REVIEW: Sweet by Erin McCarthy

In Sweet (True Believers #2) by Erin McCarthy, Jessica Sweet simply can’t face her parents this summer while on break from college. Being a preacher’s daughter has meant that she’s had to act a particular way her whole life, hiding her true thoughts and feelings. College has been a time to be her true self while out from under the disapproving eyes of her parents. So Jess lies to her parents about her summer plans and finds herself without a place to stay for about a week until the apartment she’s subletting becomes available.

“I don’t need to be judged, Riley. I’ve had my parents judging my morality my whole life and I don’t have the patience for it.”

Jess finds herself staying with Riley Mann for the week, a guy who is equal parts gorgeous and exasperating. As she begins to learn more about him and his brothers he looks out for, Jess starts to fall for the rugged carpenter. Riley turns out to be a softie under all the wisecracking. A guy who’s just trying to do right by what’s left of his family. Jess helps him get his rundown house ready for an important walk-through, and in the process may have found The One. If only she believed in lasting love…

“Jess?”
“Yeah?”
“Would you be okay with it if I fell in love with you?”
My heart squeezed and I paused, my mouth a hairbreadth from his, and I took his words, as if I could breathe them into my mouth, my heart, my soul. “Yeah,” I whispered. “I’d be very okay with it.”

Sweet is a New Adult romance that certainly lives up to it’s title. Jessica and Riley’s relationship is, yes, sweet, but also a slow burn that left me completely satisfied by the end.

If you haven’t read book one in the True Believers series, True, no need to worry. It is easy to follow along as we get to know Jess and Riley, although there will be some spoilers as to the relationships forged in True, so beware. I thought Sweet was a very well written love story with a nice flow to the scenes and characters I wanted to know more about. It was an interesting contrast, as well, between Jessica’s family, with her father being a preacher, and Riley’s family, coming from the wrong side of town, and with him taking care of his brothers on his own. I loved that underneath their differences, Jess and Riley were so much more similar than they could have imagined.

Even though this was written in Jessica’s POV, I felt like we did get a true sense of who Riley was too. Thanks goodness, because I loved me some Riley! And he turned out to be a caring, protective, stand-up guy underneath the sarcasm and snark. (Not that there’s anything wrong with sarcasm and snark.) Riley may not have said a whole lot, but he was astute in his observations, a master at flirty banter, and had some very meaningful moments with Jess that made me sigh happily. I also thought that Jessica’s views on relationships and hooking up were pretty realistic. I liked how she was so in tune with what she wanted, and that she wouldn’t let anyone tell her what to do when it came to her body. Jess knew her self-worth and would not be deterred, which I found inspiring.

I think fans of New Adult romances with a huge depth of emotion will enjoy Sweet. With memorable characters and a relationship that had a huge build up through to the end, I hope you find this every bit as engaging as I did.

Book Info:

Published June 3rd 2014 by Berkley Trade (first published October 15th 2013)

Erin McCarthy stunned audiences with her passionate New Adult romance, True. Now she returns with a seductive and touching tale of finding love in all the wrong places…

Jessica Sweet thought going away to college would finally free her from her parents’ constant judgments, but if anything, it’s made her realize she can’t go home and be a hypocrite anymore. Tired of dodging their questions, she stays at school over the summer and lands in an unexpected crash pad: Riley Mann’s house.

Sarcastic and cocky, Riley is also sexy personified with tattoos and biceps earned from working in construction all day. He seems like the completely wrong guy for Jessica, but Riley hides a sensitive side and a family burden behind his self-assured grin. As Jessica helps him get his house in order for a custody hearing, they begin to fall for each other, and she is forced to question what she’s hiding herself.

But when it comes down to showing Riley how she truly feels, Jessica’s fear of rejection may just ruin the best thing—the best guy—to ever happen to her…