Hard Wood (Men of Lake Tahoe) Paperback – February 25, 2014

The love story itself was cute. However, there was a part that really annoyed me. When he left her at the dinner table alone to go talk to his ex, and then he just lets his ex move in with him and ignores her (the heroine) for two weeks? Seriously? That didn't fit with his character at all and pretty much ruined it for me. There was no plausible reason for him to do that other than the author was looking for some way to push the couple apart. I would have given it more stars if the hero wasn't such an insensitive idiot.

There were more things I disliked about this than liked, though it did tackle one issue I don't see often enough in NA romance--a character questioning whether or not they should be going to school (grad school, in this case) for a stable career instead of following a riskier but more desirable path. And that's a big conflict this age group faces, one that is usually handled shallowly the rare times I've seen it.On to the bad things. Pacing. The first half of the book took forever and spent far too much time on petty relationship drama with the lead's best friend, and then everything in the second half rushed by with little time to process it. I was still on board with the plausibility of the plot when Jaeger's ex showed up claiming they had a kid together, but we raced right past that into her setting up the lead with a phony drug charge and the go-between guy who actually planted the drugs also almost killing her with a spiked mocha.I'm not saying things like this never happen, or that it couldn't have been a good plot point if it was better-developed, but everything piled up on top of itself so fast I felt like a pinball, careening from one disaster to another.Pacing also forms the foundation of my complaint with the romance itself. Cali holds out on her attraction to Jaeger for a while, no problem there, I like slow burn, but once they're together, he's instantly full speed ahead. He's waaaay more serious about her than she seems to be about him, and instead of that being a hurdle in her own life she needs to clear, it comes across more as an imbalanced power dynamic. He's not so much older than her that it creeped me out, but he's quite a bit more financially stable, and he's already got himself a successful business, so they're in very different places in life despite only a few years' gap between them. Cali does reflect on this, just a little, which is at least something, but she dismisses those concerns pretty quickly, and no one else seems to care. It left a bad taste in my mouth.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a hard reader to please. I often have a hard time suspending disbelif and I"d rather have a story that is well thought out, and perhaps longer, than one written to appeal to readers looking for the fast, less involved read.That being said, I really felt like this book just didn't go far enough. I think Jaeger's reaction to his ex's machinations were so unrealistic it made me laugh. I'm sorry but if I was a guy and a woman told me I had a kid, first I'd demand to see the kid, and second I wouldn't not let her live in my house. Btw once he knew she was lying he could have thrown her out that day. So that conflict, as well as Jaeger's character, just fell flat. Again, I prefer a more realistic storylinem but I know there are many that prefer a most simplistic storyline. I did think the description of Jaeger's cravings sounded cool...In the end, not a book or author I'd read again

This book started out really good. Likable characters, plausible story lines, a balance of light humor and angst. It becomes redundant and boring at about 50% and by 70% it's downright ridiculous.Jaeger goes from taciturn and sexy to someone completely different by the end and the whole ex/manufactured drama that comes along with Kate took the book from a 4.5 down to a 2.5. I'd rather it had been shorter if only to leave that entire plot out.Very few grammatical errors, in fact I only remember one. I liked the communication Cali was able to utilize. So often these stories rely on a silent suffering to propel forward and while that did happen a few times, it wasn't badly drawn out.The love scene(s) were yawn worthy. Sorry. All that build up and then...a snooze.Overall I did enjoy the book. Can't say I'd purchase the rest of this series but I was SUPER happy this author wrote a stand alone and complete novel. Kudos and thank you a hundred times over for that.Would I recommend? Yes.

I was kinda stuck between the rating because this was actually not bad. It was written well and the story was interesting. First let me start off with the positives.....I love the characters, the pace was wonderful, and the small dose of drama gave the story substance. Now let's move on to the part that i did not like...I wish that their romance had more depth. While i did feel the chemistry between the two, i really wanted to see the love bloom between the characters. Most authors just write "they fell in love instantly", what made these two people fall in love and i want to see this in more stories. Another thing that I did not like about this book is the fact that i was on the borderline of not liking the female heroine, which is horrible by the way. The way she treated her friend and the entire situation with jaeger and gen was stupid to me. You are not sure about whether he had something going on with your friend but you sleep with him anyway??? that was so lame.

Negatives:1. Instaa-Lust2. Too many characters -- > this book spent more time introducing the next set of characters for the series then character development for the MC's3. Cali (the heroine) clearly suffers poor judgement dating a guy for 2 years whom she always suspected of being immature and not caring for her, but she immediately is convinced Jaeger is a good guy and their "connection" is REAL after a few weeks of not much happening other than instaa-lust4. Very immature overly dramatic and sentimental drivel --> everything IS THE END OF THE WORLD5. the way she gets into fits of jealousy and hissy fits over the smallest thing was annoying

I was disappointed with this book, but I think it may be my fault rater than Jules'. I had the second book (Mountain Man) free and it was brilliant - I gave it 5 stars - and I immediately bought book 1 (this book). Unfortunately, the two stories run parallel to each other, so there was a lot of repetition of scenes and conversations with this couple (Jaeger and Cali) that I'd already read in Mountain Man. From that point of view, it seemed like abit of a cheat, and of course, I already knew the ending. I can't say what score I'd have given this had I not read the second firat, and woud I then have been disappointed with the second? Who knows! Anyway, good writing, and I will buy number three just to see.

I've enjoyed every page in this book. This is the first book I've read by Jules Barnard and it won't be the last! Cali and Gens lives are going through some major upheavals. A change in life and a fresh start in a new area brings both girls heartache and love worth fighting for. Cali meets Jaeger, a friend of her brothers and sparks fly. They cannot deny their attraction and finally give into it. Life isn't smooth and it brings some challenges for all the characters in this book. I loved Cali and Gen. This is Cali' s story and as usual there is love, angst, amazing friends/characters and an evil bitch/boss with their own agendas. I have a feeling this isn't the last we've seen of Drake.This book contains it all, amazing characters and a fantastic setting. Who could ask for more?I'm about to download Gens story and can't wait to start reading it!

Cali & her friend Gen move to lake Tahoe to start a new job to raise a little cash to help when they leave for university. Cali is heading to Harvard law school or so that was always the way it was suppose to be. But after catching up with her brothers old school friend Jaeger plans get turned on their head.The story is ok, very young american teenage, hormonal, airhead ramblings. Got to the point I had to re-read parts as it didn't fit together just didn't make senseHoping Gen & Lewis's story plays out better which is book twoWish me luck and stay tuned for that review😀

This is one HOT book! Instead of our usual broken girl/boy trying to find their way to trust people again Cali is a confident women who knows exactly who she is and what she wants; she has it all. Only Cali is no longer sure if what she wants is really right for her.Exit Eric, her 2 year boyfriend who was too afraid to break up with her but very much happy leave her hanging. Enter Jaeger, he’s sexy, attentive, rich and very much attracted to Cali. Jaeger is the guy every girl wants to find and the perfect match for Cali’s feisty nature.Cali was a great character, protective of her friends and her heart she has to come to terms with the changes her life is taking; there was a very interesting plot twist half-way through that was executed amazingly and Cali had to deal with that too – I just had to empathise with the feelings she was having.Other characters such as Gen and Tyler were really cool with interesting back stories that I can’t wait to read more about.Sexy, fun and flirty, Deep Blue was an amazing book about having the courage to follow your heart and dreams.