Ignite by Lily Paradis
Published on 26th Aug 2014
326 pages
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After her father’s untimely demise in a mining accident and her mother’s abandonment, Lauren Lindsay is no stranger to loss. She’s used to living life for one person: herself.
That is, until another family tragedy thrusts three children into her care and uproots her life in ways she could never imagine.
Lauren's first instinct is to run, until she meets their striking, mysterious neighbor Dean Powell. Their immediate chemistry and his connection with her late father just might be enough to keep her in town long enough to uncover pieces of her past that she never had answers to. Dean’s shady past and her reluctance to trust him could cost her the life she's always been searching for, but will she run back to her old life?
Or will she choose to stay and live the life her father always imagined for her?
I wanted to like this book, but....I couldn't. I just couldn't.
This whole story was so unrealistic, I couldn't believe a single thing that happened. Not to mention that the drama rivalled a YA Wattpad story. And hey, I'm not saying I don't like Wattpad stories, I do (well, depends on the story), but Watty stories usually need a lot of work. They might have potential, but they're generally extremely raw.
I had so many problems with Ignite. For instance, why were the three little step-siblings dumped on Lauren in the first place? Firstly, she's not (view spoiler) blood related. Didn't Linda (the stepmum) have any family? Secondly, just because her Uncle's wife has 'flare ups' – whatever that means, doesn't mean they can't take the kids. It may have been a bit hard, but if push came to shove, they could've taken them. Thirdly, don't they have any Godparents or close family friends? Fourthly, Lauren has a twin brother, who had just as much legal connection to the kids as she does.
So what then, she has to give up her youth to look after three kids who she'd never even properly met just because she's the only apparent female who isn't prone to 'flare ups'? What about the fact that she's 21? What about the fact that she's virtually a stranger? What about the fact that she's halfway through college?
(view spoiler)
Another problem was how much of a weak, dramatic pushover Lauren was.
Her Uncle and his wife literally ordered her to look after the three kids, and she just......let them. Forgetting the 'flare ups' joke, it seemed to me that they just didn't want the responsibility of taking care of the kids even though (1 they're older and Lauren's uncle is a lawyer so they'd have a steady income (2 there's two of them whereas Lauren would have to act like a single mum, and (3 they're much more familiar with the kids while Lauren has never even really met them (I can't help pointing out that it seems that Lauren was estranged from her dad....another reason why it's unlikely she'd be given the kids).
Then you have the love interest. Oh my. It just gets worse and worse. Dean's character fell flat from the get go. He was a total jackass at first (and I don't mean in Daemon's swoony style), and somehow Lauren was attracted to him? There was way too much insta-attraction and insta-jealousy, and Dean and Lauren's connection didn't feel one bit sincere.
Oh, and then there's the matter of his past. What. A. Laugh. (view spoiler)
Lauren mentions how Dean 'somehow got through her walls', and that she's some kind of ice queen *snorts*, but tbh I don't think she had any to begin with. She's very.....*cough* emotional. Hell, she started crying because of clam chowder and food poisoning! Yeah, I get it, food poisoning has to suck, but she's 21 and she cries over practically everything. She should start carrying a tissue box.
The only aspect I liked about the story was how the six of them, Lauren, Dean, Callie (the oldest kid), Jenny (Dean's little sister and Callie's best friend), Chase (the middle kid), and of course little Emma (the baby of the three kids), were like one big motley family where Lauren and Dean were halfway between parents and older siblings to the kids/teens. It was cute, I admit.
So yeah, I couldn't get through Ignite, and ended up DNFing it, but quite a few of my blogger friends liked it enough, so I guess it's just me really. I'm glad other's enjoyed it tho :)
DNF.
—Missbloodsucker™ All Sucked Out!
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