College senior, Lexi Thompson, finds herself in a relationship to be wed to the university’s star baseball pitcher, Collin Norris. Collin’s damn hot but it’s his lack of spark that has Lexi thinking twice before she says ‘I Do’. When she’s forced to tutor bad boy football quarterback, Raven Davenport, she soon discovers all the things she’s missing in her relationship with Collin. Will she succumb to the temptations enticing her or will Collin be able to convince his sweet, innocent fiancée that his love for her is genuine despite his lack of affection? (This story will be told in 2 installments) Age: 18+ for language and sexual situations
Oh goodness this was a terrible book. I rarely write negative reviews because I think they're more hurtful than helpful, but with this book,I can't help it. So. Many. Bad. Things. I'll be honest and say I only finished it because it was a short book, 11 o clock at night, and i didn't want to quit just to start another book that I couldn't finish before I fell asleep. Some things I disliked:
I must've missed the "reasons" explanation because every time she posts reason #, I am so lost
Everyone in the entire world knows college football happens Saturdays afternoons.
Grammar and spelling are atrocious.
How on earth can you be a senior in college and not 21?
Colin is obviously gay. I mean they never said it, but anyone short of the Duggars has to be.
There was literally no conclusion with Colin. He was just like okay see ya, and bam. Disappeared.
Her parents too. Apparently, even though they were so horrid and controlling, they accepted her decision like no problemo señorita.
And there was a cliffhanger. I hate cliffhangers, but you know the worst part? I couldn't care less what happens next.
This book was suggested to me by a fellow group member that loved it. Personally, I just don't see it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This particular title was free on Amazon. If I had paid for it, I would've asked for my money back.
Let's discuss this further in a breakdown.
The Good, Bad, and Ugly...
1) I can't for the life of me remember the lead girl's name. I can remember everyone else's (Delaney, Luke, Raven, Collin...) But her name escapes me. Which is never a good sign.
2) Sometimes characters are made "overly weak" so they can continuously rise in a series. That's what has happened here.
3) This book should've been YA-Teen. That's what it read like. And there is no shame in that. At all. Let me stress it again, no shame. Wrong category, wrong league to go up against. The bar is set so high, that when you throw something like this in there (something that borders a teen feel and NA) it's bound to get tossed in the middle somewhere.
4) Descriptions: Green eyes. That's not enough to make a lead male stand out to me. A scar on his cheek? Maybe a few earrings? I don't know. Maybe he wears a particular kind of shoes? Green shoes, ALL THE TIME. Raven and Collin weren't memorable.
5) The writing. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't fabulous either. (Again, should've been YA-Teen.) I struggled to get through a lot of the dialogue toward 63% and found myself skimming through the remainder of my kindle.
In conclusion: I don't really know what happened in this book. Um..I know Lexi (had to look it up) is getting married to Collin, and their parents have raised them to kind of be like the Duggers. But Lexi isn't happy because Collin wants to honor her by not having sex til the big day...And then Lexi starts tutoring Raven, the lead star of the football team. He's a manwhore, apparently. I didn't feel the connection between either man with Lexi. She had better chemistry with her brother and Delaney. (Sorry, I know that's kind weird...)
The female lead in this book reaallyy tried my patience! For most of the book I just wished her best friend would smack her in the head. I found her more annoying than Bella from the Twilight series! If you and your boyfriend of 4 years do not have any passion or spark and never had one you should never have started dating let alone get engaged to each other! I guess when he never wants to kiss you or anything else but hold your hand...that would be obvious to most girls. I'm glad she finally seemed to get a clue at the end. This book was extremely difficult to finish reading. I would not recommend this book.
That was pretty bad. The writing was really choppy and all the grammar errors made my head hurt. I was sick of Lexi slut shaming her bff all the time. You shouldn't fucking do that to your best friend.
