Member Reviews
Ilsa Madden-Mills used to be one of my go-to authors but her last few releases have fallen flat for me. This is another one that just didn't feel like her old style. It felt rushed in parts and then really slow and underdeveloped in others. I hope she goes back to her roots.
Soooo good and soooo sexy! I really enjoyed this book and their love story. The spice was hot!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!
1.5 ⭐️
Unfortunately, this book wasn't as good as I had hoped. There were many 'small' things that I didn't like about the book and the storyline wasn't original or fast-paced enough to keep me interested. I had read My Darling Bride, and had been introduced to both characters before, so I had some expectations to begin with. This book just missed the mark, IMO.
~~What I liked~~
-I liked that it was kinda a grumpy sunshine reversal, with Jane being a grump and Jasper being the sunshine.
-I liked that both characters had a good support network.
~~What I didn't like~~
-There were several 'small' things that bothered me. 1) Jane goes out to promote her business at a bar which I'm assuming is in the evening, but leaves her kid in preschool. Preschools usually close at 6. 2) Jasper's nieces do not act their age. They are 17 but act like they are tweens and have a bedtime. 3) At one point Jasper has several drinks in a row but this doesn't seem to cause him any issues, which is unrealistic. 4) Londyn is almost 5 and is still learning to be potty trained? And she goes to preschool, this doesn't compute. 5) Lastly, why has Jane never attempted to get child support from her highly successful ex?
-The storyline was pretty boring, with nothing unexpected happening. I just didn't feel like it was as polished or original enough to be entertaining. I really struggled to get through it, skipping sections.
Overall, I was sadly disappointed with this book. I don't think I would recommend to others, but I did like other books by Ilsa Madden-Mills, so I probably won't give up on her as a possible future read.
I loved the first book in this series, and book 2 was no different. A writing style that is super easy to read made this book even more enjoyable. The premise of this book was so fun and I loved both main characters!
While I enjoyed My Darling Jane by Lisa Madden-Mills, I did find it a bit predictable and boring. My favorite parts included Jane’s relationship with her daughter and Jasper’s relationship with his twin nieces. The twins certainly gave him a run for his money. It was also nice to get a peak inside both Jane’s and Jasper’s extended families. If you enjoy he falls first, single bad-ass mom, and overcoming abandonment issue tropes, then My Darling Jane is a perfect fit.
I've had fun reading this series and I was very curious about how she'd write Jasper. He'd always come off as such a player and sometimes a little arrogant or smug and even though that can be fun, I wasn't sure how it would turn out. Turns out Jasper is so much more than I thought he'd be--he's warm and caring and has a lot more depth than I suspected, which makes him a great match for Jane--sister of Emmaline, owner of a matchmaking service, and mother to a precious daughter. It shouldn't work--he comes off as a player and she has zero time for all of that, and yet it totally works.
It starts off innocuously enough--she needs clients for her service and he does her a solid and agrees to try it out--but after one terrible date...and then several not great ones, they become closer and closer as she tries to get to know him better to find him the perfect girl. Of course neither of them are really interested in him finding someone through the dating service, because what they both want is each other. From late night talks to missions to find his nieces and everything in between, Jasper and Jane find that they truly do like each other and find love in the other.
Sweet, fun, romance that you'll read in just a few hours and I am eager to see who on this team or in this family goes down next.
I love Ilsa Madden-Mills, and this Darling family series has been super cute! I did feel like this book simultaneously had a lot going on and also not enough. I guess it felt like a lot of fluff and not enough plot. That being said, the plot that is there is really cute. I love Jane and Jasper so much. Londyn really steals the entire show. I cant wait to see what Ilsa comes up with next!
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC of “My Darling Jane” by Ilsa Madden-Mills in exchange for my honest review.
My Darling Jane is book 2 in The Darlings series. Jane Darling and Jasper Jannich have a witty banter with each other. He’s a professional footballer and the best friend to her brother-in-law. Jane’s a former model/single mom who manages a family bookstore and also establishing her new matchmaking business. She sets Jasper up on a few dates but they’re not his match and he wants to date Jane. She’s guarding her heart due to abandonment issues but he slowly breaks down her walls.
I found the book to be funny, sweet, entertaining and an overall heartwarming love story. To date, I’ve read 4 books by Ilsa Madden-Mills and they’ve all been great! I highly recommend this read.
Another run read by llsa a women trying to make he Cupid business a success and ends up helping famous football star and ends up liking him but the funny banter that entails between the two and the sweet stuff it’s a fun and good read. If you like llsa books you won’t be disappointed
4.5 Stars
Jane + Jasper
We already met both in Emmy and Graham's book. Jane's Emmy's little sister and Jasper is Graham's buddy. I would suggest you read My Darling Bride first!
Jane is still the manager of the family book store and mom to four year old Londyn. She's also just started her own matchmaking business - but it's not going all that well yet. She has lots of female clients, but there are no eligible guys anywhere!
Enter Jasper. He's really attracted to Jane but she can't stand him. Right?! It's not easy to read her. But at least he can sign up for her business to be closer to her. And going on a few dates won't be that hard for him... until he doesn't want to date other people anymore....
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Such a cute romance!
It's not all sweet and funny rom-commy. We have some problems with Jasper's real mom and Londyn's dad. But it's mostly just a really fun and adorable and sweet love story,
I adore that book store. The little girl is super cute and Jasper is just the sweetest guy. He is trying so hard to get that happily ever after. Because he usually runs away when it gets to serious because he'd rather leave himself than being left.
It all felt a tiny bit rushed here and there. Or too slow at the same time. I didn't get enough adorable Jasper and Londyn time and all the other side happenings were a bit much ... they took us away from the love story too often.
