Book Review – Love Square by Jessica Ingro

Love Square
I read this one a few weeks ago, and was so distressed by the whole thing, that I huffed in exasperation and then set it aside until I could get “over” it. I didn’t know exactly what I could say in the review other than, if you are in the mood for the ultimate in romantic deception, indecision and maybe even “payback” (depends on how you look at it, and who you’re rooting for)… then this might be for you. And I stick by that.

It caught my eye when the author sent a review copy my way, and I was reminded of it when I added it to my bargain post a few weeks ago. By the title and synopsis, I was already anticipating what a romance-mess this would be (a la “The Opportunist” and “Avoiding Commitment”) so I added it to my list. And then… it continued to mentally tease me. Calling me. There were a few tried and true reader suggestions that I was sure I would love,  but when I received a few comments from our fellow readers about this one, I decided on it, for my next read:

Megan: Loved “Love Square” bought and read it this morning ….5 stars for me

Brandy: Read Love Lost, Love UnExpected and Love Square. Loved them all!!

I was excited!! I enjoy a messy love triangle. But this one was plain crazy. Must be ’cause it was a “square”. And boy did I get that mess.

Oh god… I’m one of those ridiculous heroines in all the romance novels that whines and cries and can’t make any decisions.

In the words of Scarlett O’Hara, “I won’t think about that now, I’ll think about that tomorrow.”

Ohhhhh it made me squirrrrm (at first, out of nerves because well, let’s face it… this is not an ideal love story) but then it made me REALLY uncomfortable. I was (reluctantly) anticipating that “oh no, there’s gonna be trouble” situation, but I had no idea it was going to drive me as crazy as it did. In fact, it bothered me so much that I ended up not really liking any of the characters. The cheating and lies were just so blatantly unapologetic. Someone had her cake and made sure to eat it all, too. Over and over again.

So what’s it about?

A married woman runs into her old high school player of a boyfriend. She thought she was over him but seeing him again (and his intense reaction to her) rekindled that spark. And his adamant pursuit of her begins. She tries to resist but her disappointment and loneliness in her current married life (with reason), has her playing with fire.

God I just want to scream, “Say something already! Please just tell me what is wrong with us!” But again… silence.

Let the games (and burns) begin!

I have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. The angel keeps warning me nothing good could come out of spending time with Jacob while the devil keeps telling me it will be fun to catch up with an old friend and just go with the flow.

And in all of it’s craziness, I actually have a feeling parts of this story had a more raw realistic look into an affair which is probably why it gave me such bitter cramps. ‘Cause it didn’t always go like I expected it to. There was a certain seediness to their indiscretions that didn’t follow that “perfect sequence of romance-book events”. It actually surprised me, ’cause the “correct” thing to do, the lessons to be learned, well… they didn’t happen as I would have expected them to. Characters aren’t necessarily being “saved” in this one.

I feel utterly worthless thanks to the way he blew me off.

People get attached, people get hurt, people have expectations, people make ultimatums, people continue to be indecisive, and sometimes there’s a sort of “payback/downward spiral”. And it’s all here too, butttt…. there were just a few surprise reveals and consequences, that weren’t exactly as I imagined them to be.

Not everyone gets the right kind of payback. Not everyone gets what they deserve. And I can’t help but feel like not everyone “learned” as much as I think they should have. I felt sad for some, mad at others, and laughed a bit at the total switch that I was not expecting but was mildy pleased about. Just ’cause I was feeling bitter.

And sometimes the characters surprised me. They would act (for the most part) one way, and suddenly, I’d be faced with a completely new side of them that would appear out of nowhere. But then again, considering the dire circumstances, personality changes are to be expected, I suppose. But either way, I just couldn’t “fall in love” with any of ‘em. I couldn’t pick a “team” or feel connected to anyone because mostly, they were being such indulgent brats.

While there were certainly a few heart-wrenching scenes, there wasn’t enough depth or intensity for me to want… something, or anything in particular. Not enough for me to become completely invested in them. The back and forth and relentless duplicity drove me too crazy for me to truly connect.

And yet, it still entertained me.   I felt some of it. My heart stuttered twice. I hurt a few times, and that proverbial “slap in the face” sure did sting! And don’t get me started on the uncomfortable clinging. Eeeeep!

So I liked it well enough. But just not to the… “OMG I love this and I LOVED such and such” level. More like… if you’re in the mood to be mad, annoyed and irritated and if you like to read about characters that do some obnoxious stuff, and you’re curious enough to see where it all ends up, then… this.

4 stars for keeping me reading and 3 stars because I was just so irritated and couldn’t really connect to any of them. Or maybe I’m upset ’cause I wanted one thing and got another? *sigh* I dunno. Maybe I still don’t know what I want with this one. Just call me “Samantha”. No don’t! She makes me too mad. And so do some others… *smirk*

And because of that, it’s gotta be an overall 3 stars from me.

P.S. Though… there will be a book #2, so… what do I know? Maybe there’s still a lot to come. I thought I “got it” until that extra epilogue came along. I’m just not sure if I can handle any more.