Review: Engrossing read with a main character I grew to enjoy and a love interest that was totally swoony
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 17, 2013
I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started reading this book. The main character sounded like the type of person I would never connect with and thus not care what happened to her. Boy, was I ever wrong. The book grabbed me right from the start. I mean, with an opening line like “my mother was a whore,” how could it not? It took some time, however, for me to begin to appreciate Emerald. Don’t get me wrong, I felt sorry for her, but I didn’t like her.Emerald’s mom was a prostitute who put a higher value on looks and “sponsors” than she did brains, friends or family. “Values” she instilled in Emerald from an early age. She was more of a friend than a mother. Emerald is definitely a product of her environment. While she’s smart, she’s not driven. She can’t hold a job. She doesn’t really have any friends. In one of her short stints at a coffee shop, she meets two people who will change her life in totally different ways: her co-worker Sarah and (OMG hot) customer Carter. Sarah helps Emerald find much more lucrative employment and Carter helps her learn about herself and love.This book was absolutely engrossing. I read it in one sitting without stopping for even a bathroom break. There was scandal, passion, romance and heartbreak. I grew to adore Emerald, a character I was rather ambivalent about at first. She changed and matured so much in this book. Oh, and I want a Carter in my life. But, the cliffhanger! Eeek! The next book in this series can’t come soon enough.I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.