Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:
Series: L A Girls
Author: Julia Derek
# of Books: 4 (Trigger, Love Cursed, Undercover Lovers, Lovely Revenge)
Book Order: Connected
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Thriller
Heat Rating: really warm
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: May 2014 – November 2015
Source & Format: Own–eBook (Kindle)
Once again, this was a Kindle Freebie that I just had to read as soon as I “purchased” it. There was something about the synopsis that really grabbed my attention. To me, it promised a juicy secret past that was once again coming to light as this relationship starts to blossom–and I couldn’t wait to find out what it was. I also thought the online dating bit was super interesting; I always see the ads on TV for various online dating websites but I’ve never read about it in a book. So while I wasn’t expecting the online dating to be a huge part of the story, I thought it was a refreshing new way to see two people meet instead of at some party.
Which is highlighted a bit more in Dylan’s part of the synopsis. I actually liked that we get this awkward tension right at the start because it keeps things interesting. But this is where things get messy, because even after an awkward first date, each of them thinks they have found the love of their life.
Um, what?!
So right when I thought we were escaping the insta-love connection aspect of the story, we get tossed into it. Along the way I got hints of why they would be good for each other but I just wished their relationship was more developed or happened over a longer period of time when all is said and done.
From there the story went in a completely different direction than I ever anticipated. It gets more suspenseful because a murder occurs. That may be a bit of a spoiler but I think it is important to know so you aren’t expecting this book to be something other than what it is.
And this aspect of the plot really makes or breaks the characters: and in my opinion it breaks them. Nina is a hot mess and Dylan is just as bad. I felt like they were a little all over the place throughout the book. Part of the problem was the insta-love connection but another part of the problem was how they worked out things logistically. They just seemed a little odd to me and I had a hard time liking them.
This book will be the first of 4 and from what I can see each book features a different set of characters. Although I am curious about what will happen in the next book I won’t be reading it unless I get it for free again.
Series Rating: DNF
Trigger 2/5 | Love Cursed N/A | Lovers Undercover N/A | Lovely Revenge N/A
It’s a shame because I think this book had a lot of good things to it in theory: it just needed that final polish to make it a good read. The execution was sloppy to me and that caused me to be disappointed in my reading experience. I won’t be continuing on with this series.
- Chosen Heart by Ann Stewart (Hart Series #1)
Synopsis for Trigger (from Goodreads):
Sparks fly when struggling actress Nina Tyler meets hot lawyer Dylan Whitman. The chemistry between them is so intense Nina even rethinks her staunch position on relationships. Maybe they’re not a waste of time after all. But there’s something about Dylan that scares her—and she knows it has nothing to do with fear of getting close to a man, like her best friend thinks. It’s something far worse.
Preppy Dylan has had his heart broken and his uncle challenges him to move on by going on five online dates. Dylan ends up on a date with Nina. While her unabashed attitude unsettles him at first, he soon realizes that he really likes her. But as they get closer, she pulls back. It’s as if she’s convinced he’d physically hurt her, which he’d never do. Still, if he doesn’t figure out what’s triggering her fear, she’ll never be his. Little does he know her fear is directly tied to him.
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