ARC Review: Falling for Her Soldier by Ophelia London

Falling for Her Soldier

(Perfect Kisses #3)

Author: Ophelia London

Publisher: Entangled Bliss

Publication Date: January 13, 2014

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Source: eARC via NetGalley

~Synopsis~

She fell for the nice guy, but will she fall for the real guy?

Ex-ballerina Ellie Bell has twenty-four days left until her self-imposed man-less year is up. No more falling for the wrong kind of guy—charming, sexy, bad. Why can’t she find someone sweet like Charlie Johansson, her soldier pen pal? His e-mails meant the world to her, and she can’t stop thinking about him…until she meets Hunter, whose muscles and cocky smile threaten to have her relapsing.

Before Charlie “Big Game Hunter” Johansson’s last tour of duty, he’d gone through women like crazy. But after connecting on a real, emotional level via letters with his best friend’s sister, Charlie’s ready for a relationship—with Ellie Bell. But then her brother introduces him as Hunter. Proving he’s no longer a player by becoming Ellie’s dance partner for an Army benefit seems like it could convince both siblings he’s changed, but the harder he falls for Ellie, the harder it is to come clean. Can he convince her to fall for the real him before it’s too late?

~Review~

I loved Ophelia’s “Definitely, Maybe in Love” so when I saw this ARC on NetGalley, I knew I needed to read it. I really enjoyed this book and found it fun, sweet and romantic. It definitely reminded me why I really love a good ole contemporary romance without all the angst and drama.

Ellie is a douche magnet and she is always attracting the wrong guys, the bad boy loser assholes. She makes a vow to spend an entire year single and no dating to try and get her head on straight and figure out herself. During this vow, she becomes pen pals with Charlie Johansson, a soldier in her brother’s platoon. They spend 2 months emailing and then it’s over but Ellie can’t stop thinking about him. He seems to be the opposite of every guy she’s ever dated and she dreams of meeting him someday. Charlie is a ladies man. He’s got a reputation and he’s the exact kind of guy that Ellie is trying to avoid. Charlie has never wanted to be in a relationship or get to know a woman beyond the bedroom but he felt a real connection with Ellie through the emails and after everything he's been through in Afghanistan, he wants to be a different guy. When he meets Ellie and is introduced as Hunter, his nickname, he doesn't correct her for fear that she wouldn't give him a chance. 

I really liked Ellie a lot. She is such a sweet girl and she really loves her brother. I liked how involved she became with the Warrior Station because she could see how helpful it was to Sam's healing and how important it was to the Vet's. I liked that she recognized Hunter as the type of guy she shouldn't become involved with and tried to resist, even though she couldn't. Normally it would bother me when the girl would fall for the guy despite the fact he is exactly what she doesn't want but since Hunter is really Charlie, it was okay for me. It's obvious that he genuinely cares for her and has real feelings but he has made decisions in the past that have led to his reputation and he is afraid to lose her if she knows the truth. I could definitely tell that the emails with Ellie had a profound affect on Charlie and he was tired of being "Hunter." He really wanted to change and be the kind of guy Ellie deserves.

I loved the plot in this book and they chemistry between Ellie and Charlie. She tried her hardest to fight it but it was there and Charlie wasn't making it easy on her. He wanted her to get to know him and he really wanted to know her more too. He respected her "no sex for a year" ban and the fact that he wanted her to hold out and keep to it proved that he really had true feelings for her. When they are dancing together, I got butterflies in my stomach from how passionate and sensual it was. I understood why Charlie kept his true identity from Ellie and I respected that he wanted to tell her but struggled to find the right time. His intentions were never to hurt her. However, I was a ball of nerves waiting for the ball to drop and I hurt for Ellie when she found out the truth. She felt betrayed and I could totally understand that. I also think she needed to digest the fact that she fell in love with Hunter and forgot about Charlie, when they were one and the same the whole time. 

I liked how protective her brother Sam was and he was partially to blame for the lie. He didn't want Charlie to tell her the truth and because he's a good friend, he didn't. He tried to stay away from her for Sam, which is why he stopped emailing, but the heart wants what the heart wants and I was glad that he went after Ellie despite how Sam might feel about it. I also really liked that Sam went to Ellie, defended Charlie and took some blame for the lie. He wants her to be happy more than anything else and he could see that Charlie really had changed and that he loved Ellie too. What Charlie did to prove his love to Ellie and to win her back in the end was so sweet and I was glad that she opened her heart to him again.

Overall, I adored pretty much everything about this book. Third person writing is iffy for me but I think Ophelia did a really great job with it and I was still able to really connect with the characters and feel their emotions. The plot flowed well and kept hold of me the entire time. I'm definitely excited to check out the other books in this series and I hope there's a story in Sam's future too.

~IPOD Picks~

“I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz

“Bubbly” by Colbie Collait

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE