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lynseyisreading's review against another edition
4.0
Cute
I don't know if this series is supposed to be classed as New Adult - the characters were certainly adult age (24 and 28, I think?) - but it's written in a very young, New Adulty style, and the tattooed, pierced, misunderstood bad boy simply screams it. As do some of the too-kooky-to-be-real side characters, whom I'm assuming were the lead couples in previous books. In this sense, it was a little cheesy and predictable in places, but overall, I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline in The Virgin's Guide to Misbehaving.
The biggest point of interest for me has to be the character of Elise. As a child, she had Scoliosis and although she's had corrective spinal surgery, it's left her with misaligned shoulders and hips. She also had a large port wine birth mark on her face until recent years. For both of these reasons, and her childhood spent largely hiding away, she's now a very shy and sheltered adult, with absolutely no social skills or romantic experience, who still sees herself as a "monster". If actual fact, she's now quite beautiful, on the outside and especially in, and just needs someone *cough*Rome*cough* to see her for what she is.
A sweet and sexy read 31/2 Stars ★★★1/2
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I don't know if this series is supposed to be classed as New Adult - the characters were certainly adult age (24 and 28, I think?) - but it's written in a very young, New Adulty style, and the tattooed, pierced, misunderstood bad boy simply screams it. As do some of the too-kooky-to-be-real side characters, whom I'm assuming were the lead couples in previous books. In this sense, it was a little cheesy and predictable in places, but overall, I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline in The Virgin's Guide to Misbehaving.
The biggest point of interest for me has to be the character of Elise. As a child, she had Scoliosis and although she's had corrective spinal surgery, it's left her with misaligned shoulders and hips. She also had a large port wine birth mark on her face until recent years. For both of these reasons, and her childhood spent largely hiding away, she's now a very shy and sheltered adult, with absolutely no social skills or romantic experience, who still sees herself as a "monster". If actual fact, she's now quite beautiful, on the outside and especially in, and just needs someone *cough*Rome*cough* to see her for what she is.
A sweet and sexy read 31/2 Stars ★★★1/2
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
elliefufu's review against another edition
2.0
The Virgin’s Guide to Misbehaving, Bluebonnet #4, by Jessica Clare
Grade: D
“God Damn. Kissing you is like falling into madness, isn’t it?”
Elise Markham has spent her life being the extremely shy girl who can hardly hold a conversation with the opposite sex. Elise is desperate to break free of the physical and emotional things in her past that have made it so hard for her to have normal relationships and there’s only one person she wants to help her: Rome Lozada. Rome is everything Elise has ever wanted: handsome, sweet and looks like a bad boy. Elise is shocked when Rome takes her up on her offer but she refuses to let her shyness rob her of this beautiful man.
Rome Lozada is determined to finally break free of his hippie-con artist family and make it on his own. When he lands a job at the Wilderness Survival Expeditions he feels like his luck is finally changing, especially when he meets his boss’s sister Elise. Elise is way too good for Rome but there’s no way that he can walk away from what she is offering him. As the two start their adventure together Rome finds himself falling in love with the sweet, shy woman but old secrets come back to haunt him and destroy his relationship.
I was a big fan of the first two books in the Bluebonnet series but the last two have not been my cup of tea. i was very excited for Rome and Elise’s book but it really missed the mark for me. I know that Elise is shy but she was painfully shy to the point that it was awkward to read and my heart broke for her. At the same time she could come off as very annoying because she had no experience with men or relationships. I felt at times that I was in the mind of a thirteen year old girl and not a young woman in her twenties and her actions towards the end of the book are also very childish.
I liked Rome at first but after awhile he too got annoying. I hate when any character of a book makes a decision that they think is best for another person without consulting them first. Rome is a good guy but he told way too many lies and sometimes treated Elise like a child. I didn’t understand why he acted the way he did towards the end and the whole thing just really bothered me. Neither Elise or Rome could just be honest and that along with everything else made this book almost unreadable.
Sadly I am done with this series. After two books that were almost painful to read I have no desire to go back and revisit these characters. I really wanted to like this book but it was a giant disappointment for me.
Grade: D
“God Damn. Kissing you is like falling into madness, isn’t it?”
Elise Markham has spent her life being the extremely shy girl who can hardly hold a conversation with the opposite sex. Elise is desperate to break free of the physical and emotional things in her past that have made it so hard for her to have normal relationships and there’s only one person she wants to help her: Rome Lozada. Rome is everything Elise has ever wanted: handsome, sweet and looks like a bad boy. Elise is shocked when Rome takes her up on her offer but she refuses to let her shyness rob her of this beautiful man.
