In the third instalment of Jennifer Bernard’s fabulous Jupiter Point series, we get to get better acquainted with Rollo Wareham. Although we had met him briefly in the previous books, I didn’t know what to expect of his story, and Ms. Bernard made it a terrific one. Brianna Gallagher and Rollo have been very good friends for a while, and although Rollo comes to think there could have been more, his family situation makes it just about impossible: Brianna would not fit in, and truth be told, he would do that to a friend; his family is impossible and too snobbish for Brianna.
Rollo has a riveting backstory, and sweet, darling Brianna is a hopeless klutz, has no fashion sense, puts her foot in her mouth, babbles ceaselessly, and also has a heart that is as big as the heavens. Rollo and Brianna are friends, they really enjoy each other’s company, but they don’t perceive them as romantic feelings, until they realise that they do, which comes about rather by accident. They both have crushes on other people, which nobody knows about, and friends are always matching them together. After one of those failed blind dates where they’ve been set up, they agree to help each other win over their respective crushes. That’s when Rollo begins to think that maybe Brianna is more than his friend. Alas, there is no place for Brianna in his upper crust family.
Rollo and Brianna are both lovely people, and INTO THE FLAMES is a wonderful romance, but at times, my heart broke for Brianna, because of Rollo’s attitude towards his parents. Now, I’ll be even more hard-pressed when the time comes to choose a favourite book in this fabulous series, because INTO THE FLAMES is such a great story with very complex characters. It is very well written, with no boring bits, and there is so much fun to be had. Jennifer Bernard has given us another fabulous book, and now waiting for the next one!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.