Readers go back into the college world with this steamy tale of a young woman attracted to her next door neighbor and his fighting his mutual attraction to her...all against a backdrop of character growth and plans for the future. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Sweet Like Poison by J. Wolf, along with my impressions of this third installment in the Savage U series, then be sure to add it to your bookshelf!
You need a keeper, Elsa.The first time I laid eyes on the delicious mountain of a man, Lachlan “Lock” Kelly, he walked out of the room without giving me a single glance.
You’re in trouble now.It’s my junior year at Savage U and life is grand. Except for the fact that Lachlan Kelly lives right next door, he acts like he doesn’t know my name, and he barely acknowledges my existence.
I don’t get it. How can he so easily look away from me when he’s all I see?
The ice queen is melting...
A few angry frat boys and their arm candy make it their mission to ruin my semester and possibly my life. But I show those boys that messing with Elena Sanderson is a fatal mistake, and Lachlan surprisingly backs me up. And when he finally gives me his attention, I greedily soak up everything he has to offer.
You’re arsenic-laced candy
Lachlan tells me I’m bad for him, but he can’t resist the pull between us anymore.
I don’t break things.
I know he’s not staying.
When he goes, he’ll leave me tangled up in memories.
I won’t play games.
His promises have a time limit, even though I’m beginning to wish they didn’t.
Even if it hurts...
We were over before we ever began.
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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
The Savage U series has been an emotional smorgasbord for readers and this latest release just adds to the intensity. Readers get pulled in wholeheartedly to the collegiate world where you try to blend your youth with your impending adulthood, becoming who you're meant to be. For Elena, it's been a particularly rocky journey with a lot of emotional baggage that we learn about throughout this book and that had me admiring her all the more because of it. Lachlan too shows himself to be more than what readers have seen before, an imperfect man who ends up being perfect for Elena despite the antagonism between them early on. With each turn of the page an epic romance is revealed, an epic journey of personal growth for two apparent opposites who are more than what they show the world. By the final page this book has proven itself to be an unforgettable tale, one that leaves a mark on readers, heart and soul.
Elena Sanderson's a bold and sassy young woman, someone readers have seen throughout many books as she's left an indelible mark in Ms. Wolf's literary world. Reader's first glimpse of her (way back when) showed an entitled young lady, a bully, and someone who wasn't very likable. She came from a life of privilege where everything seemed perfect, but the reality was vastly different. Her tough exterior was an armor to the truth, a truth that's slowly revealed here. Elena goes from being someone readers are booing to someone readers are cheering as the curtain is pulled away and the truth of what she's feeling and dealt with is revealed in heartfelt moments with a man she never expected to find a connection with. The truth of what Elena's dealt with was heartbreaking and it had me wanting her to be hugged. To see this dichotomy of her bold talking and carrying a big stick (or in actuality, a bat) with someone clearly hurting over a lifetime of hurts, made for an epic journey of character growth and made Elena bigger than life for me.
Lachlan Kelly's a big brute of a guy, quiet yet caring and protective. He loves with his whole heart, is steady and reliable, and is more than ready to be done with college so he can return home. Knowing he'll soon be leaving has him keeping things casual when it comes to women, has him keeping the small group of friends he has and uninterested in making any more. His feelings regarding Elena at the start are based on the tough exterior she's always shown the world. He knows of her nasty behavior in high school and has no desire to associate with her beyond their similar group of friends. But fate has other plans, and when she becomes roommates with his best friend as well as his next door neighbor, they can't help but interact. And oh, what interactions readers get to see! Steamy encounters, and slow reveals of the layers that make up both of them, make for an epic story that pulled every one of my heartstrings. Lachlan is a fixer by nature, but Elena's the kind of woman who can stand up for herself which confuses him at times and has him stumbling in ways that hurt her and leave him groveling for forgiveness. He's an imperfect hero who always tries to do the right thing but sometimes puts his foot in his mouth, a realistic character who was drool-worthy and the newest addition to my book boyfriend list. He's got his own baggage, things that make him closed off, and seeing him and Elena bond over their similar issues was a special thing to see.
This was a powerful and engaging read, one that can be read on its own but is made much richer if you read the previous books. The character growth of Elena is one of the best parts of this book and is something you want to see from the beginning. Issues of mental health are dealt with here too, handled in a realistic and respectful way, dealt with head-on but not overtaking the storyline. Along with heavy emotional issues is a sizzling romance between Elena and Lachlan, a romance that is sweet and sexy, one that has them growing closer over interludes of sharing their pasts. Theirs is a rocky road to HEA, one that kept me guessing and hoping that they can make things work until the turn of the final page. On a whole this was a powerful read, one with unforgettable characters with emotions that were slowly laid bare to pull readers in to this amazing world Ms. Wolf has crafted. It's a book, and a series, that I wholeheartedly recommend and am ready to reread myself!
My rating for this is an A.
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
Julia Wolf writes sexy rockers and badass women. She’s a huge believer in happily ever afters, no matter how complicated the road to get there is.
Julia lives in Maryland with her husband and three crazy, beautiful children. When she’s not writing romance, she’s reading it. Some of her favorite things are, in no particular order: goats, books, coffee, and Target.
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