Not a Love Story

This Love #1

by J.L. Lennon

When Tessa lost her mama, her grieving father moved her and her little brother across the country to a grandmother they’d never met. She was lonely and unsure of where she fit into her new life.

And then she met Jasper.

The younger brother of a guy in her dad’s MC, Jasper had no desire to baby-sit or run errands for Jess Morgan. He hung out with the club to watch out for his wayward brother- that was all.

And then he met Tessa.

An unlikely friendship formed between them, and the bonds were made even stronger, because Tessa trusted Jasper. He was the one person she could depend on. And she made him see past his self-imposed limitations, made him believe he was better, made him want to be better.

An innocent crush. A stolen kiss.
She believed in his words like she used to believe in fairy tales….

And then he left.

She blamed herself, because everyone leaves eventually, don’t they?

But Jasper’s back. The day she turns eighteen, he’s standing in her garage wearing a prospect patch and a smile that’s more like a question.

It doesn't matter that she’s off limits.

It doesn’t matter that he’s fifteen years older than her.

He came back, and she’s not a little girl anymore…

And their story isn’t over.

Genres: Contemporary Romance

373 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 12, 2020

About the author

J.L. Lennon is a storyteller with a knack for playing with the intricacies of love. Known for her contemporary romance novels, she weaves narratives that toe the line between the unconventional and the heartwarming.

Since childhood, J.L. Lennon has been fueled by a love for storytelling that has blossomed into a vibrant passion. As an author unafraid to explore the complexities of love, her tales are a mix of passion, turmoil, and emotional rollercoasters, keeping readers hooked with every page. Among her self-published works are "Not a Love Story" (2020), "No Such Thing as Forever" (2021), and "In Between Breaths" (2021).

Beyond the world of writing, you'll find Lennon either typing away on her computer or engrossed in a good book. In addition, she spends time nurturing young minds, teaching preschoolers about kindness and the enchantment of reading. She is a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University, where she earned a dual bachelor in degree in English and creative writing.

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Reviews

[L.L. Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy age-gap goodness!

"I'm always yours and you're mine."

Sooooo, author JL Lennon made me cry - and that doesn't happen often - but wow, was I ever invested in Tessa and Jasper's 'forbidden' love. I say 'forbidden' because he's 15 years older and used to take care of her when she and her brother were kids. There was nothing nefarious going on but outsiders, looking in, might well raise their eyebrows.

They fit in all ways two people should fit, except one.

I really liked how genuine the central conflict of the story felt, because Jasper and Tessa's situation would definitely cause comment among family and friends in the real world. And it tore Jasper up inside. 😍😍

In the past, Jasper has done the right thing and Tessa hasn't been happy about it . . .

He doesn't get to do this. He doesn't get to just come back and be here and ask questions about things that mean so much to her and expect answers like . . . like he's worthy of them.

. . . but don't you just love a man who puts his girl first? Overall, a fabulous read.

If you're into . . .

✔ contemporary romance
✔ forbidden love
✔ age gaps
✔ MC adjacent reads

. . . you've found your next read.

Possible triggers: hospitalizations and death of a loved one

[Nisha's Books and Coffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not entirely sure where to begin with this book. It was nothing like I expected but everything I needed in a book right now at this very moment and @jllennon_author killed this.

This made me emotional and is easy in my top reads of this year. Age gap, slow burn, and contrary to its title, this IS a love story and one of soul mates just waiting their turn. Tessa and Jasper! Jasper is magical. His love for Tessa. His love for his brother. His love for his art. Tessa is such a sweetheart. She is a mother to her younger brother and is trying fight the anger snd sadness that lives in her over the loss of her mother. The one person she’s ever needed is Jasper. And then he left her…left them.

This story made me happy to the point at times I was actually grinning. It also broke my heart and I my eyes watered up. This book reads like a movie. It’s an interesting writing style and one I wasn’t expecting so it caught me off guard at first but I really really loved it.