I'm only reading the next book because I've heard it gets better and I'm curious to see how Lexi and Raven play out together. I like Raven, even though he's a total player.
review coming soon. Read this one pretty quickly on a trip. - Yara ______________
So this read happen by chance. I had seen it on Amazon while browsing and saw the football player and baseball player on the cover and thought to myself, "this looks like something I would like". I saw that it was free to download, so I said "why not". Well unfortunately that was as far as I got with it, I downloaded it and then forgot all about it. I have a really busy reading schedule due to all the review books my team gets and that is what I call "pleasure reading", and those books just sit around for a long time waiting on me to pick them u sometime. Every once in a while Ill binge read on those "pleasure reads" but honestly, it been a while. So thanks to my recent trip to Vegas and the fact that I didn't want to brother my roommate with the light being on, I pulled out my iPad and checked my library on the kindle app, to see what I had waiting to read. Immediately the cover of Opposing Sides caught my eyes. So I began reading it at that exact moment.
I was hooked right away, I would read at night or if we would come up to the room to change. Then on the flight back, I inhaled what was left of the book. Just ask my roommate that weekend, I couldn't stop talking about "Raven" and she downloaded right away. This book brought me back to when I fell head over heels for Miranda Kenneally's Catching Jordan book. They shared similarities like football and fun sexy characters you immediately connected with. I don't know about you but I'm a HUGE fan of any book, be it YA, NA or adult that contains some type of sport or athlete in it. Usually these books are great reads. So its no surprise how much I LOVED Opposing Sides. So when I finished reading it on the plane, let me tell you how annoyed I was, I was 30,000 ft above in the air with no wi-fi to access Amazon, so I could download the next book in the series.
Once on land and everything in order, I began texting the author and just tweeting "HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS BOOK". So I really hope this review serves it purpose and EVERYONE downloads this story, because just like I am, you will be caught in "The Raven's Trap" too.
Alright I guess I should write about the story a little bit. In Opposing Sides, you are introduced to Lexi, a senior in college. Lexi is dating the school's all-star pitcher. These two are engaged to be married and everyone is thrilled, well except maybe Lexi. Say what? Yea Lexi has been questioning her relationship with Collin. She wonders if they are together because it's the right thing to do and/or everyone approves, like their parents. Collin is not the most expressive loving fiancee, he puts his sport before everything and Lexi isn't sure she is ready to accept that anymore. Lexi doesn't think its to much to ask to get some affection that shows her how much Collin loves her and is ready to be married to her.
This is when you cue in the university's sinful Raven in the picture. Lexi has been assigned to tutor Raven and this seems to set things in motion right away. Raven turn son his super charm and Lexi has some serious work ahead of her to fight that charm. What will happen when the bad boy football player pays more attention than the handsome baseball player? One of these sports will come out victorious in Opposing Sides. Download your FREE copy today and get trapped in "The Raven's Trap". - Yara
I am on the fence on this one. the storyline is interesting and I will admit Raven catches you eye and you feel for Collin but there is something that just didn't completely enrapture me. This in no way means the book wasn't a good one and that I didn't continue on with the series because I did. Like I said Raven and Collin grabbed me and I wanted to see what the future held for them.
The Story: interesting premise. We have two people who have families that expected them to marry. they are engaged and very prim and proper. Collin is from a minister's home so he is buttoned up in some ways and doesn't express his feelings outwardly. Lexi is the good girl wanting to expand herself and doesn't feel loved by Collin. she is tempted by Raven and questioning if her and collin are meant to be. She skirts on the edge of being bad throughout the book by being tempted by Raven while Collin is so focused on baseball and his future he doesn't live in the present.
the characters: Lexi is meh. She is typical in her reaction to the bad boy but she does also try to resist. She tries to be what everyone wants her to be but is dying to break free of the chains that bind her to the life she is living and wants to learn to make decisions and mistakes. Raven love love love him. He is troubled and still working hard to be something. He falls for the good girl but doesn't act on it because of his low self esteem. Collin great guy but needs to learn to live in the moment. I felt for him when the proverbial pooh hits the fan. Overall the characters have flaws and allow you to see their cracks but not all draw you to them. The ones that do like Collin and Raven grab you and you want to see what is next for them.
