Nothing Like Paris (Bend or Break #2) [Jack & Miguel] by Amy Jo Cousins

While I absolutely LOVED the previous one this one was VERY disappointing. I didn't know what I would feel about Jack who was really mean to Tom in the previous installment. The question of "is he redeemable" was asked and the answer is - there is nothing to redeem. If I would have heard/read about him without knowing his age, I won't give him more than 9 years old and that's me being generous.. The point where I stopped (32%) was after he and Mike/Miguel were on a mission to hang a poster of Batman on the school's wall. Well, I think it was a wall, frankly in a certain point I started skimming this chapter, not understanding what the F I'm reading here..


Jack might have his problems (he blames himself for his mother being an alcoholic) but there is nothing actually INTERESTING about him. He is self centered, even his ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend describes him as such and it totally shows! He has nothing to offer in this story. He is not fit to be a "hero" in a book IMO.

Mike/Miguel is sweet, I actually liked him but his story is too shallow where I stopped reading. He has a shop he manages, he has a loving family and yet there is some unresolved issue there that wasn't discussed (yet). Oh, he likes to play the guitar. He too, it no "hero". He is too flat. There is nothing of interest about him as well. 

I don't know what happened, really. The previous installment was GOLD. I loved everything about it, the characters, the relationship buildup, the idea behind the characters' difficulties, loved the side characters and was happy they would get a book as well (the next in the series). The way everything was played and resolved was so beautifully done. The whole book was so interesting I could NOT put it down. I read it in less than a day, the only thing I did between gulps of reading was sleep and only when I couldn't hold my eyes open - I started at 18:00 and finished at 10:00 in the morning.   

I'm asking again - WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED???

 (DNF 32%)

Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 249 pages, 7-8 November 2015 / On GoodReads

 

 

ABOUT THIS SERIES

 

Bend or Break is a New Adult series by Amy Jo Cousins. The series mostly focuses about students in Carlisle's College but not solely. 4 out of the 5 installments deal with gay couples, and one is M/F (the girl is bi-sexual).

I LOVED the 1st and 5th installments - both being about Tom and Reese. The 1st installment brings them together with a sort of HFN but the last one truly felt as a HEA taking place a few years later. 

The 2nd to 4th installments were okay. In each of them I had a hard time connecting to one of the MC and so I wasn't interesting enough in getting their HEA. Which also brought me to stop reading the series all together (though I'll try to keep on updating the next books to come). 

I DO HIGHLY recommend Tom and Reese's story but try the other ones as well, you might be pleasantly surprised :)  

There's another short novella connected to this series - "The Belle vs. the BDOC" a New Adult F/F Romance novella. I'm not even sure where or how exactly since it's taking place in the 90s. [ Published 23 May 2016 ], This short novella was a part of the Anthology "'90s Playlist" before it was published on it's own.

Books: 
1. Off Campus [Tom Worthington & Reese Anders] (Published 30 December 2014) ★★★★★
2.Nothing Like Paris [Jack Tarkington & Mike "Miguel" Vargas] (Published 3 March 2015) ★★ (DNF 32%)
3. The Girl Next Door [Charles “Cash” Carmichael & Stephany Tyler] (Published 16 June 2015) ★★★½
4. Level Hands [Rafael Castro & Denny Winslow] (Published 25 August 2015) ★★★  
5. Real World [Tom Worthington & Reese Anders] (Published 17 November 2015) ★★★★★

There are at least 2 more books in the series but I decided to put this series aside for now.