Bad Romance: A Stepbrother Novel
By: Jen McLaughlin
Published: September 15, 2015
Publisher: Loveswept
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Source: eARC from publisher
in exchange for a honest review
GR's Summary:
Seven years in the army will change a guy. But after a shoulder wound ends his career as a sniper, Jackson Worthington finds himself back home, fighting a battle that’s all too familiar: keeping his hands off Lilly Hastings. She’s still her rich daddy’s little angel, innocent, impossibly lovely, as squeaky-clean as Jackson is dirty. And she’s still his stepsister—forbidden but not forgotten, not after the soul-melting kiss that got him kicked out of the house at eighteen. He couldn’t resist her then. How the hell can he resist her now?
Lilly is about to marry a man she doesn’t love, and commit to a high-stress job she hates, all to please the father who controls every waking moment of her life. On top of everything, her teenage crush is back, with a sleek, chiseled body and a trace of the rebellious boy whose lips sealed her fate. Jackson’s timing couldn’t be worse . . . or better. Because Lilly’s all grown up, too. She’s aching for another taste. And for the first time, she’s ready to be a bad girl.
My Thoughts:
I was really looking forward to reading, Bad Romance. I've read other books by author Jen McLaughlin and really enjoyed them. When it comes to this particular story, I have mixed feelings about it.
Bad Romance is about Lilly Hastings and Jackson Worthington. Lilly has grown up in wealth her whole life. Her father is the CEO of a large company and runs his household the same way he runs his business; commandeering control of every aspect. When Lily's mother dies, her father remarries, and she gains a new stepbrother, Jackson. Lilly is 15 years old and Jackson is 18 years old at the time.
Jackson's mother has remarried several times, and always made him feel unloveable, and like the biggest mistake of her life. Jackson instantly takes a dislike to his egotistical and controlling stepfather. Even though he plans on disliking Lilly, she wins him over with her sweet and kind-hearted ways. Jackson's mother and stepfather have plans for his future. However, Jackson is determined to join the army. Lilly and Jackson end up sharing one scorching hot kiss, and he gets kicked out of the house. Jackson ends up leaving for the army immediately, and even though Lily write's him letters, she eventually stops when he never writes her back.
Seven years later, Jackson is out of the army, and returns to his home city without telling his family about his return. He runs in to Lilly at a nightclub, and they both still share an insane attraction. However, Jackson thinks Lilly deserves better than what he has to offer. Lilly is now engaged, as has been arranged as part of a business deal by her father and his friend to save their two floundering companies. Lilly offers for Jackson to stay with her in her townhome. What will happen as Lilly and Jackson's feelings for each other grow, and temptation is just down the hall? Will Lilly save her father's company and lose Jackson forever?
I liked the general theme of the story. I was intrigued when I read the plot summary, and couldn't wait to dive right in. However, the plot of the story dragged a bit, and needed more twists to keep things interesting and moving. It was fairly predictable, and Lilly kept giving the same weak excuse for why she had to marry a man she didn't love.
The passion between Lilly and Jackson was palpable. The attraction and allure between these two was my favorite part of the story. Both Jackson and Lilly were stubborn in their viewpoints at different times in the story, and I got frustrated. I liked that Jackson was a "bad boy" without being a manwhore. It was refreshing seeing a hot, sexy man, without all of the standard bad boy cliches. If you are looking for a fun, light, and sexy read, you might enjoy, Bad Romance!
My Rating:
About Jen McLaughlin:
Jen McLaughlin is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of sexy books with Penguin Random House. Under her pen name, Diane Alberts, she is also a USA TODAY bestselling author of Contemporary Romance with Entangled Publishing. Her first release as Jen McLaughlin, Out of Line, hit the New York Times, USA TODAY and Wall Street Journal lists. She was mentioned in Forbes alongside E. L. James as one of the breakout independent authors to dominate the bestselling lists. She is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.
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See more at: http://www.jenmclaughlin.com/about/#sthash.cISL2PLR.dpuf
I've read two books with the stepbrother romance theme and loved them. This definitely sounds interesting, and I'm curious to how it all plays out since she's in that situation.
ReplyDeleteThe blurb does make it sound good, but predictable is not my style. I also hate that she is engaged to a guy because of a business deal- yucky!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking I needed this one bad after reading the summary. After reading your review, I'm not so sure. It's too bad that intriguing summary doesn't quite hold up in the book.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy encountering bad boys who aren't manwhores either. It's always refreshing! And I do love the sound the the theme as well. I enjoy that more forbidden aspect. Might have to pick this one up as well.
ReplyDeleteWonderful review