Arc Review | Girl In Luv (In Luv Duet #1) by Jay Crownover and Rebecca Yarros

Girl In Luv
By: Jay Crownover and Rebecca Yarros

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Trope: Fake Relationship
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: October 19th, 2019
My Format: Kindle Arc
My Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

Langley Vaughn is in desperate need of a date.

But not just any date.
She’s looking for a date to the wedding from hell. It isn’t every day you’re forced to be in the bridal party while your first love marries your archnemesis…otherwise known as the world’s worst stepsister. The entire situation is a nightmare, and Langley is sick and tired of taking orders and forcing a fake smile. She’s done being the bad guy when she was the one who was wronged.

She needs to find a date who’s not afraid of her family’s money…someone willing to shake things up. She needs someone outside of her normal social circle, someone ready to go to war with the well-to-do. She needs someone who won’t back down. Someone willing to play the complicated game of tug-of-war she’s been engaged in with her family for years.

Never in a million years did she think she was going to stumble across her very own heroic heartthrob when she set her crazy plan in motion.
Not only does Iker show up for her time and time again, he also forces her to finally fight for herself.
He says he’s only there for the money…but his actions speak so much louder than his words.

Iker Alvarez would do anything and everything to get his hands on some quick cash.

Not just any cash, but enough to make sure his younger brother gets into the college of his dreams.
Thank goodness for a desperate, pretty little rich girl with too much money and her heart set on an outrageous scheme. Being in the right place at the right time might just be the answer to both of their prayers—and this smart soldier has never let a golden opportunity slide by.

Iker doesn’t mind coming to Langley’s rescue and being her plus-one…as long as the price is right.

Only, he didn’t plan on liking the blonde socialite as much as he does. He is totally unprepared for the pull he feels toward her, coupled with his growing desire to protect her from the vultures and villains living under the same roof.
He wants to be the guy who keeps her safe and gives her the courage she obviously needs to fight back… But someone else, someone far more powerful and influential than Langley’s wealthy family, has dibs on Iker’s time and on his future. He knows he isn’t the guy Langley can count on in the long run, but damn, if he doesn’t want to do everything in his power to be that man.

Girl in Luv is the first book in the In Luv Duet by Jay Crownover and Rebecca Yarros. I’ve never really been a fan of the ‘fake relationship’ trope. However, after reading Girl In Luv, I think I can safely say this novella may have turned my views on this trope.

All Langley is looking for is a date to her upcoming stepsister’s wedding. Her main criteria is basically someone that is outside the norm where her ritzy family is concerned. So when Iker Alvarez comes in with tattoos blazing and practically saves her life there is no ifs, ands, or buts about it. She’s found her man.

Iker is home for a mere week. His only goal in mind is too find a way to make a decent amount of money in order to pay his younger brother’s college tuition. He’ll do anything it takes, even if it means making a deal with an angel and walking into the lion’s den full of people wanting to take a bite out of her. Sometimes family is a bitch.

Langley and Iker come to a ten thousand dollar negotiation. Hell partake in all of Langely’s evil stepsister’s wedding festivities and she’ll cough up ten thousand dollars by the end of the week. But Langley has more to lose by the end of the arrangement than money. She has her heart to lose.

I was completely blindsided by Girl In Luv. I had no idea that this book revolved around a fake relationship. All I knew was I love Jay Crownover’s writing and the few books I have read by Rebecca Yarros have been winners. I knew I couldn’t pass up the chance to read this novel. Plus the cover art and the title really grabbed my attention. So I had to give it a chance.

I have to say, I was completely consumed by Langley and Iker’s story. I loved Iker’s protective nature when it came to Langley and her evil stepmother and stepsister. I loved the fact that he threw down all of what Langley’s stepsister was offering and even went toe to toe with her stepmother. He’s a very admirable character. Always protecting people at every turn. I loved the alpha male vibes that outshone all other moments. He’s by far my favorite character in this duet.

I have to say, watching Langley break down her walls and become a stronger version of herself was another admirable trait. Nearly her whole life she spent protecting her father from the shell of the man he had become when her mother passed away. She did everything in her power to make sure he never went back to the depressed man he had become, even if that means being a doormat for her stepsister and stepmother to walk all over. But once Iker stepped into the picture he helped her become a stronger version of herself. I loved watching her give the attitude back for a change.

Overall, this was a great start to what I can imagine is going to be a great duet. I can’t wait to see how this all wraps up in the end, especially given the slight cliffhanger of an ending we were left with. All I want is for Iker and Langley both to find their happily ever afters. Here’s to hoping they find their way back….

The section below contains amazon affiliate links. This is a way for my site to earn advertising fees by advertising or linking to certain products and services.

Amazon US:  https://amzn.to/2JaSmjX
Amazon Universal: http://getbook.at/GirlINLuv

Peace Love and Happy Reading,

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