Rome Lozada is determined to finally break free of his hippie-con artist family and make it on his own. When he lands a job at the Wilderness Survival Expeditions he feels like his luck is finally changing, especially when he meets his boss’s sister Elise. Elise is way too good for Rome but there’s no way that he can walk away from what she is offering him. As the two start their adventure together Rome finds himself falling in love with the sweet, shy woman but old secrets come back to haunt him and destroy his relationship.
I was a big fan of the first two books in the Bluebonnet series but the last two have not been my cup of tea. i was very excited for Rome and Elise’s book but it really missed the mark for me. I know that Elise is shy but she was painfully shy to the point that it was awkward to read and my heart broke for her. At the same time she could come off as very annoying because she had no experience with men or relationships. I felt at times that I was in the mind of a thirteen year old girl and not a young woman in her twenties and her actions towards the end of the book are also very childish.
I liked Rome at first but after awhile he too got annoying. I hate when any character of a book makes a decision that they think is best for another person without consulting them first. Rome is a good guy but he told way too many lies and sometimes treated Elise like a child. I didn’t understand why he acted the way he did towards the end and the whole thing just really bothered me. Neither Elise or Rome could just be honest and that along with everything else made this book almost unreadable.
Sadly I am done with this series. After two books that were almost painful to read I have no desire to go back and revisit these characters. I really wanted to like this book but it was a giant disappointment for me.
shadowmaster13's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
merlin_reads's review against another edition
3.5
Elise Markham comes from a very sheltered childhood. From a color disfiguration on her face to scoliosis of the spine, she never really fit in, never had a boyfriend or any real friends actually. Her parents and brother treat her like she’s glass but Elise wants to prove that she’s not breakable.
Enter Rome, the new employee at her brothers company. He’s exactly the opposite of everything Elise has ever known and most importantly, he’s not safe. There’s a mysterious quality about him and he’s obviously hiding something, but Elise doesn’t care. He’s the perfect boy to give her what she needs – a crash course in losing her virginity. Of course, feelings escalate and they both realize that “just sex” is not something that’s possible.
Using humor and a small town setting, Clare was able to tell Elise’s story in a way that was believable and relatable. Elise’s shyness, although a bit extreme, was something that I’m sure a lot of people could understand. I loved how patient Rome was with her and how he slowly brought her out of her shell. He waited until she was comfortable with him and herself before he started anything. Underneath his macho exterior, Rome is actually a nice guy. He has an ugly past that he’s running from, but for once, it’s not of his doing.
This was my first book from this series so at times I felt as if I was a little behind on the backstories of others, but it wasn’t enough to turn me from the story. If anything, it made me more curious to read the other books. The only characters I wasn’t too keen on were Elise’s brother and his girlfriend. I get the overprotective brother act, but this was just suffocating. And his girlfriend, I honestly don’t see how the two of them were compatible.
Overall, a solid love story with humor thrown. Perfect for summer beach reading.
Enter Rome, the new employee at her brothers company. He’s exactly the opposite of everything Elise has ever known and most importantly, he’s not safe. There’s a mysterious quality about him and he’s obviously hiding something, but Elise doesn’t care. He’s the perfect boy to give her what she needs – a crash course in losing her virginity. Of course, feelings escalate and they both realize that “just sex” is not something that’s possible.
Using humor and a small town setting, Clare was able to tell Elise’s story in a way that was believable and relatable. Elise’s shyness, although a bit extreme, was something that I’m sure a lot of people could understand. I loved how patient Rome was with her and how he slowly brought her out of her shell. He waited until she was comfortable with him and herself before he started anything. Underneath his macho exterior, Rome is actually a nice guy. He has an ugly past that he’s running from, but for once, it’s not of his doing.
This was my first book from this series so at times I felt as if I was a little behind on the backstories of others, but it wasn’t enough to turn me from the story. If anything, it made me more curious to read the other books. The only characters I wasn’t too keen on were Elise’s brother and his girlfriend. I get the overprotective brother act, but this was just suffocating. And his girlfriend, I honestly don’t see how the two of them were compatible.
