A Klue's Reviews > Out of My League

Rating: 3.5 stars

My curiosity got the better of me, folks. I decided, for better or worse, to go on a fact finding mission to see if this book was worth putting up with Lincoln, a manho hero I usually try to avoid, and Eden, the pining after him from afar plain Jane to pretty heroine. I must say the reviews I read were spot on. Oddly enough even those which left polar opposite ratings/opinions. They all piqued my interest to the point I just had to see for myself if this book was out of my league of acceptable romantic reads.

What you get here is a “Hey, no one hates me cause I’m so beautiful” hero. He’s portrayed as an all around white knight when it comes to helping old ladies cross the street, plays with the neighborhood children like he’s their long lost uncle, but don’t be fooled. At first, he is shallow and a Dark Vader when it comes to his womanizing ways. He has every lady in the land swooning after him, all without even trying. At the crook of a finger, they wind up in his bed. He’s like the Piped Piper of Hope Valley. You just can’t say no to him, but obviously he only says “yes” to the strikingly beautiful ones, even though they are mean girls to everyone else. Except for references to a one night drunken mistake when he was off his game and got busy with a skank everyone still teases him about. But, not to worry. His mere presence still makes the world a more beautiful place. Even after that slip-up. Yeah, I'm being sarcastic here, folks.

The book cover fits this story. The goofy grin like she’s getting away with something (sneaking in a hug or coping a quick feel she hopes her shirtless crush doesn’t notice) certainly reminded me of Eden. It seems fitting Linc lost his shirt in this photo since it saves him time getting naked with the revolving door of women Eden’s seen him with since moving to town.

Eden’s hard luck life is what kept me reading. I wanted her to find happiness. I just found it sad she pathetically panted after a guy who only started being attracted to her after she had a makeover. Equally surprising is all the sudden she’s the only woman he wants to be with. Well, that is after pursuing her for another completely different reason that infuriated me. Honestly, I almost stopped reading this book more than once because of how it all began.

Eden is such a nice person all the normal people in town love her on sight, well before her transformation. Including another gorgeous guy Linc chases off because he’s jealous. It’s pretty sad when I found myself wondering “what if” Linc was left out of the picture from then on. I could easily see Eden ending up with this other guy, and I barely knew him.

As much as I liked Eden’s strength and perseverance to not let her family’s past determine her future, she was an embarrassment to the sisterhood for quite awhile. Thankfully, she did grow a backbone and had a verbal smackdown with Linc that put him in his place.

Yes, I saw some of the similarities of Kristen Ashley type storylines/writing, but, IMHO, imitation is often a form of flattery. I can’t begin to name how many romance books I’ve read with similar themes/styles that reminded me of other books. So I’m shrugging that off. This world is plenty big enough for tons of old school KA type reads. In fact, I can’t get enough of them. The explosive, dramatic ending definitely was an improvement over the issues I struggled with at first.

Overall, I surprisingly am glad I pushed through the parts I seriously objected to. Sure, I’d like to have seen it scripted differently in certain aspects, but this is not my rodeo, folks. I’m up to giving the rest of this series a chance. I’m even really looking forward to it. I certainly understand why some have decided this type of setup is just not their cup of tea. Thanks to all of you who post reviews. I always appreciate reading differing opinions. Here’s to hoping I have helped you in some way, as well.

(These comments are based on a Kindle Unlimited version. This is not an ARC review.)