Nothing Like Paris (Bend or Break #2)

Title:Nothing Like Paris (Bend or Break #2)
Author:Amy Jo Cousins
Publisher:Samhain Publishing, Ltd
Release Date: March 3rd 2015
Genre(s):Contemporary, N/A
Page Count:249
Reviewed by: Ele
Heat Level: 3.5 flames out of 5
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Blurb:

Humble pie wasn’t supposed to taste this sweet.

Jack Tarkington’s life is in the toilet. He was supposed to be spending his junior year studying someplace cool like Paris or Rome. Instead, after taking out his anger on the campus “golden boy”, whose dad ripped off his parents, Jack is facing possible expulsion.

Sure, it’s all his own fault, but coming back to the small Iowa town he thought he’d escaped, after crowing about his admission to a prestigious school, has been a humbling experience.

When he runs into Miguel, Jack braces for backlash over the way he lorded it over his old friend and flame. Instead, Miguel offers him friendship—and a job at his growing farm-to-table store and café.

Against the odds, both guys bond over broken dreams and find common ground in music. But when Jack’s college gives him a second chance, he’s torn between achieving a dream that will take him far from home, and a love that strikes a chord he’ll never find anywhere else.

Warning: This book contains a humbled guy who’s on the brink of losing it all, a determined entrepreneur who seems to have it all together, apologies issued through banjo-picking duets, and two lovers who can play each other’s bodies like virtuosos.

Meet Jack.

He is the ~~douchebag~~ who harassed Tom Worthington in book one. He comes from a small town in Iowa, where he is forced to return to. Jack is angry at everyone and everything, but mostly at himself. His life becomes hell when he has to live with his alcoholic mother and his indifferent father again. The only bright thing is that he meets Mike again, or Miguel as he calls him.

Mike.

He is the boyfriend that Jack left behind without saying goodbye when he left for college. He chose to stay home to help his family, although he had a bright future ahead of him. Mike still loves Jack, but he’s afraid he will get hurt again.He guards his heart and tries to resist but the chemistry between them is too much to ignore.

What I liked most about the book, was Jack’s change. It happened gradually and it was a beautiful thing to watch. From this arrogant, petulant boy he becomes a mature guy who sees his mistakes and owns them. He works towards redemption, making peace with all those things that changed his life. And he does get redeemed. Somewhere along the way he breaks down. And Mike, protective and caring as always, is there to catch him.