Mini-Reviews : Be With Me by J.Lynn and Three Broken Promises by Monica Murphy

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Be With Me (Wait for You #2)
Author : J. Lynn
Publication Date : February 4th 2014
Publisher : Harper Collins
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Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year—she’s in love with her big brother’s best friend, but he hasn’t spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, change-your-life kiss. She got out of a terrible relationship. And now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It’s time for Plan B – college. And maybe a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.

Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he’s not telling anyone. Especially not his best friend’s incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn’t have time for a relationship. But it doesn’t help that all he can think about kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.

As they’re thrown together more and more, Jase and Tess can’t keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they’re willing to risk to be together, and what they’re willing to lose if they’re not…

Personal Thoughts

I wasn't as big of a fan of Wait for You as so many other readers, but I was intrigued by the secondary characters, Tess and Jase, who are the main characters in Be With Me. Having read Be With Me, I can say that this might be my favorite NA contemporary romance from Jennifer L Armentrout. What made Be With Me such a success for me was the lovely characters. Tess and Jase were both hard-headed, but desperately in love with each other. They were so loveable despite being heavily flawed. Jase was constantly hot and cold, especially when it came to Tess, but there was something about him that made him quite irresistible. I didn't like how he chose to ran away from his issues sometimes, but he did redeem himself over the book. Tess, on the other hand, knew what she wanted, was smart and thought ahead, qualities I respect in people. Obviously since this is a Jennifer Armentrout book, the chemistry was beyond smoldering. She really does know how to set the pages of her books on fire, which is why I find her books entertaining. Plus, the easy flow of the dialogue between the characters made this realistic. I did think that there were some revelations and some plot twists that were a little dramatic, but because the romance was absolutely delicious, I didn't mind them as much as I probably should have. In the end, this was a satisfying and entertaining read. Hopefully, the next book is Brittany's! She's way too enjoyable not to have her own book with her love interest! While Be With Me could get heavy at times, I thought it was well-written. Fans of the author are sure to love Be With Me!

Rating

Cover : 3/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Three Broken Promises  (Drew + Fable #3)
Author : Monica Murphy
Publication Date : December 31st 2013
Publisher : Bantam Books
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Commitment. That’s what I really want from Colin. Ever since my brother, Danny, died in Iraq, Colin’s done so much to help me, including giving me a job at his popular restaurant so I can leave my crappy waitressing job at the strip joint. But lying in bed with him every night to comfort him from his horrible nightmares isn’t enough anymore. I know he feels guilty about Danny’s death, about not going to Iraq, but I can’t keep living this double life.

I love him desperately, but he’s got so many demons, and if he can’t open up to me now, then he’ll never be the real partner I need him to be. I gave him a month, and now I’m out of here. If he truly loves me like he says, he knows where to find me.


Personal Thoughts

Last year, I enjoyed the Drew+Fable series so much that I finished both books in a single day. I was expecting to love Three Broken Promises, a companion, just as much. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. For the most part, I never connected with either Jen or Colin. Jen, especially, was quite the character and not in a good way. In all honesty, I felt like she was really foolish. She didn't seem like someone who actually thought before making any kind of decision, which led me to wanting to slap a few times during the story. There were things that she did that seriously went beyond stupidity. There's this one scene in the book where she decides to move into a girl's house only having talked to her on the phone. She even pays her a lot of money before she moves in with the girl. Honestly, if you're going to be living with someone you don't know, wouldn't you want to meet up with the person first to see if you get along, what kind of person he/she is? There were several scenes like that in the book that just made her appear dumb. Colin was smarter than her for sure, but he frustrated me with his hot and cold behavior. The romance, quite honestly, was all about sex according to me. I didn't see the emotional aspect that Drew and Fable seemed to have in their books. Jen and Colin also didn't do much talking. They would rather get it on like bunnies than actually talk through their issues, another aspect that annoyed me. In the end, this just wasn't the memorable read I expected it to be. Disappointing!

Rating

Cover : 3/5
Plot : 2/5
Characters : 2/5
Writing : 2/5

Thank you to Edelweiss, HarperCollins and Bantam Books for the e-ARCs of Be With Me and Three Broken Promises.