Ivy Entwined (Something to Celebrate, #1) (Entangled Edge, #1)

by Laura Simcox

[Kim Deister]

I don't read a lot of contemporary romance, but I am very glad I got the ARC of Ivy Entwined! There were definitely some steamy moments, but, more than that, there was a really good story with a lot of heart and warmth to it. I tend to stay away from a lot of contemporary romance because I find that it can be too neat, too easy, too "woman needing a man," too clean, too "boy meets girl and gets girl" for my taste. I liked that this book wasn't like that. The characters were flawed as people, dropped the f-bomb, made mistakes and had their skeletons in their closets. In other words, they were real. Ivy didn't need Marcus, but wanted him. They made bad choices, questionable choices. They weren't perfect, cookie-cutter people and I loved that.

This is most definitely a character-driven story in my opinion. Even aside from the main characters of Ivy and Marcus, there were any number of supporting characters that were truly that... characters. Marcus' uncle Herman was completely NOT a likeable character, but he was memorable. He was a character that made me uncomfortable because he reminded me of someone I know in my own life, but that made him that much more real as a person. Colleen, Ivy's grandmother, was hilarious, dropping the f-bomb every chance she got! I loved her because she loved life, lived it, and didn't give a damn what anyone thought of her.

The one character that truly annoyed me to death was Preston. He was an arrogant jerk who couldn't manage his own life much less anyone else's. His overbearing, assuming attitude drove me insane, as did Ivy's seeming inability to set him straight. That is one thing that I wish she had done more of in the book because letting him get away with some of what he did seemed out of character for her.

On a side note, being from upstate New York, I enjoyed the Central New York references throughout the book! My own hometown could have been Celebration, NY.

Things to love about Ivy Entwined...

--The characters. As I said, they were flawed, real people.
--Colleen. I want to be her when I grow up!

Things I wanted more of...

--Marcus family. I can't go into this without spoilers, but I would like to know more about them. Maybe in future books?!

My recommendation: A fun read that had me alternately laughing, crying and wanting to smack someone! A must read!