I loved ALL of the supporting characters and I can’t wait to read her second book. If you haven’t read this debut novel …please just go for it! It’s heartwarming! 🧡

[Nikki Noffsinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, heartbreaking, infuriating, passionate, and two main characters that are strong leads are exactly what makes "Not a Love Story" a great romance read. I will be honest, I feel that as an average woman, I have normal emotional responses and I can actually watch Old Yeller and not turn into a sopping mess. I read this book and I was a sopping mess but the story was so engaging that I had to finish it. At one point I just didn't think my heart could take anymore but that's where the author's gold shows. She broke my heart and then fixed it with how she told Tessa and Jasper's story. Bravo J L Lennon and I loved it so much I may just re-read it all over again.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

*DNF*

1 Kiss

I haaaaaaaaate doing this. Like…really and truly hate it. I read for the love of books and when one doesn’t work out for me it just flat out sucks – there is no other way to classify the feelings. I don’t like anything about what I’m going to have to say, none of this brings me any kind of enjoyment, I really and severely dislike having to say I didn’t like a book. I was 100000% into everything about Not a Love Story…loved the cover, loved the blurb, it was right up my alley and I was super stoked to dive into Tessa and Jasper’s story. Sadly…it was a pretty rough start and while I attempted to push through, it never fully recovered and I finally had to give up at 60%.

So…my first issue with Not a Love Story was the POV…it’s third person. I struggle a lot with third – it’s not an easy POV for me to connect with, I’m extremely picky with this POV…and from the beginning I had a very hard time keeping track of things. There were lots of names thrown around and there were some things I had to re-read because I forgot who was who. The main reason why I struggle with third person POV is because of the emotional connection…I feel like I don’t connect as much emotionally with the characters as I do in other POV’s…and sadly that was the case here as well. There were a few moments…but as many emotional situations that were in NaLS…I really should have felt a lot more than I did.

I really did like Tessa and Jasper…a lot…they’re great characters but I felt like I wasn’t getting as deep with them as I wanted to…especially with them as a couple. It was a lot of the same repeated thoughts over and over…a lot of the same stilted/stalled out conversations – if I had a dollar for every time one of them started a sentence and didn’t finish it, it was so aggravating! The repetitiveness really got to me, that’s one of my pet peeves and if he brought up their age and how wrong it was one more time I was going to strangle him through my kindle. That was another thing…their age…I knew how old she was but I cannot ever remember when his age is brought up. I mean, I know his older brother is around her father’s age…but that really doesn’t tell me much.

I promise…I tried with this one – I kept giving it another 10% because I kept hoping that my issues were going to go away or that something would happen to make me ignore the things that weren’t working for me…and it just never happened. I knew when I was skimming things that I needed to give up – I never skim books…and if I am, that’s a REALLY bad sign…but it got to the point where I only cared about the things that were happened when Jasper and Tessa were together…everything else was just background noise…and that’s just not good. I’m really bummed that Not a Love Story didn’t work out for me…but I do hope others are enjoying Jasper and Tessa’s story.

[Lizzie Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Jasper, how do I love thee?

I went into this book expecting things to go one way, and they went entirely another. It kept surprising me, and the interactions between the characters - all of them, not just Jasper and Tessa - were so believable it was like eavesdropping on real life conversations. Bravo.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5-3 stars

This was kind of a PG biker book. Really different from all the other biker books I’ve read. I was looking forward to the little forbiddeness feel that you get when an older man and younger girl have feelings for each other. I really didn’t feel it in this book.

The writing style wasn’t for me. Third person books never work for me. I hate being told how everything is unfolding. I like for the book to just flow naturally between characters. I had a hard time following this story. I really wasn’t totally invested in Tessa.
Tessa in ways seemed younger then 18. But also older in other ways. Like when she was taking care of her younger brother.
His whole story line was a bit of a shock. And I felt like the book was more focused on Eli the brother than Tessa and Jasper.

The relationship between Tessa and Jasper was slow. And I mean slow!!! I felt Jasper treated Tessa for a good chunk of the book like a child. I absolutely hated how he would call her girl all the time. I just wanted to feel that forbidden feeling you get when you’re sneaking around. Tessa really took things soooo slow. Kissing got old after a while. Then we moved on to the touching and grinding stage. It showed her age... I felt, if she had to stop herself with the person she was in love with. Then she wasn’t ready to have a grown up relationship with Jasper.

Another thing that bugged me was Jasper age.
You don’t know how old Jasper is until you’re 66% in. The whole time I kept thinking. How old is Jasper. Why hasn’t the author told us. It was diving me crazy.
He’s 15 years older then Tessa.

