Goodreads Synopsis:
Nina Kennedy was alive…but not living…until she met him.
Planes, trains, heights…you name it, Nina was afraid of it and led a sheltered life ruled by irrational fears and phobias. When she moves to Brooklyn for nursing school, that life is turned upside down, as she develops an intense but unwanted attraction to her gorgeous roommate, who’s pierced, tattooed and just happens to be the smartest person she’s ever met.
Behind Jake Green’s rough exterior and devilish smile, lies a heart of gold. He makes it his mission to change Nina’s outlook on life. When he agrees to tutor her, they forge a bet and the stakes are high as Jake forces Nina to face her demons. He just wasn’t expecting to fall hard for her in the process.
What Nina doesn’t realize, is that Jake has been living his own private hell. Once he drops a bombshell, will their love survive it?
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My Review:
‘Jake Undone’ has been sitting on my shelf for quite some time, and in my quest for finding some new authors to read decided to give Jake a chance. My goodness, I couldn’t be more excited that I did! There is so much heart and slow building passion in this romance combined with of so many things that I truly enjoy in a good book. The characters were very intriguing, witty, and down to earth which made this a really fun read. At the same time, they were complex, and there are multiple plot layers within the unique storyline. There is also angst and suspense, which left me unable to put the book down until the very end. The story is just woven perfectly, and not only am I a little bit in love with Jake Green but I am definitely sold on Penelope Ward’s writing!
Nina was so insecure with her paralyzing fears and her anxieties but didn’t want to be confined by them forever. She wanted more for her life and was incredibly brave in getting out of her comfort zone and moving to New York for nursing school. Of course, her new roommate Jake was pretty amazing at helping her to come out of her shell. There was more to the tattooed and pierced hottie, and underneath his exterior was an incredibly smart man with such a genuine and kind heart. He was the perfect distraction to help Nina overcome her fears. They developed a very true friendship, and it seemed inevitable for it to blossom and grow into more. However, as Nina’s feelings for Jake grew deeper, it seemed that he was holding back for some reason. His intentions were hard to read, and then it turned out that he was hiding more than just his feelings.
I absolutely loved Jake and Nina’s characters. Their banter was fun, and their flaws and imperfections made them even more endearing. They were so easy to relate to, and their individual personalities totally won me over. Jake was so playful with Nina with his quick wit and light-hearted demeanor. His support and encouragement was so surprising, and I adored how sweet and thoughtful he was in doing things like making the origami bats and writing the little poems for her. I couldn’t help but relate to Nina and her frustration and curiosity in trying to figure out how Jake was so seemingly perfect yet such a complicated mystery. There was such a slow building of lust and passion that grew between them in the story, and I liked that their relationship evolved at a natural and realistic pace which enabled me to better see how they truly complemented each other in their strengths and insecurities.
There is dual point of view in story told from Nina’s perspective for the first half of the book and then mostly Jake’s in the second half. When I got to Jake’s point of view, well let’s just say the whole story blew me away. Ward’s foreshadowing was perfect, and although I thought something was up with Jake had no idea what it might be. As the story began to unravel, the angst gave me heart palpitations and kept me glued to the pages as I watched the hero and heroine get put through the ringer!
The next book in this series ‘Jake Understood,’ can supposedly be read as a standalone and is Jake’s version of the story with some ‘extras.’ I do not usually enjoy follow ups with the ‘other side’ of the story, since they tend to drag on about what I already know. However, I am curious to know more and enjoyed Ward’s writing, so I am going to give it a chance as well!
I really had no idea what I was missing out on in waiting so long to read this, and it’s been a while since I’ve read such a sweet and suspenseful romance that consumed me this much. Finding Penelope Ward’s writing is such a pleasant surprise, and I look forward to reading more from this talented author!
*** 5 Stars for Me! ***
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Other Books in the Jake Series:
‘Jake Understood’ (Jake Series #2)
My Review on Goodreads
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