Jessica Lemmon is a new to me author and I stumbled upon her newest book when I got an e-mail asking if I was interested in reviewing. Today is the release day for America’s Sweetheart. Thanks to the author and publisher, I got an ARC to read and review for the blog.
Old flames burn bright. When a disgraced starlet returns home to lick her wounds, she discovers that her high school sweetheart is just as tempting as ever.
“No one writes big-hearted bad boys like Jessica Lemmon!”—New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster
Allison: When I left for California, I gave myself a new name and never looked back. Now my carefully crafted good-girl image is getting torn to shreds in the press thanks to my Oscar-winning A-hole of an ex-boyfriend. So I escape to the only safe haven I know and trust—my hometown—to take a breather while I plot my triumphant Hollywood comeback. However, when I arrive at my parents’ house, Jackson Burke answers the door instead. And suddenly the past comes rushing back. . . .
Jackson: First kiss. First time. First love. Yep, Allison Murphy and I shared a lot of firsts back in the day. When she left, she took half my heart with her. Now she’s back in town, and even though I swore I’d keep my distance, her parents hired me to remodel their house, and I’m going to finish the job. But one hot kiss later, suddenly the press is calling us the next big celebrity couple. Sure, I’ll play the part, for Allison’s sake—but I refuse to let her close enough to break my heart all over again. . . .
Review
This was a fast and fun read and I enjoyed the characters, but I do have mixed feelings about the book.
I am a big fan of second chance romances and this seemed like a fun one. Highschool sweethearts who don’t have their happily ever after get a second chance at love.
Jackson never really moved on after his relationship with Allison ended. He has slept around, but never really committed to another serious relationship. He has his own company now and is proud of where he is.
Allison loved Jackson, but couldn’t give up her dream of Hollywood. When she got a main part in a TV show, she couldn’t turn away. She never imagined ending up back home after some Hollywood drama. There are rumors flying everywhere.
Jackson is working at Allison’s parents house and never expects to run into her while working. It’s hard to block out old feelings that may have never went away. Hollywood isn’t always what it seems. To get Allison’s reputation back on track, Jackson agrees to pretend to be dating her, so people will see a different side of her.
This book has its ups and downs. I loved Jackson. He seems like an amazing bookboyfriend and so sweet. Jackson worked really hard to get where he is in his company. The first part of the book is only from his own POV and I loved seeing how he thought. That’s why the change of POV came out of nowhere. I know we needed Allison’s POV, but it seemed off at first. I also thought it was really weird that after that we didn’t read anymore from Jackson’s POV. There were a lot of moments I really needed this.
The whole pretending to date for the papparazzi was a fun idea, but I think this could’ve been a bigger part of the book. Stuff happens a few times, but it seems like at times the author forgot to mention more of it.
I loved the romance in this book and the clear connection Jackson and Allison had. There were a lot of sweet moments with the kind of humor I love seeing in this type of books. Sometimes it’s clear that true love does find its way!
After reading this book, I definitely plan on reading more by Jessica Lemmon. Who is the newest author you’ve discovered?
