Kiss Me by Jillian Dodd

(The Keatyn Chronicles, book 2)

I’ve always written scripts for my perfect life.

But no way could I have ever scripted this.

My life is so far from perfect, it’s not even funny.

All because of a stalker.

I’m at a boarding school where I have to lie about who I am.

I can’t see my family.

I’m tutoring a Hottie God that tortures me with his smile.

The most popular girl already hates me.

Bu there’s this boy.

This hot, sweet, sexy boy.

So I’m going to stop trying to script my life and just live it.

Because who knows how long I have left.

*I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

“If only boys came with warning labels. Like, yours would be: Do not kiss when drunk. Riley’s would be: I’m going to sleep with you and your best friend, too.” – Keatyn

Okay, let me just start off by saying that if the boys at boarding school are all as hot, sweet, athletic, charming, adorable, funny and whatever other adjective I can think of, as they are in Kiss Me…I wish I would have known about that sooner. I probably would have begged my parents to send me away! Seriously. My bags would have already been packed and loaded in the Jeep. I would have been strapped in my seatbelt with bells and whistles on yelling, “Let’s goooooooo! Hurry uuuuuuup!” So to sum that up: Keatyn’s boarding school sounds like a feasting ground. And this girl’s hungry.  

Kiss Me starts off on the same night Stalk Me ends; Keatyn got a weak-in-the-knees kiss from Aiden on top of the Ferris wheel, she learned she made the dance team at her new boarding school, and starts to think that maybe this new life won’t be so bad after all. This second book in The Keatyn Chronicles takes you through the beginning of Keatyn’s journey in boarding school and follows her through new friendships, new relationships, and as if you couldn’t tell by title…lots…and lots of kissing.

For those of you who read my review of Stalk Me, you know I was 100 percent, all lady parts aboard the Team Cush train…and if you didn’t read my review, well, you should have. But now you know. I just loved Cush and I honestly didn’t think there would be any way Jillian would be able to sway me to another guy, no matter how many fine pieces of meat were roaming around Keatyn’s boarding school. Welp…Jillian Dodd, I underestimated your abilities to make an even swoonier (yeah, swoonier. I made it up, deal with it) character than Cush. So, in the words of Joey Tribbiani: “Hey Dawson. How YOU doin’??” ;)

I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I don’t want to say who she ends up with, but I will say this; I’m not a big fan of Aiden because he kind of acts like a girl, and I want Keatyn and Dawson to be together, get married and have lots of babies. Well, don’t hold me to that; who knows what kind of hotness creation will be in the next book to make me change my mind…again.

Here are a few other things that made Kiss Me pretty freaking great:

1)     “Keatie”

2)     Greek mythology references (I geek out hard when it comes to mythology)

3)     H.O.M.E.C.O.M.I.N.G.?

4)     The naughty librarian

Kiss Me was a good sequel to Stalk Me, and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. The main reason I didn’t give Kiss Me 5 stars is because it lacked the suspense factor. We get little bits of information on her stalker, but he plays a pretty minor role in this book. I loved that there seems to be ends tying up with Brooklyn and Cush, and I must say, I was pretty dang surprised by both of those story lines. All-in-all, Kiss Me is another great read by the lovely Jillian Dodd. Is it too early to ask about Date Me??? ;)

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Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

(Catching Jordan series, book 1)

What girl doesn’t want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn’t just surrounded by hot guys, though – she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that’s just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she’s ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he’s also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan’s feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart’s on the line?

WARNING: This review does contain a spoiler! Check yourself before you wreck yourself...

I don’t think anyone realizes how excited I was to read this book. I love football. No; love doesn’t even describe it. I fucking LIVE for football season. My dad was a football player, my brother was a football player; I grew up going to my brother’s games every week, going to Chiefs games on Sundays, KU football games on Saturdays, and watching games/highlights on Sunday and Monday nights. I've been in a fantasy football league for the past five years. It’s in my blood. To me, there is nothing better than putting on your favorite player’s jersey, drinking beer, eating incredibly unhealthy food, and cheering on your team with your friends and thousands of other people. Now maybe you have an idea of how much I love football…and because of that, maybe I set my expectations for Catching Jordan too high. Way too high.

The short of it: Jordan is a girl and the starting QB for her high school team. She wants a college scholarship to play D-1 football. Ty Green shows up and gives her competition for her position, and makes her weak in the knees. That is, until she finds out her best friend and teammate, Sam Henry, has been keeping a pretty big secret from her.

I just didn’t really buy into any of this. Now, before you start throwing flaming bras at me and calling me an “anti-feminist”, let me explain. Can a girl play middle school and/or high school football? Sure. Can a girl play D-1 football? As a kicker, maybe; as a quarterback…I don’t believe so. I’m not saying there aren’t girls capable of being great quarterbacks, but the chances of a D-1 school taking a chance on a girl are slim to none. And a school like Alabama with a top 5 football program offering a girl a full-ride scholarship just wouldn’t happen. Sorry. It just wouldn’t. I know, I know, this book is fiction but I just couldn’t ignore the little voice in my head saying, “Are you kidding me?! How is anyone supposed to buy this??”