I also thought there was a lot going on. Tessa brother. Her dad....& her grandmother. Along with club stuff. It just seemed weird. I don’t consider then bikers. more like a guys going over to a friends house.

I kept going back and forth on my rating.
Overall... this wasn’t a bad book. I didn’t hate it. But...I didn’t love it either. The third person writing style had a lot to do with it.

*ARC provided for an honest review*

[Jenifer Briggs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to say it, but I just didn't like this book. I was really looking forward to reading it because for one, it's an age gap and I LOVE that trope, as well as the forbidden aspect to it, as well as being an MC romance. That cover is also freaking gorgeous so I was really hoping I would love it.. but I just didn't.

First of all, it's written in the third person and I can't stand reading books that are written that way. But I tried to push that to the side so I could immerse myself in the romance between Tessa and Jasper, but unfortunately, I just didn't feel their connection. Tessa truly had so many heartbreaking things that happened to her, and my heart definitely went out to her.. but I just couldn't connect with this book.

I'm truly not trying to be mean because I know how much effort authors put into their work, but this just wasn't for me.

**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions.**

[BeerMe_BookClub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a love story by @jllennon_author is going to steal your heart !!! Do not let this title fool you this is definitely a love story & such a amazing one !!! This age gap forbidden love story of Tessa and jasper man do these two get put through it ! They face heartbreak, challenges, more heart break but also so much love that is just so undeniable🖤🖤 Tessa had to grow up quick and from a young age she knew there was just something about jasper her heart would not let her forget & even though jasper tried to forget about her one look again year later has him a goner ! These two help heal each other after life through everything it could at them 🖤 definitely check it out !!!!

[Dyan Layne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! More than a love story!

I was totally blown away and completely mesmerized by this DEBUT novel - yes, that's right, I said debut! J.L. writes beautifully with a unique voice that takes you into the story. An angsty engaging plot, well developed characters and...gosh, I just really loved the hell out of this book. I think you will too!

Congrats on a stunning debut, J.L.!

[C.A. Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romantic, hot and a genuinely touching story

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this story, and it’s not a lot of books that can get me actually crying. But this one did. The characters were well developed and interesting, and the forbidden element is handled maturely. The sexual tension and romance was spectacular. And my GOD the feels!! The third person POV was a bit difficult to get used to, and it’s still not my favorite, but I was able to look past it to see that this author writing can be downright breath-taking. Some lines landed so perfectly that I, as an author, was a little jealous.

That being said, this book left things to be desired when it came to polishing. Multiple typos, tense errors, and a mishandling of paragraph breaks were sometimes distracting. Partly due to the structure of paragraphs, it was sometimes unclear who were speaking lines of dialogue. This is nothing that a good copy edit couldn’t have caught. The ending too felt a little rushed.

However, if you’re not the picky reader I am, this is a book that you definitely should read. And I will be looking forward to reading this author’s work in the future.

[bramble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story delivers what it promised on the "dustjacket". This is a sweet and emotional romance with a good portion of steaminess and a side of angst. Even though the setting is entirely unfamiliar to me (I almost died on a motorcycle once but I don't know anything about clubs! :D ) the author still managed to make it feel familiar. I liked all the characters I was supposed to like. This book is great for some escapism, and not easy to put down. I had to a few times, because life, or I might have finished sooner. :) A good summer read or beach read!

[Nicole Ortiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, heartbreaking emotional story of love, loss and family. I loved Tessa and Jasper's story. It's a bit slow pace, but I loved the story line and the characters. I look forward to reading the next couple.
I received an ARC and volunteered to leave a review.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not A Love Story by J.L. Lennon is an age-gap romance that was angst-filled and emotional. After losing her mom, Tessa’s father took her and her brother to live somewhere else. She never felt her father truly cared about her, but then she met Jasper. She begins to trust and want more, but they can’t be, right? Jasper leaves but comes back years later. Is this finally their chance? Tessa was caring if a bit lost and Jasper was determined. They loved each other; can they survive what lies ahead of them?

Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!

[Lisa M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoiler - you will need tissues 😭

[My_book_obsession25 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The review may contain spoilers !!! Not a love story is a book captivating a person from the beginning. Tessa is a girl who lost her mother and a father who does not pay attention to her. The whole time I was reading the book, I kept coming to her father's screams about his behavior. How can a father be so selfish. In the middle of the book, as I read, I cried all the time. Ellie shouldn't have died, I felt so sorry for him that even now, when I think about it, I cry. But otherwise I really liked the book and the whole time I was reading it was like I was there. And I wish there was a second book where we would see Tessa Jasper with a dog and a lot of babies.

