REVIEW: Once and Again by Elisabeth Barrett

Once and Again by Elisabeth Barrett: This book fell flat for me. I didn’t feel the chemistry between Jake and Carolyn. It just felt like the two were thrown together and went through the motions. I was hoping for more of a spark, but instead there was only a flicker of a flame.

My second issue was with Carolyn herself. When her lawyer gives her surprising news, she suddenly turns around and decides she doesn’t know what she wants to do. Then she turns around again and out of the blue makes a decision without thinking too hard about it. The sudden back and forth was enough to cause whiplash. It really felt like that part was just thrown in to cause unnecessary tension. Between the issues with Jake’s family and the issues with Carolyn’s family, this tension wasn’t needed.

Another issue I have is the side story. This was supposed to be about Carolyn and Jake, but then there was a secondary story about Jane, a single mother and new friend to Carolyn, and what she was going through with her ex-husband. The secondary story just died out; there was no resolution to it. Maybe it will be in the next book in the series, but it shouldn’t have been started in this one only to go nowhere. I understand the need to introduce characters that might have their own book in the series, but to start a completely different storyline and dedicate several chapters to it made it seem like it was just filler. It also disrupted the flow of the story and took away from Carolyn and Jake’s storyline.

My final issue isn’t with the story itself, but the cover of the book. On the second page of the story, Jake is described as having “two full sleeves of tattoos, a wall of color from the edge of his tight, black T-shirt all the way down to his wrists.” If you look at the cover, the model has no tattoos. I just feel if you’re going to have models on the cover, then they should at least somewhat resemble what you’re trying to represent. I don’t take away stars for this, but it is a pet peeve of mine.

I’m sure there are people out there who will love this story but, unfortunately, I was not one of them.

Book Info:

 July 14, 2015 | Loveswept | A Return to Briarwood #1
Growing up in Eastbridge, Connecticut, Carolyn Rivington was a young debutante who did whatever her parents asked. So when her father demanded that she break things off with the boy from the wrong side of the tracks or else, she did. Now Carolyn’s family is deep in debt. She’s no longer a member of the Briarwood Golf and Yacht Club, she’s an employee. And the tanned, tattooed, dangerously handsome stranger who saunters into her lobby isn’t just her new boss . . . he’s also her first love.

The last time he saw Carolyn, Jake Gaffney was in the back of a police cruiser, handcuffed and humiliated. But seeing her again stirs other memories: a blanket on the beach, the moon above their heads, and the most expensive bottle of wine he could afford. Now the tables have turned. As a real-estate magnate and Briarwood’s new owner, Jake doesn’t have to answer to anyone. But now that he’s back home, he’s finding it hard to live down his old reputation.

Before they can move forward, Jake and Carolyn must face their pasts. But it’ll take more than sizzling chemistry for them to heal old wounds and return to the love they once shared.