Life of the Party is the first full book in the Calypso Falls series. It kicked off with a prequel, The Bridesmaid and the Bachelor. While it’s not necessary to read that book to be able to follow this one, I do recommend it if the blurb sparks your interest. I enjoyed it.
Cole and Jenna was a case of opposites attract. Cole was a campaigning to be mayor of Calypso Falls, and if there was one thing Jenna was wary of, it was politicians. Her father, a politician who faked his own death and deserted his family, understandably left a bad taste in her mouth. I must admit, I felt the attraction between Cole and Jenna at first, but I just didn’t feel like it was sustainable for long. The more she got to know Cole, the more he proved he was different from the other men in her life. Her excuses started to feel flimsy and contrived, and the sort -of blowout at the end with Cole also felt contrived and out of character for him. On top of that, I felt that things were very superficial and didn’t delve enough into the emotions.
The winner of this book for me was Cole. I loved how kind and honest he was, and I loved how he saw Jenna for who she was when no one else did. And I’m glad he stood up to having her work on his campaign even though his friends advices against it. Also, Jenna’s scenes with her family were a lot of fun to read, especially with her and her sisters. While this book wasn’t quite what I was hoping it would be, I still enjoyed it and will continue with the series.

After such an exhausting presidential race I wasn't sure I wanted to read a book set in the world of politics, but the premise drew me in and in many ways it charmed me. From its appealing main characters to its colorful cast of secondary ones who soon felt like family, this romance depicted the toll being in the public eye has on people. It's a romance that kept me fully immersed in the connection between a woman running from her past and a man looking towards the future under the watchful eyes of his constituents.

Jenna's family once had a prominent place in the world of politics until her father absconded with money, and faked his own death to hide it, before landing himself in jail. Along with notoriety from her father she earned her own reputation for being a Party Girl. After an engagement with a seemingly perfect man ended in disillusionment, along with a life-changing car accident, Jenna's left feeling a bit lost and desperate to start fresh. Meeting Cole couldn't have happened at a worse time but he's too good to ignore despite her fears over his being a politician. Jenna's a strong-willed woman who doesn't let her disability hold her back. She's sassy and outspoken and doesn't hesitate to let Cole know what she wants in and out of the bedroom as they undertake their secretive romance. With her sisters she's playful and mocking as only sisters can be which made their interactions highly entertaining. Jenna was ultimately a likable heroine who let fear rule her, until realizing how valuable true love is, to work her way towards a hard-fought HEA.

Cole's a rare man when it comes to politicians as he values honesty and transparency. He would never judge someone on acts they had no control over and believes in what he sees and hears as opposed to what comes from the outside. He's a true White Knight who stands strongly alongside Jenna, a quiet support as she deals with her recently released father. Cole's a sweet and sexy hero, charming in everything he says and does, and he definitely gets my vote. He's quick to admit he's wrong and quick to prove his love in a Grand Gesture that had me swooning. His interactions with his political team were entertaining and had a familial feel to them as they all had each other's backs throughout good times and bad. On a whole I'm proud to announce that he's the latest addition to my list of book boyfriends for all his goodness and charm.

From start to finish I found this to be a satisfying read with a slew of appealing characters and a romance that fully invested me in its outcome. The romance between Cole and Jenna was sweet and sexy, as well as scorching. As her disability was also addressed it made their connection more realistic too. The secondary characters, especially the Elias sisters, were strong with unique personalities that allowed them their own moments to shine and it has me excited for their own stories to be told. With so many good qualities making up this romance I still felt like something was missing, something holding me back from loving it. Although I'm not quite certain what that "something" is, I can say that I felt as if the story dragged in the middle and the background story of Jenna's father was a bit over-the-top. Despite that I still recommend this book for its timeliness to bring us all back from the ledge of a divisive election!

The hardest reviews to write are for those books I neither love nor hate, the books that are just okay. The Life of the Party is one such book, for me. I’ve tried to figure out why I was so ambivalent about this story. I found Cole Dekker very appealing—smart, funny, sexy, kind—he’s practically perfect, but a slight imperfection or two save him from being too perfect. I enjoyed Jenna’s family. Her sisters, mother, wacky Aunt Margie, as well as her black sheep father, were interesting and entertaining. I’d like to read more about them, there are definitely stories there to be told. I think my issue was with Jenna. I just didn’t connect to this character. I appreciated her straightforward approach, her honesty, and her career goals. She was obviously smart, had a great sense of humor, but she still fell a little flat to me. Maybe it was her single-minded goal of leaving town to start over where no one knew her and her history that just didn’t ring true for me. There just wasn’t anything compelling about her that made me want to know her better or made me care about her. I’m not sure I would have finished the book if I hadn’t committed to writing this review. But, I did finish it, and I’m glad I did. I enjoyed the ending. I’m intrigued by Jenna’s father, Robert, a complicated character. I’m hoping for more on him, so I’ll give the rest of this series another chance.

As a native to the DC metro area, I tend to steer very clear of any novels with a political bent as it sometimes seems that I am forced to breathe politics 24/7. So my first inclination was to pass by Kris Fletcher’s Life of the Party, a romance about a man running for political office. There was something different in the synopsis though, probably the description of Jenna’s past and her current state, that intrigued me enough to ignore my usual “no politics” rule.

After having not read many romances in years, this past year has brought an onslought, many of which have been very good. Life of the Party falls into that category. While the topic of a political candidate whose election may go south because of his romantic involvement has been done countless times before, Kris Fletcher breathes new life into it with her fresh characters.