The writing: good. The descriptions are not so lengthy that you want to pull your hair out. There are explanations when it is necessary and you are allowed to use your mind to see conclusions. The scenario creation keeps you in the moment and allows you to feel the situation as it is unfolding.
Overall this is a interesting book. Not your typical girl meets bad boy and ends up together. You will feel for Collin and Raven and root for both to have a happy ending.
It was a sweet romance, i think maybe the characters could do with being a bit younger as they all seem to act like 14 year olds not 20/21 year olds
"I took a step back. with my hand on my chest, i tried to steady my breathing"
what do you think could cause such a reaction in a 20 year old?
The fact her love interest thinks she is pretty and extremely smart, which earlier on in the book he already told her, she acts like hes just told her he wants to screw her.
Don't get me wrong i did enjoy the book, but i think the characters need to be younger to be more believable or in the 18th century.
The "bad boy" of the book was really about as bad as fresh sheets.... and the good boy was just again unbelievable unless he was Gay or a Mormon... i mean no touching come on who would put up with that for four years from 16 years of age to 20?????
I loved the story, and was written well but unbelievable and too young.
This seemed a lot more like a YA book than a New Adult book, which is totally fine, there's nothing wrong with that. What is wrong, however, is the way certain topics were addressed and approached.
WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD
The hoe-shaming was unbelievable. Lexi just kept coming at other girls in her head (never too brave to say it out loud, huh?) and constantly called them 'hoes' as an insult, yet she has no issue that her main love interest sleeps around too, if not more. Sure, it's fine when he does it, because he is THE RAVEN , isn't he? Legendary, good-looking guy who gets praised for his ever-rising body count. And yeah, she calls him a 'manwhore' once, but she didn't actually mean it derogatively. Anyway, she then goes off about how she is better than those 'hoes' and their 'silicone' boobs, because someone forbid you make choices about your body that people like Lexi don't approve about. Oh no, what would I ever do without Lexi's acceptance?
From all of that rambling, I reckon you know by now that I found the protagonist annoying and insufferable; she always tried to make the reader feel sorry for her, but instead, I just found myself wanting to pull out all my hair every time she spoke or thought something (and considering we were in her head the whole narrative, it was a painful experience). Here's a list of a few particular things that irritated me:
1. Every problem in the story could have been solved with communication on Lexi's part. The whole Collin issue wouldn’t have even been an issue if she had just opened that mouth of hers and explained how she felt to the guy. If communication clearly wasn’t possible, then that should have told her the marriage wasn't going to work out. Collin may have been a bit too closed off, but Lexi never tried to really make him understand, and he never showed any dangerous behaviour to suggest he would harm her if she did. She gave up too easily.
2. What a hypocrite. She claims she wants to know about Luke and her roommate's relationship, and keeps expecting to get answers from him, but I never see her jumping to tell him about her worries and secret pinning after Raven. And any confessions on her part to her roommate are almost always nearly dragged out of her, she never goes and starts spilling everything voluntarily.
3. Have I already mentioned the slut-shaming?
4. She was too harsh on Collin. It's definitely true that they should have never been together in the first place and that they were not a suitable match, but he seemed to grow up in a much stricter environment than her and you can see it in his values and moral compass. He wasn't comfortable with being touched, and though maybe it was some underlying problem he was trying to deal with, you should respect him regardless, not push him. No is no. Even if he is your fiancé. Consent is not only for girls to give, it's for everyone to give. Sometimes, the way Lexi approached Collin and demanded physical contact, not only made him uncomfortable, but me too. Whenever she started touching him I just chanted in my head 'stop it, stop it, stop it, leave him alone, stop it'. He had voiced multiple times that he didn't want to do those things, so she shouldn't have forced him to. If you really desire it and can't understand him, then you should find someone else that will make you happy because clearly, neither of you will be content if it's not at the other's expense.
