Hope Breaks by Alice Bello
Contemporary Romance
May 29, 2013
Self Published
Reviewed by Mandi
When I read the blurb for this one and noticed the hero was a car mechanic for Walmart, I knew I had to try it. That type of hero is very appealing to me. The first 80% of this book is okay, but the last chapter or so really frustrated me and angered me so much, I can’t recommend this one.
Hope Jones is a photographer that designs romance book covers for a small publisher. She recently has been in a drought though, with a lack of models and no motivation to get a cover done for one of the bigger authors. Going to Walmart with a headache, her car breaks down in the parking lot. Luckily, skilled mechanic Jake Troy is working that day. She actually went to high school with Jake and his sister, but doesn’t remember him very well. They hit it off – Jake gives her a lift home as he works on his car, and eventually they go on a date. They start to fall for each other.
Most of this book was okay. Hope acted a bit immature for my tastes sometimes and Jake really could have had any profession. He didn’t necessarily come off as a car mechanic..more just a hunky guy who has the hots for Hope. The author labeled this as a New Adult, but I disagree. The heroine is in her later twenties and both Hope and Jake are established in their careers.
But then something ridiculous happens at the end that made me want to throw my kindle across the room. I’ll put it under a spoiler tag.
So lame cliffhanger ending. Lame way to force conflict into the story. Not a fan.
Rating: D
the hero was a car mechanic for Walmart
Okay, I’d have read just for that ^ but now after reading spoiler (what a crappy thing to do… ugh. Are you going to read book 2?
No..going to pass on bk 2
I’m not going to read spoiler, because I still want to read the story. I trust your recs always…but I love the premise too much not to give it a try.
Oh too bad. I adore working class, regular joe kinds of heroes and I wish there were more of them in romancelandia. But I HATE cliffhanger endings and I am glad I read the spoiler because this would’ve been a wallbanger for me!
That spoiler—wow, what an incredibly horrible thing to do. I love a blue collar hero, but I’ll be skipping this book because for me there’s no coming back from that. Unless the 2nd book is about how Jake gets his HEA with another woman. I might read that.
LOL..yeah I might read that too
Ugh, on every level. Also, I think that’s the third time (maybe even fourth) that I’ve seen that stock image used for a cover. I liked it at first, but now…no thanks.
Yes – that image is used a lot. I think I posted a review the same day with the same cover.