Sunday, December 21, 2014

Book Review: Where I Belong (Alabama Summer #1) by J. Daniels

SYNOPSIS:


When Mia Corelli returns to Alabama for a summer of fun with her childhood best friend, Tessa, there's only one thing keeping her on edge. One person that she’d do anything to avoid.

Benjamin Kelly. World’s biggest dickhead.

Mia hates him with a fury and has no desire to ever see him again. When she decides to start her summer off with a bang and finally give away her v-card, she unknowingly hands it over to the one guy that excelled at making her life miserable, learning a valuable lesson in the process.

Always get the name of the guy you’re going home with.

Ben can’t get the girl he spent one night with out of his head. When she leaves him the next morning, he thinks he’ll never see her again. Until he sees her lounging by the pool with his sister.

Mia is determined to hate Ben, even though she can’t forget him.

Ben is determined to prove he’s not the same guy he used to be.

What happens when the one person you wish never existed becomes the one person you can’t imagine being without?

MY REVIEW:
 


This book is a sweet and light read that tugs at heart strings. Mia was Ben Kelly’s younger sister Tessa’s bestfriend. They were mortal nemesis when they were kids and were set to hate each other forever. Mia had to leave town at some point until years later, she was convinced by her aunt that she should spend a longer summer with Tessa. On her way to Tessa’s, she met a hot and sweet stranger and decided to give him her virginity on a supposed one night stand as a sign of her quest towards a fun life. That one-night stand turned out to be "nine-inch amazing" and Mia will forever remember that night with him. But there was a problem. The stranger was named Ben Kelly.

Individually, Mia and Ben are interesting characters. Mia was an epitome of a good girl. She’s serious in life and takes care of her dying mother religiously, causing her to neglect her own happiness. Ben, on the other hand, was a hot cop who had his share of fun and wild in his life. Together, they spark two of my favourite kinds of couples in a romance novel—bad boy meets good girl and enemies turned lovers. Whether they hated and loved each other, I enjoyed the intensity of Ben and Mia’s connection. Even when they were sparring with words, I totally felt the spark between them. There was just this certain assurance and an unspoken love that was exclusive between the two of them. I praise the writer’s ability to sustain and even escalate that spark until the end of the book!

In all honesty, there was little intrigue at the start of the story because it was quite a predictable circumstance (I kinda saw it coming that the one night stand would be Ben). However, as the story progresses into a sweet, easygoing rhythm, I found myself thoroughly enjoying. The secondary characters are also fun and interesting! Miss Daniels certainly know how to keep the readers interested and anticipating the stories of the other characters. Tessa is Mia's best friend and Ben's younger sister. She's an honest and happy-go-lucky girl whose in a complicated love-hate relationship with hot cop/ Ben's best friend Luke whose a total douche until Tessa rattled more than his body. Reed, a character I am definitely excited in meeting, is a playboy but is a really great and caring friends. And just when I thought I couldn’t get more hooked, Little Sir Nolan appeared on the scene. I have a softness towards kids in stories and I definitely liked him!

The spark between Ben and Mia wasn't immediately felt but it progressed into a sweet dance of courtship until it reached a deeper point of love. It wasn't a mind-blowing read but it's definitely romantic and captivating. It's a fast-paced light read that will awaken tender emotions of familial love, friendship, acceptance, and a whole lot of romance.


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