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Review
3 stars
This book was nothing like I was expecting. Looking at that cover and reading the blurb, I was expecting a dark romance, and though we have elements of that with a broody, troubled hero, this book is actually really sweet. It’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions, and honestly, my feels are all over the place when it comes to this book and I’m still not sure what to think.
The story starts well – Emily (Emmy) is a 20-year-old recent college graduate who is desperate for a job. She needs to pay for care for her beloved grandmother, and she’s willing to take anything she can get. Quite by accident, she stumbles into a job interview and winds up getting a position as the assistant to famous rock band, Left Turn. She’s lived a sheltered life and has never actually heard of them, but she is quickly accepted by the group and moves into their tour bus as they take off on a country-wide tour.
“Take this opportunity, Emmy. Take it and hold onto it with both hands, you hear me? It could be life changing.”
Left Turn is made up of four gorgeous rockers. The boys are all very different, but she is welcomed as part of the family and becomes like a little sister to them. They are sweet to her, they joke around with her, they are physically affectionate and they are keen to help her experience life. But there is tension with lead guitarist, Connor Clash, whose crudeness and standoffish nature put Emmy on edge.
And then Connor starts paying her attention, visiting her room at night, talking, teasing, and pushing the boundaries of their friendship, and Emmy soon finds herself falling hard for the bad boy of rock as he introduces her to life, love, music, sex and living in the moment, opening her up to all kinds of things she’s never experienced.
To the world, Connor was a star. But to me, he was slowly becoming my entire universe.
But Connor has a reputation for a reason. He’s a player and he doesn’t do relationships, and that leads to Emmy’s world unravelling. But it’s just the beginning of their story.
I won’t say anything other than that. Like I said, it’s a rollercoaster, and though I love a second chance romance, there was so much going on, and there were multiple things that I struggled with in this book that meant I couldn’t just relax into it and enjoy the story. I have so many thoughts… (there are some details here, so read at your own risk)…
Emmy
Her innocence and naivety is way over the top. I’m fine with her being shy and fearful, and naïve about all things sex, but this girl has graduated high and then college, and we’re supposed to believe that she’s NEVER heard rock music before? How is that even possible? I get that she’s sheltered, but she comes off as if she’s never lived outside of her home before. It’s too much.
And everybody that she meets just falls into instant love with her. Not romantic love, but she’s apparently super likable, and the way everybody protects and instantly fawns all over her borders on cheesy at times.
The love story
I didn’t feel Emmy and Connor falling in love. Sure, they share a connection, but she had a special connection with all of the boys. Then she and Connor start fooling around and suddenly she’s in love with him? I didn’t understand why and so I wasn’t fully on board with the depth of emotion that they apparently had for each other.
The heartbreak and the second chance
I knew the heartbreak was coming, I was expecting it, and when it came… wow. Connor’s dick move is almost unforgiveable. I don’t think I could have forgiven him, and I was so, so disappointed with him. But him being an unimaginable asshole provides an excellent opportunity for him to begin the fight to redeem himself, and of course we then get a second-chance-romance, and I love those!
Connor is a complex character, and he goes through a lot in this book. Does it excuse his earlier behaviour? No. But his grovelling is pretty impressive, his declarations are (eventually) heartfelt, and I enjoyed the swoon when he finally figures his feelings out and decides to fight for his girl.
Jesus. She was air and I was dying to breathe.
Emmy’s change
A big part of this story is Emmy learning to be brave and live her life for the first time, and growing and changing with those experiences. I think it’s why she was such a blank canvas at the start of the book, so we can see just how much she grows, and I really enjoyed seeing her stand on her own two feet and fight for the life that she wants and deserves.
But more than just developing, Emmy undergoes a complete transformation during this book, even getting a secret public persona who presents as a controlling, emotionless bitch with a wardrobe consisting entirely of latex . Why was that even necessary? She was already showing great character growth, and I would have love for her to own that, claim her life and become strong all on her own. She didn’t need to develop this bizarre character. And in the end it just created more drama that really wasn’t needed.
And the rest
I felt like this book went on way longer than it needed to. There’s too much that goes on in the second half, for no real reason, and it just ended up dragging for me. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy with how it ended, I loved seeing Emmy and Connor work through their issues and get their happy ending, but there was too much ‘fluff’ and contrived drama that wasn’t necessary (though that epilogue was really sweet).
It looks like the boys of Left Turn have all been matched up with their future heroines, with some of the action seeming to take place during the timeframe of this book, and I’m curious about their individual stories. I’ll be keeping my eye out for news of whose book will be next.
I’ve read a few Belle Aurora books now, and they’re a bit hit and miss for me. I love her dark and intense reads (the [book:Raw|20421367] series is absolutely fantastic), but her other work tends to be a bit cheesy for me, and this one felt like it tried to be a mix of the two, so I struggled with it a bit. Still a good read though.
3 stars.