The first time I met Jax Blackwood things went a little sideways. In my defense, I didn’t know he was Jax Blackwood—who expects a legendary rock star to be shopping for groceries? More importantly, a blizzard was coming and he was about to grab the last carton of mint-chocolate chip. Still, I might have walked away, but then he smugly dared me to try and take the coveted ice cream. So I kissed him. And distracted that mint-chip right out of his hands. Okay, it was a dirty move, but desperate times and all that. Besides, I never expected he’d be my new neighbor. An annoying neighbor who takes great pleasure in reminding me that I owe him ice cream but would happily accept more kisses as payment. An irresistible neighbor who keeps me up while playing guitar naked–spectacularly naked–in his living room. Clearly, avoidance is key. Except nothing about Jax is easy to ignore—not the way he makes me laugh, or that his particular brand of darkness matches mine, or how one look from him melts me faster than butter under a hot sun. Neither of us believes in love or forever. Yet we’re quickly becoming each other’s addiction. But we could be more. We could be everything. All we have to do is trust enough to fall.
This book has me very conflicted and a little confused on how I feel. I enjoyed the story, I liked the characters, and I had a fun time reading it. But then there are things that I didn't enjoy so much and there even some things that had me feeling a little rage-y. So basically my brain is just all over the place.
Let me explain. So the beginning of the book went very well and full on devoured it. Stella was this fun-loving, quirky character and Jax was a bit of brooding mess. I thought it was really fun how they came together and I liked that they were so opposite of each other and that Stella could make Jax smile so much. They just seemed to fit together better than peanut butter and jelly.
Then as I continued to read on things changed. And on one hand I could appreciate that the further we dug into Stella's character the more we got the true her and not just the smiling and loving part of her. But on the other it was like she became this can-do-no-wrong person in Jax's eyes and it had me rolling my own eyes. It was like she had no flaws other than the fact she had a horrible singing voice and it made her character turn into an unbelievable one for me.
And I'm talking about Stella so much in this review because I felt like it was almost more her story than Jax's. Which was a little disappointing because I felt like his character had so much to say and yet he was silenced. There were times when he was emotional but it was like that wasn't focused on enough to actually bring that emotion to the story and let me see it.
And then the ending is the part that made me a little furious. True to romance book fashion there was a big grand apology for something at the end. Which if it was the opposite person apologizing I wouldn't have had a problem with it. But as is, the character that actually went and apologized I felt like shouldn't have been the one doing that. Which is just how I felt about that situation.
Overall, I still recommend reading this book even though I had some issues with it. I think a lot of people will love it and that I was just looking for a different type of story for Jax which is probably why it fella little flat for me.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she’d rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of two RT Reviewer’s Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine’s Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal, best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher’s Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.
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