Spiked
Series: Blocked, #3
Author: Jennifer Lane
Publication Date: October 1, 2016
Publisher: Psyched Publishing
Genre: New Adult, Sports Romance, Political Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Synopsis:
They say
University is the time
To find yourself
But I don’t need to find myself
Just want to find you
After watching his older siblings find their love matches at Highbanks University, Mateo Ramirez feels unlikely to follow in their footsteps. What girl would want him? Unlike his brother and sister, he battles diabetes and chooses music over sports. But at least he can write songs about his life—and the girl who caught his eye when their parents ran against each other for US President.
Hey, chica! Come conmigo
And baby, why don’t we go
Down under the bridge to the water
With you it can only get hotter
Jessica Monroe is a talented swimmer who dreams of representing Team USA at the Olympics. When she earns an athletic scholarship to Highbanks, she’s excited to attend the same school as the cute boy she met two years ago: Mateo. Too bad he’s not around when a teammate spikes her drink. Jessica may never trust men again.
Trust
Is a hard-to-earn thing
Just
Try to keep listening
Swallow
Down all of the unjust
Hollow
My chest, my heart will bust
College years are the time to shake off the past and find your future. But will that future find Mateo and Jessica together? Dive in and immerse yourself in the eagerly anticipated conclusion to Jennifer Lane’s Blocked trilogy.
Don’t judge Spiked by its cover.
That’s the first thing that came to my mind when I sat down to write this review. Yes, the shirtless man is what most of us have to come expect when we pick up a new adult romance novel, but Spiked isn’t your normal new adult romance. It’s layered, honest and complicated.
Jennifer Lane’s writing was stellar. Her knowledge of psychology and politics continued to shine in the newest addition to the Blocked series. Spiked was the fastest paced book in the series. There weren’t as many political situations to complicate the story. The focus of Spiked was Jessica and Mateo’s struggles and how they build and shape their relationship. I loved this change.
It’s easy to guess from the blurb that Jessica is raped. I don’t think I’m spoiling the story by putting that out there. What I loved about Jessica’s story is the way the entire rape situation was handled. It was done in a matter that felt real and honest. Jessica’s suffering after the incident was what would be expected. What wasn’t was the way Jennifer Lane dealt with it. I’ve read several books with rape in them recently. Spiked is the only one that dealt with the therapy aspect of overcoming the horrible experience. I loved that because I was able to get a feel for how Jessica was able to slowly recover.
Mateo’s story was also an important one. It put a spotlight on being a young person with diabetes. Mateo struggles with his illness was very relatable. I loved his thoughts and feelings about what getting an insulin pump meant to him. I also loved the way he responded to any political question. Mateo felt like a man who wanted to make his own decisions and not let his parents shape his decisions.
Their personal struggles were enormous in Spiked, but Jessica and Mateo’s relationship was simple. I really enjoyed how their relationship grew over time from attraction and friendship to love. The support they gave to each other was so sweet. Their relationship just felt so natural. Spiked cemented Mateo and Jessica as my favorite Blocked series couple.
Overall, I truly enjoyed reading Spiked. It was such a deep new adult read. I was so caught up in Jessica and Mateo’s love story that I was sad when it ended. I would have loved to have known more about the progression of their relationship.