En el segundo libro de la colección la protagonista es Emerson: compañera de habitación de Pepper en la universidad. Es una chica desinhibida y seductora, no tiene ninguna dificultad para acercarse a los hombres y relacionarse con ellos. Se muestra siempre muy segura de sí misma y de lo que espera de un hombre: no busca amor, solo divertirse. Sin embargo, también tiene un “lado oscuro”, ya que se esfuerza por ocultar su soledad: sus padres, divorciados y ambos con nuevas parejas, apenas le prestan atención y tapan su falta de cariño con dinero y lujos.
Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first historical romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History.
A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature - teaching English seemed the natural recourse. After several years teaching high school students to love Antigone, Sophie resigned with the birth of her first child and decided it was time to pursue the long-held dream of writing.
In less than three years, her first book, Once Upon A Wedding Night, a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee for Best First Historical, hit book shelves. Her second novel, Too Wicked To Tame, released in March 2007 with a bang, landing on the USA Today Bestseller's List.
Title: Tease Series: The Ivy Chronicles #2 Author: Sophie Jordan Release Date: May 27, 2014 Rating: 4 stars Cliffhanger:. No HEA:
I loved first book in Sophie Jordan’s New Adult series – Ivy Chronicles. Foreplay was wonderful, fluffy, sweet read that swept me off my feet with its light humor, pure sexiness and swoon worthy hero. That made me highly anticipate Tease; I wanted from it the same things, I found admirable in Pepper’s story. And… the author didn’t disappoint. Jordan didn’t beat Foreplay, though. Tease was good, sweet read, but for me it didn’t quite reach the same level of awesomeness as Foreplay. Still, I had a great time.
Tease tells Emerson’s story. She’s one of the Pepper’s friends and is a… tease. She’s beautiful, she likes to party and hook up, and she’s enjoying herself in every sense of this word.
When one night she agrees to go out with another college girl to biker’s bar, things progressed unexpectedly. Not only did she drunk her head off, she also started a brawl and threw herself onto sexy biker boy.
Shaw rescued her from getting hurt and found her a very interesting… cocktease.
Now, Shaw wants more than a hook up and Emerson is running away from the possibility of finding love. Will Shaw chase her fast enough to catch her?
“I want you,” he said starkly, the barest quiver in his hoarse voice. “Me and you. Together.” He drew in a deep breath, his broad chest lifting. “But I can’t chase you forever.”
As previously, Jordan wrote Tease in light yet juicy way. The hero and heroine were likeable, though Emerson was getting on my nerves quite few times, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I was instantly attracted to Shaw – he definitely made me drool. Despite him being rough around the edges and emitting ‘bad boy’ vibes, he was a sweetie. He quickly become my favorite character in the book.
Tease is sexy, intense and sweet read. It’s a college romance on it highest, yes there is great deal of cheesiness thrown in it, but the warm, tingling in my belly made up for it. I was having enough fun to numb this irritating (sometimes) things.
I also appreciated how light and welcoming Jordan’s writing is. The sexy parts were really steamy, the romance was heart racing and the humor was not over the top, but the teasing and jokes me laugh more than few times. So, big plus for that!
As I mentioned on the beginning of my review, Tease didn’t overbeat Foreplay. I’m still finding the first book in Ivy Chronicles series the best ever, yet I had fun and was enjoying myself plenty. I can highly recommend this novel for those who don’t mind cheesy or predictable and love sweet, heart fluttering romances.
*Review Copy provided by publisher, via Edelweiss in exchange for honest review *
In a rare display of symbolism, the cover of this novel is every bit as off-putting as it needs to be. When I first looked at the ARC of this novel, I was originally disappointed as I felt the cover image - with those models looking at the viewer and at each other so oddly - would work against an otherwise excellent novel. Unlike its predecessor, however, Tease is exactly the typical New Adult novel it is projected as. Where Foreplay managed to draw me into the college lifestyle, warm friendships, and a romance that defied stereotypes while playing within them, Tease follows an all too-familiar cookie-cutter formula which has, fortunately or unfortunately, run its course.
