The Return of the Rebel By Jennifer Faye
Cleo Sinclair is in for the surprise of her lifetime when her newly promoted position brings her face to face with her one time childhood crush Jax Monroe. Any hope that Cleo would be immune to the man Jax had become is crushed from the minute his very presence sets her senses on high alert, even when on Jax’s part the feelings do not seem to be reciprocated.
Jax might want to be indifferent where Cleo is concerned but the childhood memories of both of them together had always stayed with him. Having always been off limits, Jax’s mind would like to continue thinking along the same lines where Cloe is concerned but her beauty and kindness even back then doesn’t make things any easier.
A little bit of danger and mayhem sets the ball rolling and sets the course for the journey of discovery that both Cleo and Jax take towards finding the love of their lives in each other. Low on sensuality, The Return of the Rebel is recommended for those readers who likes “clean” romances with a dollop of an ex-bad boy hero!
Rating = 3.75/5
Caliber SEAL: GOOD READ
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'The Return of the Rebel' is a lovely sweet romance with memorable, likeable characters and a plot with dangerous undercurrents.
Cleo the only girl in a family of ranchers knows their lifestyle is not for her. Las Vegas is the polar opposite of Hope Springs but Cleo weighed down by other people's expectations and a tragic secret is determined to make a new life there. Serendipity brings her face to face with Jax her teenage crush and now the client she must impress to succeed.
Jax left Hope Springs without a backward glance, anxious to leave behind tragic memories and the feeling of never being good enough. Luck and hard work made him wealthy beyond his expectations but illness and an impending court case leave him more vulnerable than he would choose.
Danger forces Cleo into close proximity with Jax rekindling her teenage crush into love. Unfortunately Jax's inner doubts and the fallout of his secrets jeopardize their fledgling relation.
Powerful romance, great characters and a strong thread of suspense make this story a pleasure to read.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Jennifer Faye
9780373742981 This is my fourth Jennifer Faye book and I can honestly say that I have truly loved them all. Jennnifer Faye has such a talent for writing those feel good romances that just warm your heart and make you smile, and The Return of the Rebel certainly falls into that category.
The main characters, Cleo and Jax, are unknowingly thrust together as a result of Cleo's job. To say it takes them by surprise is an understatement, especially since Jax is trying to keep a low profile because of some things going on his life.....things which add a little danger to the story. Jax is Cleo's first crush, first love, even though he was too old for her back then. Seeing him again stirs up all kinds of feelings she doesn't want to have. For Jax, seeing Cleo again brings up memories he had tried to bury, and stirs up feelings for an all grown-up Cleo that he's having a hard time resisting. Both have secrets that are haunting them, causing them to have reservations about pursing any kind of long-term relationship. Despite this, the chemistry between them is undeniable and this former bad boy and the girl next door can't deny it, no matter how hard they try.
The Return of the Rebel is a sweet, fun, heartwarming romance with a little touch of suspense thrown it. The story is told from a third person point of view and you get both Cleo and Jax's perspectives, which I enjoyed. Jennifer Faye has a wonderful writing style that flows beautifully, and The Return of the Rebel is well-written, interesting, and kept my attention the entire time. If you are a fan of contemporary romance, then Jennifer Faye's The Return of the Rebel falls into that classic heartwarming romance category that Harlequin is so famous for. 9780373742981 I received this book from a goodreads giveaway. I absolutely enjoyed it! It was very well written. Max and Cleo have a ton of chemistry. I will recommend to others! 9780373742981 Faye’s romance tugs at the heartstrings and the surprising element of suspense is the perfect addition to make this one fly off the shelves. Readers will be engaged from start to finish as they try to unearth secrets alongside the bold characters (RT Book Reviews). 4 1/2 stars TOP PICK! 9780373742981
The guy from the wrong side of the tracks…
Being promoted should be a dream come true, only it means working closely with Cleo's childhood crush, Jax Monroe. Jax may no longer be the rebel she remembers, but he still gets her heart racing like no other.
Jax cares too much about Cleo to let her get too close—but keeping his distance is proving impossible! As Jax reveals the extent of what he's been through, will Cleo show him that some things are too precious to put off until tomorrow? The Return of the Rebel
It has been awhile since I've read a Harlequin Romance, but this book reminded me, why I have to pick one up every now and then. I actually think the last Harlequin Romance I read was her, Safe In The Tycoon's arms, which was a fantastic read.
This one was just as good. And its a sweet romance. Sometimes you can get a bit of overkill on the smut and that's why I will always buy one or two books from the Romance line.
