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Title: Game of Love (Love in Bloom: The Remingtons #1)Author: Melissa Foster
Publisher: World Literary Press
Publication date: February 17th 2014
Source: Received from tour host (Thank you, Melissa, Julie and AToMR Book Blog Tours!)
Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble
Ellie Parker is a master at building walls around her heart. In the twenty-five years she’s been alive, Dex Remington has been the only person who has always believed in her and been there for her. But four years earlier she came to Dex seeking comfort, and then disappeared like a thief in the night, leaving him a broken man.
Dex Remington is one of the top PC game developers in the U.S. He’s handsome, smart, and numb. So damn numb that he’s not sure he’ll ever find a reason to feel again.
A chance encounter sparks intense desires in Ellie and Dex. Desires that make her want to run—and make him want to feel. A combination of lust and fear leads these young lovers down a dangerous path. Is it possible to cross a burned bridge or are they destined to be apart forever?
(Image and summary taken from Goodreads.)
Review:
Game of Love is actually my first Melissa Foster book and I know that she has written a ton of them. This was a pretty good introduction to her Love in Bloom series and I definitely look forward to reading more of the books in this series. As soon as I read the synopsis of this book, I immediately knew that I needed to read it. I've always been a fan of hunky but nerdy/geeky type of guys and Dex fit exactly into that category so yay for some eye-candy time. But on a more serious note, I did enjoy the book not only because of Dex and its characters but because of the plot and execution of the novel as well.
Ellie was really able to garner sympathy from me and I don't really know if that's what Melissa Foster was going for or what but it happened. I thought that she had it bad, that's why she moved to New York from Maryland but the extent of what happened to her gained further depth as the book went on and you really understand why she acts that way. I love her enthusiasm for teaching and that she genuinely cares for the well-fare of the students as opposed to the income or the statistics. I just felt that Ellie was a bit too good to be true, it's so rare for anyone to actually find a person who willingly wants to be an author... well, it is a fiction novel so it makes sense. Other than her love of teaching, Ellie has three bags full of baggage and I am honestly amazed by how Dex handled all of that. Now that's true love.
I absolutely adored Dex. It's not just because he's totally swoony but because he is such a great guy in general, no matter how much of a risk loving Ellie may be, he did it anyway. I felt bad for him because he repeatedly got his heart broken by Ellie whenever she left but he was always willing to love her again, I don't know if that's foolish or just plain sweet. I loved that he's not one of those overconfident alpha males you always read about, he's more subtle and is the type to immerse himself in a great video/computer game than act all stuffy and do rich guy stuff no matter how successful he may be. I wish there were more guys like him in the literary world. Oh, swoon.
The only thing that turned me off this book is that there was a constant two steps back every one step forward Ellie and Dex's relationship took. Theirs is a great love story but it took too long, years and years till they finally got to where they were because of Ellie's stubbornness and fear of being a burden. I think that if Ellie had just confessed and told Dex how she truly felt and opened up (no matter how hard it might have been) they would have ended up together earlier. But other than that misstep, the flow of the story was pretty good.
I already have the second book, Stroke of Love, in my eReader so I will definitely be reading that ASAP because I look forward to reading more of Melissa Foster's books.
Ellie was really able to garner sympathy from me and I don't really know if that's what Melissa Foster was going for or what but it happened. I thought that she had it bad, that's why she moved to New York from Maryland but the extent of what happened to her gained further depth as the book went on and you really understand why she acts that way. I love her enthusiasm for teaching and that she genuinely cares for the well-fare of the students as opposed to the income or the statistics. I just felt that Ellie was a bit too good to be true, it's so rare for anyone to actually find a person who willingly wants to be an author... well, it is a fiction novel so it makes sense. Other than her love of teaching, Ellie has three bags full of baggage and I am honestly amazed by how Dex handled all of that. Now that's true love.
I absolutely adored Dex. It's not just because he's totally swoony but because he is such a great guy in general, no matter how much of a risk loving Ellie may be, he did it anyway. I felt bad for him because he repeatedly got his heart broken by Ellie whenever she left but he was always willing to love her again, I don't know if that's foolish or just plain sweet. I loved that he's not one of those overconfident alpha males you always read about, he's more subtle and is the type to immerse himself in a great video/computer game than act all stuffy and do rich guy stuff no matter how successful he may be. I wish there were more guys like him in the literary world. Oh, swoon.
The only thing that turned me off this book is that there was a constant two steps back every one step forward Ellie and Dex's relationship took. Theirs is a great love story but it took too long, years and years till they finally got to where they were because of Ellie's stubbornness and fear of being a burden. I think that if Ellie had just confessed and told Dex how she truly felt and opened up (no matter how hard it might have been) they would have ended up together earlier. But other than that misstep, the flow of the story was pretty good.
I already have the second book, Stroke of Love, in my eReader so I will definitely be reading that ASAP because I look forward to reading more of Melissa Foster's books.
Rating:
.5
About the author:
Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women's fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today's book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women, and the World Literary Café. When she's not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.
Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.
You can find her here:
Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.
You can find her here:
Yay! Thank you for reading Game of Love - I'm so happy you enjoyed it.Thank you for your awesome review and for going back for more! XOXO
ReplyDelete"I already have the second book, Stroke of Love, in my eReader so I will definitely be reading that ASAP because I look forward to reading more of Melissa Foster's books." Thank you for your thoughts on GAME OF LOVE!
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