Tease follows one of Pepper's best friends, Emerson, as she finally meets a guy willing to get to know the real her beneath her multiple layers of barriers. Frankly speaking, I am not exhausted of this particular plot-line. I think that with maturity and time, there comes a point in every relationship where honesty is needed above "faking" it and considering the state of women's self-esteem all around the world thanks to the media, I am not surprised that this a theme authors keep returning to and readers keep embracing. After all, every character is different and their approach to their growth isn't the same either, appealing to certain types of audiences more than others.
In the case of Tease, though, this wasn't the case. Emerson is estranged from her family, bitter at the world, and uses guys to further the image of her sexual experience. Moreover, she enjoys teasing guys as it gives her a modicum of welcome power of her life. I get that. Where I had a difficult time with this story, however, is in the fact that Emerson's growth is peppered with recycled tropes playing a large role in her agency. Whether it be the alpha-male, Shaw, whose insistence at control forces Emerson to give up her own control and learn to trust and open up to him or the sexual abuse which drives forward her present-day motives, Emerson's story line dulled my senses, causing my eyes to skim over the pages instead of lean in with barely-contained excitement.
Admittedly, my dislike for alpha-males is a personal one and, as far as they go, Shaw is definitely one of the better, nicer guys whose dominance doesn't dictate his every action. Nevertheless, Shaw's personality as a love interest never came alive for me and, moreover, his connection with Emerson seemed purely physical. No, not purely physical, but if Emerson had met a different stubborn, alpha-male she would have likely fallen for him too as his controlling qualities would have forced her to open up under his probing gaze, just as she did with Shaw. Moreover, I am growing a little disgusted by the blatant use of sexual abuse in every single New Adult novel to further the plot line. I am not denying the fact that the percentage of women who experience sexual abuse is high - it is - which makes the chances of all these characters suffering from some type of sexual abuse a realistic statistic, but the manner in which this is explored is never to the full depth and capacity it needs to be. In Tease, this aspect of Emerson's past is a negligible detail, mentioned and utilized to increase the drama of the story line instead of address serious allegations of potential rape and our societal view of it. Emerson's trauma and baggage is big enough to deal with without adding sexual abuse into the mixture, so its presence only clouded an already disappointing story.
For fans of Sophie Jordan, I have a feeling Tease may prove to be a success. Seeing as I've only ever enjoyed Foreplay, I am certainly the first to admit that I went into this with grossly high expectations and have had to pay for those hopes dearly. Perhaps, for me, Foreplay was only a one trick pony. Either way, I won't be lunging for the next book in this series; lesson learned.
I had forgotten how much I love Shaw. He can still make my heart beat faster...
Sophie Jordan creates the most interesting, solid male characters I've met in a while.
I knew from the previous book that I would like Emerson's story. She was the kind of girl that seemed so easy-going and happy-get-lucky all the time with hints of despondency underneath. So I was really curious as to what skeletons she kept in her closet and I wasn't disappointed in the least.
What I wasn't expecting was Shaw, who turns from bad-boy-biker, to ex-marine, to a cast-out loner, to engineer extraordinaire, who pursues Emerson with a steady determination discarding her bullshit justifications overturning her resistance. A beautiful story, one that I would definitely re-read in the future.
Reread 06/11/2017
I have almost forgotten how delightful it was to be in Emerson's head.
I loved FOREPLAY, but I'm much more mixed on this one. The sex is well written, and there's definite chemistry in the relationship. But plot-wise, this is kind of all over the place, plus overly dramatic and predictable on too of that. And this could've easily been an adult romance, because aside from Emerson's age and talk of dorm rooms, there's not much college stuff going on at all. Plus Shaw is constantly punching people, man. It's not cool to lose control that many times.
