Laura’s Review of Restoring Jordan by Elizabeth Finn

If you liked Trust in Advertising by Victoria Micheals, Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren, and Tangled by Emma Chase then you like this book as well!!!

Basic Summary:  Adeline Parker goes out with her friends to celebrate her landing a coveted internship at Foster Architectural Designs.  While out celebrating she is cornered by a dark and sexy man who takes her backs to his place, and tricking him into taking her virginity.  She leaves soon after before the mysterious man can wake up without even getting his name, only to find out he is one of the Principals at her new job. 

What I Love About This Book:  I love that the book begins with “Do you want to f*ck me?”  Great way to hook you right into the story, and automatically sets the tone of what this love story is all about! Great great great way to begin a book.  Jordan Ellinwood is one hot character and 
I couldn't get enough of him!!!! 

            The details in this book are awesome, and it makes me really want to go to Chicago and see all these beautiful parts of the city and be a part of city life.  You really get a sense of the steps that go into restoring old beautiful buildings back to their former glory and the feeling of accomplishment that goes with such work.  I liked that this book wasn't just a love story, that the company Adeline interns for and Chicago itself are characters in the book as well.

            Elizabeth Finn really made you fall in love with these characters and it was very easy for me to wrapped up in their lives past, present, and future.  Adeline’s very simple upbringing that wasn't filled with tons of money but lots of love, and Jordan’s lonely childhood that was filled with tons of money but no love, makes you really get into these characters.  You feel so bad for Jordan picturing him as a child alone on Christmas, and can so clearly imagine Adeline’s parents always being there for her and wanting her to be happy.  

Cons:  Immediately starting this book I felt like the writing was a little too antiquated for the temperature of this book.  The first scene in the book is hot and raunchy and the entire time I feel like Jane Austen is writing it.  It was just too wordy and old-fashioned to be hot and steamy at the same time.  Also a lot of the sentences I felt weren't written correctly, if you’re going to be an author you of all people should know sentences don’t begin with But, maybe once in a blue moon, but almost every paragraph had a sentence beginning with But, plus it was always used wrong!!!! It got a little annoying after a while and took away from me really getting into this book.

Also there is very little conversation between the characters, you know tons about what Jordan’s house looks like and Adeline’s apartment but there has been maybe two lines of conversation written out.  The same goes for the next morning when Adeline is back in her apartment and her friend Kelli comes over, there is about one line of what Kelli says then it’s back to Adeline’s inner monologue.  It’s nice to see some interaction between these characters a little more than two sentences would be nice.  Usually I have a problem when there isn't enough character development and there is too much conversation, but I’m having the opposite problem with this book.  There is no conversation and too many inner monologues and because of this details that come with conversation are missing.  I don’t really get Adeline’s best friend Kelli’s personality because she barely speaks!

Overall:  I really didn't enjoy the writing style of this author at all.  I found myself just wanting to end the book as soon as possible.  The story line was great and the details awesome, but that’s really about it.  There was nothing really pushing me to turn the pages.