By Erika Kelly
I will admit with no embarrassment that I am an adult reader who loves Young Adult fiction. I love it! Mine for a Week is not YA fiction. So why can I not remember reading about a more immature hero in a looooong time?
There’s a lot to love about out hero, Ryan O’Donnell. He’s sexy, he’s disciplined, he’s a soon-to-be a professional baseball player. Sadly, he’s also emotionally stunted and entirely too concerned with what others think of him.
The novel opens with Ryan choking at bat while playing in front of professional scouts. His friend Jake “rescues” him by whisking him off to a singles resort for spring break. Within a few minutes of being there Ryan meets Sophie Valentine, a free spirited heiress to a cookie fortune. Sparks fly immediately and it is hot. I thought, “Oh, I am in! Ryan is my next book boyfriend!”
But somehow on the way, he lost me and I found myself wanting to scream at Sophie, “Forget about him, girl! Move on!”
See, Ryan is the son of an alcoholic. And he learned as a child that life would be easier if he just kept everyone happy. That translated into a college senior who was so bust making everyone else happy, he didn’t know how to make himself happy. Sophie was much more patient with this behavior than I would’ve been. It drove me crazy how often Ryan would shut down, refuse to make a decision or talk to her, she would push him away only to take him back when he apologized. It was just a little too angsty for my liking (and remember, I’m a seasoned YA reader).
That said, Sophie is 100% awesome and the couple have great chemistry. Kelly writes great love scenes; there’s just the right amount of heat. I really enjoyed that aspect.
This was my first Erika Kelly book. And, though I wasn’t Ryan’s biggest fan, I really enjoyed her writing style. I would definitely read more from her. So I’m giving the book 3.5 stars!
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