Stern (The Westmorelands Book 27)

~2/5I haven’t read any of the book in this series, or anything else by Brenda Jackson. I picked this up because it was cheap, thinking it sounded cute and hopefully steamy.It starts out pretty good, the writing subtle, the characters entertaining. Jojo is in love with Stern, her best friend, and so decides to fall in love with someone else instead. Stern is very oblivious, throughout most of the novel, as his feelings start to develop to more. Jojo is also pretty oblivious, and her inexperience is pushed to the ridiculous.I actually found the characters all right, and I liked Stern and some of the others. I liked their friends-to-lovers route. I did have a problem with their “practicing” kissing thing, though. That didn’t make sense on any level.Given that this is such a huge series, I think it's good that the rest of the Westmoreland family wasn't mentioned too much. Since I haven't read any of the other books, their huge family tree was confusing, even given how little they were mentioned at all.The more I read, though, the more the writing got on my nerves. I don’t know if it changed, or if I did. But it got a little more tell-than-show I think, and more exaggerated, like a teenage girl had written it. And then just some of the language, and the little use of contractions, got on my nerves, as it made it harder to read.By the time I got to the end, I was happy to be finished with it. I thought about picking up another of her books, but now I don’t think I will.[More of my reviews are available on my blog, Geeky Reading, to which there's a link on my profile.]

In Book Three of Brenda Jackson's Westmoreland trilogy we meet Stern.. Another of the fabulous Westmoreland cousins! These three cousins have had one thing in common.. they were bachelors and planned to stay that way. Zane never planned to marry.. but timber down he went.. Canyon, well he wasn't against marriage but when the woman he loved left him he was pretty much through for a while.. yeah that worked out really well.. Now it's Sterns turn. Only Stern has had the love of his life right by his side the entire time.Stern Westmoreland has his life on track.. He is an attorney for his family's business, owns his own home and vacation place, has a great family and has a best friend who can outshoot, out martial art and knows more about cars than anyone else around.. It's when that friend asks him for dating advice and how to make men notice her that gets Stern's attention.When Jovonnie "JoJo" Jones started noticing her best friend in an overly friendly manner.. When he started starring in some of her more erotic dreams, JoJo knew she needed to do something. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin a life long friendship with her new feelings. So she focused on another man who didn't even realize she was alive, well except as a mechanic. Not sure what to do she asks her best friend.. isn't that what girls do? It's just he isn't handling things well.There is just something special when books are about friends finding love. While it helps support the theory that men and woman can never be just friends (and that is irksome) it is also a nice dream. To know that someday the person you trust the most, the person who has always stood by your side is the person you were meant to spend your life with.Stern and JoJo are a great couple, they see more than the outer shell they see the person beneath the surface. While Stern has always been one gorgeous man, JoJo has hidden herself behind coveralls and baseball caps.. No men even realize how beautiful she is.. Once her makeover is complete she realizes that really none of that matters. Sure she enjoys dressing up and looking nice but those who can't see beyond the surface really aren't worth worrying about.Of course JoJo's choice in substituions leaves much to be desired.. a poor copy of Stern to say the least.. JoJo is forced to deal with the ramifications of her choices.. and let's just say she learns an interesting lesson..While I enjoyed the premise of this book JoJo's total and complete naiveté surprised me. It turned me off just a tad. No one who lives in a major city in the US can reach the age of 30 and be that naive. Sexually inexperienced, sure.. but some of the things she believed.. yeah totally bothered me.. At least this was with Stern and he was there to help her grow.. but that was a minor disappointment.. All in all Stern is wonderful way to wrap up this particular Westmoreland Trilogy.ShauniThis review is based on the ARC of Stern, provided by netgalley

I loved this story. Best friends becoming lovers. Stern hadswagger...that's for sure. A rich playboy who in his heartknew that his relationship with his best friend meant morethan he could fathom. Reason being he always let thewomen he dated know that JoJo was always gonna be in hislife and they (the women he dated) could not come betweentheir relationship. I thought it was a beautiful story oflove being much deeper than the surface that it was a pureinner love that reached so much deeper than Stern and JoJoknew they had to discover it themselves.Although, some of the viewers seem to think that JoJo justcouldn't be that naive about a relationship with a man. Ibeg to differ. Their are some women who are saving themselvesfor that one special man and they are not trying to jump inthe bed with every man that looks in their direction. Personally,I believe that if more women would be like JoJo we would havemore of these love stories being real, because men would trulystart to fall in love with one woman and not need a group ofwomen to pacify them. They would be like Stern after livingthe life of a playboy he found the one thing he swore hewould never do, he fell in love with that one special womanand he wanted nothing more than for JoJo to be his and hisonly and he for her only. It's amazing what the heart willhave you do once you truly find that special love.BJ I look forward to more of the Westmoreland stories. FIVESTAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!