5. Lexi was a virgin, not a nun who spent her entire life secluded in a convent in the 1800s with zero social skills and no interactions with guys. She kept having all these 'dirty' thoughts and insisting she was a grown woman, but if this paragraph doesn't scream kindergarten or primary school crush to you, I don't know what will:
“She quickly traded glances with us and then said, “Well, okay. All I know is that he told Josh he was working with this tutor, which is you,” she pointed at me, “that he really liked. He also said she was very pretty and extremely smart.” My mouth fell open, and I took a step back. With a hand on my chest, I tried to steady my heavy breathing. “He said that? About me?”
To be honest with you, I picked up this book because it was free, and you know, some free books are really great. I was really hoping that would be the case for this one - disappointment doesn't cover how I'm feeling.
This book was just so unbelievable in every way. Yeah okay it could actually happen, but seriously who has a four year relationship with a guy who is basically repulsed by your touch and can't give you the smallest of sentiments?
He obviously was not interested in her for obvious reasons and NO ONE COULD SEE IT?!
Made me want to pull my hair out, this book was predictable EVEN THOUGH it was so unbelievable.
Main character was frustrating and incredibly weak and even with the main conflict when she actually stood up for herself - I wasn't exactly rooting for her or cheering for her triumph - more like rolling my eyes and asking 'really? That's it? Okay.' 1 star for character development.
This book had a poor storyline which unfolded predictably and it may have been forgivable had the main male love interest had of been more interesting.
But no, no character development to show that he wasn't just a jackass, a player and a womanizer - yet an actual human being.
NO WHERE did I see any actual quirky characteristics or lovable traits or unforgettable one liners that just made me laugh. This book was devoid of that and I hate negative reviews but this one just really frustrated me.
So many things wrong, I would definitively not recommend this book, it was annoying and frustrating to read and a waste of my life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A must read. I received the book as a gift for an honest review. I have read all of C.M. Doportos books and loved them all. She is an amazing sci-fi writer. But gives us a twist with her new book Opposing Sides with no sci-fi in the book.I was shocked when I realized it, saying to my self is this really her and of course she did an amazing job. Lexi struggles through her life during her senior year of college,from her parents running her life, to her boyfriend of four years not showing any affection towards her.They were both raised to have no sexual contact until marriage but Lexi wants more. She cares deeply for her fiance Collin but doesn't know if its true love or an expectation of everyone around her. On top of everything She then gets thrown into tutoring the star quaterback Raven Davenport. The sexy hot football player that his smile, scent, and touch makes her warm in all the right ways and Unexpected feelings arise. Can she control her feelings for Raven and get Collin to make her feel that way? I want to say so much more about the story but I don't want to spoil the book.I am afraid I already said to much. This book is definitely a must read.
um, no. I didn't like this book. at all. honestly, I read it because the second book in the series kept popping up in my Amazon recommendations. So I thought, yeah let's see what the first one is about. it was free so why not? I feel like I wasted my time. someone else mentioned feeling lost regarding the "reasons" and I'm so glad that I'm not alone there. I kept thinking that I missed something somewhere but didn't feel compelled enough to go back and re-read at all.....especially since I skimmed most of the book once I got about halfway through. the relationship between the H and h? I didn't believe it for one second. none of it, from her breaking off her engagement (even if she needed to do that anyway) to him reforming from his supposed playboy ways. and the whiplash of back and forth feelings. ugh. I could probably right a more detailed, concise review but I honestly don't want to waste anymore of my time. I just felt like I needed to leave a review because all of the high reviews comes as a complete surprise to me. needless to say, I won't be following the kindle recommendation to read the second book.
