1. Find a place to live.
2. Avoid her gold-digging mother.
3. Reconnect with old high school friends: her best friend Sandra, the dramatic Eva, the dark Michael, her half-brother Wyatt, and her former crush Jay.
Jay may have kept her firmly in the “friend zone”, but that didn’t stop her from wanting more. Her five friends have stood by her through some difficult times and she’ll need their help now to accomplish her first two goals.
As soon as Jay sees Penny, he puts his plan into motion. His investors need to see him with a stable woman, one who isn’t all flash and no brains; Penny fits the bill perfectly. There’s just one hitch—he wants more.Their pretend date sets off a whirlwind of plots. From mothers who want to control their children’s lives to the loss of her exciting new job, Penny’s world turns upside down. She knows she can overcome all obstacles except one—she’s falling for Jay all over again.
Reading the blurb to Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush, it sounded instantly like something that I'd really enjoy. I was very excited about receiving this and reviewing it. Unfortunately it didn't live up to my excitement. The plot was slightly all over the place. I found at quite a few places throughout the story it jumped, and at quite a few times I was confused.
Penny moves back to Miami after accepting her first job after graduating. Penny wants to find a new place to live, avoid her gold digging mum and reconnect with her old friends, including her former crush, Jay. Jay is also fighting for freedom from his parents. He wants to make his own decisions and live his own life without their interference. Jay is a jock and Penny is the nerd he remembers from high school. The only thing they have in common is that they both desperately want to get away from their controlling parents. Even though they are both complete opposites, they became best friends.
Years later when they see each other again sparks fly. There's loads of sexual tension between them both, but Penny doesn't want to tell Jay her true feelings as she thinks Jay doesn't think about her that way, and Jay doesn't want to tell her his feelings as he doesn't want to ever hurt the closest person to him. Jay is a nice guy and hot. His mum is the absolutely worst mum in the world, closely followed by Penny's mum. Jays mum has literally destroyed his life and made him the way he is now. I felt very sorry for Jay. You can't pick your parents or abandon them at a young age regardless of how they treat you. I just wanted Jay to realise that he is worth so much more than what his mum told him he's worth and that he deserves happiness in his life. He comes across as heartless, but you can see straight through him and see he's only that way because of his home life and mum.
Penny is a very sassy girl, with a slight attitude. Unfortunately her mum is horrible as well. Her mum is continually using her and draining her for everything she is worth emotionally.
Jay and Penny are good together. They are very easy going together and it's really nice watching their journey together and watching how they slowly start to heal one another. They have a lot of obstacles to over come in the story and it isn't straight forward and all hearts and flowers. There's twists and turns, followed by a huge emotional journey.
I know I've mentioned Jay and Penny's mums, but a lot if the story is about them and how they've treated their children. I honestly don't know a time when I've ever read a book where the mums are so horrible. I found how they treated their children really hard to read about. They were both completely off their rockers and never should have had children. No children deserve to be treated the way their mums treated them.
The book was fast paced and wasn't predictable. I never knew how the story was going to end up.
Although the book didn't live up to my expectations, it's a good summer read.
3.5 stars - Kim
Jay Marshall pressed his lips together as he held the phone. His hands curled into a ball then straightened. He stared out his bay windows overlooking the ocean. Another beautiful day on the beaches of South Florida, not that he cared. Sunshine never filled him with joy. The humidity outside suffocated the spirit, but somehow, with this deal, he’d break free.
“Yes, you’ll see I mean business, Mr. Danvers. My business plans are long term.”
Danvers sucked in his breath, as if he were doubting the sincerity of Jay’s words, then told Jay. “And I’ll meet your girlfriend. It’s always telling with people from Miami. Flashy women and cars do not make good investments on my end.”
Jay gritted his teeth and tugged at his free ear, but kept the phone on the other. Miami advertised plastic women on the highway as a special brand. Flashy came with the area code. Instead he nodded his head and told the potential investor, “I understand. See you next week.”
He hung up the phone and stared out the window. The brightness showed his reflection and his grim frown. Jay needed to win. His eyes squished together. He’d pay the price for success. He had no other choice.
Jay’s mind raced to his technical girlfriend. Eva was the epitome of flashy, beautiful, and fake. She’d been a friend since high school, and two months ago, they’d ended up dating. On paper the award winning dramatic actress, his money, and their history should be a match. Yet he couldn’t imagine his entire life videotaped.
If he walked away from her, there would be no regrets. His investors hoped he had a nice, sweet woman on the side. His cousin and her friend, Penelope, flashed in his head before he dropped the thought.
He pushed his hand on the glass window before he stepped back into the shadows of his office.
Darkness didn’t suit him either. Nothing stirred inside him anymore, though he craved something. Anything other than boredom from the sticky heat of his life.
He shook his head and poked his head out of his office. His secretary sat there typing. “Call Eva. Set up an appointment for us to talk today.”
With the click of the door knob he rolled up his sleeves. He needed the deal to put his goals in line with his investment portfolio.
His eyes narrowed in on the first words, long term growth.
Long term read to his eyes like a rescue rope. He blinked. Life should be lived with long term goals to reach. Freedom meant change.
Today, he’d break up with Eva. In his heart, he’d always hoped for a woman that tugged at his heart strings. But hopes didn’t earn freedom. He’d prove to himself, and the others, John Jay Marshall came out of the game of life on top.
Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston then moved to Miami. Eventually, found that writing is her passion.
She always wrote stories to entertain herself. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, but when she sat down to see what she enjoyed doing, writing became obvious.
The Zoastra Affair, Chaperoning Paris, Borrowing the Doctor, and Electing Love, Mything the Throne and Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush published in June 2014.
Now she is represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency.
Also she’s the Vice President for the Florida Romance Writers. Her website is www.victoriapinder.com.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8120316.Victoria_Pinder
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