BOOKED EVERY NIGHT

I need to start this view by saying I love JEM. Her style of writing is engaging, her descriptions intricate without being too wordy, and her character development is among the best in the New Adult market today.

 

Like many, I have been eagerly awaiting One Night: Promised; curious to find out whom this mysterious “M” is. If I’m being completely honest, I was also interested to see if he would be able to rival the phenomenon that is Jesse Ward. So many times when an author creates a strong character in their debut novel they spend the rest of their career trying to top that personality, without success.

 

However, in One Night: Promised, I think JEM manages to outdo herself. From the offset, M is a plausible character. He isn’t perfect. He has his flaws—flaws that JEM lays out for the world to see. Obviously our hero still has his secrets (it wouldn’t be much of a story if he didn’t) but JEM gives him just enough of everything to make him not only believable, but endearing too.

 

Olivia Taylor, our heroine, is also somewhat of a mystery. The prologue of One Night: Promised hints at a dark past, and this theme is something that develops during the story at a well thought-out pace. At twenty-four years of age, her actions can sometimes appear a little immature; however, this can be partially attributed to past indiscretions. The introduction of Olivia’s grandmother as a supporting character allows the reader to see the softer, more playful side of Livy, and the interaction between the two is very well written. It would not surprise me to find that JEM has a good relationship with her own grandmother—such is her ability to capture the essence of that particular relationship and put it down on paper in a way that makes it feel effortless, and in no way forced.

 

So: the story.

 

Livy is a barista in a small coffee shop in London. Having spent most of her adult life looking after her grandmother, she has decided to reintroduce herself into society and start acting like a “normal” twenty-something-year-old girl. Apart from when it comes to relationship. With no wishes to complicate her life by introducing any kind of romance, Livy chooses to fend off potential suitors with the excuse that she is in a relationship; much to the annoyance of her friends, Sylvie and Gregory. Unlike others her age, Livy avoids alcohol; fearing that she does not make the best decisions when under the influence.

 

After a chance meeting at the coffee shop, when she makes him the worst coffee he has “ever insulted his mouth with”, Livy and M can’t seem to avoid each other. Eventually, M makes Livy and offer: one night, twenty-four hours, nothing but pleasure. Initially she turns him down, but when the promise of M becomes too great, she caves.

 

And One Night: Promised is born.

 

Although I enjoyed the story immensely, I do have a few gripes. In parts it felt like I’d read the story before. Many of the different components of this book have been played out in other novels: the gay best friend, the wealthy businessman, the effortlessly beautiful girl with the broken past. I found Cassie reminiscent of Elena in FSOG, and Gregory bore a more-than-slight resemblance to Cary from BTY. Even some of M’s more dominant traits (his assertion that Livy must always answer a question, and look at him when being spoken to) could be likened to those of Jesse Ward. However, while these similarities were slightly distracting at time, this is still a book that I enjoyed.

 

JEM has managed, in a way that only she knows how, to give the modern day contemporary romance exactly what they’re asking for. Fans of stories such as FSOG and BTY will adore this; of that I have no doubt. For those readers who are beginning to become a little bored with the themes in this book, the witty banter and fluid writing style may well tempt them into giving it a shot.

 

In short, a groundbreaker One Night: Promised is not.

 

But it’s still a damn good read.