Hopefully WILD puts this series back on course. This author writes heated bedroom scenes, though. It just would have been nice if they were matched by well developed characters and a more interesting/believable story in this particular book.
Emerson Wingate frequenta l'università di Dartford. Ha la passione per la pittura e solo attraverso essa riesce a esprimere veramente ciò che prova e far cadere la maschera di freddezza e noncuranza che ha costruito in cinque anni dal giorno in cui appena quindicenne ha smesso di fidarsi delle persone. Usa i ragazzi come fossero giocattoli e segue ben tre regole che per nessuna ragione al mondo deve violare, almeno sino all'incontro con Shaw. Shaw è un ex marine, con la testa sulle spalle e molto maturo. Tutto l'opposto a cui Emerson è abituata, le sue prede preferite sono i ragazzini che può controllare facilmente e con cui non corre nessun pericolo di innamorarsi e abbassare la guardia. Ma Shaw è diverso. Già dal primo istante non ha nessuna intenzione di cedere al fascino di Emerson e più di una volta le farà credere di non essere interessato a lei e lei pur di farlo cadere ai suoi piedi infrangerà le sue stesse regole. Una buona lettura scorrevole e che trascina il lettore all'interno della storia. L'unica cosa che mi è mancata è il pov anche dalla parte di Shaw. Avrebbe dato un quadro più completo alla storia e fatto appassionare ancora di più il lettore. Emerson è cambiata tantissimo capitolo dopo capitolo: dalla ragazza che non si lascia coinvolgere e che vuole sempre avere il controllo è diventata umana con le sue paure, con il suo accorgersi che il muro che ha costruito in tutti questi anni è caduto in pochi mesi grazie ad un ragazzo meraviglioso che la fa sentire sicura, protetta e amata. Shaw all'inizio sarà molto titubante, non si vorrà far coinvolgere dal mondo troppo distante di Emerson, ma la passione e quello che prova per lei avranno la meglio. Ho amato il fatto che corre sempre a salvarla, molte volte anche da se stessa. Ho trovato affinità sin da subito anche con i personaggi secondari come le migliori amiche di Emerson, Georgia e Pepper e il fidanzato di quest'ultima Reece. Mi sono piaciuti tantissimo Pepper e Reece come coppia. Consiglio questo libro a chi, nonostante le ferite e le prove che la vita pone lungo il cammino, crede ancora nell'amore e nelle persone che possono stupirci se consentiamo a noi stessi di abbassare la guardia…
Sophie Jordan only knows how to write male love interests who have GPS trackers on the main character. They always show up to save the day without you knowing how they got there at just the right moment.
Anyway. Enjoyable, but while Emmerson's reaction to sexual assault is valid, I'm tired of books portraying assault as something women need to "overcome" in order to grow.
I have to put Miss Sophie Jordan name into my favorite NA romance author. Because damn! Tease is good. I have been looking for worthy author for NA romance. I had a bad experience with NA romance in general. Only few really worth my attention.
Now, this book has all the feels. The writing is spot on for NA romance. The banter is alive and with real chemistry between Shaw and Emerson. I love how their relationship evolved from enemy to friendship to lover. Miss Jordan knows how to write her characters.
Overall I do enjoy this book very much and expecting to pick up another books by Muss Jordan soon.
This guy, Shaw, is everything. If you think of the perfect book boyfriend, Shaw is your man. I liked Emerson but I did not love her. She was ooookay (the typical h of a NA novel) but Shaw... he had me after 20 pages.
How can I not love him when he says things like this?
“You’re scared,” he said quietly. “Scared?” I scoffed. “Of what?” “Of anything real. And what we have is real. You love me and it terrifies you.” “I don’t love you,” I lied. He grabbed my face then, dragging me closer with both hands. “You love me. I know you do. I know it because I can see it in your eyes . . . in the way you look at me.” He inhaled. “It’s the same way I look at you.”