[Julia Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, it’s most definitely a love story between Tessa and Jasper. Jasper is 15 years older than Tess, they meet when she’s too young and he’s asked to look after her and her brother Eli. He leaves when he begins to feel things he shouldn’t for her, the feelings are very mutual. 3 years later he’s back and both are still in love with each other. Wading through their relationship, that they try and keep secret while also dealing with an absent father and an adorable brother, they eventually get their HEA. Be warned this story bought me to tears in places but so worth the read, looking forward to more from this author.
I received an arc for my honest review.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book... took me a while to read, to really dive into the story, but once I did it was worth it.

The book follows Tessa and Jasper, she's the daughter of a MC president and he is the brother of one of the members, there's also the fact that they have a 15 year gap between them. She fell for him but since she was too young he left, when he came back, he had to find out everything moved on without him. They both had to figure out what they wanted out of life, and what they wanted from each other. There's also the fact that Tessa is a surrogate mother to her little brother who has a heart condition, they live with their grandma who's also sick and her dad doesn't acknowledge her.

At the beginning, the story was somewhat slow and I had to leave it for a while, but once it gets moving and picks up the pace, you really get drawn to it. Their biggest flaw is that they were afraid to really say what they wanted in fear of hurting the other or holding them back. Tessa had too many responsibilities, more than she should have at her age but she never complained. Jasper was always there for her, helped in any way, he was a part of the family and more intuitive to her than anyone else.

I think the most beautiful part of their story is the fact that they both saw each other deeper than they expected. Tessa knew his dreams, what he wanted and needed, and always supported him. Jasper made her feel seen, heard and loved. He was her rock throughout her life and was always willing to help her and make her feel safe, help her see that she mattered and that she needed to live for herself.

The secondary characters were all amazing, Eli, her little brother, was simply the highlight of the book, his sweetness and innocence and simple happiness uplifted everything else. The dad, Jess, you kinda hate him but at the same time pity him I guess.

Overall, great story, the ending nearly killed me and I had to hold back some tears but everything fell into place.

[Crissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a good age-gap story so I was excited to read this book. I know every book will not be for every person and unfortunately this story was not for me. One of the main things that killed this story for me was the pace of it. It was so slow! The whole story seemed to drag. I really wanted to enjoy it and I really tried but I didn't. My heart broke for Tessa. All she wanted was for her father Jess to acknowledge and love her and much as he did her younger brother Eli. He denied her the love she needed and wanted because she looked like her mom. I hated Jess! Tessa's character makes you want to grab her and give her hugs and love. My heart went out to her when she was dealt another devastating blow and even though my heart went out to her, it wasn't enough to make me love this story. When it came to Jasper, I just didn't feel the chemistry or love between the two of them. I wanted to believe in something between them and I didn't. The end of the story was one for now and it had a sweet ending but even if there's another book I know it's not for me. I'm not bashing this book, I'm just saying it's not for me.

[Anita Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is just a personal opinion, and I don't want to take away from the author, here, but this didn't work for me.

Using the 3rd person, but using the present tense, kind of reads like there is an omniscient narrator who is relating the gist of the story, rather than the story itself. At times, this read like the author's notes, rather than the actual book itself.

Also, really could have done without the child death. That was depressing and, to be honest, I don't feel like it added anything to the story. I think they could have easily got to where they were going without it. I read to be entertained, and I don't find anything entertaining about the death of a child. It was unnecessary.

Jasper and Tessa were likeable characters, but dear god, I really wanted to bash their heads together sometimes. Sometimes they were just being silly, and that was off-putting.

This was not a 1* read, but I really feel this could have been done a lot better. It was hot and Jasper is the type of hero I generally enjoy - I just feel like he was wasted in this book, and the whole book was a missed opportunity.