I got enjoyment from the book but I had some issues so I guess I'm 2.5-3. I am going a little higher because I want to read the second book to see if some of the issues I had with book one will resolve. There was an age discrepancy when I started reading saying they had been together when they were 13 and had been together 4 years but she's engaged and I was like wait she's 17 but then suddenly she's 20 and in college and engaged. Just a little timing issue. Anyway Collin was a one dimensional character which was okay as the focus was on geesh blanking on her name! Anyway I liked that she was able to be real and know she needed more than the expectation that they should marry in order for her to make it work. What I didn't like was that she had this instant connection to raven when she knows nothing of him other than his reputation Mand he likes he back after two tutoring sessions because they keep canceling sessions. I guess I liked the premise but not sure it was fully executed.
I was lucky enough to meet C.M. Doporto at the Hard Rock Author Event earlier this year. At the time, I had wanted to read this series but didn't really have the time yet. It has been on my wishlist for a while. I was beyond excited when she offered me a copy the day I decided to start reading for fun, instead of for just reviews. I was hooked from the first chapter! She can write an entertaining story, that's for sure. I read a few previous reviews that complained about it having a cliffhanger ending but I didn't think it did. It was merely a set-up for the next book in the series. I enjoyed the characters; Coming from a very Christian background I can relate to Lexi. I'm a little shocked it took her four years with Delaney by her side, but my family's strictness ended when I was about 13. All around I enjoyed the book. If this review seems rushed, it's because it is...The faster I type the review out the faster I can start #2!
I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This was a shorter story that packed a punch. It had a variety of topics as well as inspirational underlying messages. This wasn't your ordinary love story... well it really isn't even a love story. It's more about love versus convinence. The main character was showing growth right from the get go, and also that with growth comes struggle and later acceptance. Lexi is a strong character to go against her parents, and others to do what was right and stop possible future complications. Not many people would be strong enough to do that. I'm so mad that it ended the way it did. Hello? Right in the middle of a turning point. GAH!! I had to message the author when I finished to force information from her ahha. Anyone looking for a shorter, fun NA novel, I would recommend this one to you.
The first book I read by Doporto was a Sci-fi book, The Eslites. Loved it. I heard she had written another book in a different genre so I decided to check it out. WOW. Just. Wow. If you haven't checked out Opposing Sides, I highly recommend it. It's different than her other series, almost to the point where I was like "This IS Doporto, right?" but it was no less awesome. The writing was completely different and the topics were different. I loved it! Doporto proves that she is a well-rounded author and can write in any genre.
This book is the first in a series and I'm really eager to get to know these characters. This book is about Lexi, a college student, trying to find who she is and what she wants in a relationship after meeting Raven, the college football quarterback. Sigh. I'm crushing on Raven. Just saying.
First, I feel like I really missed the initial spark between Lexi and Raven. It seemed like all of a sudden they had all these major feelings towards each other with no major buildup. In fact, I think this book covered too much of Lexi/Collin and it took away from the Lexi/Raven storyline. Second, what was up with Lexi being so dang whiny over Collin? I understood what she wanted from him and I understand how she felt, but damn, she turned into a stage five clinger there for a bit!
Other than the previously mentioned details, I did like the book and I see the potential in the series, so I hope to feel more passion in the second book!
Lexi has lived a sheltered life. Doing what her parents wanted her to do. She' engaged to they guy they love, Colin. She doesn't drink and goes to church every Sunday. She never does anything wrong. There just one problem, Lexi doesn't want to live like that anymore. She wants to live her own life and she meets just the right person to help her do that. And he just happens to be Raven, QB of the football team. He might be trouble, but one of the best kind. But will he be enough for Lexi to go against everything she's known?
Colin was just terrible. Didnt like him at all. He barely payed any attention to Lexi, made excuses for not seeing her, and refused to even kiss her. Does that sound like a good fiance? Yeah, I didn't think so either. They didn't love each other. So why in the world did they get engaged in the first place? Just to please their parents? That is no reason to get married. I thought that he was either gay or cheating. But nope, just a jerk that didn't have the guts to break up with a girl he didn't love.
