Author: Jewel E. Ann

Book: Idle Bloom

tl;dr recommendation: I was quickly obsessed and consumed. #MUSTREAD

Book Summary:

“What lies beneath my veiled perfection is the ugly truth—my truth, my reality, my destiny.”

Vivian Graham has an acceptance letter into Harvard, a badass tattoo, loyal friends, ties to marijuana, a penchant for Dunkin’ Donuts, and her pesky V-card.

Everyday she takes the Red Line to her job at The Green Pot in Boston while her friends enter the coveted, black iron gates to higher learning. The ramifications from a tragic accident have put her life on hold while time marches on for everyone around her.

After graduating from Harvard Law, Boston native, Oliver Konrad, moves to Portland to start his career and his life. Three years later, after a horrific discovery, he returns home to trade in his three-piece suit for leather work boots and his suburban home for a condo in Cambridge.

All he brought back to the East Coast was an aversion to pillows and secrets he keeps hidden behind a mysterious locked door. Oliver’s days are predictable and his nights are lonely until he meets Vivian on the subway. Her long raven hair, green eyes, and mile-long legs are achingly sexy, but the way she “innocently” fingers and licks her Boston Kreme doughnut can only be described in two words—complete torture.

When their paths cross at every turn, laughter is abundant, friendship is easy, and love is unintentional. However, their future seems improbable.

Longer Review:

I am in love with this book, it’s as simple as that. The love between Oliver & Vivian is organic, fresh and inspiring. This one consumed me.

I know you’re thinking, ohhhh, it’s another book about a virgin. But really, it’s not. While that might be part of who Viv is, it most definitely does not define her. I’d say her more defining characteristics are her impeccable sass, her penchant for eating donuts in a way that will make a man hard in 2 seconds flat, her geeky intellectual ways, and her ability to show her endless love for Oli. She is seriously awesome. The only time she has a holy-fuck-let’s-break-everything-in-sight freakout, it’s majorly called for. Basically, you’ll love her.

Oli. OHMYOLI. You know something has happened when he was in Portland since you know, he’s no longer practicing law (MY FUCKING HERO), he hasn’t had sex in three years, and he’s working with his brother’s landscaping business. However, you have no idea what that is. It will grate on you. It will consume you. But I promise, you find out and your heart will fracture.

For two people who are both not planning on dating, they each fail to stick to their plans. There’s something about them together that works so perfectly. Both of them are damaged in ways that they can’t change, but they also accept each other without any reservations. No matter what. No take backs. It’s unsurprising that after Viv drops her V card she turns into a horny teenager. I mean, Oli is fucking hot. The two of them…oh god. These are some of the most arousing scenes I have ever EVER fucking read. I mean, which do we pick? The intellectual glasses-and-dress-shirt scene? Or the boots-only fantasy? or the thanksgiving day phone sex? or the office-bad-client-afternoon-quickie? I need to stop typing, I’m getting a little warm.

Nevertheless, when Oli is forced to face his problems head on, both he and Viv attempt to keep themselves together for the short-term so that they can be together for the long-term. I could feel the connection between them in my bones. Every time they tell each other how they feel they cut straight through the bullshit. This book has everything I look for in a romance novel and more. In case you couldn’t tell, I’m a little bit in love with Jewel E. Ann. *buys all of her books*