Review
by Andrea Grigg
I’ve
acquired another author to add to my (ever-growing) list of favourites. Not
only did I fall in love with the characters in I’ll Be Yours, I also fell in
love with the author’s voice.
Funny
yet heartfelt, emotional yet real, Jenny B Jones writes stories which pull me
into Book World and keep me there until I’m dragged back into Real World, only because
I must. Like to feed my husband or speak to my children.
Here’s
my review for I’ll Be Yours, Jenny’s latest book.
At
sixteen, clever and geeky Harper O’Malley is a bit of a late bloomer in the
love department. She’s never had a crush on a boy until now, and it’s hit her
hard. Andrew Levin is new to Washington High, a musician like Harper, good-looking
and kind. But more important than any of those things, he’s safe which means he’s
perfect, even if he doesn’t understand her driving need to rescue dogs for the
local animal shelter or even like them all that much.
Eventually,
we find out why Harper insists on wearing long sleeves no matter what the
season. It’s all part of why she must crush on a ‘safe’ guy. Not much about her
early life has been safe, not until the O’Malleys came along when she was nine,
fostered and then adopted her.
But
then, much to Harper’s annoyance, along comes Ridley Estes, heartthrob and star
football player on the high school team. He’s desperate for Harper to tutor him
and they make a deal. Harper will help him with his studies and he will teach
her how to snag a guy.
Just
as things are working out with Harper and Andrew, a football scandal rocks the
O’Malley family and both Harper’s and Ridley’s lives are turned upside down. Unexpectedly,
Ridley, the not-to-be-trusted-heartbreaker, is the one who helps Harper negotiate
the minefield of pain – so not part of her plan. And as the weeks
pass and the fallout lessens, nothing in Harper’s world is the same … especially
her.
I
know this book is YA and I know I’m not, but I absolutely loved it. If you have
a teenage daughter or granddaughter or know anyone of any age who enjoys
Christian romances that aren’t the least bit religious, then I highly recommend
I’ll Be Yours. As for me, I can safely say I’ll be reading books by Jenny B
Jones until I’m ninety (presuming my glasses still work).
P.S.
- If you’d like to try one of Jenny’s books, the first one I ever read,
InBetween, is permanently free on Amazon. Click here for the link.
Andrea Grigg is the author of two contemporary
Christian romances, A Simple Mistake and Too Pretty. She loves hearing from readers and writers alike, and can be
contacted via Twitter, @andreagrigg, her Facebook author page, and via email: andreagrigg@live.com
This one has big raps on it, so much so I downloaded it. Not sure when I'll get to it but I am curious about why people are raving about it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Andrea.
Those TBR piles NEVER seem to shrink, do they? I reckon you'll love this one Ian :)
DeleteThanks for the review. I'm not a big romance reader - I enjoy romantic elements in a story but generally want it to be about something else (sorry to all the romance writers - I know that some of you aren't into secondary world fantasy fiction either :) ) but Andrea your enthusiasm is infectious, and it is YA ... I've downloaded In Between & will see how I go :)
ReplyDeletePS As soon as I saw O'Mallery, I though Dee Hendersen.
I had the same thought re the O'Malley name, Jeanette :)
DeleteI'm sure you'll enjoy InBetween. I find Jenny B Jones' writing style so refreshing.
How on earth do you have time to read and review so many awesome books Andrea? Great review.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nicki, haha. I read whenever I get a spare moment, and even when I don't. I was late to my Bible Study this morning because ... well .. I was reading and lost track of time. Eek! At least the ladies laughed when I confessed.
DeleteYes, this is on my to-read pile, and now I want to read it instead of the pedestrian and predictable novel I'm currently reading . . .
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling sorry for you ...but once it's read you can start this one :)
DeleteI'm a HUGE Jenny B. Jones fan! I've been so looking forward to this one and now that I'm through my latest set of edits really looking forward to reading it!
ReplyDelete