If you like NA novels, you will love this one. The whole series is a winner for me. There are two more books: Foreplay and Wild. My little NA novel lover heart likes them all a lot.
Once again, we are forced to suffer through ridiculous names like Emerson Wingate (????) and Shaw Whatever-His-Last-Name-Was. However, this time there was very little of the magic of the first book, and lots of stuff I heartily dislike that are often typical of NA books, like the alpha male routine and... the alpha male routine. You could say I didn't like Shaw a whole lot.
There's also the problematic and wholly unoriginal rape storyline, the unsatisfactory characterisation of side characters, and of course Shaw was a Marine, of course - there is really no better way to show how manly and experienced-with-The-Real-World he is... And a lot more issues that probably existed in the first book, but could largely be ignored because the central relationship between Pepper and Reece was refreshingly well-written.
I liked Foreplay because it subverted a lot of the tropes that plagued New Adult books, but this book has gone back and sub-subverted (that is a real word as much as Emerson Wingate is a real name) everything that was accomplished so well in the first book. Yet, I'm still holding out hope for the third book.
Tease es el segundo libro de la trilogia The Ivy Chronicles creada por Sophie Jordan y narra la historia de Emerson, a quien conocemos en el libro anterior y Shaw, un nuevo personaje. No voy a decir que esperaba leer este libro como agua de mayo porque no seria cierto, la sinopsis me parecio sencilla y ligera, y eso era justo lo que queria leer en este momento, por lo que decidi darle una oportunidad. Hace bastante tiempo que lei el primer libro, lo recuerdo vagamente como una historia que disfrute pero que no se volvio inolvidable, por lo que quizas eso tambien ayudo a que no comenzara la lectura con muchas ganas. Tease es una lectura rapida de leer y entretenida, cumple su funcion de entretenerte y alejarte de la realidad, por lo que no me arrepiento de haberla leido. En fin, si quieres algo ligero para pasar el rato, esta historia puede ser una buena opcion.
«Lo so che hai fatto di tutto per tagliarmi fuori, ma non ci sei riuscita. Ti sono entrato nel sangue. E tu nel mio. Lo so».
Se amate i romance new adult con ambientazione universitaria dovete assolutamente leggere la serie The Ivy Chronicles! Non fatevi fregare dalle immagini di copertina di questa serie, secondo me totalmente inadatte alle storie che la Jordan ci racconta. Con te e nessun altro ha protagonisti diversi rispetto al precedente, ciascun volume è da considerarsi infatti auto-conclusivo. Emerson è una studentessa universitaria festaiola e un po' snob abituata a mantenere il controllo, soprattutto quando si tratta di ragazzi. Lei sceglie soltanto quelli facili da controllare e si tiene alla larga da quelli ingestibili e pericolosi. Shaw ha ventitré anni, è stato nei marine ed ha il fascino proibito del motociclista, uno di quelli particolarmente fighi. I due protagonisti si conoscono nell'ultimo posto al mondo in cui Emerson avrebbe mai pensato di mettere piede, ma in seguito il destino li fa incrociare in diverse occasioni grazie ad amicizie in comune. Di questo romance ho adorato quasi ogni aspetto, ma il posto d'onore va al protagonista maschile. Con la sua dolcezza e la sua pazienza, Shaw è uno di quei book boyfriend di cui ci si innamora all'instante. Lui è completamente diverso dal genere di ragazzi che Emerson frequenta di solito, lei stessa se ne rende conto all'istante e cerca di tenerlo a distanza in ogni modo, anche se inizialmente sembra infastidita dal fatto che lui non penda dalle sue labbra. Anche la protagonista femminile mi è piaciuta, è lei la narratrice in prima persona del romanzo, quindi è stato facile sentirla vicina e provare sulla mia pelle le sue emozioni e le sue paure. Ho capito piuttosto in fretta anche che Emerson è diversa da quello che ha sempre lasciato credere agli altri, è stata molto brava a tenere ben nascosta la vera sé stessa, anche ai suoi amici più stretti. Non sempre mi è piaciuto il suo comportamento, in certe situazioni avrei voluto entrare nel libro e darle una scrollata! Nella prima parte la vediamo perennemente in lotta con se stessa e contro i propri sentimenti ed attrazione, tutto per tentare di tenere a distanza Shaw, l'unico che sembra leggerle dentro.
