Crashing Into Love by Melissa Foster
Publisher: Self-Published (3/17/2015)
Series: Love in Bloom, book 20; The Bradens, book 12
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Tasty Book Tours
Rating: ★★★★1/2
Fiona Steele has a great career, strong friendships, and a loving family. To an outsider, her life appears happy and fulfilling. But the one thing that’s missing is true love, and the only man Fiona wants is the one she can’t have, sinfully handsome and seductively intense Jake Braden—the man whose heart she broke, which she has regretted ever since.
As an LA stuntman, Jake Braden’s at the top of his game. He’s hired for all the best movies, hooks up with the hottest women, and lives an unencumbered lifestyle where his needs come first—and where he doesn’t have to examine his life too closely. Except when he visits his family in his close-knit hometown of Trusty, Colorado, where he spends his time avoiding Fiona—the only woman who knows who he really is.
When Fiona’s best friend is hired to act in Jake’s movie, Fiona jumps at the chance to try to win him back. There’s no denying the white-hot attraction burning between them. With every encounter, Fiona hopes Jake can’t resist falling back into the love they once shared. But her well-orchestrated rendezvous doesn’t go over well with the brooding heartthrob. Living in the fast lane is perfect for a guy who’s buried his emotions so damn deep he’s not sure he can remember how to feel—and he’s not sure he ever wants to.
about Melissa || Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.
{ review } .
One of the most common romance story tropes is long lost loves getting back together. Typically these stories start to feel really old and annoying. Generally speaking I tend to read this type of book over and over again, and it feels like the flavor of the week on more than one occasion. However I have been lucky, and have managed to read some really good ones in this style.
This is no exception.
In this story, you have two people who were high school sweethearts, and after the divorce of Fiona's parents, with her mother's urging Fiona breaks up with Jake. She goes on the school to become a geologist but she realizes that her heart will always belong to Jake.
Sixteen years later, she's doing everything she can in order to get him to notice her again.
Jake has come home for his sibling's wedding and the last thing he wants to do is run into Fiona. He's managed to not think about her, or her name, and he'd rather keep it that way.
Thanks to Fiona's talking to his family, who she has always been extremely close to, and some meddling on his mother and sister's parts, Jake ends up in the same breathing space as Fiona more than once.
After ignoring her, as well as essentially being rude to her, he manages to have a small conversation with her before going back to LA to work on his stunt man job. Little does he know, Fiona took a six week break from her job in the disguise of thinking about a promotion she was being offered, to help her best friend out on the same movie set.
Watching these two fall back into love was enriching. Jake realizes that he's never stopped loving Fiona, he's just managed to cover it up and keep it very well hidden. He realizes little things that he's done, such as not bringing women back to his bedroom but using the guest room in his place, all had to deal with his feelings with Fiona.
Fiona wishes she had not listened to her mother, but she also realizes that the time apart may has been instrumental in their current, more adult, feelings. Fiona learns that the limelight Jake lives in isn't exactly her cup of tea, but she smile through it because she wants to be with Jake more than anything -- an act of selflessness that does not go unnoticed by Jake. I do have to say though that pre-LA, Fiona was borderline stalkerish, and was almost written in an overbearing way.
Jake has grown up very much in the years since they've been with one another other last. As much as he loves Fiona, he knows that he's been extremely selfish throughout the years and he wants her to accomplish her dreams. In an act of selflessness, he urges her to take the promotion -- further bringing forth whether or not their relationship can withstand the new hurdles that keep being thrown their way.
On a not so important side note, just me being picky... The famous people names, such as Megan Flexx and Steven Heilberg, needed some more creativity, though....
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