Love Story
86. Jennifer Echols, Love Story
Erin Blackwell is a freshman at a prestigious New York City college, determined to ace her creative writing class and become a bestselling romance novelist. She’s also eager to get rid of some personal demons: her grandmother has just disinherited her from the Kentucky horse-breeding farm that was her birthright. What’s worse, she’s given it to the infuriatingly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen, instead! Erin is furious that Hunter has stolen her inheritance, but she also can’t deny her strong attraction to him. Thus, her first story for her creative writing class is a romantic tale that explores the sexual tension between her and Hunter in a very explicit manner. Much to her horror, Hunter transfers into her class and reads the story - and his first assignment is clearly designed to get under her skin. As Erin and Hunter navigate this new situation, they are constantly reminded of the shared tragedy in their past, even as they struggle toward a more hopeful future.
I started this book expecting to love it, since I loved Going Too Far and Forget You; but for the first few chapters, I was convinced that I wouldn’t like it. The very first chapter is Erin’s story, which reads like a mediocre-at-best bodice ripper, and I was worried that the entire concept of the creative writing class wouldn’t work. How could I believe in Erin’s dream if I thought she was a terrible writer? I also got confused about some of her classmates; one of them attacks her story mercilessly, and at some points Erin hates him, but then in other places, it seems like they’re friends. Luckily, once Erin and Hunter start interacting, the book improves drastically. Their chemistry is undeniable, and as the book reveals more about their history, their hot-and-cold interactions make a lot more sense. I also loved the setting - there are way too few books set in college! I can’t figure out why protagonists skip from being high-schoolers to twentysomethings with nothing in between; what’s up with that? The horse-racing references were also a nice touch. In sum, while this book got off to a rocky start, I ended up really enjoying it, and I’ll continue to read more by Jennifer Echols.