Book Review: Falling For Sarah

Book Review: Falling For Sarah

review, Romance | 1 comment

elgeewrites Book Review: Falling For Sarah sarahDid you check out the book tour of ‘The Bodyguards Of L.A. County‘ featured earlier this month? I got to read the book 2 of the series and I liked it. Here is my take on it.

Book Name: Falling For Sarah (The Bodyguards Of L.A. County #2)
Author: Cate Beauman
Genre: Fiction – Chicklit
Characters: Sarah Johnson, Ethan Cooke
Setting: Los Angeles, California,The USA

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author free of cost in return for an honest review.

When Sarah lost her husband Jake at Afghanistan, it was Ethan Jake’s best friend who stood with her and helped her raising Kylee her daughter. When there was a call for a father daughter dance, it was Ethan who dances with Kylee. It was always Ethan who Sarah turned up to whenever she needed someone. But things get not so smooth when Ethan realizes he has feeling towards Sarah as more than best friends. Sarah seems to reciprocate it but she is haunted by the guilt of moving on from Jake. Ethan has his own history of being from dysfunctional and broken marriage.

Things get messy when there is a serial rapist at large, who is obsessed with Sarah. Ethan can not bear to stay as just a friend to Sarah anymore but he has to be around her to keep her alive until the killer is caught. What does it take for Ethan to overcome his demons and reconcile with Sarah? Does Sarah realize there is enough place in her heart for Ethan and still can love Jake as she always has? And how do they catch the smart, intriguing and creepy killer?

My favorite character was Ethan easily, the macho guy with a sensitive kind. I loved how he was with Kylee, though I wondered which 6 year old talked like she did. I hated how Sarah and Ethan played the cat and mouse and was fervently hoping they would get together already. Beyond the romance angle, I was really interested on the serial killer. He more than intrigued me with his stalking and art of sending messages – Yes I am weird like that.

Bottomline – Catch it if you love – heart warming love stories!

Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door

review, Romance, YA | 6 comments

caI quickly needed a short and sunny read to wash out the bad after taste of the last book I read, and I picked out ‘Lola and the Boy Next Door on an impulse. I had wanted to read the Anna and the French kiss before this book, being the first of the series and all, but couldn’t find it on my book pile.

At a time when my Facebook wall is filled with pompous quotes from Augustus and Hazel from The Fault in Our Stars, Lola’s teenage love story came out as a refresher. It accomplished what I wished for. A quick breezy, light hearted distraction from all the chaos around me, without trying to be more than what it is. Don’t get me wrong, I do love reading about nerdy teens, even nerdy dying teens but that was not exactly what I wanted read just now.

Book: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Genre: Fiction – Romance;, Young Adult
Main Characters: Lola Nolan (Dolores Nolan), Cricket Bell, Calliope Bell, Max, Andy and Nathan Nolan, Norah Nolan
Setting: San Francisco, California, The USA

Dolores Nolan, a costume designer of 17, almost perfect daughter to her two dads and a part time worker at movie theatre. She is desperately in love with Max who is all coolness personified – a tattooed band musician with bleached hair roots of 22 years. She is pretty smitten over him, much like her namesake. She tries to earn her fathers’ blessings and freedom from their Sunday brunches with her boyfriend and check-ins through hourly calls. The parents and her best friend, Lindsey try to voice their concern over their age difference.

The story takes a turn when her first love, Cricket Bell (More about the name later) and his family return to their house after two years. Lola is unable to choose between cool and older Max or the childhood best friend and sweetheart, nerdy Cricket.

elgeewrites Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door 9961796I loved the writing. It is a simple story, boy-girl break up, girl dates someone else, boy-girl meet again, gets back together after heart aches (and few sad tunes if it were a movie). I liked the way each character was described just the right depth without dragging the story line, yet deep enough to understand them.

I found it really hard to like Lola – for a 17 year old she is pretty dumb to be chasing a 22 old guy. Wait, that’s love – I am overlooking it. But she is too selfish, lying pretty much to everyone, ditching her best friend, and letting Max walk over Lindsey at every opportunity and then later gets completely dependent on Cricket for everything.

And what was the author thinking when she named a lead ‘Cricket’? He is Mr. Nice that’s it. Nothing to be liked about nor hated. But when he is with Lola he is just happy being a doormat. Wait again, it is love. Then what is this being a toy to his possessive sister? Both the male and female leads didn’t personally appeal to me, but I liked the mushy love story.

Oh, there is also yet another love story on the sidelines, Anna and St Clair from the book one, which made me feel I have to read that book but not right now. I will wait for my next mood out or another bad book 😉