Review: The Secret Lives of the "B's"
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 26, 2013
Offside: Stone does a wonderful job of getting inside the heads of both Billie Jo and Logan. I like the way she makes internal observations almost like a conversation. It is like they are talking to themselves inside their heads and then the actual conversation interrupts the stream of consciousness. This technique made the book a delight to read and added a lot of humor. I laughed out loud reading one of the locker room scenes. I also liked the way Stone doesn't sugarcoat the down side to real life. People lose their jobs, some people are catty just because they can be, sexism is often accompanied by intimidation, and illness happens and has consequences. This is one of the first romance books I've read where the difficult relationship between sisters is a major plot point. All around a great read with likeable, complicated characters.Collide: Complicated doesn't even begin to describe the relationship between Bobbi Jo Barker and Shane Gallagher, which is previewed a little in Offside. This second book in the trilogy picks up a few months after the first book. All the characters you came to love in book one are back, but with the focus on a different "twin." Stone is masterful at describing that consuming "bad boy" lust that most girls experience at some point. The problem is, Bobbi Jo never really got over it....and neither did Shane. But when something burns that hot, you can lose yourself in it and maybe that is even scarier when you aren't 18 anymore and have responsibilities.Conceal: Betty Jo Barker is a girl on the edge. Her problems run so deep that I had a little bit of a difficult time understanding why Beau Simon was so enamored, especially since he was so rich and powerful and had the world at his feet. Of the three books, this one had the most angst, but also the least realism. Betty is truly damaged, hiding under a veneer of bad behavior and beauty. I felt some of her issues were glossed over, especially recovering from years of abusing drugs and alcohol. But you have to love her moxie.