Frankly, for me, the characterization in this romance was what scored a huge amount of points. The characters are so fully drawn that they could be real people, mature, rational people. There were no tantrums or eye-rolling-worthy behavior or melodrama to add oomph. The characters are the oomp. Both Jenna and Cole are thinking people and they change through the course of the novel, sometimes with the aid of close supporting characters who offer insight into their behavior that they aren’t able to see. So if any of you are planning on writing a romance novel and want it to be fresh—this is the way to do it. Create fully realized characters. There will always be someone who may not care for your characters, but it won’t be because they are cardboard stereotypes.

While I am still thinking along the character lines, I want to emphasize that Fletcher has done credible world-building here already to launch her series. The supporting characters each possess their own—different—personalities so I look forward to reading future novels. The Elias family is a support structure of strong, warm, intelligent and spunky women and that is also a good quality to recommend the series. A lot of thought has gone into this novel, which made it a pleasure to read.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Life of the Party by Kris Fletcher id book number one in the Calypso Falls series. This is Jenna Elias and Cole Morrissey's story.

Jenna is back home working in her sister's coffee shop after a bad injury and a divorce. Cole is campaigning to be major of Calypso Falls.

Cole gets Jenna to help out with his campaign. As they spend time together the attraction between them grows. Will they give in to this attraction or will they allow the pain from their past to stop them from a chance at love? Jenna's dad's was a corrupt politician and has served his time. Will Jenna's dad come back to Calypso Falls? Will he cause problems with Cole and Jenna?

I enjoyed the book even though the pace was a little slow for me. Still it was an enjoyable read.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

4 stars

Life of the Party was a sweet, fun and entertaining read.

The storyline is well written, the characters are likable, relatable and I found myself connecting with them both.
Watching Jenna and Cole's relationship unfold kept me turning the pages. They amused me with their banter, the attraction between them was felt right from the start and watching them connect and fall in love warmed my heart.
Both Cole and Jenna had been hurt in the past and not interested or out looking for love. But try as they might, the attraction between them was too strong to ignore. Soon they were opening up and sharing their previous hurts and what they wanted out of life.
I liked how the author paced the story, the drama was well done, believable and not over the top.

Overall, Life of the Party is a lovely afternoons read, with smart, witty people finding love and happiness when they least expected it.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the Calypso Falls series.

Purchase Links~
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Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/d...
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*I received an advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts*

***ARC Provided by the Publisher and NetGalley***

3.5 Stars

This book was a little different than I was expecting. Although I am not sure entirely why, i think it has to do with the fact that more time was spent developing the relationship between Cole and Jenna outside of any influence of her returning father, which I liked.

Cole and Jenna were both likeable, although I thought the character development for him was a little stronger than it was for her, this didn't make the book feel uneven, necessarily, but it did make me want to know a little more about her. It was, however, something I noticed. We saw more of the things that make Cole who he is, and what he values. But with Janna, it was a lot of the things that she was trying not to be.

The writing was strong, and the pacing was also good. I liked the glimpses into the lives of the supporting characters and the lives that Cole and Janna had aside from when they were together. There were a couple of places in the book where I would have liked a little more time spent, but at the same time, the pacing worked, so the decisions to feature what was featured and mention in passing the other events does make sense.

I do recommend this book.

It takes an excessive amount of energy to play the clown. To paste on a smile and put on a compelling show, when the world is falling apart around you. Oh, to be that girl. Kris Fletcher gives a front row seat to the roller coaster drama that Is Jenna Elias' life. From the good time girl who can turn on the charm. To the broken woman working to bounce back after numerous heartbreaks and tragic circumstances. To the woman on the verge of starting a scandal, Jenna is never dull. Jenna, may be a wild child but her spirit and heart are what I liked most about her. Cole was the spark that lit the fuse that brought joy, laughter and some of that fight back into Jenna's life. Life of the Party mixes wit with drama and delivers a gritty story of scandalous love and redemption.

“Tell the truth. You don’t want to be mayor. You have a burning lifelong desire to be Prince Charming.”

Here's my truth: the hardest reviews to write are for books that you neither loved nor severely disliked. The ones that fall in that murky middle ground, where there's nothing wrong with them, per se, but they just… don't stick. And sadly, that's Life of the Party for me.

I was actually quite excited to get into this book. I liked the novella that kicked off this series—The Bridesmaid and the Bachelor—enough to want to come back for more, and I was intrigued by Jenna, the Elias sister recovering from an accident and a severe injury. However, I found fairly early on that I wasn't quite able to get invested in her story, and more, that I didn't sympathize with her as much as I expected to. While I enjoyed her strength and her smarts, I also felt her a little too hard and obtuse at times.

That's not to say, however, that there wasn’t anything about this book that I liked, or even loved. Because there was. The fun, smart banter, and the strong relationships between the women of the Elias family being just two examples. The Elias sisters are a good group of girls—and though I don't feel like I know them as well as I perhaps should, having now read a novella and a full-length book in this series, I enjoyed seeing their interactions.

Another thing I really liked… maybe even loved? Cole Dekker. The lawyer-slash-Prince-Charming-slash-up-and-coming-politician was a big win for me. I got a kick out of his passion, his honesty and kindness, his awareness of Jenna and the way he treated her—as an equal, never as someone to be pitied. His relationships were strong and true, and I had no trouble warming to him, to Ram, to the campaign. Cole certainly has my vote.

And as for this book and series… well, I fall squarely in the undecided camp. Am I interested in the Elias sisters and their town enough to pick up more Calypso Falls books in the future? Yes, most likely. Was Life of the Party a book I'd have absolutely no qualms recommending? No. But I wouldrecommend at least giving it—and this series—a chance.

“You’re no desert, Jenna.” His fingers trailed down the side of her face. “You’re the oasis. The life in the middle of the barrenness. The water that bubbles up in the most unexpected places.”

~ THREE STARS ~