Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Review: Misbehaving, by Abbi Glines



Synopsis
An unexpected affair leads to mind-blowing harmony in this Sea Breeze novel from New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines. 

Jason is sick of living in his rock star brother’s shadow. So when he ships off to Sea Breeze, Alabama, he’s looking for a much deserved escape and a chance to blow off some envious steam. Falling for the local bad girl was definitely not the plan. But as the new duo enjoys some naughty fun in the Alabama sun, Jason learns that even though Jax is the musician in the family, he’s not the only brother who can rock someone’s world.


Review
4.25 out of 5 stars

In Misbehaving fans of the Sea Breeze series finally get a closer look inside Jason's life, Jax's younger brother.  Up until this point we don't know too much about him other than he's been living in the shadow of his rock star brother and pursued Amanda, before she fell into Preston's arms.  He's always come across as a decent guy and I liked his character but I didn't really know much about him and let me just say his story won me over!

Jason is struggling with finding his own life path.  He's a student at Harvard, but he's also Jax Stone's brother and most of the time people, including girls, use him to get close to his brother.  In addition their over bearing mother is pushing him for a career in politics, but the truth is he that's not what he really wants, he just needs some space, some time to think about what he wants and what better place to go than Sea Breeze Alabama!

Out for a night drive he's flagged down by this girl with killer legs, holding a baseball bat and being the decent guy that he is he pulls over and helps her escape.  As he's listening to the details of Jess's crazy stunt he cannot help but be intrigued, especially since she doesn't seem to recognize him.  She could be exactly the kind of distraction he needs, but what happens when their fling becomes more than just a distraction?

Jess has got to be one of the most interesting female leads Abbi Glines has ever written before.  Most of the Sea Breeze gang considers her a "bad girl" but honestly there is so much more to her than any of them really know.  She is strong, confident and fights for what she wants, but she also has a really huge heart, she hates to hurt people, when she loves she loves with all she's got, she doesn't hesitate to help when her unfaithful ex-boyfriend comes knocking on her door, and she is willing to give up everything just to help her mom.  She's a regular girl just like everyone else, she's built up walls for protection and she has insecurities just like the rest of us.  

Her mother's a stripper but she's always wanted more for Jess's life, constantly reassuring Jess of her beauty and intelligence she encourages Jess to make more of her life and leave Sea Breeze for something better.  In all honestly Jess's mother was a pretty interesting character herself, especially the moments she offered relationship advice!

I really felt for Jason.  Living in his brother's shadow has really taken a toll on his life, he's depressed, frustrated overwhelmed and confused.  He wants to do something for himself, he just has no idea what.  After meeting Jess and spending time with her, he begins to loosen up and getting to see him enjoy life's moments was a treat!  Unfortunately he has no idea how to handle the feelings she evokes in him, and suddenly his life gets even more complicated.  I'm not going to lie...at times I found myself extremely frustrated with him.

Surprisingly, in addition to glimpses of Sadie, Jax and some of our favorite Sea Breeze characters Krit plays a much bigger part in this story than I ever saw coming.  What an unexpected treat!  It's safe to say after reading Misbehaving I'm really excited to see how things play out in his own book.

I really enjoyed watching this story play out and while Jason is no Cage York I fell for him all the same.  I loved watching him come to terms with what he wants and then actually going after it.  And yes I was smiling and swooning as he got his HEA.  I don't think there could have been a better match for him than Jess.  She really brought out the best parts of his personality and it was nice to see him be the hero, for someone to need him.  There is nothing like the feeling that comes from being on the receiving end of someone's love and this story captures that essence perfectly!

I was gifted a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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