Review: Good debut by Emma Lauren
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 18, 2014
I'm torn as to how to rate and review this book, because on one hand, I really enjoyed the suspense and twist within the story line.  On the other hand, there were a few things that were a little ...put-off-ish for me.  When it's Love is one of those books I really needed to stew over and think about before writing a review.Sydney is in her fourth year in college and has a huge secret regarding her identity.  She hasn't been interested in a man since leaving behind her high school sweetheart, Jake, until she meets Professor Paul Sparling, a man twenty years her senior.  The only man she connects with is her best friend Henry Hart, who friended her during their freshman year of college.  Sydney's secret had me curious and interested immediately.  She grew up without the attention of her mother, raised by her grandparents, and feeling completely unwanted.Henry Hart is the son of a wealthy doctor and supports Sydney in everything, including her crush on Professor Sparling.  While Henry is Sydney's best friend, the only committed relationship he's ever had with a girl, he is also a ladies' man, going through a different "disposable babe" every night.First, let me say what I loved about this book.  I loved Sydney and Henry together when Paul Sparling wasn't in the equation as the topic of conversation.  They clicked beautifully as friends, and Henry was so supportive.  The story line is good and has the potential to be great.  The suspense of Sydney's identity and her father kept me reading and had me intrigued.  I admit that I speculated everything from witness protection to mafia relations regarding Sydney.  The author did a good job at keeping Sydney's secret until the latter portion of the book.  I really feel that there is an unsolved mystery surrounding Sydney's father and that past sins have been mis-communicated.  While I figured out Sydney's identity and the twist much later in the book, I still enjoyed the semi-shocked feelings I had when secrets were revealed.The sex scenes were certainly heated and very well done.  There is definitely an element of eroticism in the story.  I also enjoyed the flashbacks with Jake in Sydney's high school days.  These scenes were well written and did a great job in developing Jake's and Sydney's character, while providing the reader with Sydney's background and who she once was before her world turned upside down at the age of seventeen.The few things I took issue with were mostly in the first 28% of the book.  I had a difficult time connecting with Sydney's character for a few reasons.  I felt she was a bit juvenile in how she handled her crush on Paul Sparling and her school girl (by school girl, I mean middle to high school-ish) over eagerness while asking Henry's advice on how to respond to her professor's emails.  I understand what the author was doing in developing the backdrop for what's to come later in the story and agree that it was an important piece in the puzzle.  I just wasn't convinced and am left wondering why the actions in the twist took that route.I also took issue with Sydney freely sharing her life story with her professor in her essay but refusing to share it with her best friend in the world, Henry.  The professor had never really noticed her before, as she stayed quietly in the background in class, yet she freely shared everything with him.  Henry had been with her throughout everything and supported her unconditionally, and she was afraid to share her background with him.  Once again, I just wasn't convinced of the depth of Sydney's brokenness.  I didn't connect with the writing style and slow movement of the story in the first third of the book, however I do feel as if the author hit her stride at about chapter ten, when things really began to pick up for me and my interest in the story took hold.While When it's Love was a likeable and enjoyable book for me, it didn't take me to those heights of angst and nervousness I get when engaged in a novel with such a big twist as this one has.  It is a very easy and fast paced read, although I found myself easily putting the book down.  There is a mild cliffhanger at the end, but the author gives the reader a glimpse into the next installment in the series, When it's Over, at the end of the book.Thank you to Emma Lauren for gifting me an electronic copy of When it's Love in exchange for an honest review.