It took me a minute to realize that Love Unscripted—Tiffany Odekirk's sophomore novel—is actually a companion novel to her debut, Love On Pointe.  It's not a sequel but a story concerning the same family, just a different member.  With Emmy Jennings' HEA on the horizon, it's her twin's turn to find love.  Although Evie's constant wallowing bugs, she's a sympathetic heroine and likeable enough that I wanted a happy ending for her as well.  Ridge is a little too perfect, but it's also easy to desire good things for him.  Their story has a fun premise, unoriginal and predictable though it may be.  The tale's got religious undertones, but it's not overly preachy or sappy which makes it an appealing read for anyone who enjoys clean, upbeat contemporary romance.  What I appreciate most about Odekirk is that she presents members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a realistic way.  Her characters make mistakes, treat each other in ways that aren't always kind, have doubts, struggle with their testimonies, question their Church leaders ... in short, they reflect real LDS people.  Her story people—like IRL Mormons—are imperfect people striving to be better.  Overall, then, I enjoyed Love Unscripted and will certainly read Odekirk's next effort (which I'm hoping will concern the mysterious Drew Jennings).  

(Readalikes:  Love On Pointe by Tiffany Odekirk; also reminds me of contemporary romances by Melanie Jacobson [especially Perfect Set], Brittany Larsen, and Jenny Proctor)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for discussions of subjects (pornography, spousal abandonment, premarital sex, etc.) that may not be appropriate for readers under 12

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Love Unscripted from Covenant in exchange for an honest review to be posted during the book's blog tour.  Thank you!

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*Sept. 28^th: https://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/, http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/, http://literarytimeout.blogspot.com/

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Svetlana "Lana" Huish can't wait to spend the summer on Nantucket Island painting under the indulgent eyes of two of the most influential art patrons in the world.  Being selected to participate in their exclusive mentoring program is a great honor and an unparalleled opportunity to make a name for herself as an artist.  More than one successful career has been launched because of the program—the 22-year-old Yale grad wants hers to be one of them.  

Upon arrival in Nantucket, Lana's shocked to discover she won't be studying on the East Coast at all.  Instead, she finds herself in the tiny backwoods town of Bluegill, Idaho, where she'll spend six weeks being tutored by an elderly cowboy who specializes in Western art.  Although Lana is immediately attracted to Walt, LeVan Hitchpost's handsome grandson, she's a little worried about the artist himself.  It's clear LeVan is in the early stages of Alzheimer's.  If her mentor can barely remember his own name, how is he supposed to teach her all he knows about art?  

Despite her initial misgivings, Lana soon becomes charmed by LeVan, a mischievous old man whose mind is a lot sharper than he lets on.  She's also completely smitten with Walt.  Although the two appear to have little in common, Lana's drawn to the compassionate, hard-working farmer.  He might not return her feelings, but she can't seem to control hers.  As Lana tries to attract Walt's attention and works feverishly to help an ailing LeVan finish the masterpiece he's frantically trying to complete before Alzheimer's steals the rest of his mind, tension boils over in out-of-the-way Bluegill, Idaho.  The tranquil summer Lana had envisioned has suddenly become anything but ...

Even though its premise is more than a little far-fetched, Brush With Love by Lisa McKendrick is a fun, captivating New Adult romance.  Not only did I enjoy its rustic setting, but I liked the novel's upbeat voice and style.  Yes, the story feels more YA than NA, but its bubbly, buoyant rom-com vibe definitely appeals.  The characters are similarly likable, although LeVan's duplicitous actions seem cruel and inconsistent with his general nature.  Plot is not this novel's strength as the story line meanders here, there, and everywhere, trying to cover too much territory, and getting more improbable as it chugs along.  Chapter 23, in particular, threw me completely.  It's so abrupt and unemotional and cheesy that I read it over a few times thinking it had to be a dream sequence!  It isn't.  Honestly, I couldn't feel any chemistry between Lana and Walt, so their romance seems insta-lovey and melodramatic.  To top it all off, my copy of Brush With Love (which might possibly be an advanced reader version?) is chock-full of typos and other copy editing errors.  In the end, then, I came away from this novel disappointed.  The book has tons of potential; it just feels to me like this a draft of a novel, not the polished, complete story it should be.

