In The Spur of Heath

by Sydney Ledger

Two hot men, one confused girl and a shitload of emotional trauma; Never let two men fall in love with you, girls. It never ends well...

Reese Singh - the sarcastic, strong-willed Trini girl; a little mean, a little defiant, a little indecisive and a whole lot of fun.
Heath Andrews - the Australian sweetheart, the best friend. The beautiful, harmless soul, and slightly clueless crush of Reese.
Jake Cavanaugh - the seductive, gorgeous lecturer. A witty confidante with a heart of gold. Forever immaculately dressed, and a few haunting secrets up his sleeve.

In pursuit of love from her best friend, Heath; Reese, a free-spirited Trinidadian girl who migrated to the US to pursue a degree in Film, finds herself amidst an even bigger problem when she begins having an unexpected student-teacher affair with the most attractive teacher on campus, Jake Cavanaugh.

Internally conflicted by her love for Heath & her erotic relationship with Jake, things begin to spiral wildly out of control when Jake's illusive past comes back to haunt him & their budding relationship. Forcing the ultimate decision...

The Best Friend or The Forbidden Love Affair?

A witty erotic romance with a touch of suspense, lots of drama and a roller coaster ride of emotions.

**Contains strong sexual content, adult situations and language

Genres: Suspense

328 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 21, 2016

About the author

AUTHOR: Sydney Ledger

Born in Trinidad:
8th March 1993
INFJ-A
Pisces-Sun ~ Virgo-Moon ~ Aries-Rising
Highly Sensitive Empath
Spiritually Awakened
Balance 11:11
Consciousness
Unconditional Love
Creative Free Spirit
Humorous & Adventurous
Nature Lover
Writing, Food, Art, Music, Film, Graphic Design, Reading, Learning, Swimming
Imagination
Meditation
Mother to an amazing soul
Psychology Major

Make sure to follow me:
www.sydneyledger.com
www.facebook.com/sydneyledgerauthor
www.twitter.com/sydledger
www.instagram.com/sydneyledger

Reviews

[Steph · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just front to back UGH.

It's tough being in love with your best friend when he doesn't have a clue. Reese Singh hasn't dated anyone since she met her roommate Heath Andrews, but once her film school professor Jake Cavanaugh makes a play, Reese is all in. Naturally, Heath begins to finally see what's been right in front of him and decides to throw his hat in for Reese's affections as well. Reese can't decide who she wants, and with both of the men's crazy ex's on the loose, shit's about to get real, real fast.

I'm usually up for at least TRYING anything when it comes to books, but there's a few things that are on my "not a fan of..." list. Unfortunate grammar/spelling/usage/tense/structure/POV (all the stuff you learn in middle school English class), likewise, poor to no editing (come ON), YA/NA romance with graphic sex scenes (just yuck), cheating (who wants OM/OW storylines in their ROMANCE) and terrible dialogue/monologue. Unfortunately, IN THE SPUR OF HEATH had all this and more. POV's changed frequently yet still weirdly came from Reese's perspective (yes, figure that one out), and some of the verbiage just made me want to pull out my hair. Exhibit A, please see the Mensa-esque sentence below:

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuckity Fuck Fuck Fuck! What. The. Fuck!!!!! Oh my Fuck, what the fuck! Holy shit balls, man, what the fuck? Yep, those were my thoughts. They were happy thoughts though!"

Those were lots of fuck's given...however, note that only some of them were used as proper, capitalized nouns. Needless to say, I had a super hard time getting through this kind of rubbish. To add insult to injury, Reese (or Trini or Reesie or Pieces) and Heath threw the word cunt around as an insult (I think...it's hard to decide if it's used as a term of affection or not), there were some lovely racial slurs, and every page seemed to have a song name dropped into it. Gaah, there literally wasn't anything I liked about IN THE SPUR OF HEATH and would not recommend this to anyone. Except maybe people I don't like.

Bottom Line: NO.

