root for her. After being married for more than decade it’s strange for her to be dating again. She has now children to care and consider. She is afraid to be in relationship with a man with a risky job again. She has insecurities about her body after giving birth to two children. And she is so real. I especially liked her relationship with her children.3

Elec is such an awesome hero. It’s hard not to fell in love with him. He is caring and understanding. He doesn’t push Tammara, he tries to help her. I really liked how close he is to his family. It’s little pieces like Elec asking his mother’s advice about chicken pox or his banter with his siblings. It is very obvious they are very close and they love each other. All in all Elec is a fresh air among alpha-heroes who are often just dominating jerks.

There are amazing second characters in this book. My favorites are Suzanne, Tammara’s best friend, and Ryder, race car driver and Suzanne’s ex-husband. I was thrilled when I learned that there is their own book Hot Finish. Elec’s sister Eve and his brother Evan are another great second characters.

Also this book is so much fun. There are many laugh-out-loud moments and Erin McCarthy surely knows how to right funny dialogues.

So if you’re looking for sexy romance with great characters and humor and light on angst Flat-Out Sexy is what you need.