Review: Packed full of emotion!!!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 20, 2014
The Temptation of Lila and Ethan ate at me until I was finished!  It was heart-stirring and I absolutely could NOT put it down!I enjoyed every great moment, heartbreaking moment, romantic and sexy moment, and all the breathtaking moments in between!!  4.5 SUPER ****!If you have not read the other books in the series...YOU MUST!!!  They are all listed at the end of the review with links to purchase on Amazon and to add to your Goodreads account.*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*I have said it before and I'll say it again...I LOVE dual POV books!  I cannot stress enough how sweet it is to 'hear' what is happening in both the Hero and the heroine's minds and hearts.BACKGROUND:  Lila and Ethan met 2 summers preceding the setting in this book when Lila went to Ella's hometown.  Ethan is Micha's best friend.  They spent time together and had this "strange connection" and when they parted ways, they stayed in touch.  Then Ethan ends up moving near her and they've been in cahoots ever since.Lila was a difficult character for me to fall in sync with.  She's grown up her whole life with it being ground into her that "Beauty. Vanity. Perfection." were the rules life.  According to her mother, without those you have nothing.  Lila tries to be what her family wants, her mother really, but she still feels like she's failing.  She has this overwhelming feeling she is being crushed under the pressure to be 'perfect' constantly.  She's followed everyone else's rules, but she feels lost. She feels lost.  Her family is a train wreck to say the least and she really doesn't have anyone to talk with or lean on.  Except Ethan.Ethan was easier to get a handle on.  His problems were different from any other book I've read.  Ethan becomes 'addicted' to a girl who supports and even encourages a problem he has.  The girl pushes too hard on night and he bails only to find that after he left there was an accident.  He walks around with this on his mind and conscious.  He feels as though he still needs closure from her.  Ethan keeps a journal and writes in it constantly. (This bad boy with tattoos writes in a journal!  I LOVE it!!!)  His parents weren't great role models and he is afraid of the emotional connection thinking they "lead to an unhealthy, disastrous relationship, where someone will get broken."  So he has these rules he follows when it comes to women.  Ethan has no problems following his rules. Except when it comes to Lila.They seem to be best friends now that they live near one another.  They "share our stories and never judge each other, despite how bad and ugly the stories are."  It's as if they have been friends for ages but there is major flirting going on.  Ethan seems to have his heart on his sleeve.  You feel his compassion and his want to care for her coming off the pages.  He knows everything about her, at least he thinks he does and he wants to make sure she's ok and pushes her to better herself.  Lila doesn't feel good about herself or good enough for anyone but she seems to go on smiling like everything is alright."I've been trying the best I can to find that kind of love, but it never seems to work out and I'm really starting to believe that I'm beneath being loved."They each have this huge attraction to each other and you just wanna reach through the pages and give them a little push!  But the sexual tension is amazingly hot!!!  They have these real world, deep-seated problems and when Lila's spins her out of control, Ethan is there making sure she's going to be alright.  The measures he goes to to ensure her safety and health is moving.  You can see he will break his rules even before he does."I'm just Ethan.  And I can live with that.  But with Lila...Jesus *** Christ, I'm turning into a person I barely recognize.  A nice guy who cares way too much, who's breaking his rules and getting involved."There are so many wonderful quotes in this book...I could feel the way they felt about one another through their words and actions.  Friends to lovers is a great story, but it's even better when it's unexpected and smart.  Jessica Sorensen does unexpected, smart AND stunning!  This book will make you think about the lengths we go to for the ones we care about, the ones we love!!!"I'd always believed that love was never worth it.  That if I loved someone we'd eventually ruin each other, but this has to be different.  What I'm feeling right now has to mean something more.  This has to be real love."