Christie's review: Tangled up in Blue by J.D. Brick

Title:Tangled Up in Blue

Series: Ikana College #1

Author: Nancy Haviland

Release Date: March 14, 2015

Rating:3 stars

Cliffhanger: Yes

I pull up to my new home and see a tatted-up bunch of trouble sprawled on the front porch...

Blue
The last thing I need in my life is another damsel in distress. No f*ing way I'm going down that road again. All I want is someone to help pay the rent. All I want is to party like there's no tomorrow. And forget the past.

But then she shows up, running through me just like a freight train. She's definitely a distressed damsel, and all my hero instincts start kicking in. I try to play it cool; I try to resist. Somehow, though, she burrows deep under my skin, and I can't even think straight. It's not just that her body turns me into a walking, talking boner. The thing is, I'm wrestling with demons I can barely control, and Keegan's the only one who soothes them.

I want this girl. I need this girl. Deep down, I know that having her could destroy us both. But I just can't stop myself.

Keegan I've got no time for the playboy party animal who has suddenly become my accidental roommate. Even if he's hot. Even if he is intense and seductive and so passionate about his music that watching him play makes my soul sing.

Because he's exactly what I don't need. Except that, dear God, he turns out to be everything I've ever wanted.

Then, he becomes an agonizing mistake. And I've got one hell of a choice to make.

Searing and sexy, Tangled Up in Blue explores the cost of courage, deception and sacrificial love.

Tangled Up in Blue is Book 1 in the Ikana College contemporary romance series. It ends in a cliffhanger. Book 2, Shelter from the Storm, continues (and concludes) the love story of Keegan and Blue.

[ No (hide spoiler)]

Tangled Up in Blue is my first read by J.D. Brick. It's told in dual POV which is always nice, but unfortunately there is a dreaded cliffhanger, guys. So if you're one who needs to avoid them at all costs, you're going to want to wait until book two, Shelter From the Storm is released. This will be the conclusion to Keegan and Blue's story with more books in the series to follow for the secondary characters. I must admit, I had an extremely hard time getting into this book. Whether it was just a personal issue with my book funk or not, this New Adult book had several things that push my reader buttons, and not in a good way. However, as a debut author, I think J.D. Brick has a lot of potential and with a little bit of growth I believe her writing will really flourish.

This story is about Blue, a 25 year old man living in the campus party house who's trying to forget the painful past he left behind after leaving the military. He spends his time on his guitar playing music and taking advantage of the constant parties to blur the pain that haunts him.



He's hiding a secret about the events surrounding the deaths of his best friends while serving in Afghanistan. Keegan soothes him and quiets the storm of emotion in him from the very beginning.

I breathe in and close my eyes, willing all the voices out of my head. The hell with it. I only want to hear from Keegan. She needs me. And God help us both, I need her.



I appreciated the fact that this ex-military hero had a different conflict than the norm. The majority of the time, it's PTSD and while that's a very real problem, it was nice to see something outside the box.

Keegan is a young woman who comes from a rich family. Her grandmother raised her after her mother passed away and they had a difficult relationship. When she left to college she thought she'd gain freedom but now as a sophomore in College, she's dealing with a threatening stalker and is forced to move into Blue's house as a roommate. The set up is one that intrigued me, but unfortunately, I felt that the feelings between Blue and Keegan moved at light speed. He was saying things like this within a few days of knowing her:

I want you to be ready. I want you to be sure. I'll wait for you, Keegan. I'll always wait for you."

If you're not a fan of insta-love, you're not going to be a fan of this couple. This is one of my pet peeves, therefore I wasn't loving the progression of their emotional attachment. The moment they met, he started to become obsessed with her and needy. Maybe it was his "White Knight Syndrome", his need to protect and save people. Because she was a heroine who was being attacked from an unknown person, he immediately latched on to her.

I can't help feeling protective around women. Mama tells me it's because I am one of the good guys. But that instinct sure has gotten me into plenty of trouble.

Between the secret he was hiding, and her stalker, there was a considerable amount of drama going on. I would have liked to have seen more development on them falling in love and getting to know one another, but with everything going on, it was easy for that to get minimized.

The secondary characters were developed nicely with rich personalities, I was impressed with that. Even the unlikable characters were fleshed out enough to intrigue me about their future books.

If you're looking for a quick New Adult read, this might fit the bill. I struggled with it, but overall, my issues aside it was a decent debut book for new author J.D. Brick. I'm curious to see the direction she takes with some of the secondary characters.



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