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Friday, August 22, 2014

ARC Review: Jack by Juliana Stone


Jack is the second book in Juliana Stone's the Family Simon series. Each book in this series can easily be read as a standalone, and I hadn't read the first book when I read Jack. I had no problems getting into Jack or understanding anything. I really liked the Simons in this book though, and I will definitely be going back and reading the first book as I await the next in the series. Jack was different that what I had recently read, and I really enjoyed the story a lot.

The last thing Jack Simon needs while campaigning to become a Senator is to be around his famous singer ex-girlfriend. When she shows up at his fundraiser he is shocked and angry. Although the pull between them is still there, Jack is determined to stay away from her. But when he decides to go on vacation to clear his head, he finds out that his meddling sister has set him up yet again. His ex Donovan is also staying at the same beach house in Belize courtesy of his sister Grace. Jack and Donovan end up falling into familiar patterns of arguing and before long they are giving into the passion between them. But when Donovan runs leaving only a note like the last time they were together, Jack is not willing to let her end things so easily again. When Jack shows up and surprises Donovan, he strong arms her into going to his family's home away from the prying public. Can Jack and Donovan have a second chance together? Or will secrets from their past and new obstacles in their present keep them from having a future together?

I had my moments with Jack. I understood where he was coming from with his anger towards Donovan. He had been kept in the dark and didn't have a clue what all had happened. Donovan had never opened up to him and had ran. But I also thought at times that he was a bit harsh and rude to her, especially when she was laying her heart out on the line for him. But I liked that he was finally able to admit his feelings had never gone away no matter how hard he had tried to bury them, and I loved that he was still protective of her. You could tell that he was putting up a front and trying to convince himself as much as anyone else. Donovan had been put in a bad position by several people, and honestly I can understand why she made the choices that she did. She might not have done what was best for everyone, but she did what she thought was right. She had never quit loving Jack though, and I hated that she felt like she didn't deserve him. It was good to see her decide to go after what she wanted with him and to stop settling because of what others thought and said. I thought that Jack and Donovan had really great chemistry, and their bickering was just proof of their passion and feelings.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought that there was chemistry and attraction between Jack and Donovan, but the heat level on this one was pretty minor. Even thought the sex is implied, most of the physical action is behind closed doors. While I normally like more steam than that, this book was really good and I didn't end up missing it too much. I thought that Jack and Donovan's second chance at love was interesting, and I couldn't wait for everything to be out in the open so that they could finally move forward. I really loved the secondary characters in this story, and I can't wait to read more in this series and get to know them all better. I am super curious about Jack's cousin Maverick, and I really liked his friendship with Donovan. I can't wait to see what Juliana Stone has in store for him and the rest of the Simons. I definitely recommend this series if you are a fan of Contemporary romance stories, especially if you like reading books in a series with interconnected characters. I look forward to reading more from Juliana Stone and can't wait for Maverick.

**ARC Provided by Author's Taproom**

Purchase: | Amazon |





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