Relationship Lines by Elley Arden
Have you ever royally screwed up a relationship by doing or saying something stupid? Were you able to fix it, or did your stupidity—like mine—spell the end of what could have been? In THE CHANGE UP, Sam and Rachel are able to live happily ever after despite some hurtful things that were said and done. But in my experience, some things just can’t be forgiven.
I was seventeen and a high school senior when I found myself the target of an older guy’s attention. He was so not my type. I liked geeky, musical theatre guys, who wrote me songs and love letters. This guy was athletic: tall, dark, and very handsome, and I was always so suspicious of why he wanted me. He was the kind of guy who would block the doorway and just kiss me lights out, the kind of guy who would put on Air Supply and pull me into his arms to dance. I honestly had no idea what to do with a guy like this. He was in college and talked about sex so flippantly. While I was a wide-eyed virgin, who was scared of being exposed (or overly exposed-ha!). He also dated other people, which seemed perfectly normal for his group of friends. While I loved the way he made me feel when we were together, I hated the confusion that plagued me the rest of the time. If we were just having fun together, while he was having fun with everyone else, then why couldn’t I have fun with other people, too? I could … but then I took it too far. I kissed his brother. I crossed a line.
I kept this story in the back of my mind, while I was writing THE CHANGE UP, because back in high school, Rachel dated the hero’s brother, Luke. I had to ask myself, “How deep does the ‘bro code’ run?” Is twenty years enough to get over something like that? In the book, Sam and his brother Luke have a few words about Rachel, and writing those scenes made me wonder about what the conversation had been like between the two guys I’d inserted myself in between. (I heard the younger brother just backed off and said, “You can have her.” The sad thing was, I never really wanted the older brother.) But, in the end, what transpired between them didn’t matter, because I got my happily ever after with someone else, the perfect man for me.
Still, I can’t help but smile that at least Rachel ended up with the younger brother. See, when you write romance novels, in a way, you get to rewrite history.
I was seventeen and a high school senior when I found myself the target of an older guy’s attention. He was so not my type. I liked geeky, musical theatre guys, who wrote me songs and love letters. This guy was athletic: tall, dark, and very handsome, and I was always so suspicious of why he wanted me. He was the kind of guy who would block the doorway and just kiss me lights out, the kind of guy who would put on Air Supply and pull me into his arms to dance. I honestly had no idea what to do with a guy like this. He was in college and talked about sex so flippantly. While I was a wide-eyed virgin, who was scared of being exposed (or overly exposed-ha!). He also dated other people, which seemed perfectly normal for his group of friends. While I loved the way he made me feel when we were together, I hated the confusion that plagued me the rest of the time. If we were just having fun together, while he was having fun with everyone else, then why couldn’t I have fun with other people, too? I could … but then I took it too far. I kissed his brother. I crossed a line.
I kept this story in the back of my mind, while I was writing THE CHANGE UP, because back in high school, Rachel dated the hero’s brother, Luke. I had to ask myself, “How deep does the ‘bro code’ run?” Is twenty years enough to get over something like that? In the book, Sam and his brother Luke have a few words about Rachel, and writing those scenes made me wonder about what the conversation had been like between the two guys I’d inserted myself in between. (I heard the younger brother just backed off and said, “You can have her.” The sad thing was, I never really wanted the older brother.) But, in the end, what transpired between them didn’t matter, because I got my happily ever after with someone else, the perfect man for me.
Still, I can’t help but smile that at least Rachel ended up with the younger brother. See, when you write romance novels, in a way, you get to rewrite history.
Elley has been reading romance novels since she was a sixteen-year-old babysitter, sneaking Judith McNaught and Danielle Steele novels off the bookshelves of the women who employed her. To say she’d been sheltered up to that point is an understatement. No one had ever told her women could live bold, love freely, and have sex lives that were exciting and fulfilling. (They don’t teach these things in Catholic school!) Now that she knows, she’s happy to spread the word. The women she writes about may be fictional, but the success, respect, and love they find on the page is a universal right for women everywhere.
Elley writes books with charming characters, emotional stories, and sexy romance. Visit The Bookshelf for a detailed listing.
You can also visit her online at the following places: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon
Series: Arlington Aces #1
Author: Elley Arden
Publication Date: May 16/16 by Crimson Romance
Length: 222pgs
Genre: contemporary romance
Shelf: review
My Rating: ★★★★
Book Links: Goodreads – Amazon(US) – Amazon(CA) - B&N - Kobo - Indigo - Google Play
Back Cover Blurb:
Landscaper Sam Sutter is surprised to find his brother’s high school girlfriend lurking in the woods behind his secluded log house. This former minor leaguer’s even more upset to learn “his” trees are on her chopping block. There’s no way he’ll help her erect a painful reminder to his failed career in his backyard. But butting heads with the beautiful businesswoman proves to be a tricky task, and before long, he finds himself heading up the grounds keeping crew at her father’s stadium.
Working under Rachel’s watchful—smoldering—eyes might be Sam’s undoing. Can he cut into her plans without felling their chances at a home run in love?
My Review:
Arden’s character development was fantastic. I felt that I got to know everyone very well, and truly enjoyed the experience. All of the characters stood out on their own without overshadowing the main characters. I loved the way that Arden brought her characters’ emotions forward. It was simply a part of who they were. And she did this with all of their emotions, not just the sappy or romantic ones. It made everyone seem so real.
Once again Arden has created a fantastically original romantic tale to launch her new series. I, for one, can’t wait to see what comes next.
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