Someone Else's Fairytale Series (Books 1 and 2)

   

Someone Else's Fairytale (Book 1)

By E.M. Tippetts

3.0 Stars out of 5

Blurb from Goodreads:

Jason Vanderholt, Hollywood's hottest actor, falls head over heels for every girl, Chloe Winters, who hasn't gotten around to watching most of his movies. She becomes the woman every other woman in America is dying to be, but it just isn't her fairytale.

My Review: 

Ok so let me give a little story background before I start my analysis of why this is a 3 star for me because the blurb is waaay short. Chloe is a college student, studying forensics because of her past. She was dealt a shitty deal by a psycho brother who tried to kill her. Well he's her half-bro because his dad and her mom had an affair. She was his secretary. Yaaa. Anywho, so one day she and her friends Matthew (who I cannot STAND) and Lori just happen to be extras for the new Jason Vanderholt movie. Jason spots Chloe and invites her to his trailer. Nothing scandalous, he recognizes her and they chat and exchange numbers and so on and so forth. They begin a friendship over phone and Skype. Things progress naturally until some vandalism starts and thus begins the saga of dating a movie star. 

The Goods: the whole evil brother thing was interesting. It added some mystique and we got to see a lot of the secondary characters who, in my opinion, make this book. The writing is actually pretty good, it was really well edited and the progression of the book was paced well and natural. 

The Bads: I freaking could not STAND Matthew the Missing Jonas Brother. OMG! He is a sanctimonious ASS that hides behind his purity ring. GRRRR!!!!! I also could not stand that for like the five seconds they spend together-together, Chloe is heartbroken that they didn't work out. I get that he's your "best friend," but come on. And then the whole jealousy thing between Matthew and Jason. Give me a break. I cannot stand that she kept him around after everything he did in this book. I would have kicked him to the curb with a wave and a buh-bye. Her mother is another head case who annoys me. I actually like how Chloe responds to her cause the woman is histrionic as all hell. The relationship between Chloe and Jason was kind of glossed over. There was mention of all these convos between them, but we never really saw much of it so when they get together in the end (sorry if this is a spoiler to anyone who didn't see this coming from a mile away) I was a little surprised. I really would have liked to see more actual interaction, instead of allusions to it. Also, and this might just be me, I felt the dialogue was a little flat. I just didn't connect with Chloe. I really loved Jason's family. 

Even after all that, I was interested enough in their story (mostly because of the crime aspect of Chloe's life rather than the actual relationship between Jason and Chloster) to continue to the second novel. Plus, I see the potential here for a good book and I didn't want to call it quits before giving this series another shot. 

Nobody's Damsel (Book 2)

By E.M. Tippetts

3.25 Stars out of 5

Blurb from Goodreads:

Chloe has finished her masters degree and taken a job as a forensic scientist back in her home town of Albuquerque, New Mexico, only the press will not leave her alone. They follow her to crime scenes and report on her every move, eager to show that her marriage to Hollywood A-lister, Jason Vanderholt, is on the brink of collapse. Millions of fans who dream of their own celebrity romance with him want this more than anything. This scrutiny comes at a particularly bad time as Chloe's first case is a crime against a child roughly the same age that Chloe was when she survived a homicide attempt.

Now that she sees the case from an adult's perspective, she realizes it's much harder than she ever dreamed. It's even worse for Jason, who is two steps removed from the crime. He must watch and try to support his wife as she battles with past demons and tries to keep up with a nameless suspect who evades identification and capture. Never has Jason been more frustrated with his job, its frivolities, and its lack of connection to the real world. When he storms off the set of his latest movie, the press goes wild with conjecture. Perhaps he never was anything more than a pretty face after all.

Together, Chloe and Jason must find their way past all the popping flashbulbs and through the dark maze of the criminal investigation to discover whether they can balance their professional goals with the demands of a celebrity marriage. The odds are entirely against them.

My Review: First I would like to thank E.M. Tippetts from sending me a copy of the book for review! Gracias!! This book was better. I don't have too much to say about it because I just have a general feeling of Eh. And a half-hearted shrug. Maybe an absentminded nod too.  

The goods: I really liked the whole crime aspect of the novel. At this point, Chloe is part of a CSI team and they're on the hunt for a missing girl. Very deja vu for Chloe. Then we have Jason who is dealing with a little bit of a complex. He feels inferior to Chloe because of his job. He's feeling dissatisfied with acting and is struggling with whether or not to continue with it. There is a lot of struggling going on and some of it is pretty realistic. I gotta say though, the secondary characters are my favorite part of the book. It's a good pace and the writing is well done. 

The bads: I still do not connect with Chloe. She reads really flat for me. Not sure why, maybe I am the only one, but I can't get passed it. Jason gets a bit whiny. Anytime Matthew was in/or mention in the book I skipped it because I loathe him with the heat of a thousand suns. 

Would I recommend the series? It would really depend on the persons' tastes. Am I going to continue it? Honestly, probably not. This isn't a reflection of the author's ability, but more of my changing taste in books right now. I didn't hate it and I didn't love it. The deciding factor (besides my changing taste) is that I just don't care enough about Chloe to find out anymore. Sorry guys!