[P.S. Meraux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reese is a party girl, who drinks a great deal of vodka for a nineteen year old living in the U.S. and is torn between two men who both seem to hold a piece of her heart. Such is the dilemma she faces In The Spur of Heath. She also has sex with both in a disturbingly short period of time which is very graphically described. But I suspect that's a selling point.
I rarely read erotica or 'billionaire falls for student' stories. The genre is too far fetched for me. That may be the reason I had a hard time connecting with this novel. I feel like Ledger did a fair job of telling me Reese's story. But as a reader I expect to witness it first hand, not hear about it rhetorically. I pay attention to those kinds of subtleties.
Ledger's writing style is full of colloquialisms from Reese's home island, Trinidad, a place she knows well and obviously loves. Enthusiastically penned with an able hand. The book could use more proofing though. Some of the grammatical errors were distracting and took me out of the story.
The subplot, while useful in achieving the needed separation of characters, felt forced, especially since there were other avenues that the author created which could have done the trick much more easily.
I liked that Reese kept constantly offering updates about the music playing in the background of each scene, location or venue. It's like she's giving you her own unique playlist. Something that I would expect from a party girl. Those kinds of details eventually helped me root for her and carried me through the story.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest non-reciprocal review.

[Barb McKinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROMISING NEW AUTHOR! KEEP AN EYE ON HER.

Author, Sydney Ledger has a unique writing style. I had to go read her bio and it made sense. "In The Spur of Heath" is a romance tale in which the girl in the book is from Trinidad. Well, so is Ledger. Her writing reflects the melody of the island cadence.

The characters develop really well and you can relate them to someone you know. While it has been awhile since college, I remember partying more and being hung over in class. Of course there is college so there is sex. I like the way Ms. Ledger handled that in this book. Not too erotic and not over blown considering kids and college.

Ms. Ledger does a good job of creating suspense and combines romance mystery, adventure, taboos and several plotlines inside of the boy meets girl plot. In this I believe she will learn and grow into her craft and, I believe, only get better.

My reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is the simple problem of editing. While her Trinidad dialect is great for the story, it needed more editing. Some words were simply misspelled or just left out. It made the reading a little distracting at times. Poor editing can really turn a good book into something unreadable. It wasn't that bad but it was something many young authors make a mistake in not carefully editing.

I am happy to recommend this book to all readers of romance. This gutsy, suspenseful novel is a wonderful book that I truly enjoyed.

KUDOS MS. LEDGER ON A TALE WELL TOLD.

[Jessy D · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!! In The Spur of Heath by Sydney Ledger was AWESOME! Can we say emotional freakin roller coaster?!?! You have Reese, a college student studying film with her best friend/crush of all time Heath. She moved here a year ago from Trinidad to go to school. Then you have Heath, her roommate and the man she is completely in love with even though he's clueless to that fact and best friend. Now I must introduce Jake. One of the film professors at their school/rich film maker who seems to have taken a liking to Reese. Reese and Heath are starring in Jake's newest Indie film and Reese needs a little coaching on her new role. She goes to Jake's house for some help with her lines and things seem to start getting a little steamy. Did I happen to mention that Jake is 16 years older?!? Not that it really matters, he's hot as hell!
As the story begins to unfold, you find out that once Jake and Reese start to date, Heath's feeling for her come to light. It's what she's always wanted, and yet sooooooo not the right time. She's with Jake. People from Jake's past make an appearance and throw everything off kilter. They screw EVERYTHING UP! Trust me, read the book to find out. Cause it's a damn wild ride that I just couldn't seem to get off. Now I'm pist that I read it so damn fast. Seriously though, things happen you don't expect. Cheating, lying, murder, and a love triangle from Hell.
This was a fantastic read. The book was written in UK English so the wording/spelling was a little different but it put a nice spin on it. Well Freakin Done. I would definitely read this Author again.
I received an ARC of this book for my honest review.

[Lynda Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boom goes the dynamite!

