Publisher: Gallery
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: Edelweiss
As their careers catch fire, Grace and Jack — everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed, funny, and feisty couple — find themselves on opposite coasts. Grace has landed in New York City, where she loves being onstage again, particularly because she’s playing a fabulous character in a musical written by her old college flame, Michael. Their rekindled friendship makes exploring the city that much more fun.
Wait, it’s just friendship, right?
Meanwhile, in L.A., Jack can scarcely keep up with the swirling throngs of women who track him everywhere he goes, the endless press appearances, and the ridiculous rules his manager, Holly, keeps concocting for him — all part of the buildup to the release of Time, his steamy new film.
Thank goodness for phone sex.
But even when their schedules allow them to connect, Grace and Jack must keep their relationship off the radar and away from paparazzi cameras. Sure, the sex is sensational, but can this duo survive swirling rumors, the demands of their chosen professions, Grace’s raging internal battles, and a whopping nine-year age difference?
Tick-tock, the clock is ticking. Isn’t it?
Alice Clayton brings the second installment of a tale told with her magical mix of humor and heat, so cuddle up under the sheets and flip on the Golden Girls. Grace and Jack are at it again.
*Blurb from Goodreads*
When I picked up the first Readhead book, there was so much for me to love. The celebrity aspect, the age difference, the sex… But in the second installment of the series, I found myself getting a tad bit annoyed with some of the things I really enjoyed in the first round.
Grace is off in New York, working on her play. She is loving the city, the work, and the new and old friends she’s made. The one thing she misses most (besides bestie, Holly) is her boyfriend, sexy movie star Jack. Keeping their relationship under wraps is fairly easy when they live on opposite coasts, but a whole slew of new problems arise. Between surprising photos in the gossip rags, a rekindled friendship that was never fully explored, and one drunk night of self-doubt, will Grace and Jack be able to keep their relationship from imploding?
While I thought I was completely invested in the characters after the first book in this series, I think my love for them has somewhat dwindled. Although Grace continually brings up and dwells on the age difference between them, I never really felt how it created so much conflict in their relationship. Hell, 99% of the time Jack was more mature than Grace was, and she acted more his age than her own. Given their age difference seemed to be the key factor in this book, I struggled with a lot of the drama and angst because it never felt real to me.
While I thought the sex was extremely hot in the first book, I found myself annoyed with all the euphemisms and immaturity that Grace and Jack displayed. Sure, their sexy times were frequent and graphic, but after reading the word “boobies” for the four thousandth time, I needed Clayton to really find a thesaurus.
It seems like everytime Grace and Jack take a step forward in their relationship, Grace finds a way to take three steps back. She intentionally finds ways to destroy the good things in her life, and I wanted to smack her silly because of it. I understand why her past leads to a lot of insecurities about herself, however she never really seemed to grow and learn from her fears in this book, at least not until the very, very end. Being almost a decade older than Jack, I kinda expected a little more from her.
I have to say, after reading the blurb for the next book in the series, I don’t know that I’ll be able to continue with the Grace and Jack saga. Now that they have finally gotten to what seems like a good place for them, I don’t know that I can handle Jack having his own mini breakdown. I’m looking forward to their HEA, but am not too sure I’m going to enjoy the way Clayton takes us there.
All in all I am disappointed with the second book in the Redhead Series. For one, It felt way more chick-lit than romance. I wasn’t all that impressed with the way that Grace handled her relationship, until the very end when she sucked it up and put it all on the line. She felt extremely immature and scared to me, and I struggled with connecting with her because of it. While Jack remained the strong and sexy hero, there were times I wanted him to quit acting like a doormat and do whatever he needed to get Grace to see how she was imploding.
I give The Redhead Revealed a C-
How much is the age difference between them? And perhaps the road to a relationship is more fun to read, than the troubles of maintaining one?