Leo

My ears are still ringing from the violins in the background that will put an orchestra to shame. No really... That's how sad Evie's life has been. When Sheridan starts laying it on, you can barely keep a straight face. Some people have a hard lot in life, and there are those people when you hear about them, you kinda say, damn man they had an unbelievably hard life. Here's just the tip of the iceberg: Her mother was a junkie that didn't care that her boyfriends got frisky with her little girl. She was ten at the time. Horrible right? That's why Evie got tossed into a foster home. The foster parents were uncaring themselves, and she suffered abuse from the other children. That alone should have been enough to paint the emotional show more background and set the scene, but Sheridan just wouldn't leave it alone.

Evie then gets placed in a different foster home, again where the foster parents treat her as a slave, and don't care, send her to school in old clothes that makes everybody else call her a cock-tease, belittle her and so forth. Then she turns eighteen, and she gets her first job, sleeps at her foster sister's couch for a while till her sister's boyfriend comes on to her, and she gets kicked out. Finally she winds up homeless, sleeping in a shelter where a hobo tries to get into her bed and steals her shoes. I honestly didn't even list it all, but I can hear that Stradivarius cry... Sheridan went overboard, and didn't counterbalance at all. When she spoke of Evie's life, it was always and only the negatives, not a single friend or a good day in her past. And yet, she grew up to be a virginal saint, that bakes cookies and makes angels cry with her pure soul.


Uhuuuuh...

Then here's all this.

“So, Jake,” I say, biting my lip. “Do you date a lot?”
“No, there have been a lot of women, Evie, but no, I didn't date many of them. Does that bother you?”
“Jake, I can't be your fuck buddy.”
“When I fuck you, you're going to be mine. Is that clear enough for you?”

But this takes the cake.

“Can I ask you how many men you've dated, Evie?”
I look forward and say flippantly, “So many men, Jake, but I doubt you'd say I actually dated many of them.”
His nostrils fare and anger fills his eyes for a brief moment, “You're fucking with me.”
“It's ok for you but not for me?”
“Yes, because you're a better person than I am”, he says simply, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

BECAUSE YOU'RE A BETTER PERSON THAN I AM

What are my eyes seeing? Is that a Phoenix rising from the ashes? Wait, no it's not a mythical bird, it's a bra. Thanks for that Sheridan. You know for saying that she is a good person for not having sex. You know, because only bad people have sex with multiple partners in their life. If there is any person that the 17th century moral police might vindicate for having sex, that would be our Evie here. She was alone, never having true love, true support or any kind of happiness, and most certainly nobody could hold it against her if she tried to find somebody to make her feel wanted, safe and secure for once. Still it's good to know she was waiting for her perfect manwhore of a Prince Charming to pop her cherry, and saying how important it is that she is in fact, NOT A SLUT. A kind, caring cookie baking slut? Oh, noooo, we can't have that!

Then there's the whole thing where she doesn't recognize Leo at all, after a few years. Why? Was he a toddler last time she saw him? Oh, wait, he was a teenager. So she is not simply a moron, she's blind as well.

And here people ask me why do I have such a massive problem with contemporary romance? I don't, but very little of it is actually contemporary. I am sick to death of false modesty in these naïve, fluttering delicate flowers that can't wipe their own ass. I am sick to death of these men that try to add profound meaning to the fact they like to fuck. I am sick to death of mean cheerleaders with blond hair that have only one goal in their lives, to suck the heroes dick. I am sick of trying to sell butterflies in the stomach for something more then it's worth. Falling in love is magical, love can hurt, it can be brilliant and painful at the same time. Why, oh why, do the authors fear of making their characters human? Either you are the good beautiful girl, that never farts, or you are the fake blond bimbo with a peanut for a brain. Please somebody! For the love of God! Give me something decent to read! show less

Ah, another rich man takes poor virgin and makes her his forever and ever amen. How many books have I read lately with that premise? A lot.

However, I will say that this book adds something in. Although she is a poor virgin, Evie is strong, and good. She is a sweet girl that has been handed a crap life and makes herself come out ahead. Despite her less than optimal circumstances growing up, Evie is taking care of herself and has built a life full of good friends and good deeds. Everyone loves Evie. The only thing missing in Evie's life is Leo. The boy she fell in love with when she was 14 years old. She promised Leo she would wait for him, he promised he would come for her. She waited, he never came. 8 years go by and she hasn't heard show more from Leo at all.

Along comes Jake. Jake is handsome, rich, kind and wants Evie. He is Leo's friend from school and he has shocking news for Evie that changes everything for her. Jake also has a secret. He and Evie are great together, but there is something that he is keeping from her. How can they be together if he can't share himself completely?

There is definitely a mystery that runs throughout the book. The flashbacks are a great way of understanding Evie and Leo and what they went through. I figured out the twist pretty early on in the story, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it, because I definitely did! For me, there definitely could have been more exploration of Jake and Evie. I adored Jake and really wanted to see him explored more.

