TBR Tuesday: The Lemon Grove, Helen Walsh

PAGES: 225

RELEASE DATE: 27^th February 2014

PUBLISHER: Tinder Press

EDITION: Kindle edition

SHELF LIFE: about five months

OTHER TITLES BY THIS AUTHOR

Brass, Once Upon a Time in England, Go to Sleep

SYNOPSIS

Each summer, Jenn and her husband Greg return to Daia, on Mallorca’s dramatic west coast. This year the arrival of Emma, Jenn’s stepdaughter, and her new boyfriend Nathan threatens to upset their equilibrium. Beautiful and reckless, Nathan stirs something unexpected in Jenn. As she is increasingly seduced by Nathan’s youth and the promise of passion, the line between desire and obsession begin to blur, what follows is a highly-charged liaison that puts lives and relationships in jeopardy. For Jenn, after this summer, nothing can ever be the same.

VERDIT

I went into The Lemon Grove having heard very mixed things and knowing only the basic outline of the plot and that it is sexy.

The emotional depth of the novel was a surprise to me. I loved the tension between Jenn and her stepdaughter, Emma. Their relationship was immediately set up with a touch of sadness and apprehension as Jenn anticipated the arrival of Emma and Nathan a week into their holiday in Deia. Emma is rude, patronising and manipulative and I disliked her immediately. It was clear that Emma had once been a daughter to Jenn and now at fifteen, she had rejected that and used the fact that Jenn wasn’t her biological mother as a tool. I felt so bad for Jenn. And yet their relationship felt genuine; it was a true mother-daughter relationship in all its affections and arguments, trials and tribulations.

Then Nathan strolls in and everything is heightened. Even though Jenn can see the way that Nathan manipulates Emma and his situation, she can’t help but become viscerally attracted to him. I really liked that the connection between Jenn and Nathan was based on lust and sex rather than love; I haven’t read it that way before. At first Jenn still genuinely loves Greg and it takes a fair while (in such a short novel) for her to succumb to Nathan’s charms and when she does start to see Greg in a different light. Her disdain grew steadily and she hated every time it crossed her mind.

Jenn and Nathan’s relationship was uncomfortable and aggressively sexy. There was no affection or real relationship between them, it was just sex. And there was quite a bit of it. I was slightly embarrassed to be reading it on the pane in case the person next to me could see over my shoulder! It was graphic. Even with this, it was still difficult for Jenn to figure out what would happen. And then came the incredibly cruel end where we thought Jenn had gotten away with it, but suddenly, everything could unravel... Very clever and impactful ending.

The Lemon Grove is a tense and sultry novel that makes literary fiction feel accessible and effortless. Highly recommended.

SHOULD IT HAVE STAYED ON THE SHELF?

Definitely not. I really enjoyed reading a popular adult book that had been all over the place for ages, and actually loving it! A sultry, addictive and quick summer read perfect for banishing the quickly approaching Autumn.

Sophie

 

Dangerous Boys, Abigail Haas

Pages: 336

Publisher: S&S

Release Date: 14^th August 2014

Edition: UK paperback, review copy

Other Titles by this Author: Dangerous Girls

It all comes down to this. Oliver, Ethan, and I.

Three teens venture into an abandoned lake house one night. Hours later, only two emerge from the burning wreckage.

Chloe drags one Reznick brother to safety, unconscious and bleeding.

The other is left to burn, dead in the fire. But which brother survives?

And is his death a tragic accident?

Desperate self-defense?

Or murder...?

Dangerous Girls was one of my favourite books of last year so I was expecting equally epic things of Dangerous Boys. Eventually, I got them.

For the first part of Dangerous Boys I felt a little like I was reading the same book again. The basic set-up of the flashback narrative, the plot structure, the character types, the almost-unreliable narrator and the mystery felt repetitive. I was a little worried that this would be a rehashing of the first book, and I was really disappointed to see that premonition come to life. Thankfully, as I read on further, it evolved clearly into a separate story and the characters differentiated themselves clearly.

Outside of the expected mystery and unpredictable twists and turns there is the underlying issue of Chloe’s mum. After Chloe’s dad leaves to start a new family, her mum falls into a deep depression. She can no longer drag herself to work, shower or even get out of bed and Chloe takes on a second job and all of the responsibility. I loved how the insane pressure of this was also partly responsible for the crazy events of this novel – it wasn’t all on those very dangerous boys.

Dangerous Boys turned into a tense and addictive look into dark hearts, twisted minds and family power politics. I am really an excited for what Abigail Haas brings to the table next.

Thanks to S&S for the review copy.

Sophie

Better Than Perfect, Simone Elkeles

Pages: 352

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Release Date: 14^th August 2014

Edition: UK e-proof, review copy

Other Titles by this Author: How to Ruin a Summer Vacation, How to Ruin My Teenage Life, How to Ruin Your Boyfriend’s Reputation, Perfect Chemistry, Rules of Attraction, Chain Reaction, Paradise

Ashtyn’s life just got complicated. Her boyfriend is being distant and her sister’s back at home after ten years – with a stepson in tow!

