Review: Pleasant Surprise!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 5, 2014
My first thought after finishing A Million Miles Away was what a debut! This book is the first in the Angel Interceptors Series by Elizabeth Corva and I just devoured it. After reading the blur, I was super excited to get started on this one, and it definitely did not disappoint. Books that incorporate music are some of my favorites, and this one was done wonderfully. This book grabbed my attention from the very first page and I couldn't put it down. I had a feeling I would like it, but I was surprised at just how much I loved it in the end.Jasmine had a pretty tough childhood. Her mother passed away when she was only 13 and she turned to music for an escape, something a lot of us can probably relate to. She had a particularly strong connection with the band Strange Angels, specifically with the lead singer, Jonathan. She turned to him and his music during difficult times, and was able to find the strength and escape she needed through their songs. When we jump to 4 years later, She is still a huge fan. She's living with her over protective step-father, and she spends her free time daydreaming, as most teenagers do, of her forever celebrity crush. At first glance, this might seem like a typical celebrity-meets-girl-next-door romance, but it's much more than that. There's no whirlwind romance or insta-love here, it's all very slow developing and I enjoyed that immensely.There were a few things about Jasmine that bothered me. One being the fact that she's supposed to be extremely put together and mature for her age, yet she comes over completely nave at times. One example being that she doesn't even know her social security number-- what? She's in college. I'm pretty sure I had mine memorized before I hit middle school. That, to me, seemed unrealistic. But this is just one small example. Her relationship with her step-father was frustrating at times as well. It's understandable that he would be extra protective, after having lost his wife, her mother, already, but to do things such as snapping at her about meeting her new employer (whether he agrees with his lifestyle or not) was a bit absurd. She's an adult at this point in the story-- what parent questions their adult child's employer? Other times, though, I really enjoyed their relationship. Yes, he was extremely overbearing, but he gave her his support when it mattered, and he did always have her best interests at heart. So I guess I'll forgive him.Overall, as I said, I really loved this story. It does have a pretty big cliffhanger, so make sure you have book two on hand straight away! It wasn't quite what I expected going in, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I couldn't put it down, the writing flowed nicely, and I found myself wrapped up in Jasmine and Jon's story. I would have loved to see a bit more romance, but I also loved that things weren't rushed. The romance junkie in me had her fingers crossed that we would get more swoon-worthy moments in the sequel. I definitely recommend this one!