Happy release day to Ella Maise! The wonderful hot and funny To Love Jason Thorn is live! I have an excerpt and review for your reading pleasures!
Jason Thorn… My brother’s childhood friend.
Oh, how stupidly in love with that boy I was. He was the first boy that made me blush, my first official crush. Sounds beautiful so far, right? That excitement that bubbles up inside you, those famous butterflies you feel for the very first time—he was the reason for them all. But, you only get to live in that fairytale world until they crush your hopes and dreams and then stomp on your heart for good measure. And boy did he crush my little heart into pieces.
After the stomping part he became the boy I did my best to stay away from—and let me tell you, it was pretty hard to do when he slept in the room right across from mine.
When tragedy struck his family and they moved away, I was ready to forget he ever existed.
Now he is a movie star, the one who makes women of all ages go into a screaming frenzy, the one who makes everyone swoon with that dimpled smile of his. Do you think that’s dreamy? I certainly don’t think so. How about me coming face to face with him? Nope still not dreamy. Not when I can’t even manage to look him in the eye.
Me? I’m Olive, a new writer. Actually, I’m THE writer of the book that inspired the movie he is about to star in on the big screen. As of late, I am also referred to as the oh-so-very-lucky girl who is about to become the wife of Jason Thorn.
Maybe you’re thinking yet again that this is all so dreamy? Nope, nothing dreamy going on here. Not even close.
Her gaze dropped down to my chest and her eyes slightly widened as if she was just realizing there was a half-naked man right in front of her. When her eyes started to trail lower, my skin prickled and I had to fight with my body to not react to her beautiful wandering eyes. “I…I should take a shower first so I’ll just…” Her eyes jumped between my eyes and collarbone. “I’ll head to the other room and grab…my things. I’ll be right back.” She patted my arm and ran away.
Chuckling, I got into bed.
Twenty minutes had passed when she finally put her knee on the right side of the bed and climbed up next to me. There was too much space between our bodies for us to ever come in contact, but instead of lying on the very edge of the bed like I was doing, she quietly got under the covers and settled in the middle.
I tensed.
Maybe she just wanted to lay in the middle so we could share the covers without having to pull on them? Or maybe she was a turner, and to avoid tumbling down, she needed to fall asleep far away from the edge? Either way, I would stay on my side so it was okay.
Everything would be fine.
Another ten minutes passed and thanks to Olive’s tossing and turning, I was still wide awake.
Every single time she turned, moved, fluffed her pillow, or quietly sighed, my body got a reminder of her presence and of course acted accordingly. Hell, even her breathing was starting to get to me.
Groaning, I turned to my right to see her back facing me.
“Jas—” she started to whisper, but before she could finish my name, I reached out, splayed my hand on her stomach—thank god she was at least wearing something—and pulled her back against my chest.
She gasped and her body stilled. For a moment, I didn’t know what I should do with my hand, but then I decided to rest my palm on the bed, still keeping my arm against her stomach, caging her in. At least this way she would stop tossing and turning and we would finally go to sleep.
“Jason? Are you sleeping?” she whispered, not turning her head.
“What do you think?” I muttered.
“Sorry. I can leave if you want—”
My chest still cushioning her back, I pulled my hips a few inches back—just to make sure she wouldn’t feel anything she wasn’t supposed to feel—and gave her body a gentle tug with my arm.
“Go to sleep, Olive.”
“Oh, okay,” she murmured.
A few minutes later, just when I was about to fall asleep, she started to wiggle her bottom. The little minx managed to rest her ass right above my dick. One wrong move and my already raging dick would have been resting right against her round, shapely ass—not that I had spent much time looking at it…
While her breathing had deepened shortly after she’d made sure her ass was perfectly placed to torture me, it took me hours to fall asleep, battling with the urge to move forward, just a few inches, just to let my dick cop a feel.
Review
★★★★ 1/2 stars
There were a lot of my favorite tropes and themes in this book. That was one thing the book already had going for it. I love friends to lover stories. I love it even more when those friends have been in each others lives for a long time. Add in the fact one of the characters is now a bad boy celebrity and you've got four things I love to read about right there. Reading this book was certainly no hardship.
I loved the way Olive was a writer who was proud of her book being a commercial success and being a celebrity in her own right yet still being down to earth. I loved how Olive didn't hide anything. Her insecurities about being in Jason's orbit again, to following up her blockbuster with another book, and everything in between were laid out for us to see. You'd think it's be annoying and a distraction, but it was done in an endearing and humorous way. I loved the way she was around Jason. It was like she'd gotten older, but her awkwardness hadn't disappeared. Her reappearance Jason's life definitely through him for a loop.
Jason was a bit of an enigma. It was hard to tell how he felt about Olive. His happiness at reconnecting with her and her family was real, it was just his romantic feelings that were unclear. There were moments where he gave hints but it wasn't always overt. Olive wasn't the only one stumped about the way he felt. I could tell Jason himself was confused about how he felt about Olive. I loved the way they easily fell back into their friendship with minimal awkwardness. I loved the relationship between Jason and Olive, both as children and as adults. Growing up, Jason really did see Olive as his younger sister. I mean he practically grew up in their house. He was a family member as much as Olive and her brother were. He was so sweet and considerate of her, being both her friend and protector. He even treated the fact Olive loved him with care until he inadvertently broke her young teenage heart. As adults, Jason's protective instincts towards Olive were alive and well. Of course it took Jason a little while to realize his "Little One" had grown boobs (Hehe). It was fun watching Jason try to keep himself out of trouble. It was funnier watching him grapple with his feelings about little Olive and adult Olive.
There wasn't a lot of drama in this book. There were a few tense moments, but overall the book had a very light, happy feel to it. It's perfect for if you're looking for a romcom to take you away for a little bit. I can't wait to see what the rest of Ella Maise's books are like. I have a feeling I'll enjoy them whether they make me laugh or cry.
*Thank you to the publicist for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*
I'm an avid reader. Therefore, a big dreamer. I love nothing more than to escape real life to find those very few magical moments in a book. I love how it has the power of stealing your worries away, putting a smile on your face, and of course sometimes making you crush on fictional characters. If I can manage to do even one of those things for a reader, I will be a happy writer.I can't even begin to describe how exciting it is to give life to new characters and fall for them. It's a different kind of addiction I'm determined to keep alive.
I'm still searching for my own happy ending. Until that happens, I'll live vicariously through my own characters.
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