Gorgeous cover, though :-)

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dreams, love, and family

It’s a slow burn that makes you believe in love even if an age difference comes into play. I loved Tessa and Jasper together. He took care of her and Eli when they were growing up and cared for them and loved them. He was a role model, a confidant, and a friend. Considering their age difference I love that they took it slow. Their intimacy, love, and devotion, it makes you reflect back on it throughout the story and once the story is over. I loved he made her a glass sculpture, to showcase her beauty. It was hard wrenching and crushing when they both went through losing Eli. Which ultimately led them to break away, and then eventually come back together. It was awesome when I found out that Jasper‘s last words to Eli were no more broken promises; and that was his way of trying to convey that he was going to take care of Tessa. Jasper’s proposal was technically backwards, like he said, but it really did tug at my heart strings and their evolving love did too.

[lovelust andbloodygoodbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank You for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

This is Book 1 in the This Love Series.

In this book we follow the Lives of Tessa and Jasper, who will literally steal your heart, tear it up and put it back together again. The book is Written in third person which is not for everyone. Personally after reading soo many books that are not in this it took me while to get my head around but the story itself is easy to read.

Tessa is the daughter of an MC biker president, she has been through an awful lot of hurt in her life and When she her eyes catch an older sexy MC's brother. There is just an instant attraction that neither can help deny.

The connection between these two characters was quite captivating. My only critique would be that at times it felt a little confusing as to who was actually speaking in some of the dialogue but in general I enjoyed reading this book.

My Overall Rating is 4 💋💋💋💋
My Passion Rating is 3 💋💋💋

[Jennifer Shepard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I read from this author and let me tell you that I loved it! Such a good book with great characters that keeps you obsessed with every page since the first one. The ending of this book.. come on! I just didn´t expect it! Can´t wait to read other books from this great writer! Amazing job! a must-read! A fantastic book that has it all! I happily endorse this story to any and all who are looking for a fiction enjoyable read and a completely different experience than anyone could imagine on their own. ¡Great book!

[Chanel Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tessa and Jaspers story begins when she was the young daughter of President of the MC. When Jasper leaves, it devastates her. Now she’s 18 and he’s back in her life. How does she feel now?

Tessa and Jasper both experience heartache and challenges but they depend on each other. Tessa has to take care of her brother but I feel like sometimes she acts like a child that is in need of being taking care of herself.

I’m not a huge fan of third person writing and this book was no exception. It’s just not my favorite and I struggled to get into this story. The story also moved a little too slow.

[•Cici• Theory of A Dreamer Book Blog♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

As soon as i found out about Ms.Lennon's This Love books i instantly started looking forward to them! I added them to my TBR right away. I picked this first installment up as soon as i could and got into this world. I enjoyed it!

This first book in Tessa and Jasper's journey got my attention! I felt so many things with these characters from beginning to end!

With Not A Love Story, Ms.Lennon has created a good debut! I am so looking forward to getting back into this world!


*I volunteered to read and review a copy of this book from Nisha's Books and Coffee PR / the author*

[Brenda Wickham]

I hate to do this because it truly is nothing against the author, but this book simply didn’t grab me. I love the age gap, love the dynamic, love Tess and Jasper, but it felt way too slow and repetitive and I simply couldn’t get into it. I really really wanted to, and then it got to a point where I felt like I was forcing myself to read it and waiting for it to become compelling, and that’s when I decided to DNF. This is only a personal preference, so I will not give a rating. It doesn’t seem fair to rate something I didn’t finish, anyway.

[The Snowiiee Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

♡𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐀 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲♡

'Not A Love Story' is written by J.L.Lennon which is a MC story portraying Tessa as the Female MC and Jasper as the male MC.

The title may be 'not a love story' but this novel is definitely one of the love story which was beautifully written and represented Tessa and Jasper's story perfectly. And where do I begin with Eli? He was an absolute angel and God the pain I felt for him was very intense.

Lennon did a wonderful job on this book and it took me several days to come out of it! And the cliffhanger damn.....Can't wait to get on to the next book!

[Mike Beckwith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can not say enough about this book. Such an awesome story, with twists and turns, and some guy wrenching parts. I am new to this series, but I am already a huge fan! The final chapters of this book had me feeling so many different things. If I could give it 6 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I would!! Great story, J.L.!! I absolutely loved it!!

[CEILIDH · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars....maybe 3.5 !!!

[Ki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hated this book. Too much pain and not enough guts. The end sucked. A year apart while she is grieving. It was all stupid.

[Gale Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, romance, family, drama- this story has it all! This novel is sexy and sweet and throws in surprises as well. I can’t wait to read more of J.L. Lennon’s work.