Jilted - Book Review

By Sawyer Bennett

Synopsis

Eden Goodnight went to Los Angeles to make it big, not to be publicly humiliated by her cheating fiancé at a red-carpet premiere. But when Eden returns to her hometown to put the scandal behind her, she can barely find a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. Turns out the locals are worse than the paparazzi, and they all think she’s turned into a spoiled brat. But in a strange twist of fate, the one person who seems to understand what Eden’s going through is Cooper Mayfield . . . the boy she left behind.

Small-town charm is no match for the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. At least that’s what Coop’s been telling himself all these years. As Eden’s old flame—and the landscaper for her family’s historic home—Coop feels some responsibility for getting her out of her funk. But as soon as he sees that million-dollar smile, he’s a goner. Soon they’re making out like teenagers again. But when a life-changing role falls into Eden’s lap, Coop just hopes she doesn’t give up on a love that’s meant to be.

Review

JILTED is the second book in the Love Hurts series, and while I get the feeling this is supposed to be a light and easy read, I found myself surprisingly emotional at times. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just something I thought I should point out.

Eden is a lovely woman and I really liked her. My heart broke for her in the very first chapter, and then again when she returns to her home town only to realise that she’s being shunned by everyone. She is a woman who wears her heart on her sleeve, but that doesn’t mean she’s not strong because when she’s pushed, she pushes back just as hard.

Cooper is a good guy, but it’s hard to see that at the beginning because of how harsh he is to Eden. Obviously he has his reasons, and you will find out what those reasons are, but for a man who says he’s doesn’t care, he was certainly holding on to some bitterness. But when he learns the truth and starts treating Eden better, that’s when we see the real Cooper, and he’s a keeper.

As much as I loved JILTED and would happily read it again, there were a few things that bothered me. Firstly, the synopsis doesn’t exactly match the events in the story, which is odd. Secondly, Brad makes an sudden appearance in the middle of the book and then we never hear from or about him again. Third and finally, what happened with Brad’s movie that Eden was supposed to cameo in? There was talk of a lawsuit, but just like Brad, we never heard anything further with that. These things might not be a big deal to some people, but for me, points two and three gave those parts of the story an unfinished feel.

JILTED is told in dual POVs and, while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. JILTED is set in a different location and involves a completely different set of characters from the previous book. I’m not sure if there’ll be a third book in this series, but if there will be, I’ll definitely be reading it.