I mentioned in a recent review that I find Onley James's books to be comforting. There's something reassuring about her use of familiar and beloved trI mentioned in a recent review that I find Onley James's books to be comforting. There's something reassuring about her use of familiar and beloved tropes such as obsessive love, found family, and confronting one's demons. Even the books of hers that aren't new personal favorites are still enjoyable to me. The Bone Collector is a great example of that.
I loved Gift. He was sweet, clever, and just a little bit manipulative (in a good way). He knows what he wants, and he fights hard for it. His heart is also so full of love for those around him. The way his classmates took to him immediately was both entertaining and heartwarming.
It was Park I had a bit more trouble connecting with. He wasn't given enough of an identity outside of his relationship with Gift. While he paired well with Gift, I never got a sense of who he was individually.
I think the central romance didn't give me as much as previous romances by James, because the characters started the book already in love with each other; the only tension surrounding them was if it was appropriate for them to have a physical relationship. So while sex is present in all of this author's books, it was almost too present here, since it was the only "hurdle" between them. And while the sex was hot, I found myself growing bored with it as the book progressed.
There was a plot surrounding the characters that was adequately resolved, and it was nice seeing some of the Mulvaneys get involved.
I will absolutely be reading more from this series. The other pairings teased here feel like they have the potential to be much more satisfying....more
This started off pretty strong. The banter between the two leads was great, and there was enough humor to keep me entertained. But somewhere in the miThis started off pretty strong. The banter between the two leads was great, and there was enough humor to keep me entertained. But somewhere in the middle the tone shifted, and the themes became much heavier in a way I wasn’t expecting. It wasn’t that those themes were handled poorly; in fact, they gave much more depth to our characters. However, it was done so abruptly that it didn’t feel organic. That shift is when the feelings developed too, so it all was just too fast. If this was longer, it probably would have worked better. Some of the humor is brought back at the end, which was appreciated, but by then I’d mostly lost interest....more
This was a fun, quick read. I really liked Cody's sense of humor in a previous book of hers that I read, and I was given more of that quick w3.5 stars
This was a fun, quick read. I really liked Cody's sense of humor in a previous book of hers that I read, and I was given more of that quick wit and those over the top antics in this. I also loved a side character enough that I would love for him to get his own story. Overall this romantic comedy was more comedy than romance, however. The relationship was pretty superficial, and not even because of the instalove, which can be done well, but simply because there was too little to emotionally connect with here. If you just want some laughs though, this could still work for you....more
It took me until about the 35% mark to feel invested in this, but I am so glad I stuck it out, because I ended up really enjoying this. I suspended myIt took me until about the 35% mark to feel invested in this, but I am so glad I stuck it out, because I ended up really enjoying this. I suspended my disbelief and it paid off. There was a lot of angst and tension between Tex and Enzo, and it sucked me right in. They never lost that intensity, while also having a decent amount of sweet moments between them. Overall this was a strong mafia romance, and I look forward to more....more
Loading...