Lexi was so whiny. All throughout the book it was, Why doesn't he want to kiss me, I just need some love, Do I want to marry him, I have to marry him he loves me, No doesn't love me, What would Colin think? All thought out the book? She constantly went back and for. He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not. Seriously? Make up your mind already. When she finally called of the engagement to him, I was so proud. She had to do it because he wouldn't. So she got some points there.
Raven is the play boy football player. But when Lexi starts tutoring him he starts liking her and gets rid of all of the other girls. Which is great, but one minute he is sleeping around with every girl and then he just wants to date Lexi? I dont know. I wouldn't trust him just yet. But I hope it works out for them.
I thought this would be a fun book to read by the pool. About a chapter into it I wanted to throw it in the water, and I hold the care of books in sacredness. If you love forgettable characters who WHINE ALL THE TIME this be the book for you!
Grace Fitzgibbon English 8 10/16/14 Reading Review
-Opposing Sides by CM DePorto
-Lexi is a college senior planning her wedding with the love of her life, Colin Norris. She comes from a very loving family that has strong values about life and marriage. Her parents sheltered her and influenced every decision she has ever made. She has never really made any life decisions on her own until now. Lexi is a good student only looking for a way to get away from everything and do things on her own.
-Colin is Lexi’s fiance and the star baseball player. He and Lexi have known eachother since they were young teenagers. Colin and Lexi’s families have greatly influenced their relationship and encouraged their marriage. Colin is a very sweet and family oriented young man.
-Raven is the star football player that Lexi starts tutoring. He is very charismatic and athletic. He is known as the “bad boy” who is always looking for a good time. He begins to help Lexi see that there is more to life than getting married to Colin.
-Lexis Mom is an over-protective parent. She has home-schooled Lexi until she finally sends her off to college. Lexi’s mother got pregnant at 16 years old and has spent her entire life ensuring that Lexi doesn’t make the same mistake that she did. All she wants is for Lexi to marry Colin, a close family friend.
-- Lexi is making an important decision in her life; this decision could affect her future greatly. Lexi wants to impress her parents by making the right decision. Lexi’s sister has “set the bar high” for her; she has a good paying job, a nice husband and 2 kids. But Lexi is not ready to “wear those high heels” yet nor is she ready to get a job and make money. All she wants to do is teach kids. However, when Colin asks her to marry him, she says yes because she thinks her parents would be proud that she is marrying a “nice boy”. During her wedding plans, she starts to tutor this boy named Raven Davenport. He is every girl’s dream boyfriend and every parent’s nightmare. Raven is the starting QB for the football team. Lexi starts to realize that Raven is not such a bad guy; he opens up her eyes and shows her how to have a different kind of fun. Colin is a great guy but can he open up her eyes like Raven has?
- Lexi is getting happily married to the “love of her life” according to her mother. Lexi feels pressured and unsure about this decision; she loves Colin but he can’t give her the “fun” things that Raven has been showing her. As she gets to know “bad boy” Raven Davenport her perspective on getting married to Colin changes. Colin provides her a good stable environment that her parents want for her but now does she want that? Raven is an entertaining guy that likes to do things that she would never dream of doing with Colin. Colin is a safe bet and is a good kid that you wouldn't see doing anything bad. On the other hand, Raven is bad news, he likes have parties and a good time. Raven brings out a side of Lexi and shows her a different way of living than her parents and Colin want for her. Lexi has a huge decision to make and she doesn't want to disappoint her parents, Colins parents or Colin for that matter.
- I personally enjoyed this book because it showed me how to keep my eyes open and not to assume anyone is bad until I actually get to know them for myself. In this book Lexi never dreamed her life would be any different than becoming a teacher and marrying Colin. A very simple and predictable life, until she met Raven, all that changed. Her parents kept her sheltered so she wouldn’t make that same mistake that her mother made by getting pregnant at the young age of 16. I also learned that parents shouldn't shelter their kids too much because they might end up like them ,unhappy or not make the best decisions for themselves.
