NY Times Best Sellers Got Something Right!
A while back ago I did a random Google of the New York Times Best Seller list to see if something would catch my eye. Truly, I don’t have time in my life to read but I love reading so much that I just have to sometimes tear myself away from everything: friends, writing, family, school. EVERYTHING. And I have to hunker down with a book and read. And I don’t mean read a chapter here and then tomorrow read another chapter. I rarely sit down without the intentions of reading an entire book. Um…I do not know what portion control is when it comes to reading. Okay, I do know what it is, I’ve tried it…and I don’t like it. Nope. I don’t take well to reading a chapter or two tonight before bed and then another two tomorrow night before bed. I’m not that type of girl. You should know this already!
I skimmed through a few titles, looked the book info up on Goodreads.com and was beginning to lose hope that I would find anything worth reading. Now, I’m sure that those books on the list are very well written, probably quite interesting, and hey, I’ve even downloaded the new J.K. Rowling book on my phone (Thanks Audible.com) but that’s another book review and another post. Then I came to M. Leighton’s book Down To You. I read a few reviews and it seemed interesting enough. Most of the people who wrote their opinions said the same things: lots of great sex scenes, a great twist, hot guys, and a decent story. I considered it for a moment and then when I learned that it would only cost me $3.99 to download I shrugged and said, “Eh, what the hell.”
A few things to get out to the readers:
- This book contains some very detailed sexual scenes (not raunchy-but hot, steamy, make you wanna call your man and tell him to get home quick scenes.
- The ebook format is just over 200 pages…and it took me less than 4 hours to read. (My reading speed is just a little quicker than average)
Now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty!
The characters: Olivia doesn’t think there is anything special about her. She’s just your average chick. She has her loyal best friend…one who I could so totally relate to having because her best friend reminded me of my best friend SO TOTALLY that I almost had to call my girl up and say “Hey, I read about you in this book last night!” Olivia is going to college, she works hard, she loves her dad, and she got screwed over in her previous relationships. I felt she was a well-rounded character, believable, and I was instantly able to connect with her on these premises.
Cash and Nash are twin brothers. Of course they are HOT twin brothers…this is fiction we are reading and um…did you see the cover art for the book? Hello! Now, the names didn’t really do it for me. Honestly but after reading the book I shrugged and thought, “yeah, okay…I could see it happening.” I didn’t let it bother me any longer. Nash is the well-to-do hard-working successful “every dad’s dream for his daughter’ kind of man. Cash is the exact opposite. Dark, dangerous, sultry, and well, you know…the bad boy. Every girl’s dream; every parent’s nightmare.
You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to know what is going to happen for the basic plot in the book. I mean…even though Twilight didn’t create the LOVE TRIANGLE it seems as though every book created since then has the element of the threesome involved. And this one is yet another that includes the one girl and two guys scene going on.
Now Leighton does some very good things very well and then she does some things…that are just plum irritating. She does write a story that includes a pretty decent plot for the most part. For one I really enjoyed the switch-ups of POV’s. One chapter would be Olivia’s perspective, the next Cash, the next Nash. It wasn’t at all confusing because Leighton was ever so kind to put right there at the top whose POV we were reading from. It worked well for me. Maybe not for everybody, but I enjoyed it. The opening was brilliant. I mean, it wasn’t anything like uniquely written and never before seen but it had my full attention from the get-go. And then Olivia’s dialogue, her responses were just at times hilariously ‘human’. The things that happened to her made even me turn red and I shared in her embarrassment as well as her more….hot and bothered moments.
Girl meets boy. Boy is ultra yummy. Girl meets other boy. Double-take! Whoa…Twins! Double-Yummy! But what happens when you fall for both of them? Yep…that’s what Olivia does. Nash is taken but gives her a heads up about a sweet gig…making more money and tons closer to home than the job she’s currently got. Only problem is…the new gig means she is looking directly into the sexy eyes of Cash…as in…he is her employer. That’s okay though. She can manage. And she does. Or so she thinks. But things get a little heavier than she can take…and she is about to lose her heart. She doesn’t want it to be to the wrong brother but she can’t have the good boy, and the bad boy promises nothing but…well, of course hot, steamy, sex!
The plot line, honestly, part of me had me squinting my eyes and twisting my mouth up in that doubtful manner we sometimes take on and I had to think about whether I liked the plot or not. The story was a great story. I really loved a lot of the scenes. Leighton has the craft at making the scene come alive. I guess it is that twist…of course I won’t reveal. (Spoilers…..none here!) But the twist…I had guessed it only because of the one truly most irritating thing about the entire book. The one thing that Leighton did that just truly turned me off every dang time I saw it…and I can’t even say what it was because it would likely cause a headway to a spoiler and I can’t let that happen either…so I’m up a creak without a paddle on that one there. But it just irritated the crap out of me!
The only other think I didn’t really care much for in the book was, not the ending, but the leading up to the ending. I thought it could have been done better. It was okay. It was just another ‘eh’ kind of thing. The pre-ending was satisfactory. The ending was one of those favorite bag of chips in the mini bag moments: you get just enough to get a good taste for it only to learn that the bag is empty…and you’re like…”crap! Now I have to get my shoes on and run up to the store and get a REAL size bag of chips!” Yeah…Leighton left us hanging….with a nice teaser. The good thing is…she says book 2 will be coming out early 2013 and says to look or a book 3 also! LOVING THAT!!!!
I took the time to visit her blog after reading her book to see if maybe I had read anything else of hers. I haven’t. Her other books didn’t quite appeal to me as Down To You did, but she is definitely a name to keep on the list for up and coming books. Feel free to check this and other books by M. Leighton out and visit her blog.
My Verdict: 9/10
Drowning In Words ∫∫ Michala Tyann 