«Sai come mi chiamavano nei marine?». Scossi la testa e lui mi rispose, la voce bassa e profonda, facendomi venire la pelle d’oca. «Il Falco. Perché sapevo leggere nell’animo umano, valutare le situazioni in un istante. Chiamalo come vuoi. Istinto. Consapevolezza situazionale. Io ce l’ho».
La voglia di scoprire cosa sia successo ad Em, e di conseguenza cosa le impedisca di aprirsi veramente con le persone che le vogliono bene, mi ha tenuta in sospeso durante la lettura. Quello, e ovviamente anche la tensione sessuale che la Jordan è stata bravissima a farmi percepire per gran parte del romanzo. A questo proposito, adoro il fatto che l'autrice ci lasci sospirare e attendere per un po' prima che i suoi protagonisti si lascino finalmente travolgere dalla passione. La Jordan ha una penna molto scorrevole, moderna ed appassionante, questo libro mi ha conquistata sin dalle prime pagine e non vedo l'ora di leggere il prossimo capitolo della serie! Con te e nessun altro è una delle mie letture preferite di questo mese, una storia emozionante, romantica e sensuale che consiglio davvero con il cuore!
Punto di vista: prima persona di Emerson Sensualità: tensione sessuale e scene sexy presenti Caratteristiche: emozionante, dolce, romantico Stile narrativo: scorrevole Tipo di finale: auto-conclusivo
After being impressed with FOREPLAY, Sophie Jordan's first New Adult romance in this series, I was eager to read the second book, TEASE. Unfortunately, TEASE lacked the sweetness and convincing characters of the first title, and it relied entirely too heavily on New Adult clichés.
TEASE follows Pepper's roommate, Emerson, as she tries to keep her emotional distance from the many men who are interested in her. The story opens with the obligatory reference to some dark incident in Emerson's past that has scarred and damaged her. Because of this, the reader is told that Emerson is a strong, cautious woman, but the first important scene has her drinking herself to oblivion in a biker bar and being conveniently rescued (i.e., picked up and carried out of the bar against her will) by a do-gooder who happens to have a rock-hard chest. From thereon, the story continues to use one New Adult or romance cliché after another to bring our lovers together and to break down Emerson's emotional walls.
Because of the formulaic set-up and inconsistent characterization, I wasn't able to immerse myself in the story or root for Emerson and Shaw's romance. Though TEASE was a quick, mindless read, it wasn't an enjoyable or moving one.
In future books in the series, I hope Jordan goes back to focusing on character and eschews the common tropes that can make stories like this so predictable.
Note: This review refers to an advance review copy.
I LOVE this series so much, it reminds me of Lauren Layne's Sex, Love & Stiletto series :) The reason I gave it 4.5 was because Emerson reluctance annoyed me, but, Shaw was amazing. I like him more than Reece that's for sure.
What a lovely book, I was not expecting this! Emerson seemed like the all-around party girl in the first book, so as predicted, I was expecting a rather funny and kind-of-bitchy mood for this story. What I got though was a deep, heartfelt story about a girl that has gone through a lot of shit in her life, and a boy, sooo expectionally brave and sweet and hot that I just fell in love with these two more and more. Although I have to confess that I liked the first book a tad better, this is a supercute story too. I hope and pray the last book will be just as awesome! 4/5 stars
*S’cuse the language, but you know how I do sometimes* S/N: Got this as an ARC at BookCon (yay, free books!)