Overall, a solid love story with humor thrown. Perfect for summer beach reading.
whatcha_listening_to's review against another edition
2.0
I loved all the others in this series and I had such high hopes for this one but god she was just toooo down on her self every other page it felt like and I get it you don't feel pretty so you are down on ur self but damn this was just to much :( loved all the others though!
sydlor93's review against another edition
5.0
I have read all of the books in Jessica Clare's Bluebonnet series, and while I liked them all,The Virgin's Guide to Misbehaving was the one that I loved the best. The way that it showed Elise's growth sexually and Rome's patience with her learning was written so well and I could honestly see each scene vividly as I read. And can I say, all the scenes were SOO steamy! It made me feel lots of different ways I never thought I could feel. I love how Rome was so patient yet so hungry for Elsie, and how Elsie, though shy, opened up so fully to Rome, though a virtual hot stranger. I was a little skeptical about reading erotic romances after reading Fifty Shades of Gray (it was just so fake to me and really weird) but if all erotic romances like this, then I could like them a lot better! Jessica Clare has such a way with words and I love it! Best book in her series, hands down.
skoore's review against another edition
3.0
The Virgin's Guide to Misbehaving part 4: I saw on You Tube about this book that it was so great. I dont know what they know about great. I was going to give it a 2 stars but it wasn't that bad.
noveladdiction's review against another edition
4.0
Still hate Brenna, but I absolutely loved Elise and Rome!!
bethp's review
5.0
Shy, scarred virgin and tatted-up, pierced biker with a heart of gold fall in love ever-so-sweetly in The Virgin’s Guide to Misbehaving (book 4 in the Bluebonnet series). This was a 4.5 star read for me. I am a fan of this series and have read the previous three novels and two novellas.
Though The Virgin’s Guide to Misbehaving can work as a stand-alone, I firmly believe that my rating would have been lower (a 3 or 3.5) had I read it that way. My advice is to at least read The Expert’s Guide to Driving a Man Wild first. Elise and Rome, the leads in Virgin’s Guide, are introduced as characters and have several interactions in Expert’s Guide. While this history is summarized in Virgin’s Guide, I feel that witnessing those events in “real-time” provides significantly more character depth. Additionally, the behaviors and personalities of secondary characters Grant and Brenna make way more sense if you are familiar with their story. (If this book had been my first encounter with Brenna, I’m fairly certain I would have been wishing her dead. By knowing her background, this was more like a fun reunion with a wacky friend.)
Elise is an adorable, vulnerable heroine. There were several instances in the book when I just wanted to scoop her up and put her in my pocket. Rome is an incredibly sweet and sexy hero. He looks like a bad boy, but is the nicest guy in the universe. The chemistry between Elise and Rome is delicious. My need for them to be together was so great that my heart hurt any time they were separated. I repeatedly teared-up just for Rome and his situation in life. This emotional response was so strong that it overrode my rational brain’s two issues with the book: (1) Rome is simply too good to be true and (2) when Elise finally overcomes her shyness, her personality change in that respect is quick and complete. But the feels! The feels were so strong I just didn’t care.
Jessica Clare has stated that this is the final book in the series. Goodbye, Bluebonnet, TX. It’s been fun. I’ll be back to visit (reread) some day. You can count on it.
Though The Virgin’s Guide to Misbehaving can work as a stand-alone, I firmly believe that my rating would have been lower (a 3 or 3.5) had I read it that way. My advice is to at least read The Expert’s Guide to Driving a Man Wild first. Elise and Rome, the leads in Virgin’s Guide, are introduced as characters and have several interactions in Expert’s Guide. While this history is summarized in Virgin’s Guide, I feel that witnessing those events in “real-time” provides significantly more character depth. Additionally, the behaviors and personalities of secondary characters Grant and Brenna make way more sense if you are familiar with their story. (If this book had been my first encounter with Brenna, I’m fairly certain I would have been wishing her dead. By knowing her background, this was more like a fun reunion with a wacky friend.)
Elise is an adorable, vulnerable heroine. There were several instances in the book when I just wanted to scoop her up and put her in my pocket. Rome is an incredibly sweet and sexy hero. He looks like a bad boy, but is the nicest guy in the universe. The chemistry between Elise and Rome is delicious. My need for them to be together was so great that my heart hurt any time they were separated. I repeatedly teared-up just for Rome and his situation in life. This emotional response was so strong that it overrode my rational brain’s two issues with the book: (1) Rome is simply too good to be true and (2) when Elise finally overcomes her shyness, her personality change in that respect is quick and complete. But the feels! The feels were so strong I just didn’t care.
Jessica Clare has stated that this is the final book in the series. Goodbye, Bluebonnet, TX. It’s been fun. I’ll be back to visit (reread) some day. You can count on it.
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