Monday 14 September 2015

Review: Bastard by J.L. Perry

****4 Stars****
 
 
I'm going to say from the off that I started this book with a little apprehension as the first 10% I was comparing it to another popular book and was dreading having to say they were too similar but I have to say I was very wrong and I would urge anyone who feels the same to give this book a chance to tell it's own story. And I apologise to the author for even having that thought. This book is in two parts and it very much is a book of two halves and I have to say I enjoyed the second half much more but appreciated the first half as a result.
So Bastard is in this case the moody stroppy teen Carter Reynolds who is anything but the bastard I was expecting, he is a little infuriating at times initially but you soon learn that it is more a defensive manner than him actually being a douche. I loved the friendship he inadvertently formed with Indiana and how it developed but then he went and ruined it with the one action that caused me to use the title of the book for him. Indiana is a great character she is spunky and gives Carter Reynolds a run for his money in the sassy stakes.
As I said I loved the second part to Carter and Indiana's story it was heart-breaking and emotional and you were left fighting along with them for things to work out, its difficult to say too much without spoilers so I will just say the author wrote this story well and with obviously much research. I appreciated the decision Carter made in the first part so much more and realised that his character had to do what he did to learn and grow as he did. I loved how both the characters had matured but loved how they quickly fell back into the roles they had in each others lives again.
I really loved this story in the end despite my initial concerns. Certainly not the book I was expecting from the title and a very enjoyable read.
 
Reviewed by Vikki Ryan
 
Synopsis
 
Bastard

My name is Carter Reynolds. I was born a bastard and I’ll die a bastard. I learnt it at a young age, and nothing and nobody can change that. I’m on a one-way path of destruction, and god help anyone who gets in my way. I hate my life. Actually, I hate pretty much everything.

That’s until I meet the kid next door. Indi-freakin’-ana. My dislike for her is instant. From the moment I lay eyes on her, she ignites something within me. She makes me feel things I thought I was incapable of feeling. I don’t like it, not one bit. When she looks at me with her big, beautiful, haunting, green eyes, it’s like she can see into the depths of my soul. It freaks me the hell out. She’s like sunshine and rainbows in my world of gloom and doom. I hate sunshine and rainbows.

********

I’m Indiana Montgomery, my friends call me Indi. Despite losing my mum at the age of six, I have a wonderful life and great friends. My dad more than makes up for the fact that I only have one parent. I’m his little girl, the centre of his world. I adore him.

When Carter Reynolds moves in next door, my life takes a turn for the worse. He’s gorgeous—sinfully hot, but that’s where my compliments end. He seems hell bent on making my life miserable. He acts tough, but when I look into his eyes I don’t see it. I see hurt and pain. To me, he seems lost.

I should hate him for the way he treats me, but surprisingly I don’t. If anything, I feel sorry for him. I want to help him find peace. Help him find the light that I know is buried somewhere within his darkness, but, he won’t have a bar of it.

He’s warned me time and time again to stay away, but I can’t. I’m drawn to him for some reason. He’s always referring to himself as a bastard. That may be true, but to me, he’s more like a beautifully, misunderstood bastard. Whether he likes it or not, I refuse to give up on him.
 
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