Review: Brenna Blixen Series by Liz Reinhardt

Double Clutch

What happens when you fall in love with the perfect guy... twice... in one day?

Brenna Blixen spent her freshman year homeschooling in Denmark; now that she’s back in the States, she’s determined to make her sophomore year unforgettable. And by unforgettable, she imagined awesome classes, fun friendships, and maybe a little romance.

What she got was a whole lot of romance, and all at once.

The same day that dark, brooding Saxon Maclean charmed her with his killer good looks and whip-smart wit, Jake Kelly stole her breath away with his heart-wrenching smile and intelligent, thoughtful focus.

But Saxon is a proud player who makes it clear that he doesn’t know why he can’t get Brenna off of his mind and out of his system, and Jake’s sweet and humble attitude hides a secret past life that might be more darker and more complex than Brenna’s willing to handle.

Complicating the matter is the fact that Saxon and Jake were once best friends and are now arch-enemies... and the more Brenna finds out about their connection to each other, the more intrigued and worried she becomes.

Between keeping the peace with her lovingly over-protective parents, designing t-shirts for her high school’s rising punk band, keeping up her grades in both academic and technical high school, and running the track like a maniac, Brenna has enough to worry about with out juggling two guys who make her heart thud and drive her crazy all at once.

She has to make a choice. But how can she when giving her heart to one of them might mean breaking the other’s?

Junk Miles
 

Kissing someone other than your boyfriend is cheating.

But what about thinking about kissing someone other than your boyfriend?

What about thinking about it a lot?

Brenna Blixen has the perfect boyfriend. He's sweet, sexy, loyal, and sure that Brenna is the best thing that's ever happened to him. But being the perfect girlfriend isn't as easy as Brenna thought it would be, and the pressure that comes with trying to be Jake's everything is beginning to weigh on her. When her mother surprises her with a trip to Paris over winter break, she's torn. She anticipated spending her vacation snuggling with Jake Kelly, ice-skating, drinking cocoa, and relaxing...but what girl in her right mind would turn down a trip to Paris?

Things only get more confusing when she winds up unexpectedly and unavoidably thrown into Saxon Maclean's arms in the City of Lights. Far away from the comfort and stability she finds at Jake's side, Brenna faces down the feelings that have been swirling through her since the day she laid eyes on Saxon. Is it fair for her to call herself Jake's girlfriend when she has so many unresolved feelings about someone else?

Brenna is determined to figure it all out, even if it means making some of the hardest decisions of her entire life. She also learns that every single thing she does has rippling repercussions, some that fill her with total regret. By the time she figures out what her heart truly wants, she realizes that she may not be able to have it after all.

Slow Twitch

Summer scatters three friends, ties them back together, and makes them question who they have been and who they want to be in the future.

Brenna expected to soak up the knowledge of great Irish writers at her summer workshop in Dublin. But there are some things even the best books can't teach you, and a passionate new friend and an old familiar full of surprises challenge Brenna to follow her heart. By the time she's back in the States, she can't wait to throw herself back into Jake's arms and tell him exactly what he means to her.

She puts the brakes on that plan when it becomes clear that Jake may not be ready to shoulder any more. He visits his family's palatial home in the mountains of New York, and is exposed to all the possibilities a life surrounded by his pampered relatives and washed in money would hold for him. But is it possible to accept so much and not change who you are? Jake has to face the reality that changing sometimes means losing things...but how much is he willing to put on the line?

Saxon has been thrust into a life of drudgery and indentured service he never dreamed of after a brush with the law puts him on family-enforced probation. Who would have thought Sussex County's resident bad-ass layabout would fall head-over-heels in love with a girl, an elderly aunt, and a shot at a whole new life. The problem is, he's a Maclean to his marrow, and it's in his blood to be a selfish screw-up. Isn't it?

Brenna, Jake, and Saxon spend one summer growing up, working things out, and doing their best to weather the changes that get thrown their way. But can the love and friendships of one amazing summer last through the ups and downs of the coming years?

This series had me rolling around in a one big pile of indifference. I honestly couldn't pin point how I felt about Double Clutch. I swear the author gave me temporary bipolar disorder. I loved the teenage drama, but wasn't the biggest fan of the story. However the writing... Oh sweet mother of babies the writing!!!!

Okay, how do I put this. The "hook-up" scenes left me speechless!! Did he just--Did they--He asked what!?! You mean he actually...OH. MY. HOLLY. HELL!! Liz Reinhardt, I know you just didn't. Oh yes you did!!! This is what I call uncensored teenage reality.

The parts I didn't like about the series were my own personal issues. Brenna Blixen had me making up my own swear words out of complete frustration. MAKE UP YOUR FRABBIN MIND GOOBERHOLE!! I hated the back and forth. I'm a huge NON-fan of love triangles which brings me to Jake. I really wanted to love the good ole country boy, but he was more whipped than Anastasia Steele from Fifty Shades of Grey. Someone needed to FedEx him a pair of balls, seriously. He does come into his own a little more in Junk Miles showing us his vengeful side and giving us a little peek of bad boy Jake in Slow Twitch. I love sweet, but there is such a thing as too sweet.

Finally there's Saxon; the proverbial bad boy. I was completely raped by that cliché. Fell for it one hundred percent!! I don't necessarily want him and Brenna together, but I do love me some Saxon!!! I wasn't a huge fan of his storyline in Slow Twitch because I never warmed up to the new characters Evan and Cadence. It's just hard to throw new people in the story so late in the game.

Liz Reinhardt is an author with edge. Even though I had some "issues" with the actual story, I completely lusted over her writing. She doesn't just push the limits; she has none. Individually I rated the books 3 stars, but the series as a whole deserves 4. I will most definitely read ANYTHING written by Liz and can't wait to see how she shocks me in the future.

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