I was really surprised that this was a debut novel. Mia Sheridan did a fantastic job with her out of the gate book and I expect to see great things from her in the future! show less

Ah, another rich man takes poor virgin and makes her his forever and ever amen. How many books have I read lately with that premise? A lot.

However, I will say that this book adds something in. Although she is a poor virgin, Evie is strong, and good. She is a sweet girl that has been handed a crap life and makes herself come out ahead. Despite her less than optimal circumstances growing up, Evie is taking care of herself and has built a life full of good friends and good deeds. Everyone loves Evie. The only thing missing in Evie's life is Leo. The boy she fell in love with when she was 14 years old. She promised Leo she would wait for him, he promised he would come for her. She waited, he never came. 8 years go by and she hasn't heard show more from Leo at all.

Along comes Jake. Jake is handsome, rich, kind and wants Evie. He is Leo's friend from school and he has shocking news for Evie that changes everything for her. Jake also has a secret. He and Evie are great together, but there is something that he is keeping from her. How can they be together if he can't share himself completely?

There is definitely a mystery that runs throughout the book. The flashbacks are a great way of understanding Evie and Leo and what they went through. I figured out the twist pretty early on in the story, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it, because I definitely did! For me, there definitely could have been more exploration of Jake and Evie. I adored Jake and really wanted to see him explored more.

I was really surprised that this was a debut novel. Mia Sheridan did a fantastic job with her out of the gate book and I expect to see great things from her in the future! show less

I really enjoyed this one, but I did have a few issues with it.

First of all, how people tended to spill their guts. Someone asks a simple question, and the person gives a long drawn out monologue of an answer. Somehow, it always bugs me in books when people go on and on, but that's probably just me.

Second, how mature Evie and Leo seemed as kids. Yes, I know the kind of life they had forces a kid to grow up fast, but it was more the tone, their speech patterns that I had issues with. I was a pretty mature kid too, but I never spoke or thought the way they did.

And last, every time there was an issue between Jake and Evie, I think she gave in and trusted way too easily. There'd be a misunderstanding, she'd feel hurt and confused, run away, show more he'd chase after, talk to her a bit, and la de da, all better. Just felt too easy there. I kept wanting Evie to ask more questions, to not be placated so easily, even though Jake was being truthful with her every time. I just felt she was too trusting.

But other than those things, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was well written, and I liked the characters. I will be looking for more by this author.

Oh! One more niggle! I hate this cover. I've seen it used before, hated it then, but I hate it more now, because, to me, it doesn't really fit with this story. Better something with a guy's face obscured somehow, right? show less

I started this debut novel because it was recommended and had some great reviews. I would not have picked it up myself because the cover (with him and her in front) wasn’t overly tempting and also the title ‘Leo’ did not say much for the book. But as they say, don't judge a book by its cover. Unfortunately, despite all the wonderful reviews, I have to say that I cannot really share this opinion about the book. I really liked the flashbacks, and in the beginning I liked the book, also the style. And I loved the little story of Leo/Lion, also beautifully told in the end. But then she really met Jake… and it goes fast, too fast… and all these sex scenes, no I just wasn’t into it. I wanted romance, not Fifty Shades. And the show more twist.. saw it coming from miles ahead.. I kept on reading though because I wanted to know what really happened to Leo and at least there, there was an explanation that surprised me. show less

Wow this was a Fabulous book! It came recommended to me then I saw it pop up a few places so I thought I needed to dive it sooner rather than later.
There are a lot of books out there that have sort of the same plot- I love them still but when you come across a book that is totally fresh you tend to fall in love with it just a little bit more. This is one of those books. Evie is a force that is amazing- all the crap that has been thrown at her and then to top it off she takes care of those around her. Evie meets Jake and her world comes alive, she feels things she has never felt before. Jake is keeping something from her but Evie just keeps brushing it aside and tries to keep a healthy distance from Jake not wanting to lose herself and show more all she has worked for in him. When it finally hits the fan I was blown away, really didn't see it coming. I just wish there was a scene with Evie throwing it back in Gwen's face (you will get this statement once you read the book :) ). Lots of hot juicy sex. Fantastic ending.

Quotes:

"Maybe I'm an open book, or maybe love is like a magnifying glass straight into the souls of those who own your heart."

"I'm almost embarrassed at his laughable stalking skills. Clearly, he wouldn't be an asset to any ninja organization anywhere, ever."

"He made what would have been a place of nightmares into a place to dream"

"Sticks and stones and fist CAN break your bones, but it's the words that break your heart."

"Your boy part is like the incredible Hulk."

"Believing in you is effortless. It always was."
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Been in a book funk, but this beautiful story turned things around. Can't wait to read more from this author.