Already a workaholic, Emma throws herself even more passionately into her job as the CMO of an up-and-coming gym company.  When a consultant is brought on to help with scouting new locations, Emma's shocked to find herself partnered with Lucas Hampton, her ex-boyfriend's younger brother.  Assuming Lucas to be as slimy as his sibling, she vows to keep her distance.  It's not long, however, before she realizes one brother is not like the other—in fact, Lucas just happens to possess every fine quality a leading Austen man should.  Hints of a troubled past aside, he might be the key to the Happily Ever After for which Emma's been searching.  But if he's the man of her dreams, why is he trying so hard to help Emma and his brother get back together?  As any Jane Austen groupie knows, love is never straightforward ...

As you can tell from its adorable cover and bubbly premise, Lies Jane Austen Told Me by Julie Wright is a cute contemporary romance.  Not only is the novel clean, but it's also upbeat and lighthearted (although it does touch on some heavy topics).  With its predictably happy ending, it's the kind of diversionary love story romance readers will probably dig.  So, why didn't it work all that well for me?  The characters aren't my favorite.  Both brothers seem cliché and personality-less, while Emma's just victim-y and annoying.  Although she has admirable qualities, they seem tacked-on, like the author is trying too hard to make her seem likable.  The story also gets tedious and saggy in the middle, with tell-y prose and contrived plot devices.  Overall, then, I didn't love Lies Jane Austen Told Me.  I really wanted to, but for the most part I'm pretty meh about this one.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions by Becca Wilhite)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Louisa Gibson's as eager to settle down as any other 24-year-old LDS girl.  The problem is finding a guy who wants the same thing.  Which isn't easy in a place like Huntington Beach, California, where the surfer vibe's so mellow that even the most eligible Mormon bachelors don't waste their energy on anything as stressful as dating.  Hanging out in groups of friends is the easier, low-pressure alternative.  Lou's sick of this too-casual attitude toward soul mate searching—and she's going to do something about it.  She's got a plan that will not only get her new marketing firm off the ground, but also bring back the lost art of dating, something that's going to make a whole lot of single girls very, very happy.

Lou's put everything she's got into producing The Mormon Bachelor, a reality dating web series that will do what the popular t.v. show does—Latter-day Saint style.  If her girlfriends' enthusiasm for the project is any indication, the thing will go viral in no time.  At least that's what Lou's praying will happen; otherwise, she'll be living in her Audi.  

When the star of Lou's show bails on her at the last minute, she panics.  In desperation, she turns to Nick Westman, the drop-dead gorgeous actor who also happens to be the most shallow man on the planet.  And her ex-boyfriend.  With Nick as the Mormon Bachelor, the series will be a guaranteed hit, bringing Lou's marketing firm the attention it needs for a profitable launch.  Everything's turning out perfectly—until Lou's forced to become a contestant on her own show.  She already knows Nick Westman is Mr. Wrong, so why does he suddenly feel so right?  And how can she even think such a thing when the success of her big project depends on him finding love with someone else?  With everything riding on her roller coaster feelings, Lou's got to get a grip.  And fast.  

I rarely watch t.v. and when I do indulge, you better believe it's not in "reality" romance shows a lá The Bachelor (I prefer more sophisticated programming—you know, like Hoarders).  So, when I read the plot summary for Melanie Jacobson's newest LDS romance, I hesitated.  But only for a second.  It's Jacobson, after all, and when I said I'd read anything she wrote, I meant it.  Even if it's The Bachelor in print (gag).  And guess what?  Second Chances proved worthy of my trust.  The novel's vintage Jacobson—in other words, upbeat, funny and heart-meltingly (yes, of course, that's a real word) romantic.  I'm not always wild about Jacobson's I'm-beautiful-and-I-know-it heroines (because, after all, there's a very fine line between confident and cocky), but I liked Lou enough to root for her triumph, both professionally and romantically.  Is our girl victorious?  I'm not going to tell you (although you can probably figure it out for yourself), I'm just going to guarantee that you'll enjoy the ride.  I always do when Jacobson's at the wheel.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Melanie Jacobson's other novels—The List; Twitterpated; Not My Type; and Smart Move; also of Countdown to Love by Julie N. Ford)

Grade:  B

If this were a a movie, it would be rated:  PG for mild sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Second Chances from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.   

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It's okay if you totally skipped over my review so you could get down here, to the good part.  I'll forgive you.  I'll also make this super easy on you:  If you'd like a chance to win a copy of Second Chances for your very own, leave a comment on this post telling me you want to enter.  You must also leave a valid e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win.  The contest will end on April 30th.  Good luck!

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