REVIEW of AMERICA’S SWEETHEART By Jessica Lemmon

On Sale October 2^nd | Ballantine/Loveswept

Old flames burn bright. When a disgraced starlet returns home to lick her wounds, she discovers that her high school sweetheart is just as tempting as ever.

Allison: When I left for California, I gave myself a new name and never looked back. Now my carefully crafted good-girl image is getting torn to shreds in the press thanks to my Oscar-winning A-hole of an ex-boyfriend. So I escape to the only safe haven I know and trust—my hometown—to take a breather while I plot my triumphant Hollywood comeback. However, when I arrive at my parents’ house, Jackson Burke answers the door instead. And suddenly the past comes rushing back . . .

Jackson: First kiss. First time. First love. Yep, Allison Murphy and I shared a lot of firsts back in the day. When she left, she took half my heart with her. Now she’s back in town, and even though I swore I’d keep my distance, her parents hired me to remodel their house, and I’m going to finish the job. But one hot kiss later, suddenly the press is calling us the next big celebrity couple. Sure, I’ll play the part, for Allison’s sake—but I refuse to let her close enough to break my heart all over again . . .

My Thoughts…

A small town girl heads to California to make it big leaving her high school/college sweetheart behind.    I’ve read this story before.   It ends with broken hearts, hurt feelings, and issues.      The difference with this one is that Allison, aka Nina, and Jackson never got over each other.   They tried, they pretended but as soon as Allison walks into her parent's house while trying to escape the gossip of the showbiz world and sees Jackson all the feelings come back.   The attraction is instantaneous, the feelings come out from behind the walls that were hiding them, and there is no doubt that Allison and Jackson did not forget about each other.    

I love Jackson’s sister.   She was the only one in Allison’s hometown that wasn’t in awe of her being a movie star, the only one that didn’t welcome her back with open arms and it is all because Allison broke Jackson’s heart when she left him behind.     I loved how protective, how loving, and how respectful she was of Jackson and his relationship with Allison.    She was definitely one of my favorite characters.

Allison was eh.   She left the small town, came back to hide out, and the devised a plan with her agent to get her back in the good graces of the public.    I realize that probably is part of being in the public eye but I am truly of the belief that the public will believe what they want no matter what the truth is.     I hated that she pulled Jackson into the plan.     Jackson was better than Allison.    At least he knew that what his feelings were and were realistic in what their future held.    He knew that Allison would have to go back to California and he was willing to put himself on the line to help her out even though there was the chance she would break his heart again.   

America’s Sweetheart was a fun book to read.    It was quick and easy.     The perfect book to lose yourself in for a short time.

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About the Author

A former job-hopper, Jessica Lemmon resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in graphic design currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When  not writing about super-sexy heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay, wine), and eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.

America’s Sweetheart

Ballantine Group; Loveswept | On Sale: October 2^nd, 2018 | ISBN: 9781101969489 | Pages 210 | Price: $4.99