So, on the one hand I really liked this book. The H/H had some rough emotional baggage (Aiden winning, hands-down, but Sadie's isn't pretty either) and their relationship goes through some bumps. Not the least of which is Aiden breaking it off for no good reason what-so-ever. More on that later. I loved the voice, the writing, the motorcycles. I loved that Sadie was a driven woman, and was (mostly) unapologetic about that. I loved that in their relationship Aiden was the one who was more in touch with his feelings and where he saw them going. So much so that he just doesn't know how to deal with the "let's back off a little" speech, other than assuming that things must be over. Yeah, gung-ho kinda guy.

BUT there was some crazy sauce that also drove me insane.

1 - I never understood the reason Aiden had to break things off to begin with. Something about... Not upsetting his mother with change? For some reason he had never told his family he was divorced (his problem), but that doesn't mean that he had to totally cut out on Sadie. Why couldn't he have just said that they needed to lay off a bit cause he was moving to Oregon but they could keep in touch while he dealt with family stuff? Why???? No idea. None at all.

2 - Sadies. MF'ing. Family. Are they for real? I mean... Obviously this is a work of fiction... But seriously? So, imagine the situation for a quick sec. You're engaged to a guy you've been with for two years. While you are engaged, this guy falls for your step-sister (that you don't have a great relationship with anyway), and before even bringing this little fact up to you asks your dad for permission to marry your step-sister. So this, in my mind, makes the ex-fiance and sister world-class assholes anyway, but then to make matters worse, your entire family thinks you should just forgive and forget. Act like it's all fine. When Sadie finds this a bit of a hard thing to do, she is berated for it. And Sadie ends up thinking that she is the one that acted badly. W.T.F. Maybe this is just a abnormal reaction that is coming from me, because I have no problem with cutting people (aka assholes) out of my life when I realize that they are... well, assholes. Nobody has time in life to deal with that kind of crap. So, in my mind, Sadie should have at the very least not felt like they (fiance and co) were the wronged-parties. At. The. VERY. Least. At the most, I would have cut those people out of my life so hard it would be like I had entered witness protection. That scene where the sister and fiance were getting irritated that Sadie wasn't falling all over herself with joy because "they" were pregnant wouldn't have happened because I wouldn't have been there. Have a nice life... But maybe that is just me...

So, yeah. Partially hair-pulling-insane, and partially really good. Might be willing to try this author again, but only if there isn't any of that family craziness.

Copy courtesy of Forever (Grand Central Publishing), via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Hard to Handle is a short, sweet romance in which nothing really happens and everything is wrong.

You know, I initially wrote out this review with detailed descriptions of every single problem I had with this book, but I wasn't even half done and the review was practically a full-length novel, so I decided maybe bullet points are better. I will be happy to provide more examples (and more things I didn't like) if necessary.

• THE TIMELINE DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. First and foremost, I cannot for the life of me figure out when things are supposed to be happening. Everything seemed horribly rushed and contrived, but maybe that's because I didn't read book one. (Of course, I didn't know there was a book one until this little guy showed up at my door saying it was book two!) According to my fellow reviewers, not reading book one should have little impact on the understanding of book two, but I still wonder if having that background information would have made the story flow better.

• THE WHOLE DIVORCE/HIDING SADIE THING MADE NO SENSE AT ALL. From what I understand, Aiden and Sadie dated briefly and then broke up because his mom got sick and he had to take care of her, and also he didn't want his mom to know he was divorced and dating a new woman? I don't know, that part didn't make sense to me. Did his mom really like his ex-wife? Would she really have been devastated to find out they'd split? She'd rather live her last days believing a lie than know that her son was happy with a new woman? I mean, it sounds like Aiden and Harmony had a pretty toxic relationship, and it sounds like his mom was a reasonable woman... so from the beginning, the whole relationship drama didn't make much sense to me.

• BE TOGETHER OR DON'T. STOP WITH THE NONSENSE. I'm not sure whether or not I can call this instalove, seeing how Aiden and Sadie dated for some indeterminate amount of time some indeterminate number of months/years ago. Aiden never stopped loving Sadie, and Sadie absolutely despises Aiden. Except when she doesn't. But then she does again. But then she loves him. And then she wants to break up, even though she won't admit they're dating. She can't get enough of him. She wants him to just LEAVE HER ALONE. This is one of my pet peeves in romance novels. If your relationship goes through that many ups and downs and you can't decide whether you love or hate your partner, you probably shouldn't be dating. It's as simple as that.

• SADIE WAS ACTUALLY AWFUL. Yes, Aiden dumped her. It was probably awful, most breakups are. But Aiden had a good reason, and as her best friend actually points out, she needs to stop using it as an excuse to be terrible to him. She feels that she can justify every snide remark or rude action because he left her to take care of his mom. As if it was the worst possible thing he could've done. I think she hates Aiden more for moving away than she hates her ex-fiance for sleeping with her sister.

• AIDEN WAS ACTUALLY AWFUL TOO. Aiden is the worst kind of awful, because he hides in such a sweet persona. I wonder if the author even realizes that she created such an awful character. You see, Aiden wants what he wants. And what he wants is marriage. So he's going to pressure Sadie into at every turn. Even though she doesn't want a serious relationship. Even though she's said many times that she's not looking for marriage. He's just going to propose over and over again until she says yes, and mope and sulk around every time she says no. And the worst part is, he eventually wears her down. There's no other explanation for why Sadie, so adamantly against marriage for the first 250 pages, would acquiesce so easily at the end.

• WHY IS EVERYTHING ABOUT MARRIAGE? Why does marriage dominate the lives of these men and women? Everything is about a proposal, a dead wife, a ring, did she say yes yet?, wow they're engaged, a fiance... I think that every woman who is mentioned in more than one scene actually has a marriage plot in this book. It is absolutely ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with marriage, or with wanting to have a family, but it almost comes across like the author of this ROMANCE NOVEL is uncomfortable with the idea of unmarried people being together!

I actually enjoyed this book at the beginning. I knew that it wouldn't be one of my favorites, but it was a good way to pass the time. A quick, easy read. But then Aiden got all weird and clingy, and Sadie did a complete 180. I would have liked it better if they'd ended up apart because I just felt like Sadie was shoved into a life she didn't want, a life that she had been insisting that she wasn't interested in.

Final rating: a generous 2/5.

Thank you to the publisher and Goodreads First Reads for the free copy. ( )

Love Love Love this book!! After a disastrous break up of a relationship that almost was a year ago, Aiden is back in town and Sadie is forced to work with him if she wants the account she has been after. After having her heart broken first by her ex-fiance (now brother-in-law) and then Aiden, Sadie is determined to keep their attraction at bay. Aiden has different hopes and dreams starring Sadie! He still has his romantic loving side even after the hurt his ex wife caused him.

This is a fantastic story that filled my heart. Jessica Lemmon's writing style and humor never fail to keep me entertain. Highly recommend this book and the others in this series. ( )

Cute story, but I was really not a fan of Sadie. I understand why she was scared, but it would have been nice if she would have explained her feelings to Aiden rather than keep letting him pour his heart out and say she knows or say nothing at all. Made her come across as bitchy and annoying. All that being said, I'm hoping Landon gets a book. I'd definitely read it. ( )

Cute story, but I was really not a fan of Sadie. I understand why she was scared, but it would have been nice if she would have explained her feelings to Aiden rather than keep letting him pour his heart out and say she knows or say nothing at all. Made her come across as bitchy and annoying. All that being said, I'm hoping Landon gets a book. I'd definitely read it. ( )