Title: Good Girl
Series: Love Unexpectedly #2
Author: Lauren Layne
Publisher: Loveswept
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 17, 2016
Blurb
Lauren Layne brings all the unpredictable heat of her USA Today bestseller Blurred Lines to an all-new cast of characters! Country music’s favorite good girl is hiding away from the world—only to find herself bunking with a guy who makes her want to be a little bad.
Jenny Dawson moved to Nashville to write music, not get famous. But when her latest record goes double platinum, Jenny’s suddenly one of the town’s biggest stars—and the center of a tabloid scandal connecting her with a pop star she’s barely even met. With paparazzi tracking her every move, Jenny flees to a remote mansion in Louisiana to write her next album. The only hiccup is the unexpected presence of a brooding young caretaker named Noah, whose foul mouth and snap judgments lead to constant bickering—and serious heat.
Noah really should tell Jenny that he’s Preston Noah Maxwell Walcott, the owner of the estate where the feisty country singer has made her spoiled self at home. But the charade gives Noah a much-needed break from his own troubles, and before long, their verbal sparring is indistinguishable from foreplay. But as sizzling nights give way to quiet pillow talk, Noah begins to realize that Jenny’s almost as complicated as he is. To fit into each other’s lives, they’ll need the courage to face their problems together—before the outside world catches up to them.
Purchase Links
Review by Wendy
This felt like the theme for this latest Lauren Layne book, Good Girl. We have this young, up and coming Country Star and she has been hit by a scandal Not of her making. She has been used as a way to manipulate the publicity machine by another in the industry with no regard for the impact it will have on her. She has decided to go back to her roots, in a way... back to the place where she felt she had the strongest sense of self and her music...A place where the publicity machine would never think she would be.
As she settles the details of coming back to this estate which encouraged creativity and freedom to experiment musically, the new owner has his own issues. He has inherited the estate and is using it as a way to hide from the disaster his life has become. He is the mega wealthy, much sought after man who just wants to hide for awhile. He has broken his engagement to a society woman who has planned the wedding of the ages. He somehow was involved with her, didn't take charge and call it quits sooner than later... and now is off the grid renovating the estate himself.
We meet these two...and instead of introducing himself as the one our songwriter had been emailing...he lets one of his friends who was out visiting take the roll... for she assumed it was him by his demeanor and dress. The real owner was in jeans and fixing something when she pulled up... so she had no idea what was up.
What we have here is this tale of immediate assumptions...
He takes offense right away...She is a big time country music artist, la de da...AND buys into all the tabloid BS being told about her...
She, on the other hand, hasn't a clue why he is acting this critical way until she overhears a snide remark...Hurt but strong, she struts into the house without a look back.
This lays the foundation for this relationship of bicker/banter/interest/want/REPEAT
There are moments of humor, of insight to what the issues are for the both of them and very strong attraction. These two have all the makings of a real couple...one which could actually work for them... Are they willing to give it go...
There are many things to enjoy in this story, however, there were also things which did not sit right with me. Our gal keeps getting mixed messages from the owner of the estate. He is very interested in her despite him not wanting to be.... and there is this push/pull thing happening between them. At some point he realizes she is nothing like what has been plastered about her...and instead of rectifying some of the things he should... he continues on a path which would only be a bigger problem later.
His non actions in confronting what was the root of his own personal issues showed weakness and didn't seem like who he was at his core. Also his delaying in owning up to who he was to our gal took away my usual delight in Layne's crafting. As much as I hate to say it...I felt the guy overall was cowardly in his actions and should have Maned Up in so many situations.
Our gal had charm, talent and I liked that she knew what she wanted to do with her career no matter what the public thought of her. She was young, though, so her wanting to see a relationship when she was getting mixed messages was understandable.
Lauren Layne is an automatic click for me. She has an abundance of talent and creativity. Even when a book may not have the same feel for me as her others, I appreciate her writing and skill. Many have loved this book and my personal take should not deter you from your experience with it.
Also Available
Author Bio
Lauren Layne is the USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen contemporary romance novels. Prior to becoming an author, Lauren worked in e-commerce and web-marketing. A year after moving from Seattle to NYC to pursue a writing career, she had a fabulous agent and multiple New York publishing deals. Lauren currently lives in Manhattan with her husband and plus-sized Pomeranian. When not writing, you’ll likely find her running (rarely), reading (sometimes), or at happy hour (often).
Author Links
No comments :
Post a Comment