The Conley Corner

My review:

This is a book with a lot of things to like. There characterizations are great, the people are hot, the chemistry is awesome. I loved the beginning, a super way to add in a lot of backstory without the info-dump. It was really well-done.

This was a fun, hot boo with a few issues, but a cute story. I actually learned some stuff about sororities and fraternities that I didn't know. It's not all about frats and stuff, but that's a comfort these characters draw on, and I got to see it in a new light. I liked that element of the story.

My biggest prblem with this book was the editing. There were so many usag eerrors for a book that proudly proclaimed Editor Afloat as the editor, that I caught myself hopeing they were still afloat somehwere, and I feel like Ms. Mazzola got ripped off.

Aside from the editing, another issue I had was that I didn't really fall in love with the main female character. In fact, I found myself not liking her for a large part of the book. There never was enough explanation for me as to why she hated her mom so much, she drank constantly, and she got mad about almost everything. I'm not a prude about alcohol, but there was alcohol consumption in almost every scene of this book, and it was never addressed.

On the plus side, Ms. Mazzola has a knack for creating great dramatic tension with the story. Of course, of course, OF COURSE, Randy has to die in a parachuting accident. I have a thinking about airplanes, especially people who jump out of them (although I don't consider our armed forces idiots for doing so), so when that's how this sweetheart died, my stomach flipped. Literally. Ugh. I hate airplanes when they kill fictional characters I like.

And the grief was handled really well. It was a realistic portrayal of a character trying to climb out of the abyss, and it fit in the story completely. Very well done.

This was a ciff-hanger that didn't make me mad. The CH actually went with the author's dramatic tension. It wasn't a transparent plot device to get more sales. I actually didn't see it coming and it really made me want to read more, instead of pissing me off and declaring me done with the series.

While the book had some issues, they weren't enough to turn me off completely. I'm looking forward to the next in the series, and I'm wishing Ms. Mazzola well in her writing endeavors.