Review: I'll Be Yours by Jenny B. Jones

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

She's the coach's brilliant daughter, clueless about love.
He's the dethroned football star, ready to teach Romance 101.
When dark secrets and sparks collide, there's no playbook for what happens next.

If life were a nerd parade, sixteen-year-old Harper O'Malley would be its grand marshal. This trumpet player's got a laundry list of accomplishments to her credit, but none of them include snagging a boyfriend. When a new guy finally catches Harper's eye, she'll stop at nothing to win his heart, even if it means asking for assistance from an unlikely source.

High school senior Ridley Estes's future depends on playing football for the University of Southern Kentucky. When his past catches up with him, Ridley will need more than just a scholarship to get his ticket to college. He needs the kind of help only a brainiac like Harper can provide.

Harper knows she's insane to agree to tutor Ridley in exchange for love lessons, but these are desperate times. Just when she sees promise with her crush, a national scandal rocks the SEC, and no one is safe from the fallout. Harper's family implodes from the aftershocks, dredging up devastating memories she'd rather keep buried.

Harper suddenly has everything to lose--her family, friends, and even her heart. Who can she trust? When the dust of the scandal settles, nothing will be the same. Including the girl who asked the most popular jock to teach her about love.

Award-winning author Jenny B. Jones returns to YA with a sweet, funny novel about first love and the power of letting go.

My Review

I don't read as much YA as I used to, but there are a few authors whose new books I don't miss, and this one one of them. I love the first person POV of Harper, who is completely overwhelmed by the circumstances of her family life. I thought her character's background of being a foster child adopted into her family as an older child was so interesting, and it explained how vulnerable she is and how that insecurity manifests itself. She definitely is a study in contrasts since she does have a confident persona, especially when standing up for her family and friends... and rescuing random abused dogs and animals. The unusual mannerisms and details of Harper made me completely immersed in the book. The slow revelation that Ridley is not as he seems was brilliant and shifted the dynamics of their friendship throughout the story. They challenged and supported each other in facing fears and overcoming struggles, but it is their fragile hearts that have the biggest obstacle to overcome- trust.

(Thank you to the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)

Review: A Sugar Creek Christmas by Jenny B. Jones

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

Sometimes all love needs is a second chance.


Morning television show darling Emma Sutton has just been fired. The only way to get her job back is to find a holiday story to warm the coldest heart. So when her hometown of Sugar Creek, Arkansas, needs a Christmas event planner, Emma moves back, sure her story lies in the town’s desire to become a tourist’s holiday wonderland. The plan is perfect—until Emma meets her new boss.

Charming, handsome Noah Kincaid isn’t just Sugar Creek’s newest mayor. He’s also Emma’s ex-fiancé. Ten years ago Emma left Noah her ring and a goodbye note, but it’s haunted her ever since. The last thing Noah wants to do is work with the woman who broke his heart, but Emma’s desperate to prove to him that her bah-humbug ways won’t interfere with her work.

Emma finds it’s more than the mistletoe drawing her back to Noah. Whatever they had is clearly not over, but Noah’s kisses can’t protect Emma from a past that won’t leave her alone. As the snow falls and the trees glisten, love will come to Sugar Creek. But will it come in time to make all of Emma’s Christmas dreams come true?

My Review

I really liked the different aspects of this story- the tension between Noah and Emma, Emma's quest to overcome her aversion to Christmas, the geriatric CIA retirees, and the community that brings it all together. The awkwardness of her situation is portrayed realistically- she's not welcomed by everyone with open arms and she feels like she has to prove herself to Noah and the community. Her grandmother has complete faith in her however, and uses her vast array of CIA skills to orchestrate scenarios to guide Noah and Emma back together. They had such great chemistry, especially once Noah warms up to Emma and forgives her. The thing that I didn't understand was why Emma tried to rekindle a romance with Noah when she planned all along to leave him and go back to the city and her journalism career. I didn't like how she led him on and I can understand why he struggled with reconnecting with her. She is so used to being on the fast track and focusing 100% on her job that it's quite a transition to change her priorities and realize what's truly important to her and will bring joy to her life. A great read for the Christmas season!

(Thank you to the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)