"College Bound"
Written by Lilia Ford
Note: This ebook was generously provided to me by LiliaFord Romance LLC, via Net Galley, in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.
A Bit of Background
When I first requested this book, I had no idea that this is how it was going to turn out. I guess I feel compelled to warn you up front, because I'm pretty sure that this kind of novel isn't for alll audiences. I ended up quite enjoying it, but I know several people who wouldn't be as open to it, and I'm not sure if you're one of them.
This book features a significant amount of gender bending, and extremely flexible rules of control and consent, which I believe are very atypical in the real world, if not totally unacceptable. It also features an attempted rape scene. If you're not comfortable with these things, it may not be for you. But if you're open minded enough, then it's an enjoyable read. So... you've been forewarned.
The Story
From living in a suburban McMansion with her family, and looking forward to a bright future ahead, Natalie finds herself branded as the school slut, totally broke, and living in the back room of the gas station convenience store where she works. Talk about a fall from grace.
With some help from one of her professors who genuinely cares, and her academic acumen, Natalie is still accepted to her top choice university, Brown. Unfortunately, financial aid form filing falls due at a particularly low point in Natalie's existence, and after a failure to file these forms, she is in danger of losing her chance at a better life, just because she can't scrape together enough cash to make the deposit payment -- never mind paying for her actual tuition.
Gareth Boyd is an old family friend, who takes an unreal interest in Natalie's life. She suspects that he has some shady intentions in mind, but shrugs off the bad feeling because she's happy to have a friend, and the free lunches don't hurt either. He reveals to her that he's willing to pay for her school expenses -- if she can meet his expectations. And what high expectations they turn out to be.
My Thoughts
Honestly, this book isn't going to be for everyone. I think that so often I look for meaningful characters and situations in the pieces that I read, and I suppose that is reflected fairly clearly in the way that I express my thoughts in reviews. From time to time, however, I quite enjoy reading something where I can shut my overactive brain off, and just enjoy what's going on. This is one of those books for me.
I really enjoyed watching the plot unfold before me, and while I think that many of the twists and turns that the plot took on were a little too surreal to have happened in actual life, I suppose that's why this is a work of fiction, and I am willing to suspend my reality momentarily in order to enjoy a book. The story was laid out somewhat in the spirit of a big budget action movie, lots of crazy events, not a whole lot of storyline holding them all together... But jam packed with super attractive people, and lots of intense sex and fight scenes to make up for the lack of story. I liked it. Not everyone will, but I did.
Natalie was my least favorite character in the whole piece. I found her stubborn and juvenile, to the point of being incredibly irritating. I still can't quite figure out what isn't right with Jamie, but I like him a lot more than I like her. He seems to be able to put his issues on hold and be able to understand and enjoy the situation presented to him for what it is, without wanting any more or any less of it, and I have to respect that. I also really like Daniel, who doesn't play a particularly important role in the story, but has a really imposing presence that can be felt beginning from his first appearance, and lingers pretty much throughout. Part of me wishes that his character had been more developed here, or that a spinoff could be written with him as the main focus in the future. Gareth was my favorite in the beginning, but his absence for a large chunk of the middle of the book sort of made me rethink my attachment to him. I think that for a character who is supposed to be in charge, his prolonged disappearance is unwarranted, and should have been resolved sooner.
All that being said, the sex in this book was RED HOT! Like I had to read and reread several of the scenes to get my maximum enjoyment out of them. Confession: I reread these scenes even after I finished the book -- they're actually hot enough to come back to. Again and again. Particularly the last few scenes made me wonder what that experience would be like in real life, and if I'd ever get the chance to play out that fantasy that I never knew I had. This remains to be seen.
Overall Rating
3.5 stars
Recommended for open minded people who want to read something different.
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