Thursday, November 20, 2014

Review: "Deep Blue" by Jules Barnard

In the Blue Series, a summer in Lake Tahoe is anything but carefree when recent college grads discover that finding real love means looking beneath the surface. When Cali Morgan kicks off her perfect post-college summer in Lake Tahoe, she has everything she ever wanted: acceptance into a top law program, a gorgeous boyfriend, and an incredible summer planned with her best friend. Confident about her place in the world, Cali makes it her mission to be her friend’s wingwoman and help her meet guys. What Cali doesn’t count on is running into Jaeger Lang, one of her older brother’s high school friends, or the sparks that fly when she’s around him. Jaeger has changed, and it’s not just the added height and muscle. There’s something about him that’s deep and a little scarred. In spite of the changes, Jaeger becomes a top pick for her friend—if Cali can keep her hands off him. But when Cali’s boyfriend dumps her and her carefully laid plans begin to unravel, she finds herself questioning what it is she truly desires. In the midst of doubts about her future, one thing is very clear: she wants Jaeger for her own. The question is, has her friend already fallen for him? Deep Blue is book #1 in the Blue Series. This New Adult book is intended for readers over the age of 18 due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.



This book was a colossal waste of time.  Honestly, there was nothing here for me to recommend to anybody.  The cover is pretty and I got it for free, so that's something, I suppose.  I'm not even sure why I finished it, except for by the time I realized I didn't really care about the plot or characters, I was about 70% done, so might as well see it through, right?

The writing is not great.  For example, the word hot is used 43 times, and most times not to describe the summer Lake Tahoe weather!  We also get a lot of inner monologue from Cali, the main character, and it's just so tedious!  It felt very repetitive.  Jaeger is okay, but I didn't really see what he saw in Cali.  Their relationship moved forward quite quickly (once they got past the whole "I-have-a-boyfriend-and-shouldn't-be-looking-at-him" thing, and then the "he-likes-my-best-friend" thing) which is fine when it's believable, but in this case it didn't make sense!  One minute Cali and Jaeger are friends, the next he's saying that he'll wait for her no matter what.  Like, where exactly did that come from?  I couldn't figure out where the attraction came from on his end. A couple of times Cali thinks in her head how she has nothing to offer Jaeger, and I was yelling back, "Yeah, you're right!  What do you have to offer, Cali?"

Anyway, enough Cali bashing.  The plot had some very strange, out of left field twists, and none of them were very well developed.  They were things that happened, and then were resolved (sort of), but none of these plot elements really added anything to the overall betterment of the book.  It was almost like the book was headed one direction for a while, and then someone said, "Hey, we need some more action or drama or something in here - what can we add?"  And then instead of adding maybe one thing and doing it really well, they decided to add a whole bunch of...STUFF, for lack of a better word, in the hopes of making a bigger impact.  Well, it didn't work for me. 

I wish I could say that at least this was a steamy read, but alas, I cannot tell a lie.  The sex was...underwhelming, to say the least, and almost nonexistent.  I definitely expected more in this regard.  

If you are thinking about picking up "Deep Blue", consider this fair warning.  There are so many better books out there worthy of your time, and you will be missing absolutely nothing by skipping this title.  

My rating: 2 stars


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