I received a copy of this book in order to write an honest review.
This book was such a big disappointment, honestly the only thing I liked about this book was that the plot had been intriguing.
Mostly Lexi is so contradicting she says she didn't want to get drunk yet it was her choice to drink since they weren't paying any attention anyway. Speaking of attention, she needs sooo much attention, honestly the only reason she and Collin didn't work out was because he didn't pay any attention to her,
And honestly Collin is as contradicting as Lexi, he did have a problem with her getting drunk and acting like a slut but his best friend, Luke aka Lexi's brother does the same and he doesn't have any problem with him?
Now let's talk about Raven's and Lexi's relationship, I didn't dislike Raven but he has no depth, so does Lexi (but I really hated her), in fact no character in this book has depth.
Anyways, I seriously don't understand Lexi's appeal because she needs so much attention and he likes her because she's rare , this is really original author wow.
Also at one point she doesn't know what a lightweight is: first of all she's an English major, how the hell doesn't she know what it means? Second of all at one point Lexi went to the cinema to watch The Mortal Instruments and I'm pretty sure that lightweight has been mentioned in that series. And she was absolutely surprised that Raven knew who John Legend was, I mean sure who wouldn't know him, 'All of me' only is being played by the radio everyday, I mean why would you know about it? At some point she was also talking that the 'relationship building' between Raven and her was nothing she had ever imagined and in the short time she knows him, she claims that he knew more than Collin. I call bullshit, sorry, but the only conversation at this point they had were either about tutoring or drunk conversation. While Collin knows her shoe size??? There's no character development in this book unless you count her finally standing up and breaking off her engagement.
And the cliffhanger, I think the author wants us to think that their relationship went slowly, but in fact it isn't.
Opposing Sides was a cute quick read. I was however frustrated a lot with how the story played out and also with the lack of emotions and actions. I did keep hoping for more to happen but sadly it never did.
This starts with Lexi and her family already in the middle of planning the wedding to her long time boyfriend, Collin. I don't mind not getting a background story on these two but I would have liked to read the proposal and how it came about. The rest of the book is Lexi debating on whether to actually go through with the wedding or disappoint her parents and call it off.
Lexi and Collin were completely wrong for each other and it amazed me how long it took to realize that. Raven coming into the picture shifted Lexi's views on relationships while falling for him at the same time. That was another thing I didn't really see happening. Lexi starts tutoring Raven and even when they started becoming a little more she kept their relationship professional. And either it's just common knowledge or just skipped over but these two barely got to know each other. At least there is a sequel and yes I do plan on reading it. I do hope everything comes together because I feel like nothing got solved in Opposing Sides which is mainly why I want to keep with this series. And I hope for much more of Raven.
To be honest I had never heard of this author prior to reading this book, and now it makes me wonder....Why not? CM Doporto has written a beautiful story of a young woman whose eyes and heart are finally opening up to the world around her. Lexi is a 20 year old college student, virgin and engaged to the boy her family picked out, Collin. But she is starting to have second thoughts. Collin is not open in their relationship - he doesn't display any type of Love for her, or affection and it has her seconded guessing her engagement. Lexi is asked to tutor the local football hero, Raven Davenport, and this is where her life is turned upside down. CM Doporto explores the decisions that Lexi needs to make in her life with such openness that the reader wants Lexi to leave Collin. Admittedly, I didn't like Lexi at first, she was indecisive and whiny when it came to her relationship with Collin, but was able to flirt openly with Raven. As the story moved along I found myself cheering for Lexi to make the right decision for herself and not her parents. I thoroughly look forward to reading the second book in this series: The Same Side, to see how Ms Doporto continues Lexi's story. Well deserving of 5*****
A little different from other NA sports-themed romances with an engaged couple - Collin is the son of a minister and walks a fine line; Lexi and her twin brother been raised by overbearing parents who rule their lives. As a senior in college, it's time to spread her wings and live a little. But being engaged to a guy who shows no emotions or romantic overtures just isn't working out for Lexi. She want and expects more romance in their relationship. She sees it in other couples and wonders what is wrong with her and Collin's relationship. Especially when she's assigned to tutor the bad boy college quarterback, Raven, who sends tingles down her spine and a few other places as well. Will Raven be too much temptation for Lexi? Will there be a broken engagement in Lexi's future?
