Foreplay: The Ivy Chronicles

by Sophie Jordan

Overview

Pepper has been hopelessly in love with her best friend's brother, Hunter, for, like, ever. He's the key to everything she's always craved: security, stability, family. But she needs Hunter to notice her as more than just a friend. Even though she's kissed exactly one guy, she has the perfect plan to go from novice to rock star in the bedroom: take a few pointers from someone who knows what he's doing.

Her college roommates have the perfect teacher in mind. But bartender Reece is nothing like the player Pepper expects. Yes, he's beyond gorgeous, but he's also dangerous and deep—with a troubled past. Soon what started as a lesson in attraction is turning both their worlds upside down, and showing them just what can happen when you go past foreplay and get to what's real. . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062279873
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/05/2013
Series:	Ivy Chronicles , #1
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.68(d)

About the Author

Sophie Jordan grew up in the Texas hill country, where she wove fantasies of dragons, warriors, and princesses. A former high school English teacher, she’s the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of more than fifty novels. She now lives in Houston with her family. When she’s not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and streaming anything that has a happily ever after.

Editorial Reviews

09/16/2013
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.)

Publishers Weekly

Sophie Jordan weaves captivating stories of intense yearning, undeniable heat and heaping helpings of swoon… Every. Time.” — Tammara Webber, New York Times Bestselling Author of Easy

“A sexy, sweet love story that lingers with you long after you read that last line.””Sexy and sweet, you will fall in love with Reece right along with Pepper.” — Jennifer L. Armentrout/ J. Lynn, #1 NYT and USA Today Bestseller

“Fun and Flirty— Foreplay was the perfect read! — Cora Cormack, NYT Bestseller

“Reece is like any good cocktail: strong, tempting and dangerous in large quantities. Having a guy like him behind the bar is sure to lead to a great time. I thought so and I’m sure you will too.” — Jay Crownover, bestselling author of RULE

“A fun and flirty read, let Reece teach you why FOREPLAY is the best part.” — Lisa Desrochers, author of A LITTLE TOO FAR

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. — Booklist

“[A] passionate, compelling story that captures the confusion and giddiness of young-adult romance and sexual experimentation....…[I]n Jordan’s expert hands, [readers] are given a sexy, textured and satisfying ride. An affecting, successful foray into the new-adult genre.” — Kirkus Reviews

A gratifying story that is also hard to put down, Jordan’s series starter sets a high bar for new adult. — Library Journal (starred review)

From the Publisher

Fun and Flirty— Foreplay was the perfect read!

Cora Cormack

Reece is like any good cocktail: strong, tempting and dangerous in large quantities. Having a guy like him behind the bar is sure to lead to a great time. I thought so and I’m sure you will too.

Jay Crownover

A fun and flirty read, let Reece teach you why FOREPLAY is the best part.

Lisa Desrochers

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.

Booklist

Sophie Jordan weaves captivating stories of intense yearning, undeniable heat and heaping helpings of swoon… Every. Time.

Tammara Webber

A sexy, sweet love story that lingers with you long after you read that last line.””Sexy and sweet, you will fall in love with Reece right along with Pepper.

Jennifer L. Armentrout/ J. Lynn

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.

Booklist

09/01/2015
Pepper, hopelessly smitten with her best friend's brother, wants to wow him in the bedroom. She gets pointers from her sexy yet troubled friend, but what starts off as lessons in attraction and bedroom technique are soon much more. (LJ Xpress Reviews, 11/1/13)

Library Journal

2013-11-04
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.

Kirkus Reviews