Review: Strong contemporary romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 30, 2014
Ivy has had some traumatic things happen to her, and has moved far away to college as an attempt to escape them. She meets Jon, practically a God on campus with his very own groupies, and wants to avoid the kind of trouble he comes with. Little did she know, he is not who he seems, and they could be exactly what each other needs.This was such a sweet story. It was a contemporary romance set at a college, but not with barely out of high school kids, but adults (over 21). There was a great build up of the relationship, no instant love, but an attraction that simmered and flared, even when people attempted to put it out. I like how the characters had struggles to overcome on their own to become fully realized people, not just the romance issue, but a stalker and a secret identity. The characters were so good to and with each other that when they had their downs, I wanted to shake them and make them see it too.Jon was a great character, I could see why all the girls at the college were in love with him. I may have carried a little flame too. He came from such a hard situation, yet grew into a powerful person who could take on anything. I was so upset at him though at the concert, I was ready to kick him. I could not believe his motivation for what he did. But at least his friends called him out on it so I will forgive him.Ivy on the other hand was a much more needy person. Here she is, 21, just starting college, but totally dependent on her parents for financial and moral support. She seemed immature to me at the beginning, but when her full story came out, I gave her some leeway. By the end of the book, she ended up becoming a more independent person, getting a job, seeking mental health, standing up to her attacker. She faced her demons and learned to stand on her own.The one problem I had with the book was the few loose ends that were left when the book ended. For example, there was a girl attacked, and it never said if the attacker was caught. I though this would some how be related to Ivy, but it didn't seem to so I was confused. Same with the random car accident, the only reason it was used was to show Jon how upset Ivy was. Also, I want to know what Jon will choose to do with his life, especially when he was denied the grant. It was brought up but never resolved. Makes me wonder if this will be a series, or I will have unanswered questions to stew over.Overall it was a really sweet, hot contemporary romance. I will most certainly read more to come from this author, especially if it has Jon in it.I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.