Review: Becoming Noah Baxter - Disappointing
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 02 10, 2014
I believe most of us were anxious for Marked Part II: Becoming Noah Baxter and how it would end for Lily and Jay/Noah, at least I was. This book gives you that answer and it is nice to know how it ends but it certainly did not live up to Book I. For me, this book was just barely fair. I had such high hopes for Book II after completing Book I but it fell flat for me.This book begins with Jay sending Lily home for her own safety which is where Book I left off. The excitement factor that drove Book 1 was lacking in Book II. I was glad to know they ended up together but, I do have to mention that I struggled with the transformation of Jay to Noah. It was too much of a jump for me, softened him into putty, but that is only my opinion. It drastically changed my view of him and not for the better.There were several troubling issues for me. 1. Did not like the showdown at all. So anticlimactic. 2. When Jay/Noah decides on a career, what he will do with his life married to Lily, he makes the decision, draws out the money, puts his plan into action, and decides on a business partner...all while she is asleep and does not bother to ask her opinion on any of it. Not one single word until it was a done deal. Of course all of this happened in the matter of 6 or 8 hours while she slept and he couldn't. He acts shocked when after he tells her about his racetrack decision that she tells him she wants to be a partner. For crying out loud, it is her life, too. How selfish was that!! Of course we all know Lily and she goes along with anything and everything he mentions. She needs a spine. After that incident I began to dislike him. Yes, he was young and inexperienced but...it does not take a rocket scientist to know that the person you plan to spend your life with might want to be respected enough to be asked her opinion. 3. Then there was the cookout. She had already told him of the fights that usually broke out and he was nervous/scared that he wouldn't fit in. So what does he do? He gets plastered. There was even mention of him swaying on unsteady feet as he walked because he was inebriated. Now why in the world would he do this when she had already warned him of potential fights. How could he have protected himself? How would he have protected Lily if some drunk came onto her or she got caught in between fists? If he wanted to make a good impression on her friends, as he was concerned how he would be accepted, was getting drunk the way to do that? I don't think so!! This was just not the Jay/Noah that I knew and loved. He was cheapened, weakened in my view. 4. And now we have number four!! After he buys the biz he decides to build a family home on the business site...and once again he did not include Lily in the process. She was not even allowed to look at what Noah and her dad were building or remodeling. (It was a surprise--no thank you!) Question...do women want a hand in building the home they will spend their life in, raise their children in?? What in the world is wrong with him? I went back and reread that section and she never does comment on the house one way or the other because he proposes. Lily-My heart and stomach do a flip flop simultaneously before charging into each other (as she views the unexpected house.) Then Noah is waiting for a response but Lily is speechless and, to me, she does not seem happy or thrilled. If she would have been she would not have stood somewhat numbly and just gaze around. She would have been excited, jumping up and down. Grabbing him in a hug. At least that is my take and she never does respond to him about the house for the rest of the book...unless I missed something when I reread that part the second time. I think her non-comment says plenty. 5. Then they fly off to Vegas and get married by an Elvis impersonator. Is that for real? What the heck??!! For me it was a hot mess.J.M. Sevilla definitely has talent but this did not showcase it near as well as Book I. I was hoping there would be more in this series but since the epilogue went 17 years into the future I am assuming there will be no more.