Also... Jasper is NOT a billionaire - there are very few sports billionaires and not even Tom Brady is anywhere close to being one. Michael Jordan. Michael Schumacher, Tiger Woods and two other golfers - that's it.
Oh and can we please cut Jasper's hair and make him look like the guy on the cover? I don't do man buns! Ew!
But I still really liked reading this story. Wouldn't mind getting a TV show with the book store and the football team as the main characters!
► MY DARLING JANE was such a fun + sweet + adorable love story! I loved it! Run to your nearest book store for your own Jaspie - this one is MINE!
My darling Jane A romance book of two people whose parents made them scared to love. This book is a beach book. The kind you read on vacation and leave it somewhere when you finish for someone to pick up
Jane darling who was a rising model chose to fell in love with tomas, a new recruiting actor who was nothing but a coward who left her when she got pregnant with their daughter chosing his career upon them. She left modelling so she could be there for her daughter even though modelling was her dream job. She is one of the strongest FMC i ever read who inspite of being hurt chose to move on and build a matchmaking business so she could support her daughter and herself.
Jasper Jannich had an innate talent for football and so now he is a quarterback famous football player whose biological mother abandoned him at the age of 5 and got adopted by Jannich family.
About the book, when you are reading it it feels as if you are living even their ordinary days with them. The book feels so much real, the choices, the arrogance, the selfishness, the love, the fear of people leaving you on your own cause maybe they don't want you.
The author beautifully describes even a normal day and the struggle to stay standing even when you feel crushed, the reality of being famous that even when you are surrounded by a ton lot of people you still might feel lonely. And sometimes you only need one person to spend some time with casually talking laughing and feel comfortable in each other's company repairing eachother to survive the next day.
I felt all of it the need to be positive even though everything hurts mostly why nobody wanna stay in your life and the best part is that they both know how that feels so they kind of start to heal each other without even realising.
I really think it deserves to be read even if it's not everyday fluff but mostly to know everyone struggles just in their known way. I also can't deny I really liked how jasper teased Jane. Their banter and communication is hilarious and it make everything fun, I really enjoyed the fact that he is always the cool one and brings life to every place he goes to.
This book was so cute! The main characters were very well written and had great banter. The story was so addictive and I could not put it down.
I enjoyed the premise of this book matchmaker finding love with the man she is trying to match. The getting to know you phase happens s as she interviews him to match him. The characters were likeable, but I didn't really feel the chemistry. I think part of it was that Jane was too in her head about rejecting love because she has a kid (named Londyn, with a "y". Why?). Overall a sweet story, but I wasn't swept away.
My Darling Jane was a fun addition to The Darlings series. I loved getting to know single mom Jane and her daughter Londyn. Jasper was a great match for Jane. I loved how into her he was despite how antagonistic she was towards him. Jane drove me a little crazy with her avoidance of her feelings for Jasper, but the way things worked out made the frustration worth it. Jasper, Jane, and Londyn made an adorable little family in the end.
My Darling Jane was a great standalone romance story. I enjoyed both main characters Jane and Jasper, along with some of the side characters. I liked Jasper's twin nieces Macy and Lacy with their antics as they kept him on his toes. The dislike to love between Jane and Jasper was filled with laugh out loud moments, back and forth banter, sweet and steamy scenes, a little drama, angst, emotional hurt and pain from previous experiences and more. Though I have to say that Jasper was my favorite, especially when he opened up and showed his softer, sweet and caring side. He was everything Jane needed but never expected to have after having a bad relationship. I enjoyed their story even more because the author gave us time to get to know the characters, and let their relationship develop making their love believable. There was definitely a lot of push and pull with Jane that got a little aggravating at times but I'm glad she worked it out in the end. The maturity Jasper's character displayed when dealing with the situation when it came to his biological mother Rae Anne made me enjoy his character even more, Things could have definitely turned out differently, but his character handled things the right way. I wished she had appeared with the right intentions, but it didn't take long at all for her true colors to show and he really didn't need her in his life. This story has a HEA, with a sweet ending full of loving family members. I wish there was an update of everything with Tomas after the wedding but regardless of that, I ended the story with a smile on my face and it left me looking forward to reading more books from this author. This is a great story for romance lovers and one I will be recommending.
I have been really into thriller mystery books but when I saw this author I’m like ok I have to read it! I really have been sick of the romance scene! But this book got me! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! I highly recommend reading this book! It was funny! Fantastic characters! Great storyline! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!
Single mom Jane Darling works in her sister’s bookstore and is starting a matchmaking service. Jasper Jannich is her professional quarterback frenemy. They banter, they bicker, and eventually they fall into bed.
I finished the book but this is where it lost me because of a choice that seemed illogical on Jane’s part. I just couldn’t reconcile it with what we had been told so far.
This is the second book in a series. I didn’t read the first but I think this one stands alone.
I really enjoyed Mills’s Beauty and the Baller and I’ll definitely read her again. This particular book was just a miss for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC. Opinions are my own.
If you're a fan of emotional, angsty romances with complex characters and a healthy dose of drama, then My Darling Jane is an absolute must-read. Trust me, you won't regret it. So grab a box of tissues, settle in, and get ready to have your heart strings expertly manipulated by this masterful storyteller. Five stars, without a doubt."
ilsa madden-mills books are always a fun, easy read for me and this was no exception. i liked both main characters and had been excited to read their book after my darling bride. i also enjoyed the premise of the book with jane owning a matchmaking business and jasper joining it in order to get closer to her!
i will say that the ending felt really rushed, on one page they were fighting their feelings, and then a few pages later they were confessing their love for one another and that was that.
i mean i’ll definitely keep reading any books ilsa madden-mills writes - none of them are going to change my life, but i know i’ll enjoy the experience nonetheless.