I love stories where people revisit old loves/crushes and that's what this book is. Oh and if you love a bad boy, Jax is rather hot reformed one. Though I'm not sure he really ever was a bad boy, more of a misunderstood one that needed some TLC.
Cleo is a Ranch girl with big dreams, dreams that keep her estranged from her family. I liked the drama that involved her family and that fact that Jennifer didn't have everything fixed at the end of the story. It made things more real.
Jax and Cleo are really well developed characters that you really fall for. Oh and Jax has a secret he's keeping from Cleo, and though that causes him to make some pretty stupid decisions, it also makes you love him all the more.
A fun quick read. Jennifer Faye is now on my must read list 9780373742981 They say, Without a bit of Drama, life is way boring. Although I'm not a great believer of dramas in a relationship, but then again, whom can I blame after all Harlequin Books scream DRAMA!
I won The Return of the Rebel by Jennifer Faye in a giveaway on her blog. And here I'm trying to write a decent review for this book. So a huge thanks to the author for sending me over a copy of her book.
The narration is done by the two protagonist of this book, Cleo and Jax. Cleo is working as Host in a posh Las Vegas Casino. One day she finds her long-time crush, Joe Monroe from her small hometown, Wyoming. Back then, Jax was famous for his troubles and was thus called the Bad Boy. Seeing him after all those years, certainly Cleo wells up with all her past emotions. And as by luck, she ends up being Jax's casino host. Certainly they had a lot of catching up to do. But the more Cleo gets closer to Jax, the more Jax pushes her back by shutting the windows of his heart as tightly as possible. Since Jax had a dark past and some grave secrets about himself, so he doesn't want Cleo to end up with him. Suddenly, a killer shows up on the Casino, and Cleo ends up being hurt very badly. So they take off and hide themselves in a movie-star's condo. And after so much action and drama, Cleo and Jax had a fairytale ending indeed.
The book can be finished reading within a day, since it has got a quite fast pace. From the very beginning, the author has managed to get us hooked in to the plot right from the start, since along with the drama, the author has added some amount of mystery into this book. Cleo is a very sweet girl, blaming herself all the way for her father's death, still in love with her crush, loves knitting, and any man will definitely fall for her. Then there is Jax, a true gentleman, who is always broody, mysterious from the very start, and yeah very intriguing. I liked Jax the most. Always keeping to him, never letting Cleo, get closer to his heart or looking into his past demons. And of course, he's terribly hot. And other than these two characters, we can see Cleo's friend, Robyn as the true and loyal friend and Cleo's brother, as very dominating over Cleo, Kurt and her mom, still holding grudges against her daughter for her husband's death. The author has unfolded the twists and turns of the mysteries very slowly and more peeling each layer of mystery at a time. Other than this, it’s quite evident that the author has a natural way of representing her stories to her readers. Although, it was a Harlequin Romance, but I still found this book, quite compelling. Also not to mention about those adrenaline-rushing chase scenes, which you’ll fall for.
I think while Cleo and Jax was going to make love for the first time, the drama could have been avoided to make it too predictable. Because from the beginning, we are seeing that Jax is certainly very repulsive towards Cleo, so he could have let himself go for a little while. I liked how still having feelings for Cleo, Jax, manages hard not to let Cleo know about his true intentions, owing to the fact that Cleo is always drooling over him. Certainly Jax is the only character to look out for in this book.
This book is a perfect read on a very gloomy, dark afternoon. And let yourself fall in love with his tall, dark handsome guy for a while. So romance novel lovers might fall for the plot and other genre lovers can give this book a try. 9780373742981 I really enjoyed the first book I read by Faye which was why when asked to review this one I didn't hesitate.
Let me tell you, I may have liked her first book, but I loved this one. This was such a good read and believe it or not I have been in a book slump when it comes to romances, which is ridiculous and unheard of for me but I was and this pulled me right out of it. In fact, I read this in a single sitting.
I love these type of romances, where the characters already knew each other, grew up together and were friends. The friends to lovers trope is one I will never get tired of and Faye managed to put a spin on this that kept it exciting and romantic and just plain fun.
I loved the witty banter, the heart felt talks, and of course the sexual tension. There is always just enough hint of what will happen later on to keep you interested without telling too much as to make you blush or feel uncomfortable.
I always love how fleshed out her characters are and how you instantly fall in love with them.
I was a fan before of Faye's work but I am a fan for life now.