It's a very short and easy read. There's not much sports-related storyline and that was bit disappointing. Raven is an interesting guy and I look forward to more of his unveiling in the next installment. Lexi made me dizzy with her back and forth inner dialogue and she seemed so immature for a college senior. Then again, her upbringing probably had a great deal to do with that. Delaney, Lexi's roommate, kept the entertainment at a high level and she's one I can't wait to read more about.
I've read a few of this author's books before, and I always enjoy the story-lines. The characters are relatable, humorous, and fun to read about.
Lexi Thompson is a sheltered girl who does whatever her parents want her too. She's the perfect daughter and the perfect girlfriend...too bad it's all an act. Lexi wants to break out of this image everyone has for her and live her own life. She feels as if her life isn't hers anymore and even worse? She's not so sure if her lifetime boyfriend really loves her, or is going to marry her because he cares for her. There's no romance, no chemistry. He doesn't make her feel alive, not like Raven Davenport does.
Raven is a football star, but isn't doing that hot in school. Enter Lexi, his new tutor, and his life starts to get complicated. He used to be a player. Going from one girl to the next, but Lexi makes him want more. Can these two damaged people find love with each other?
A very good book. I love the romance and chemistry between Raven and Lexi, but wished Lexi figured out what she wanted sooner, but other than that, this book was great. I especially loved the ending. I usually don't like cliffhangers, but I liked this one!
Well this was an intriguing book. I gotta say I hate Lexi's parents and I hate Collin. Can they by any more old fashioned about relationships? Geez, I would have been running away as fast as possible.
And even Luke and Delaney drove me crazy. If you are old enough to have a fling then grow up and tell the person in the middle (Lexi) about it and stop sneaking around.
However, with all of these issues, I really liked this book. And that would be because of Raven. Yep, it's all his fault that I went and one-clicked the second and third novel in this series to see what happens to these characters.
I really hope Lexi stops being so naive and starts living like she wants to. Because if she goes through all of this only to back away, I will literally throttle her (if I can ever find a way to throttle fictional characters, that is).
So needless to say, I liked this book and I would recommend it to some readers. Other readers, though, might find it too cringe-worthy to read though, so just forewarning you.
Ugh, this was not an enjoyable read. It's a rare occasion when I cannot finish a book, but sadly this is one of those times.
I got to about a third of the way through the book before I stopped and nothing had really happened. Every single one of the characters annoyed me. They had no depth and the MC, Lexi, was forever complaining about something - as in, right from the very first line! Now that I think about it, that's all the other characters did too, complain, complain, complain - is it any wonder then that's all I can do about this book?
Lets just say I am REALLY happy that this was a free book from iTunes, otherwise it would've been a complete waste of money. As is, it was a complete waste of time - 2 hours of my life that I'll never get back when I could have been reading something amazing.
I recieved a copy of this book for an honest review by A Kiss Down Under Book Blog.
This book is about a young girl who is finding out what it is like to live her own life without being under her parents scrutiny, Lexi is a 20 yr old college girl who has lived doing everything her parents told her to do to be the perfect daughter.
She is engaged to her college boyfriend Collin but the physical/emotional part of the relationship is non existent she is asked to tutor the star quarter back of the college football team Raven Davenport and the chemistry is off the hook, does she stay with her safe fiance or does she explore what her body and heart are telling her with the one boy that can tear her heart out?
This was such a well written book, C.M. Doporto did an amazing job sucking you into the characters and plot of this story I didn't want to put it down.. I can't wait to read The Same Side to see how this story plays out..