A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers ♥♥♥.75

I almost didn’t read A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers, thinking I already knew how the book would turn out. But a few authors on Twitter were saying they loved to books. That was all the motivation I needed to dive right in. And I’m glad I did.

A Little Too Far tells the story of Lexie, a college junior about to spend a year taking art history classes in Rome. On the night before she leaves she sleeps with her stepbrother, Trent, who she happens to consider her best friend.  Good thing she’s leaving the country because Lexie isn’t sure she can handle what they did, thinking her friends and family will be disgusted.

In Rome, Lexie meets soon to be priest, Alessandro. He’s a young, Italian hottie, but, obviously, he’s already in a relationship the big guy upstairs. But with all the time Lexie and Alessandro spend together giving tours at the Vatican, there’s no denying there’s something between them.

We watch as Lexie tries to determine what she should do about wanting Trent, who is technically (and legally) an option, but may be the downfall of her family. And then there’s Alessandro, who Lexie may burn in Hell for tempting.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It didn’t go at all the way I was expecting. I won’t give it away, but you should read it and find out. I will say, I think the ending is a bit rushed. I really wanted to know what Lexie’s friends would say about the person she chose. Fingers crossed that we find out in another book in the series. The book also wasn’t as dark as I expected, which was a relief. I enjoy happy endings :)

A Little Too Far on Goodreads

After Math by Denise Grover Swank ♥♥

I’m having some mixed feelings about After Math Denise Grover Swank. From the first page I was skeptical. The story started almost exactly the same way as Wait for You by J. Lynn. So, I couldn’t continue reading until I figured out why it felt so familiar. The story lines are even pretty similar (shy girls and popular player fall for each other). After I figured that out, there was something else that felt familiar. The tutor storyline threw me off in that is was fairly similar to Easy by Tammara Webber. The guy in After Math, Tucker, even has a secret like Lucas in Easy.

But After Math is the story of Scarlett, a shy, anxious math major who is forced unto tutoring womanizing, star soccer player, Tucker. They fall for each other, but Tucker’s secrets and past pull them apart. They have to decide if they will allow their pasts to keep them apart.

I was able to get past the similarities to two of my favorite books, but in the end, I didn’t really enjoy the story. Tucker would switch from being fairly nice and sleep to furious, and what seemed like boarder line violent. And Scarlett is so enthralled she looks past it, always saying she’s not worried about herself physically. Although, that obviously means the thought crosses her mind that she may need to worry. Then, in the end, Tucker seems normal and sweet again. The book should have dealt with his anger issues in some way.

I’m not sure I’ll be reading any more of this series (unfortunately, I bought the second book when I bought the first). But maybe the rest will be less familiar and won’t have boys who feel as if they fall on the wrong side of dangerous. 

Denise Grover Swank on Goodreads