I also wasn’t a big fan of Jordan or Henry. Jordan was arrogant, rude, and too much of a dude for my liking. I have nothing against tomboys, not a damn thing. But tomboys are still girls. Jordan didn’t ever seem like a girl to me. She was also an extreme hypocrite. She constantly talked shit on the cheerleaders for being sluts, bimbos, whatever else…and then she goes and gives up her virginity to Ty almost immediately. Honey, I don’t think you should be looking down on anyone for their sexual escapades because you aren’t a nun yourself. Speaking of that, the stereotypes in this book grated on me. Cheerleaders are automatically sluts in Jordan’s eyes and when one of them actually knows about football, Jordan acts like Hell froze over. I was never a cheerleader, but I was on dance team in middle school and high school; just because I’d rather dance than play football doesn’t mean I’m a bimbo who knows nothing about anything other than opening my legs. The stereotyping just really bothered me.

 I was never rooting for Henry. Not once. His actions pissed me off, and the fact that he was proud of being a “man-slut” didn’t help his cause. He just came off as selfish, and that made me prefer Ty over him, no doubt about it.

The saving graces in this book, IMO, were Marie, Carter, Carrie, and JJ. They are the sole reasons that kept me from giving Catching Jordan one star. I’ve seen a lot of really positive reviews, so I guess I’m in the minority with my feelings towards this book, but it just really wasn’t my cup of tea. I wanted to like it; I really, really wanted to like it. I just didn’t. 

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That Boy by Jillian Dodd

(That Boy series, book 1)

You know, being friends with two cute boys does have its benefits.

There’s Danny. Danny is a golden boy in every way. He has dreamy blue eyes and blonde hair that always looks perfect, even when it’s windblown or been stuck under a football helmet. He’s the boy every girl crushes on. The boy I get into trouble with, the boy I fight with, the hot quarterback no girl can resist, not even me. Being with Danny is like being on an adventure. He has a bright, contagious smile and abs to die for. He’s pretty much irresistible.

Equally crush worthy is Phillip. Adorable, sweet Phillip, who I have known since birth. Phillip has dark hair, a perfect smile, brown eyes, and the sexiest voice I have ever heard. He’s the boy I talk to every night before I go to sleep. The boy who rescues me, the boy who can read my mind, the boy who is always there for me, the boy who tries to keep me out of trouble, the boy who irritatingly keeps getting hotter, and whose strong arms always seem to find their way around me. And when he gives me that grin, I can never say no.

One boy will give me my very first kiss.

One boy will teach me to make out.

One boy will take me to prom.

And finally, one boy will ask me to marry him.

They will both be my best friends.

But only one of them will be the boy I fall in love with.

Only one of them is That Boy.

You what type of romances I love just as much as those driven by angst? The ones where the boy and girl become friends when they are both just knee high to a grasshopper, they grow up together and stay best friends throughout grade school, middle school, high school, college…and then one day they both realize they are in love with each other. Those are the stories that turn me into a huge cheeseball and leave me grinning from ear to ear. THAT is why I love That Boy.

Jayden has two best friends: Danny and Phillip. Danny is the spontaneous, rebellious, smoking hot quarterback that every girl wants to date; Phillip is the more reserved, equally as hot, and so sweet he’ll give you a toothache prince charming of the two, but they were both so protective of Jayden that it made my heart smile. As the three of them grow up together, they start to notice each other in a “more than friendship” kind of way, and eventually one of them proposes to her. Which one asks her to marry him? Does she say yes? What about the other guy? All those questions are answered...but Jillian Dodd makes you wait. And wait. And wait to find out!! The first page starts off present tense with “that boy” proposing to her, but we don’t get her answer AND we don’t know which one it is until the end of the book! Luckily, the wonderful story of these three best friends consumed my attention and made me take my mind of the proposal…well…for a little while, at least!

I loved the way this book was written; each chapter was a significant aspect of Jayden’s life starting with her in 4^th grade. One of the main reasons why I love That Boy is because nothing feels rushed; you see these three characters grow up together from 4^th graders to college students. I have never been a big fan of “insta-romances” because I just don’t really buy into them; I love the stories where the characters come together over time…probably because I am a firm believer that the best relationships stem from friendships *shrugs* I can’t help it! I love seeing a friendship turn into a relationship.

I loved all three of the main characters, although I didn’t really find myself going back and forth between Danny and Phillip as much as I initially thought I would; I was pretty much planted on Team Phillip. I adored both of them, but what can I say? I have always preferred dark-haired guys over blondes! 

The ending was perfection, and when Jayden explains what “that boy” whispered in her ear after he proposed the first time, I melted like a stick of butter on a hot day; mainly because it’s the cutest freaking thing ever but also because he actually remembered that from so long ago!! It’s just adorable. Oh, and any book that references the Kansas City Chiefs definitely gets some points in my book! (Hey, I know they suck but I’ve been a Chiefs fan since birth, so damn it, I roll with them through the good times AND the bad!)

If you want a sweet, light, funny romance, That Boy is your book. It will leave you wishing “that boy” was proposing to you and trust me, you’ll want to jump right into That Wedding. Jillian Dodd, you just plain rock, girl! I said you were one of my favorites after I read Stalk Me., and after I finished That Boy, it only solidified that statement!  Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go round up some hot guys for a game of strip football! ;)

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