I have one problem with this book- Jade, the heroine. I just could not connect to Jade or agree with her motivation. Jade is a Hollywood photographer who does not believe in commitments that extend longer than one night. Jade plays the role that you usually see men in when reading these books. Jade even has a crash pad where she takes men she does not plan on keeping- her words, not mine. I consider myself to be fairly enlightened and liberated but I just couldn’t get into a female character playing this role. So, I have to say if you don’t think you will have an issue with that kind of role reversal, you might enjoy this book much more than I did.
Another issue that I have with Jade is her motivation for beginning a relationship with Dean. Dean is a young up and coming Hollywood star who Jade meets during a photo shoot. Jade is immediately attracted to Dean and vice versa. Right from jump, Jade decides that Dean is not the “keeping” type though he is definitely the screwing type. Jade decides to have a quick one night stand with Dean. For Dean’s part, he’s attracted to Jade’s sexy grown woman vibe. Dean, because of his background, also doesn’t really believe in forever so he is game for Jade’s ‘no strings’ set up.
Then a weird thing happens. Jade’s ex comes back into town and catches her on the tail end of her hook up with Dean. In order to prove that she is relationship material, to her EX, Jade pretends that her hookup with Dean is actually a relationship. Jade and Dean embark on this rouse to convince Jade’s ex that she is now qualified relationship material, by faking a relationship. Jade does this because she’s convinced that her ex is the person she needs to settle down with. Unlike Dean with whom she has explosive sparks flying left and right. And that right there was just too much for me people. I just don’t think you convince a man to be in a serious relationship with you by pretending to be in a relationship with someone else. I know, I know, it’s fiction but I have my limits and this was just too much for me.
I like the writing of this book. I found it incredibly easy to read and the plot certainly moved. I liked Dean as a character and appreciated his commitment to proving to Jade she was wrong about herself. I like Jade’s confidence and her unapologetic attitude about her life choices (for the most part). What went wrong for me and effected my rating was just Jade’s relentless commitment to kind of being a jerk. Usually when you have a character like her, there is something that makes you empathize with the person and understand where they are coming from. I didn’t feel that way about Jade mostly because the thing she kept saying she didn’t want was the same exact thing she was after. I just didn’t like Jade and so it made the book hard to love. For me.
**ARC provided by Publisher**
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