Foreplay Review

Foreplay by Sophie Jordan
Series: The Ivy Chronicles #1
Published by William Morrow on November 5th 2013
Genres: New Adult
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss
Goodreads

Before she goes after the life she’s always wanted, she’s about to find the one she needs.

Pepper has been hopelessly in love with her best friend’s brother, Hunter, for like ever. He’s the key to everything she’s always craved: security, stability, family. But she needs Hunter to notice her as more than just a friend. Even though she’s kissed exactly one guy, she has just the plan to go from novice to rock star in the bedroom—take a few pointers from someone who knows what he’s doing.

Her college roommates have the perfect teacher in mind. But bartender Reece is nothing like the player Pepper expects. Yes, he’s beyond gorgeous, but he’s also dangerous, deep—with a troubled past. Soon what started as lessons in attraction are turning both their worlds around, and showing just what can happen when you go past foreplay and get to what’s real…

 

     Julie’s Review

 

I’ve been looking forward to reading Foreplay since Sophie Jordan had brunch with one of my awesome book clubs and told us this book was coming soon. I’m very happy to have gotten my hands on the eARC through Edelweiss (my first approval through them!).

Pepper is a girl who did not have a happy childhood and has always wanted something she’s always missed: a complete family. So, she has her eye on the ultimate prize: her best friend’s brother, Hunter. Hunter has the perfect family and Pepper is convinced that he can give her the home life she desires. There’s just one problem – Pepper is shy and inexperienced, and doesn’t know how to seduce Hunter.  Enter Reece, who seems like a bad boy who can teach her a thing or two. But they have more in common than Pepper wants to admit, and the more she learns about the art of seduction, the more she doubts that Hunter is what she really wants.

Reece really didn’t come across to me as a true bad boy. He always seemed helpful and respectful, but also mysterious.  I spent most of the book trying to figure him out. He clearly had some issues but he seemed to have it together and everyone around him thought very highly of him. He immediately dubs Pepper as the good girl, so she tries to prove him wrong. I understand why Reece ended up meaning so much to her, but I kind of feel like we didn’t get enough dialogue from Reece to know why Pepper was so special to him. So that’s my biggest criticism of this book – I wanted more Reece! Maybe we’ll get a POV special just from him? I wanted him to tell Pepper why she should pick him and to fight for her more. He seemed hot/cold when it came to their secrets and Pepper’s insisting that Hunter is the end goal. Reece didn’t have that many quotables, and that was a shame since he’s such a swoony book boyfriend.

It was interesting watching Pepper come out of her shell and gain confidence in herself and go out and try to get what she thought she wanted. I thought Pepper’s behavior and growth was relatable and her reactions genuine. It was obvious that she was going to end up with Reece, since we learned so little about Hunter. In fact, Pepper even tells us in her narration that she really doesn’t know as much about Hunter as she originally thought. I felt sad for Hunter because he wanted to court Pepper, but her heart just wasn’t in it. I’m glad to hear he’s getting his own story so he can have a HEA. He seemed like a nice guy.

One thing that confused me about this story is the “kink club” aspect. The college Pepper and her roommates attend is rumored to have this club, but this tidbit is mentioned in passing and really has no impact on the plot of this book. It seems like the kink club will play a bigger role in future books, though.  The second book comes out next summer so I think one of Pepper’s roommates might be bold enough to venture into this kink club.

Subscribe to Chapter Break posts.