9780373742981 This story is about Cleo, our heroine who grew up in small Wyoming town on her family's ranch. Cleo wants to spread her wings and see what else is out there. After attending an Ivy League college on the east coast she gets a job at a casino in Las Vegas. Cleo's family wants her to move back home. Her father ends up getting killed in an accident while on the phone arguing with Cleo to come back home. At the funeral, Cleo's mom lays into her and tells her to leave that the accident was all her fault. Two years have passed and Cleo finds out from her oldest brother that the ranch is in financial ruins because her dad paid for her college by using the equity in the ranch. Cleo goes in to her boss and asks to be made a Casino Host because they make a lot more money than an accountant. Her boss gives her one chance. Some big time whale is coming for a few weeks and doesn't want his identity known.
The next day Cleo spots Jax Monroe at the casino checking in pretending to be Joe Smith. Jax was the rebel bad boy from back home whom Cleo had the biggest crush on and her oldest brother's best friend. As the two of them are arguing, Cleo's boss comes up and introduces her to the person she is going to be a casino host for. Jax is not sure he can handle having Cleo as his hostess...he's had the hots for her since they were younger but made a promise to her brother to keep his hands off. They both agree to make a go of it and then that's when the fun begins. Jax has a few secrets from his past that he doesn't want Cleo to know about. Cleo has one big secret that she doesn't want Jax to know. As they spend more time together things start heating up. Secrets are revealed and they are thrown together because of certain circumstances.
I love the brother's best friend trope...one of my favorites. This was a fun, flirty, quick read. I really enjoyed both of the character's back stories and the little bit of suspense to the story. 9780373742981 At age fourteen, Cleo had the most painful, most obvious schoolgirl crush on her big brother's best friend: the dangerous, brooding Jax Monroe—and to be honest, she's always been in love with him, even after he left town without a word. Now, she's finally up on her feet with a handsomely paying casino job and the determination to make amends with her estranged mother, so it's a shock—and not even a pleasant one—when, after all these years, Jax comes barreling back into her life.
I was attracted to the reunited after childhood storyline of this novel but it was far from dramatic and really just didn't hit the spot for me. The plot revolving around the cute badboy all grown up is normally my thing—I love myself a reformed hero!—but the two main characters are so shallow and so irritatingly boring that I didn't like or sympathize with either of them.
Regarding the romance element, what Jax and Cleo feel for each other is definitely instalove; with poor relationship development, stilted dialogue, and absolutely no chemistry, the romance is unrealistic and mundane. There's nothing that stands out to me about this couple, nothing that makes me swoon or ache or smile. They're both just there, taking up space. The Return of the Rebel is a VERY chaste romance, very PG with no steam or sex at all; sure, it's sweet, but it's also rather flavorless. It didn't seem much like a romance novel to me, other than the (rather undeserved) happy ending.
My biggest issue with this book was Faye's tendency to draw out the blandest, most clichéd literary devices and conventions in her writing. She is not a bad writer; while not immensely commendable, her style is smooth, straightforward, and it gets the job done. However, her prose is full of trite metaphors and stereotypical romance tropes (the cool best friend, the loving but troubled family, the helpless heroine, the hero who instantly falls in love with her for no reason at all) that I had a hard time tolerating. At the climax of Cleo and Jax's emotional connection (or whatever constitutes for it), Cleo says, verbatim:
[Life is] kinda like looking at a glass of water. You can either view it as a glass half-full or half-empty. I choose to look at it half-full.
Deep stuff, isn't it?
And of course, the last line is I will always love you. Who didn't see that coming?
Pros
Easy, short-length novel // Quick, light read that doesn't make you think too much
Cons
Boring // Wordy and rambles off on irrelevant tangents about furniture and pets and clothing that contribute exactly nothing to the story // Characters are all two-dimensional, hard to like, and rather unintelligent-sounding // Romance is not romantic // No sexual tension... or sex, for that matter // Very formulaic, unoriginal // Flat, unmemorable
Verdict
The Return of the Rebel was not terribly unpalatable; it has a linear storyline and Cleo has a somewhat intriguing backstory that made it a quick, watery read. I was mostly annoyed by how dull the characters, insipid the plot, and unextraordinary the writing is. While Jennifer Faye's newest release serves as a quick, lighthearted, surface-skimming romance novel, I personally don't think it's anything to write home about.
Rating: 5 out of 10 hearts (3 stars): Doesn't particularly light any of my fires; I feel indifferent about this book.
Source
Complimentary copy provided by author via tour publicist in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Jennifer and Tasty Book Tours!). 9780373742981
