So I bought Jennifer’s new book, Wait for You, which I pimped on this blog the other day (it was released yesterday in e-book format). And then I spent all night reading it. I devoured it, went to bed at 3AM and then woke up at 7AM to get ready for school. I walked around campus like a zombie and almost faceplanted three times, but it was worth it.
The book is Jennifer’s first foray into the “New Adult” genre, which is marketed towards the 18-20 something crowd. I’ve read her adult romances, Tempting the Player and Tempting the Best Man, but I didn’t really know what to expect with this one. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be watered-down erotica or YA on steroids. I’m still not really sure, honestly. The word “cock” is used a couple times in dialogue, but the sex scenes themselves are pretty tame. Still, the chemistry between Avery and Cam is intensely hot, and what isn’t said is almost as potent as what is.
And oh god, Cam. He’s got that cliché “beautiful-popular-boy-with-blue-eyes-who-sees-something-in-the-awkward-virgin-and-saves-her-from-herself”™ syndrome, but he’s so charismatic and delicious you just can’t blame him for it. This guy oozes sex, from his overt come-ons and his easy smile to the way he makes Avery eggs every Sunday morning and routinely walks around without a shirt. I typically shun this type of love interest because it’s so blatantly wish fulfillment, but when you take this book for what it is — a short, fun beach read — then that doesn’t matter. I mean, Cam is delicious, he’s sweet, he bakes on a regular basis, AND he has a pet turtle. And I’m going to shun THAT? Pfft, no.
Jennifer mentioned that Cam just might usurp Aiden (from the Covenant series) and Daemon (Lux series) as kings of the Armentrout hottie club. I haven’t read the Lux series yet, but does Cam replace Aiden in my heart? Not quite. Aiden and Alex have better chemistry, in my opinion, and are equals in terms of status. Plus Aiden has issues — has felt loss. Cam has his demons, too, but for the most part I just felt life is overly easy for him, so I couldn’t quite see him as three-dimensional.
Avery has a similar issue. I had a hard time believing that she was damn near 20 years old and had never masturbated or felt turned on. It reminded me heavily of the virginal maidens of historical romance novels. Still, she did have some spunk of her own, too, and she did have her share of awesome one-liners. But her reaction to Cam finding out her secret seemed exaggerated for drama’s sake, and I would have loved to see her pull some slippers on and get back to dancing after the couple patches things up.
…I wanted to see Raphael pop up more too, especially seeing Cam play with him or talking about why in the heck he wanted a turtle in the first place.
Bottom line: Wait for You doesn’t offer anything groundbreaking, but the pieces are assembled in a genuine, heartfelt package that went down like smooth milk chocolate. Cam is amazing, but Avery just can’t keep up. 4/5 Stars.