Jesus, why do I continue to read this New Adult drivel? Like, seriously? Is something wrong with me? I'm beginning to think so. Emerson? Just completely annoying. Making decisions that are intentionally trying to piss other people off is still a way of them controlling your every move/thought, especially when your gut instincts are telling you it's a bad situation and you go anyway (especially since you’ve been in one before and your whole life “rules” revolve around it). Lots of the crap she got into could have been completely avoided if she just listened to her own-damn-self. Going with Annie the first time? Definitely not a good idea, and shame on Annie for being a shitty friend by abandoning you. Going with Annie the second time? Shame on your ass. I get a novel needs tension and plot movement, but let’s not get stupid with it every. single. time. I also don’t appreciate these “deep” connections that develop between characters before they actually have any sort of lengthy conversation. So you mean to tell me Emerson went all judgmental on Beth about Shaw at the restaurant when he wasn’t even the one that told Emerson about his time in the Marines or the fact that Beth’s brother was killed? Who the fuck are you jumping up in another person’s face about information you got through a third party? Naw, shawty. Not a good look; not a good look at all. Let’s talk about Shaw now: Oh, you’re super-hot? That’s cool. But let me tell you what you’re not gonna do: What you’re not gonna do is throw me over your shoulder like a caveman and have me think it’s all kinds of hot. I appreciate the fact that you want to get me out a bad situation, but let’s be reasonable about it. If anything, have my homegirl come over with you and get her to talk some sense into me as well. Is that so hard? Cause I don’t think so. These “alpha males” are on my nerves, real bad. I get the whole lust-at-first-sight thing, but let’s have some respect in there…or at least let the characters get their kicks in before they start acting all kinds of shady. Ok, that’s my review describing this as novel as a realistic romance. Based on that assessment, would I recommend this? No.
Now, as a piece-of-complete-and-utter-nonsense fictional romance? This shit was tops. Who doesn’t love it when a dude strips you down the first night of knowing you, without your consent or knowledge, and not touching you inappropriately? That shit is unheard of, so way to go, Emerson, you’ve found the pick of the litter right there! (Wait, or, did he pick you? Think on it.) Would I recommend this one? Yeah, I’m sure a New Adult fangirl will lick this shit right up.
Will I re-read it on either version of events? Not a shot in hell.
It was... oh Reece you amused me but Shaw... my god... nice :) i don't get how everyone complains... it was a nice story and they definitely had chemistry! i mean... Shaw was amazing, i liked every single thing about him... his attitude (huge ego but come on...), the way he acts and thinks... That just makes him perfect, i guess haha ;) You should just enjoy the beauty of it... The fact that guys like these don't exist... at least they dont have the whole package haha I'm looking forward to read Wild! can't wait!!!! *-*
Emerson is what everyone considers a tease. She lures a guy in, whispers naughty nothings into his ear, and then leaves him hanging. Every. Single. Time. From the outside people would consider Emerson a privileged rich girl but she's really not. In fact, it isn't until she's left stranded at a sketch biker bar, thus putting her in the path of Shaw, that you realize she isn't what she seems. She's hiding a lot of dark secrets and it isn't until Shaw comes into her life that she finds herself wanting to open up to someone.
Emerson was kind of a frustrating character. I mean, she played a dicey game by always leading guys on all the time. The sad thing was, she set out to do it. It wasn't like she went out and started to hook up with someone only to change her mind. She actually liked the game she played by "being in control" when she turned them down at and walked away. She'd go to a bar and accept drinks from guys, flirt with them, maybe kiss them, dance with them, and then "buh-bye", leave with her friends or move on to another guy. I will honestly say that while her character was frustrating in that regard, I also kind of liked her. I mean, on the outside she SHOULD be a pampered princess. She comes from a family with wealth and should get everything handed to her on a silver platter. However, you soon realize that she is kind of estranged from her family and wants to make it on her own. And I really admired her for that.
