Laura’s Review of The Lover’s Game (No Exceptions, #2) by J.C. Reed

Synopsis

When love is a game...

After having her heart broken, Brooke tries to rebuild her life and closes herself off from the one man she loved deeply.
When she meets Grayson, a photographer, she has no idea that her new boss will offer her more than she bargained for. The pay is great, her new friends more than welcoming and everything seems to be running well…until everyone insists she find herself a new suitor during a night out.

Jett knows how to play games. He is used to getting attention from everyone except the beautiful dark haired woman who doesn’t like to be fooled with and doesn’t trust him as far as she can spit. He wants Brooke but, more than that, he wants to own her, and the only way to get her is to make her owe him…against her will.

And what Jett owns, Jett keeps forever. 

What I Loved

          Okay after the major cliff hanger at the end of The Lover’s Secret I couldn’t wait to dive right into this one.  We meet up with Brooke right after the first book ends, with her heart decimated and having no real plan of attack on how to deal with it all.  I can definitely say on some level I really feel for Brooke.  I can’t imagine being in a serious relationship with someone, having a baby with them and really just scratching the surface of their life.  Jett is hot and sexy and all that, but he definitely holds back still and it’s more evident in this series I think than perhaps the Surrender Your Love series.  I think the frustration with that comes off so eloquently that I feel just as frustrated as Brooke does at moments.  I love when I’m so engrossed in a story that I’m just as mad as the main character or just as happy and I can definitely say while reading this one I felt just as shattered as Brooke did. 

Not So Much

          Alright, I’m just going to say this and I kind of am mad at myself for feeling this way but I just can’t help the way I feel.  As this series has gone on, I think I actually like Brooke less and less.  I’m totally over her constant distrust of Jett, a part of me understands it because he has lead such a crazy life and has so many secrets but enough is enough.  You’re living with him, you’re having a baby with him and you can’t even just sit back and wait for his explanation without jumping to some pretty irrational and downright insulting conclusions.  I get the denial and wanting to run from you problems, but it’s a reoccurring theme that’s becoming tired in the Jett and Brooke story.  It’s just too warn out for me and I would have appreciated something more fresh.  Also on a side note, I don’t want to give anything away but at a certain point Brooke acts very irresponsibly for a pregnant woman and I was really pissed that it was kind of casually addressed.  It’s not so much that she made the mistake as much as that it’s not a huge issue for her, when it should be a physical concern for her health and the baby’s.

To Sum It All Up!

     Once again we thrown back into the dark and dramatic world that is Jett and Brooke as I think this book in particular just shows that it’s going to get darker before any kind of light at the end of the tunnel. Brooke has made some decisions that is steering her in a different direction, one that I definitely wouldn’t have predicted but I understand.  I will say once again Sylvie as a character just annoys me, her emotional intelligence is that of a middle school student rather than an adult.  The character itself kind of takes me out of the story, but her annoyance wasn’t enough to distract from that crazy that is this book.  Jett is as amazing as ever, and I love that we get to see some more from his point of view, so we get a fuller look at the entire plot.  I am very anxious to see how this will end for Jett and Brooke and if and how they are going to make it work!