Monday, November 18, 2013

Guest Review - - FOREPLAY

FOREPLAY: The Ivy Chronicles
By Sophie Jordan
Publisher:  William Morrow - HarperCollins Publishers
Release Date:  November 5, 2013



Sophie Jordan's FOREPLAY was my first foray into the new - to me - world of New Adult romances. I have to say I really enjoyed a book about how one young girl learns what true love is all about. Just my kind of story.

I think it 's a classic tale of a girl wanting to learn all she can in order to make the boy of her dreams step up and take notice. I love that - those stories of unrequited love. But this one is slightly different. She finally gets someone to step up and take notice - it's just not the guy she thought it was going to be. What's also brilliant is that the teacher also gets his own lessons in love. A win win situation in my eyes.

Pepper - our heroine - is madly in love with Hunter, her best friend's older brother but he doesn't see her that way - at least not in the beginning. Enter Reese -the hot bartender at the local  bar. He's dark, handsome with his own issues but he agrees to teach Pepper all she needs to know to attract Hunter. He teaches her the art of foreplay.

Pepper and Reese need one another. They are not just student and teacher - they both have serious heartache in their lives. Whether they know it or not, they need each other on a level that transcends a friendship they start. 

Watching that love blossom is what makes Sophie Jordan's FOREPLAY a page turner for me. Hunter learns a little too late what a treasure has always been there for him. I have faith in Hunter finding his own HEA, but I am glad he helped lead the way to Pepper and Reese finding their's.

~Santa Byrnes

New Adult romance is a booming new sub-genre, focusing on the years between YA and Adult Contemporary or Women's Fiction.  Think, romance for the college set.  Have you read any of the New Adult titles yet?  Have any books or authors to recommend?  




11 comments:

  1. I'm afraid I haven't but since I've enjoyed many YA books I would think these would be very enjoyable too.

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    1. I haven't read them yet either, catslady but I'm looking forward to giving them a try.

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  2. New Adult sounds rather like a marketing ploy to me!

    However, I enjoyed Sophie Jordan's Firelight trilogy about draki (evolved dragons) so much that I'm willing to give her a try in this new genre. She knows how to write a gripping tale so I'm pretty confident that she can make any genre sizzle with excitement!

    This will be my first New Adult novel so no recs I'm afraid.

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    1. Quantum, I think many, if not most, new sub-genres are marketing initiatives.

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  3. I've heard good things about Foreplay, San, and your review makes it sound even better.

    I haven't read widely in the New Adult genre, but I have enjoyed most of those I have tried. I especially liked Tammara Webber and Cora Carmack's books.

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    1. I haven't read any of them yet, Janga. I have the Carmack books but haven't had the time to read them yet.

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  4. I've heard alot about New Adult fiction lately. RWA's magazine did a piece on it this past month. Sure, it may sound like a marketing ploy but, then again, what isn't in any genre of fiction. It looks like it wants to be the next hottest thing and it may very well be. It features the young adult going into college age group but it's hard to say if it will appeal to that group at this time. The question remains as to whether or not it will be the next hottest sub genre in romance or be of passing fancy as chick lit and, dare I say, steampunk. Now I'm not knocking either one of them and steampunk with its destopian undertones seems to be holding its own quite nicely. I'm willing to give New Adult and other shot and if the writing and storytelling continues to have Sophie Jordan's talents than I am definitely in!

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    1. Santa, this and your review are enough to convince me to give it a try.

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  5. I have this one and can't wait to read it. Thanks, Santa!

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  6. I have this one and can't wait to read it. Thanks, Santa!

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  7. I have several New Adult books on my Kindle, but haven't yet had an opportunity to read them. The first one I became aware of was WHEN IN PARIS by Beverley Kendall ( retitled ONLY FOR YOU), she has since published a second one ALL OVER YOU and has a couple more planned.

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