Shaw was by far the best part of the story. Not because he's a guy, or because he's THE guy in the story, but because he was genuinely a nice person. He sees this prim girl at a biker bar, drunk off her butt, deserted by her so-called "friends" and he takes it upon himself to escort her home. He sees all the biker dudes leering at her and knows she's not safe and instead of staying to enjoy his night, he spends the night taking care of someone else. Then when they bump into each other later in the book, the same thing happens. He swoops in and rescues her from a bad situation. He was always there for her and always had her back even when she was a complete brat to him. I just genuinely liked his character.
While this is the second in the series, it's the first book I've read from it. The previous book dealt with Emerson's friend. I didn't feel like I was left out by not reading the previous book. And honestly, the only reason why I read this book first is because my library only has the second and third book in the series. Weird, I know... don't ask though. So, hopefully they get it in so that I can read it because I really enjoyed this book and Pepper's character. So, I know I would really enjoy her story.
I actually finished this book within a handful of hours. It's a short read but it was a good one. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a contemporary new adult. There's nothing flashy or fancy going on, it's your basic new adult romance, but it's well written and entertaining. These two definitely have chemistry and the banter between them was amusing. So yeah, even though it kind of fits the new adult mold, it's still an entertaining read.
I adored Foreplay (book #1 of the Ivy Chronicles). I felt that it stood a step above the onslaught of NA that was all angst, all the time with very little real life conflict.
Sadly, Tease was no Foreplay. While the sexual encounters did serve the plot of Tease, they also overpowered it. Emerson and Shaw are hot together and obviously it is more than just sex in the end but they both have issues that haunt them but the hot sex kind of solves it all. Especially with Emerson (although there is a nice twist to her story). I also liked how it explored what a woman vs a man can get away with sexually. How a man is just getting around but a girl is a cocktease.
Emerson was a complex, sometimes off-putting character. She insists how in control she always is but then continually gets herself in situations where she is very much out of control. It's troubling and scary how many times it happens. She keeps needing to be rescued by Shaw and then gets mad that he feels the need to rescue her. She's definitely a frustrating character but I got it and I liked her in the end. Although once again
As for Shaw, he has demons but it's not really explored much. It's more of a catalyst to kick Emerson's feelings into high gear. He was a generic romance hero. Nice but nothing special.
There is one scene between them that made me so angry.
There's this thing I find in NA (maybe that's an unfair generalization, but it's where I see this the most) where we're told this relationship is NOT based on looks or sex but when there's very little conversation and we hear repeatedly how hot Shaw is, I don't know. I'm not sure the relationship has the same impact for me. I *know* it's based on more but I don't really see it in the writing.
Tease is not a bad book. It's just more of the NA I'm used to rather than surprising me the way Foreplay did.
I do have very high hopes for Georgia's story in Wild.
This was an uncomfortable reading experience for me.
It had nothing to do with the NA category, the sex scenes, or the writing itself. My loathing for this book can be summed up in one word: Emerson.
Maybe I'm fickle, but I get very touchy when it comes to the portrayal of woman who have gone through sexual abuse. This is something that an author does perfectly, or falls so shamelessly short of the mark that it stunns me. Books like The Never List and The Feathered Bone caused me to go into a book throwing rage because of how unrealistic recovery and daily life can be for a woman who's gone through these types of traumas.
I'm not going to give Tease any leniency because of its genre. Emerson was ridiculous and devoid of authenticity. She flings herself around from man to man as a prophetic "cock tease," and acts like a spoilt rich brat to her friends. She comes across as vapid, spineless, and annoying, yet she harbours a wealth of untapped artistic ability. In the hands of a stronger writer, this could have been literary gold, but Sophie Jordan simply does not have the writing talent to truly pull this off.
Because I hated Emerson so much, I couldn't feel any sympathy for her struggles either past, present, or future and her relationship with Shaw felt trite and awkward.
When I read Foreplay a couple of years ago I neither hated nor loved it, it was the definition of an average 3 star rating for me. Going into this next installment I was hoping for improvement from its predecessor, but this one absolutely missed the mark.