I am in awe of Sydney Ledger...I was searching for a good sustainable storyline amongst all the billionaire/single mom,billionaire/waitress/billionaire/goat herders...when I stumbled upon this gem...the Trini girl who managed to snag two great guys,got engaged to both....but wait I am jumping ahead..Reese Singh is a young adult transplanted from Trinidad to SoCal for film school...she in love with her best friend Heath..a hot Aussie....meanwhile...her hotter than hot professor/film lecturer is secretly in lust with her...oooh but there's a 15 year age gap...which is the least of the problem...Reese is very young and has a hard time deciding who she is truly in love with...then the evil ex appears...and the other girlfriend in the picture is a evil racist byatch...I became team Jake...because it was the most intense and satisfying choice...I was pumped up reading this book even though I did not know any of the music mentioned...that's cause I old...but please pick this one up....Team Jake all the way...y a y

[Momma Hellmouth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of The Spur of Heath by Sydney Ledger
Rating 4 Stars
What an great book! This is Not your typical love triangle read. This is a highly charged emotional rollercoaster experience!
The characters within these pages are so life like. Your given a front seat into their lives as you watch a train wreck occurring. This story is nothing like you expect it to be, which is wonderful! I like it when I can read a story and it keeps me guessing or on the edge of my seat and this story does just that! The anticipation of events you can see are about to happen, yet the happen but not like you thought they would. Plot Twist HEAVEN!!
This is a first for me of this author, but it will not be my last. Reese Singh and her two lovers take you on a journey that’s so well worth reading. I highly recommend you taking the time to read this baby, you’ll be glad you did.
*For those who are sensitive to cheating don’t read* I say Sydney Bring it On Girl! I want some more!!
**Received an ARC from the Author in exchange for an honest review**

[Sarah Salvatore · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Spur of Heath was an incredible book. Once you delve into it, it takes you on an emotional roller-coaster ride. You'd begin to experience the struggle and dilemma the main character Reese Singh is undergoing. Torn between two lovers, and not being able to choose one in fear of hurting the other.
It is not your typical, cliché love triangle stories you normally read. It has romance, drama and comedy. Every page you read makes you anticipate, wanting more. So many plot twists that makes you lose your mind.
The characters each has their own spunk. There's much more to them than when you first meet them. Even if you take out the romance from this book it would still be interesting, and I believe that was what the writer was going for.
(There were a lot of trini slangs and language in the book. I believe some people may find a few stuff hard to understand. Besides that minor issue, everything was well written.)

[Emma bramley · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the first book by this author that I've read and it definitely will not be the last one, it was fantastic. this story is an emotional roller coaster of a ride all the way through. this book has everything, love, lust, murder, lying and a love triangle, all this will keep you reading long into the night. this author definitely has a fab way of writing that just sucks you into the story and never lets you go till then end, then you are left wanting more and more. i cant wait to read more from this author in the future.

highly recommended

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[Stephanie Ruocco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story and the characters. I think the author did a great job creating some personal drama between Heath, Trini and Jake. I could have done without the huge background culture on Trinidad and the narrative where every little scenario or room is described in great, great detail. I skimmed through a lot of that. Other than that I am looking forward to book 3 (not 2) the prequel doesn't interest me now that I have read this story. I think this book is worth a read if you like love triangles :)

[Evie Summers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Title: In the Spur of Heath
Author: Sydney Ledger
Series: In the Spur of Heath #1
Genre: romantic drama
Themes: forbidden love, friends to lovers, love triangle, unrequited love
Heat: 3/5
Rating: 2/5

We then slowly pulled away, our eyes still locked and that’s when I realised that it was more than just acting, it was real.

I really wanted to like this. The premise was great; I am a fan of love triangles when they are done well. I am a fan of forbidden love, when it's done well. I'm a fan of friends to lovers, when it's done well. I'm a fan of unrequited love, when it's done well. The problem here is that there are too many themes and romantic tropes all chucked together. It's like choosing all your favourite ingredients and mixing them together because they should taste great. But it's not great; the flavours don't work together, and it's messy.

The novel opened up with a big infodump, rather than having these character descriptions and pasts weaved seamlessly into the narrative. Yet, once it feels like you get the hang of it and know where you're going, something completely new is thrown in - in this case, a dose of crime and suspense - and just totally ruins the suspense of disbelief. Not to mention seeming completely out of character. With some of these aspects and themes removed, this novel would have probably been half the length and twice as readable.

