Review: Beautiful series & a MUST read!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 8, 2013
A Night To Forget:This is another one of those books that had me hooked with the synopsis and consumed by the end of the first Chapter. I devoured this book in bed last night, with the pouring rain outside as a backdrop to this sweet story.A Night To Forget tells the story of Emma, a young woman who has a simplistic, orderly life that is void of any real passion. At the least the kind of passion that invades her dreams at night, in the form of a gorgeous, dark haired, dimpled man who sparks Emma's desires. When Emma comes face to face with the man of her dreams while holidaying in Cancun, they share an unexpected night of passion. Once Emma returns to her life however, she comes to terms with the notion that she may never see him again. When the gorgeous Brandon renters Emma's life again, Emma's world is turned on its head as the gorgeous man of her dreams is now her boss.  But as the two spend time together working one on one, will Emma's deepening feelings for this gorgeous dream man be reciprocated, or will Brandon failing to remember the events of that one electrifying night ruin everything?What I utterly loved about this book was the little surprising moments that were beautifully weaved throughout the story. The moment that you thought everything was sweet and almost too perfect; Jessica Wood smacked the notion down with a little twist. It is hard to believe this is a debut novel, the plot was consuming and the pace was kinetic and I found myself anxiously captivated to see where this story would take me.The characters were entertaining and well developed. Emma is an endearing and likeable heroine, her shyness and awkward nature balance well with the enigmatic and somewhat dominating nature of Brandon.Brandon's character is a dreamy amalgamation of the perfect man. He is sweet, charming, sexy and the little elements of over protectiveness he displays around Emma were well written and added a level of intensity to this book.This was an endearing and thoroughly enjoyable read, that also contained some angst that added a deeper underlying meaning to the story. This is a book that is exciting nonetheless and I found the fast pace (which was due to my impatient need to devour the story) to be refreshing. My only wish was that it was longer.  I just wanted to keep reading this story and see the relationship develop even further between these two characters.Jessica Wood concludes the first instalment leaving you on the edge of your seat and the space wide open for the sequel to Emma and Brandon's story - which will be seen in The Day To Remember (Emma's Story #2), releasing in August 2013.I truly loved this book and would definitely read it again. I highly recommend it to everyone, and especially those out there like me, who love reading a good romance book. Now it's just another impatient wait until August for The Day To Remember.The Day To Remember:The Day To Remember instantly picks up where A Night to Forget left off, as we follow Emma and Brandon on their passionate journey into their new relationship. After Emma finally believes nothing can come between her and the man of her dreams, unforeseen revelations take these two lovers on a tumultuous and heartbreaking journey, where events and new characters threaten to sabotage any chance Emma and Brandon have of being together. As revelations spark the deep and buried pain Emma still carries from her past, will Brandon be able to prove to Emma that his love for her is the only thing that matters? Or is love not always enough to surpass certain obstacles?As we follow Brandon and Emma on their tumultuous journey, the Author consumes your attention and pulls you into the world of these endearing characters and the pure, all-consuming love they share. Jessica Wood's writing is beautifully fluent and poetic, and this time around she sets up and threads together a vivid scene of two lovers, and smacks you with the ultimate unexpected shocker in the process.Firstly let me say that I absolutely love this series; I love the endearing nature of Emma and the gorgeous, sophisticated Brandon, and I loved how their story began. When I began The Day to Remember I had some ideas of where the story might possibly flow, but nothing prepared me for the emotional and surprising journey I was taken on. This book was an absolutely brilliant conclusion to the series.Emma's character develops into a young woman who displays the ultimate act of selflessness after experiencing such heartbreaking and devastating revelations growing up. I loved the growth of her character and the expansion of the plot - where Book 1: A Night To Forget centred on the growing and forbidden work relationship and extremely consuming attraction between these characters, Book two delves into the struggles of love and the development of trust within a relationship. There were also some incredibly hot scenes that reignited and reinforced the amazing chemistry and passion these characters both share.There was also the introduction to new supporting characters who added a new depth to this story. Damian was the gorgeous, handsome bad boy bartender, who provided the perfect comfort for Emma, and Desiree, brought a great sense of drama and heightened the intensity of this story also.The chapters are structured in alternating POV between Emma and Brandon, and as I always say - nothing melts my heart more than being allowed insight into the male's perspective - and Brandon's POV as well as Emma's was fluent, compelling and realistic.The two chapters written in Desiree's POV intercepted the alternation of Emma and Brandon, but added a much needed insight into her importance within the story. I loved that Jessica Wood allows the reader to delve into the mind of this woman and explore the heartache she also suffers. It allows a certain sense of empathy to be felt toward Desiree and what her character has experienced.The plot twist honestly surprised me and I found myself so engrossed with this book that I devoured it in one sitting. Rarely, does a sequel exceed how amazing the first book in a series is. The Day To Remember for me is one of the best.This was the perfect conclusion to a beautiful story about love - the passionate, unrelenting kind. It made my heart race, it made me laugh, and it at times brought tears to my eyes. I could not possibly pin point a single thing I did not like about it. I highly recommend this book and the Emma's Story series. Yet another title to add to the `Favourite's' list.5 Shiny Stars