All right, confession time: I’m really in a sort of reading slump. While I was wrapping up the writing of The Only One, I did my traditional ‘read good quickies as I fell asleep every night’ deal. This time, I happened to find some really good books, which I enjoyed. Unfortunately, I can’t find anything to read right now, when I’m in a writing vacation and need some juicy words!
I want to talk about four books I read during the last week: The Deal by Elle Kennedy, Confess by Colleen Hoover, When Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill and The Distance Between Us by Kasie West.
My two favorites by far were The Deal and When Joss Met Matt. The Deal was another of the college-tutor-falls-for-jock-she’s-tutoring books. It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite tropes. I really enjoyed this book in particular, because the characters were so insanely well-drawn. Hannah and Garrett may become one of my favorite couples of all time: Hannah is a survivor, but her past trauma doesn’t define her. She’s gotten beyond it. And when hockey player Garrett pursues her because he desperately needs her help to pass a test, she doesn’t want to help him. How he convinces her to do it is original, funny and endearing. Her slow evolution to inclusion in his world–and his into hers–is realistic and sweet. I can’t for the follow up to this book.
When Joss Met Matt was a book I wasn’t sure I’d like. Remember a few weeks ago when I read The Way We Fall? I’d gotten burnt by flashbacks, and this book seemed chock full of them. However, I was pleasantly surprised, because this book did the backward looks very, very well. Set against the backdrop of one evening in the present, we learn how Joss met Matt, how they became each other’s Sorbet Sex partners–again, a cute idea–and how it worked out for them over the years. There’s nothing unpredictable here; as my daughter said when I described the books, it’s a little like Friends with Benefits. You know what’s coming. But the resolution was a slow and steady build-up to a satisfying and awww-inducing conclusion. I really enjoyed this one.
Close runners-up were Confess and The Distance Between Us. You know I’m still nursing a little resentment against Ms. Hoover after the hole Never, Never deal, but this was a decent story, a little dark and a little tragic, but a few little twists. I liked the resolution, but felt a tad heavy. TDBU is a YA, which I seldom read anymore, but it was well-written, even if the story was a teeeny bit trite and a lot of loose ends were left untied. Again, it was the characters who grabbed me; both were well-constructed and likable.
So I’m off now to the beach for the day, and I need a read. I’m bringing my Kindle. . .who can give me a good, well-written, light and funny romance? Mama needs a good love story!
I’ll report back next Wednesday.