Derek has a perfect body, THE sexiest smile and a car – Ashtyn’s only way to escape her crazy life. But Derek likes to play by his own rules and is keen to take Ashtyn on a ride she’ll never forget. As they spend more and more time alone together, will Derek’s flirty games drive Ashtyn wild?

A sweet and steamy romance from New York Times bestselling author Simone Elkeles.

I am a die-hard fan of Simone Elkeles’ emotional, sexy and romantic stories of love over logic, and while Better Than Perfect isn’t my favourite of hers, it’s still a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Our heroine, Ashtyn, is a strange one. She gave me serious whiplash with her chopping and changing from fragile and emotional to abrasive and impenetrable and it really stopped me from forming a proper connection with her. I went from sympathising with Ashtyn and egging her on to rolling my eyes. But saying that, she had brilliant chemistry with Texan god, Derek. And yet I couldn’t help but compare them to Brittany and Alex of Perfect Chemistry, the epitome of sexual tension, and a bar I compare most YA couples to.

Derek and Ashtyn are tied together in strange ways – pushed together when Ashtyn’s older sister who is Derek’s stepmom moves back home with him in tow – throws Ash’s life into chaos. Her feelings for her boyfriend battle with a burgeoning attraction to Derek, her pride at being left behind butting heads with her need for a big sister and her unrelenting love for football being testing at every corner.

It was a roadtrip (yay!) that changed everything, as it always does. The string of discoveries that Derek and Ashtyn made about themselves as they drove from Fairfield, Chicago to Texas for Ash’s football camp and Derek to visit his grandmother, changed the game dramatically. It led on to a classically cheesy and romantic ending that made me heart smile.

As always, Simone Elkeles delivered a quick, easy and involving read that I flew through effortlessly. I’m already looking forward to the next book in the Wild Cards series.  

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the review copy.

Sophie

Come Back to Me, Mila Gray

Pages: 352

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Release Date: 19^th June 2014

Edition: e-proof, review copy

Other Titles by this Author: [as Sarah Alderson] Hunting Lila, Losing Lila, Fated, Severed, Shadowed, The Sound, Out of Control

Come back to me. That was the very last thing I said to him.

Always. The very last thing he said to me.

Home on leave in sunny California, Marine and local lothario Kit Ryan finds himself dangerously drawn to his best friend’s sister, Jessa – the one girl he can’t have.

But Kit’s not about to let a few obstacles stand in his way and soon Jessa’s falling for his irresistible charms.

What starts out as a summer romance of secret hook-ups and magical first times quickly develops into a passionate love affair that turns both their worlds upside down.

When summer’s over and it’s time for Kit to redeploy, neither Kit nor Jessa are ready to say goodbye. Jessa’s finally following her dreams and Kit’s discovered there’s someone he’d sacrifice everything for.

Jessa’s prepared to wait for Kit no matter what. But when something more than distance and time rips them apart they’re forced to decide whether what they have is really worth fighting for.

A breathtaking, scorchingly hot story about love, friendship, family and finding your way back from the edge of heartbreak.

Historically I haven’t got along with NA. I find it cliché, too focused on sex, not enough character development and sloppy writing. It was solely because I knew that Mila Gray is actually Sarah Alderson that made me want to pick up Come Back to Me. I really am glad I did.

The novel opens with an emotional punch: we find out that at the end of the novel Jessa will lose someone. Either Riley, her brother, or Kit, her boyfriend, who are both marines, has been killed in action. And just before the name is announced, Gray throws us into flashback to the beginning of the summer and the arrival of the boys on leave.

Jessa has had a crush on Kit for years, but she’s always been his best friend’s little sister. Or so she thinks. Kit is Hot, with a capital ‘H’, and he has sizzling chemistry with Jessa and I was cheering on their sneaking around. I love stories of forbidden love so damn much. For Jessa and Kit, the obstacles are Riley (overprotective and knowledge of Kit’s tendency to be a player) and Jessa’s scary, scary dad (suffering from PTSD, a Colonel and hates Kit). It actually took me a long time to get to like Riley. He’s judgemental and possessive, he feels a little similar to their dad at points. I have to admit that I had a few errs with Kit too – he’s pretty bloody pushy! I mean, it always worked out in the best way for Jessa, but it did make me cringe a little.

Aside from the scorching romance, the secrets and the sun-drenched California summer, Come Back to Me also tackles some sensitive issues: fighting in wars, death and PTSD. Unfortunately, war is a very topical subject at the moment so it made an impact. Though being in the marines in an American role, one I actually know very little about, the reactions of Jessa’s dad, Kit’s dad, and Kit and Riley themselves seems familiar, and worrying. These four men having experienced unspeakable things across a wide arc of time and in different places all over the world and they all suffer. It’s a sobering thought.  

Come Back to Me is an emotional, sexy and addictive summer read. I have high hopes for the rest of Mila Gray’s books.

Thanks to Sarah for the review copy.

Sophie