Tina Chen was wearing her lucky white cashmere sweater,
which she had bought for a few dollars at the Salvation
Army; he should have been a good day. On her way to
university, a careless driver splashes mud on her
pristine sweater. The driver gets out of his car, and
Tina notices it's Blake Reynolds, the heir to the Cyclone
Systems empire; he is also in her class. When Blake makes
disparaging comments about the poor,Tina blows her top
and they have a shouting match in class. Tina had thought
he was cute before the incident, and Blake had noticed
her without saying a word. To make amends, Blake makes a
deal with Tina: they will change lives for a short time.
Stepping out of her comfort zone, Courtney Milan makes a
very impressive debut with her New Adult novel, TRADE ME,
the first book in the Cyclone series. Told from
both Tina and Blake's point of view, we get a better
insight of the characters; it does not hinder in the
least the story's flow, quite the contrary, it helps
understand them better.
I had found the premise for TRADE ME intriguing, and my
expectations were more than met. TRADE ME is not a
comedy, which is more or less what I expected, and Ms.
Milan does an admirable job at creating a fascinating
situation, which unfolds intelligently and logically.
Both Tina and Blake have issues, and exchanging
lifestyles gives them the opportunity to find more than
they were originally looking for, more than finding love
even.
TRADE ME features several characters, every one of them
multifaceted and interesting, and I'm happy that some
will be featured in upcoming instalments. Tina and Blake
are very likeable and genuine, and there is real
chemistry between them; I really liked them and I was
rooting for them all along. Ms. Milan's writing is crisp,
fresh and flows easily, and although TRADE ME is a rather
large book, it's a very quick and easy read.
TRADE ME truly represents what a New Adult novel should
be, in my opinion: it features young adults in their
early twenties, trying to find themselves, without being
overly dramatic and facing over the top problems; it's
easy to relate to Tina and Blake and see them as our
friends. I enjoyed TRADE ME tremendously and I am very
much looking forward to the rest of this series.
Tina Chen just wants a degree and a job, so her parents
never have to worry about making rent again. She has no
time
for Blake Reynolds, the sexy billionaire who stands to
inherit Cyclone Systems. But when he makes an offhand
comment about what it means to be poor, she loses her cool
and tells him he couldn’t last a month living her life.
To her shock, Blake offers her a trade: She’ll get his
income, his house, his car. In exchange, he’ll work her
hours and send money home to her family. No expectations;
no
future obligations.
But before long, they’re trading not just lives, but
secrets, kisses, and heated nights together. No
expectations
might break Tina’s heart...but Blake’s secrets could ruin
her life.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy