Publisher's Weekly Review
Jordan (Hidden) launches a new adult series that delivers plenty of emotional conflict in a conventional finding-love-where-you-least-expect story. Naive, virginal college student Pepper has long been in love with her best friend's brother, Hunter, seeing him as the one man who can give her the cozy traditional home life she craves. When he breaks up with his girlfriend, Pepper wonders how to seize her chance. Her college roommates come up with a plan: get seduction lessons from a sexy bartender, who is also a kissing expert, then use her new skills on Hunter. Pepper did not expect the bartender to be Reece, the man with the "dangerous vibe" who keeps turning up to rescue her from uncomfortable situations. Banter leads to intoxicating foreplay, and insecurities, misconceptions, and past damage create complications. Even as Hunter courts Pepper, Reece tugs at her heart. Some of the plotting is a bit contrived, but the story is saved by strong personalities and Jordan's talent for handling touchy issues with plenty of heart. Agent: Maura Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Associates. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
When the boy she's loved forever finally notices her, bedroom novice Pepper decides to get some love tips from a sexy "player"; trouble is, sexy, tempting Reece seems to be everything she needs in a man, despite what she thought she always wanted. Pepper has loved Hunter, her best friend's brother, since the first moment she met him. She even followed him to renowned Dartford College, where her first year was spent studying very hard and watching him be the perfect boyfriend to an undeserving girl. Now Hunter is unattached, and success seems within reach, but Pepper is embarrassed that she's barely even kissed a boy. Her roommates Emerson and Georgia take her to the popular Mulvaney's bar in order to hook up with someone and gain some foreplay experience, pointing her toward the popular bartender with a reputation for being a player. There's no denying a blazing chemistry between Pepper and bartender Reece. For as long as she can remember, Pepper's wanted everything Hunter represents: normal, successful, happy and uncomplicated. Reece is broodingly enticing and has a past about as troubled as Pepper's. So why is she suddenly feeling like he's the only one who can truly make her dreams come true? With this first installment in Jordan's Ivy Chronicles series, the author enters the popular new-adult genre, offering a passionate, compelling story that captures the confusion and giddiness of young-adult romance and sexual experimentation. Reece is the superhot bad-boy-except-not-really who captures the wounded heart of the virginal Pepper, who's waited her whole life for the wrong guy. Readers may have been down this road before, but in Jordan's expert hands, they are given a sexy, textured and satisfying ride. An affecting, successful foray into the new-adult genre.]]]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
All Pepper needs is a little experience. Ever since she was a teenager, she has been in love with Hunter, the brother of her best friend, Lila, but he thinks of her as merely a good friend. When Pepper discovers that Hunter has just broken up with his longtime girlfriend, she realizes that if she wants to hook up with Hunter, it is now or never. The problem is that Pepper has kissed exactly one boy in her entire life. Of course her friends have a solution to her problem: Reece, a hottie bartender at Mulvaney's, whose romantic reputation is legendary. All Pepper needs to do is get Reece to give her a few lessons in seduction, and she can apply what she learns to finally land Hunter. At least that is the plan until Pepper discovers that she might be falling for her new teacher. A best-selling author of historical romances and the YA Firelight series, Jordan makes her new-adult romance debut with a sexy love story that perfectly captures both the flirtatiously fun and emotionally tormenting aspects of college romances.--Charles, John Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Dartmouth college student Pepper has been pining for the same man since she was 12. She finally has her chance now that Hunter is newly single. Unfortunately, Pepper doesn't have much experience under the sheets, so her roommates have the perfect guy in mind to show her the ropes. Enter hot, bad-boy bartender Reece, who has seduced his share of customers and is more than happy to tutor Pepper. Under his guidance, she learns not only about pleasures in the bedroom but also that there is much more to this man than Pepper originally thought. She discovers herself opening up to him on an emotional level she has never had with anyone, not even with her friends. Hunter is the man who will rescue her from her past, but the rare chemistry she finds only with Reece gives her doubts about the one thing she always knew to be true. Verdict Best known for her sensual historical romances, Jordan (How To Lose a Bride in One Night; Hidden: A Firelight Novel) makes a big splash with this first foray into the emerging new adult territory. Readers are along for a pleasurable ride with Pepper in her sexual education, which comes from a hot guy whose attraction goes much deeper than sex. A gratifying story that is also hard to put down, Jordan's series starter sets a high bar for new adult.-Kara Kohn, Plainfield PL, IL (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