I was in the spur of Heath, and with being in the spur of Heath, I eventually lost myself. I broke every bit of morality left in me because I wanted to have my cake and eat it too.

I wasn't a huge fan of the narrative voice. There were too many exclamations, and despite it being in first person, this seemed to be an omniscient first person narrative. If the reader needed to know these details, it would have been more effective to either use different POVs or to come out of Reese's brain and use a third person voice instead. There was also a lot of telling, not showing - I like to be able to make my own mind up about how to feel, rather than be told that particular things are sad or infuriating

Ledger is a new author, and there is certainly potential here. The killer climax, something I was absolutely not expecting, being one example. There was simply too much here to fully be able to invest in the characters, particularly when Reese herself became unrelatable and unlikeable in how long she messed around with these two.

[Akeisha -Til' The Last Page BB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the debut novel by Sydney Ledger and I had a lot of mixed emotions about this book.
My interest in this book was initially based on the mentioned of my home country Trinidad. I got really excited as I have yet to read any books about Trinidad in this indie community (let me know if you see any) and I was hoping the author would do it justice.

In The Spur of Heath was based mostly in California however the heroine originated from Trinidad.

**Be warned if you are not a fan of cheating and love triangles this one might not be for you.**

In the beginning, I found it hard to stick with the story. Getting to know Reese was a little challenging as she rambled a lot. I thought that somethings were over described as the author would break down every detail of a room or a situation. As I continued to read Reese grew on me a little. Thinking back after having read the book I think the way the story was written was a little hard to read. E.g. one minute Reese was saying something, then she would fall asleep, and then she would recount what was happening with another character outside her door. It was a little confusing.
I think if there was alternating points of views and they were clearly labelled as to who we were reading at the time it could have made the flow of the story a little better.

The story itself wasn’t bad and the language used maybe a little hard for some to read. As a first book I thought the author did a good job. In The Spur of Heath was full with suspense, mystery and a love triangle that would have you torn between both men. In the end I preferred Jake but you would have to read the story to find out why. Overall, I liked the story.

[TDCbookreviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical love story set up: Girl loves best friend. Best friend shows no interest. Girl falls in love/lust with someone else. Now, best friend wants her too. Hello, drama.

Reese and her professor start a hot and heavy thing together, only to have his past interfere and break them up. When she finally gets a chance to be with her best friend, Heath, she is over the moon... except she cannot get Jake off her mind. This back and forth goes on for most of the book, with sexy scenes all over the place, while Jake tries to handle his past once and for all so he can have his happily ever after with Reese.

3/5 for the story. The writing was alright but the POV needs some work i.e when Reese is in her room with Jake, Heath wants to go ask her something "he heard the bed's movements, waited a moment and then descended the stairs" as an example.... but it's still from Reese's perspective: how could she know this? It got confusing. Chapter POVs are different, which is always fun.

The fact that it's 2016 and the word "gay" is used in a derogatory way is a bit tactless though.

18+ for language and mature content.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read one full of jealousy, betrayals, darkness, love and hate and more. I did have a little bit of a time getting into the story since it isn’t written as an American but Trinidad which made the story more believable. The author has a different kind of writing style giving you characters you can relate to with a story that is believable from the college partying of a young teen just getting away from home to the desire of the young youth. The author gives you suspense, mystery and romance along with some hot sex scenes with is a roll caster romance.

Reese has a crush on her best friend’s friend Jake, her roommate and best friend Heath is madly in love with her. Jake and Reese start dating as Heath’s feelings come to light. You have cheating, lying, trust issues, murder, and what a love triangle. The book was written in UK English so the wording and spelling are a little different which might throw a read. This was a good read that was entertaining.
*************************

[CDBW · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Crazy Stars!

I really had a tough time with this. I originally started reading this a couple of weeks ago and got about 10 pages in and just could not get into the story. I picked it back up three days ago and I just finished it. I'm not big on DNFing a book so I pushed through.
While the general plot of the love triangle was great, there was just too many things going on in this. It was awfully distracting to read and really could never totally get into the story (hence it taking three days to read when a book of this length usually takes me a day and a half).
This book just wasn't for me.