Review: Good follow up to Jane's Gift, I liked the way this one ended.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 9, 2013
Review for Ramblings From This Chick Blog. ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.comI am a fan of Karen Erickson and I love reading books in a series. So this one seemed like a guaranteed like for me. Tempting Cameron is the second book in the Lone Pine Lake series, and I was really looking forward to getting Cameron's story. We first meet him briefly in Jane's Gift which is the first book in the series. As much as I was really wanting to love his story, I just wasn't able to. I had some problems with this story, and there were just too many things about it that kept me from rating this one higher.Chloe Dawson has always had a crush on her best friend's older brother. But Cameron McKenzie has never returned her feelings. He has always viewed her as his little sister's pesky friend. Cameron also isn't one to commit to anyone or anything. He left his small hometown behind as soon as he was able to and only returns when he absolutely has to. But after an accident occurs while he is working, he heads home to take a break and figure out what he wants next. After he shares a kiss with Chloe at his sister's wedding reception, he begins to see her as he never has before. But he knows that he is all wrong for her and pushes her away. But after they fight and she experiences an accident that leaves her with some gaps in her memory, he decides that this is the perfect chance to spend some time with her and try to make up for the way he treated her. As they begin to spend more time together and embark on a summer fling, real feelings start to develop for both of them. But will things work out between them when the truth finally comes out? And will Cameron be able to give up his life of roaming in order to settle down with Chloe in the small town he left behind?I really wanted to like Cameron, but for most of the story I just didn't. He was pretty much a jerk for a lot of the time, and he just seemed to be sort of self involved. He really seemed to have a huge chip on his shoulder, and I just couldn't understand why. He really didn't have many redeeming qualities and not only did he treat Chloe badly, but also his family. By the time that he started to really come around, because of his relationship with Chloe, it almost just seemed too little too late for me. I couldn't understand what Chloe saw in him and why she stuck with him. (Even with her not knowing what really happened the night of their argument) I also really was never able to connect with Chloe. I felt like even though she was sort of the town sweetheart and everyone liked her, that I just wasn't that invested in her or her story. For some reason it just seemed like we never really got to know her that well, and she just seemed a little flat for me. The physical scenes between Cameron and Chloe showed that there was chemistry and attraction between the two of them, but I just wasn't really feeling any real emotion or connection between them until the very end. It just didn't seem very natural or real to me.I also had a problem with some of the things that happened with some of the secondary characters. I felt like they were almost doing and saying things that were untrue to the characters we had previously met in the first book. There was something that happened in this book that really had me not liking Jane for the very first time, and I had really liked her in the first book. I just didn't understand why the shift in character, and it just seemed inconsistent with what we had come to know and love about her from Jane's Gift. While there were parts that I really did enjoy, there were also parts that had me rolling my eyes. I will admit that this one was hard for me to get through at times and there were parts that almost had me wanting to give up. I am glad that I stuck with it though, and I really did like the way that this story ended. It definitely turned around towards the end, and I really liked how things with Cameron and Chloe ended up. I just wish that the first part of this story would have been more like the last half, because Cameron and Chloe really were likable at the end. I think that despite my few gripes with this book, it was for the most part an enjoyable read. It was nice to see some of the characters from the first book and it was also nice to get some more on some of the other characters that we didn't know as well. I am looking forward to reading more in this series and seeing more of Lone Pine Lake and its residents. I think that if you like to read Contemporary romances or small town stories that you will enjoy this series and should definitely give it a shot.**Copy provided by Publisher**