Series Review: Pretty by M. Leighton

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Pretty Series

Synopsis for All the Pretty Lies (from Goodreads):
“Live, no regrets”

Her…
Sloane Locke has led a sheltered life. However, with a history like hers, she can understand why her brothers and her father want so much to protect her. She has gone along with it for twenty long years, but those days are over. For the girl who never makes promises, Sloane has made a pact with herself that things will change on her twenty-first birthday. So when the clock strikes midnight, Sloane strikes out to spread her wings and break a few rules.

Him…
In addition to inking skin, Hemi Spencer possesses many talents. Controlling himself has never been one of them. It’s never had to be. He’s lived a life of indulgence for as long as he can remember. Right up until tragedy struck. Now, he’s nothing but controlled. He’s a man on a mission, one who will let nothing and no one stand in his way.

Them…
Nothing in their lives could’ve prepared Sloane and Hemi for what they’d find in each other—distraction and obsession, love and possession. But the one thing they can’t find is a future. Neither one has been totally honest. And they’ll soon learn that the devil is in the details. In the details and in the lies.
How far will two people go to live in the now when the now is all they’ve got?

Series: Pretty Trilogy
Author: M. Leighton
# of Books: 3 (All the Pretty Lies, All the Pretty Poses, All Things Pretty)

All Things Pretty was published in two parts but can be found as a full novel.

Book Order: Connected
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Drama, Contemporary, Second Chances (book 2), Suspense (book 3)
Heat Rating: really warm
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: November 2013 – September 2014
Source & Format: Own–eBook

**This post was originally posted as a Fresh Friday review of the first book of the series. It has now been updated to include the newest publications in the series.**

My Expectations/Why I Picked it Up:

I’ve read M. Leighton’s Bad Boy Series and while I found that series to be a disappointment overall, I really liked the first book in the series. I felt that it had a lot of potential and I truly did enjoy reading it–I just felt like the series fell apart. So I decided to give this new series a try as it promised to be enjoyable and seemed right up my alley.

The Plot:

Even though I’ve only read one series by Ms. Leighton, I can definitely see that she has a formula when it comes to her New Adult reads. Cue a bad-boy with a heart of gold, an innocent heroine and the heroine’s BFF who is more “experienced” than her in every way. As I read All the Pretty Lies, I definitely saw the parallels to Down to You (Bad Boys #1) but overall, the plots are very different so I didn’t feel like I was reading a complete regurgitation of another book.

When it comes to the plot, I thought it was very predictable. I was hoping for some great twists but I found the book was pretty linear in its progression (no pun intended). Which was fine because I did find it enjoyable despite knowing what would happen next.

The Characters:

Unlike the Bad Boy Series, I liked Sloane as a character (unlike Olivia who would irritate me with her need to rebel for really no reason). It was easy to get a handle on Sloane’s character so I understood why she did what she did throughout the book. Hemi is sweet but he’s nothing new to write home about. I found them to be super cute together and that they had a connection emotionally–which I think is sometimes lacking in this genre–as well as physically.

My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:

I find it interesting that the next book is about Reese and not one of Sloane’s brothers. I think I would have preferred that path instead but I’m interested to see what is going to happen next. What I am happy about it is the conclusion of Hemi and Sloane’s story within this novel and not seeing it dragged out in another book.

–June 22/15– Book 2: All the Pretty Poses

It’s been a year since I read the first book so I didn’t remember much about Reese’s character when I picked this one up. Not that he is a complicated character by any means–he’s your typical rich boy under daddy’s thumb–so I got into the groove of things quickly.

These two characters have a mysterious past and that’s what kept me reading. Because most of this book is just about how much these two want each other, Reese verbalizing how much he wants her and both of them trying not to be the first to fall. It got a little tiring to be honest. And when the drama was introduced, it was much too rushed (and tied up much too neatly) for my personal tastes. Some things surprised me but I felt like they were out of nowhere sometimes; I wish more was done with them.

–June 28/15– Book 3: All Things Pretty Parts 1&2

I was excited to read this hero’s story after being introduced to him the in the first two novels but this one just didn’t WOW me. It is more of a suspense romance novel (which I don’t usually read) similar to Leighton’s Bad Boy Series and it just hit that over the top mark for me. I liked uncovering what the secretive past of the heroine was, and I did like the twists, I just couldn’t get into this story.

I think it was far too long for one thing. Too much exposition and not enough climax…well climax of the plot that is 😉 Leighton split up the final book because the publisher wouldn’t approve the length she really wanted for this story and I kinda see why the publisher wanted a shorter novel. So in the end, not my cup of tea but it wraps up the series nicely.

My Rating: 3/5

These books are great if you want a cute, passionate romance story to pass a couple of hours. They are high in dramatics and have your stereotypical romance characters. However, they are enjoyable reads–they just aren’t overly memorable.

Read if You Like: soap-opera like drama, erotica
Avoid if You: want more twists (at least in the first two novels), want more focus on the drama