Review

I went into this book really excited about the idea of an independent, college bound heroine who’s ensnared by a tortured hero. That’s not the case. At. All.

The plot overall should’ve delivered. We’ve got the summer before the dreaded move halfway across the country to law school, the brother’s friend who’s hotter than an egg frying on the concrete in a hundred degree heat, and a job at a casino. Hijinks should ensue, especially after our heroine gets dumped by her college boyfriend. Yet, hijinks don’t.

There were plenty of things happening in this book, but Cali’s choices in just about every one of them were off. Cali’s character acted more like a senior in high school on her last summer break rather than a future lawyer. Also her communication skills suck, and her ability to debate and challenge others didn’t come across very well either. All in all I didn’t feel an emotional response toward Cali. A lot of her troubles were brought on by herself.

Jaeger on the other hand is a hero to bottle and send to me for safe keeping. He’s got a bit of tortured hero, but not much. Honestly he’s pretty well put together and besides some external issues he and Cali don’t have an inner turmoil… except a bit of jealousy.

I also found myself more ensnared by secondary characters. What’s Cali’s brother doing in Tahoe when his job is in Colorado? What’s Cali’s best friend doing messing around with a guy who’s got a girlfriend, when she’s been on the opposite end of that situation before?

Overall, this isn’t a horrible book and I’ll be happy to read Barnard’s next effort, but it was hard to follow a heroine who acted too naïve for someone her age; especially when the whole book is from her POV.