Book Review: My Sweetest Escape by Chelsea M. Cameron

Title: My Sweetest Escape
Series: My Favorite Mistake, Book 2
Author: Chelsea M. Cameron
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Sensuality Rating: Sensual
Source: library
Published: January 28, 2014 by Harlequin HQN

The past will always find you.

Jos Archer was the girl with the perfect life; until the night it all came crashing down around her. Now, nine months later, she still hasn't begun to pick up the pieces. Even transferring to a new college and living under the watchful eye of her older sister, Renee, isn't enough to help her feel normal again.

And then she meets Dusty Sharp. For reasons Jos can't begin to fathom, the newly reformed campus bad boy seems determined to draw her out of her shell. And if she's not careful, his knowing green eyes and wicked smile will make her feel things she's no longer sure she deserves.

But even as Dusty coaxes Jos to open up about the past, he's hiding secrets of his own. Secrets about the night her old life fell apart. When the truth is finally revealed, will it bring them closer together;or tear them apart for good?

Reviewed By: Laura

Why I Read This Book: I really liked the characters and writing style of My Favorite Mistake (my review) so I thought I’d give the next installment a shot. I liked that it still had the same characters as before, but it follows another couple’s path. This author has a way with names, so I was immediately drawn in by our main squeezes, Jos and Dusty. Their mutual brokenness is a tad overplayed in the romance world, but I thought I’d try it anyway.

What I Liked: I liked that these two did not immediately jump in the sack. It’s clear that they’re not experienced in the relations department, but still take things slowly to really get a feel for one another. Considering the secrets and difficulties that they’re both overcoming, it’s not a stretch of the imagination that they might choose to apply the brakes. I adore the musical references that abound in this book! You could create a playlist from all the songs mentioned and it would follow the path of the story. It’s amazing how the author managed to boil the story down to these songs.

What I Didn’t Like: Just about everything else. This book had a completely different feel to it and was more serious than I was expecting. While the other book wasn’t all light and fluffy, you had some semblance of an idea what you were getting into. The secret that Jos reveals was kind of anti-climatic and made it difficult for me to relate to her. Also, Dusty’s family situation was a sympathy card plain and simple. I felt like it cheapened the plot.

The way the characters interact with Jos was also concerning to me. Other than her new best friend, everyone treats her like an errant child. I get it, she’s the younger sister of one of the main housemates, but it was disrespectful to her as an individual to cast her outside of the bonded group. Having been that ‘little’ sibling and unable to grow out of that role, I know first hand this kind of crap is just annoying. The difference being that my sister’s friends had known me all my life, so I had always been like a little sister to them too. This is Jos’s first introduction to this group and their dismissal of her was just beneath what I was expecting from them.

Overall Impression: Honestly, looking back, this wasn’t really worth the read. The first book was pretty awesome and I think I will simply keep that in the forefront of my mind. This book tanked the series in my opinion, so I kind of hope it ends here.

Laura’s Rating:

Add to Goodreads  |  Buy on Amazon