I've already told Sophie that Shaw is mine. I claim him. The rest of y'all can take a number and get in line. Don't worry though, there are cupcakes to keep you busy. ;)
While most girls her age are looking for love and a happily ever after, Emerson is looking for the next no-strings-attached hookup. Past experience has taught her that love is more trouble than it's worth and often results in hurt, so what's the point? Being in control is better, easier, even with the not so nice reputation. Whatever. Emerson doesn't care what people think of her anyway. Not really.
And then she meets Shaw. (Who is all kinds of Shawtastic!) At first glance, he's everything Emerson doesn't want (tall, dark, and tattooed), everything she thinks she needs to protect herself from (leather jackets, motorcycles, and danger), but Em knows better than anyone that things are not always as the appear. She also knows that Shaw unsettles her in all the right kind of ways which scares her to death.
Shaw has learned that life is too short to play games regardless of how cute the head game player may be. He sees right through Emerson's shield of protection and isn't afraid to call her bluff. (*screams* I LOVE SHAW!) Shaw challenges Em to be real with herself, her friends and especially with him.
But being real means relinquishing control, something Emerson isn't sure she can do even if deep down it's what she wants. Even if it's exactly what she needs.
TEASE, is Book Two in The Ivy Chronicles and likes it's predecessor, FOREPLAY, is well written, jammed full of romance, feelings and swoon, with a twist I didn't see coming. There are plenty of graphic sexy times too, (hence the warning above) but overall, it's a great story of love, forgiveness and fresh starts.
TEASE is a Shawtastic addition to The Ivy Chronicles series!
I was a huge fan of Foreplay by Sophie Jordan so I was eager to read the sequel, Tease which is Emerson and Shaw’s story and although it was enjoyable there were unfortunately no elements that wowed me or made it stand out from other books in the genre.
We first meet Emerson in the first book, best friend of Pepper and Georgia she is a love em and leave em kind of girl with control issues, she’s a bit of a tease and not eager to form a connection, this is due to an upsetting event which happened a few years prior. When Emerson ends up at a biker bar with someone who is meant to be her friend she doesn’t expect to be left stranded and having to rely on gorgeous Shaw to drive her home.
Shaw was a bit of a protector, he reminded me very much of Reece from the first book and to be honest I didn’t feel the connection between him and Emerson at all, she was stand-offish and quite abrupt and rude which didn’t make her the most endearing character so despite their chemistry I thought it was based purely on physical attraction alone and I really wondered why he kept pursuing her.
I enjoyed the secondary characters, Pepper and Reece are amazing; Georgia is a sweetheart so I am looking forward to her story up next and I love cheeky Logan!
The biggest let down for me with this book was there was nothing fresh, the theme was typical for the NA genre, the only difference here were the role reversals with Emerson being the one using the boys instead of the male character but I couldn’t fault Sophie Jordan’s writing which flows well with great dialogue and is evenly paced.
Thank you to William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review Tease by Sophie Jordan.
This was solidly written and well-paced. I was engrossed as I read. But even as I turned the pages I began to suspect that the author was going to do something that was going to annoy the crap out of me. And she did.
Heroine Emerson has control issues so she has played up her reputation as a one-night only kind of gal. She's actually done some pretty risky things in her quest to prove that she's up for anything - anything except for commitment. As the novel opens she's arriving at a biker bar and though she has some thought to the fact that it might be a bit dangerous, she figures it will fit with her persona. All well and good. But there are two problems I had. One is when we finally find out the reason for her baggage - it just didn't seem enough (as well as being all too familiar an issue in New Adult fiction) and
So though I read a pretty quick clip, I was annoyed for a good part of the time.
Pero qué decepción. Em era mi favorita y al final resultó ser la historia más aburrida. Me siento estafada. Menos mal que leí el tercero primero, de lo contrario, no hubiera seguido con la saga.
Me quedo mil veces con la historia de Georgia y el exquisito de Logan.