Happy Saturday y’all and welcome to the first Weekend Reads of 2017 😀 We woke up to a little snow this morning. Not much, but brrr…it’s freezing outside which makes for perfect reading weather IMHO. Over the holidays, I decided I needed to binge read Kelly Oram‘s V is for Virgin series. It had been on my radar for a while, especially since one of the characters is mentioned in my favorite Oram book Cinder & Ella. Friends, if you haven’t read this duology yet, do yourself a favor and binge this weekend! I honestly didn’t think I would find a book I liked better than the aforementioned Cinder & Ella, I was WRONG! And there are two words that explain why….KYLE HAMILTON. If you enjoy clean romantic comedy, you’re in for a treat with these books!
V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram Series: V is for Virgin #1
Published by Bluefields on 2012-12-05
Length: 282 pages
Reviewing eBook from My Book Shelf
Rating:
From the best selling YA romance author of The Avery Shaw Experiment comes a wildly funny and heart-melting rockstar romance. Kyle Hamilton is the quintessential bad boy, but Val Jensen is not your typical good girl.
When Val gets dumped for her decision to stay a virgin until marriage, the nasty breakup goes viral on YouTube, making her the latest internet sensation.
After days of ridicule from her peers, Val starts a school-wide campaign to rally support for her cause. She meant to make a statement, but she never dreamed the entire nation would get caught up in the controversy.
As if becoming nationally recognized as "Virgin Val" isn’t enough, Val’s already hectic life starts to spin wildly out of control when bad boy Kyle Hamilton, lead singer for the hit rock band Tralse, decides to take her abstinence as a personal challenge.
How can a girl stay true to herself when this year’s Sexiest Man Alive is doing everything in his power to win her over?
V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram is a fast-paced read about a girl’s convictions and how those convictions turn her world upside down. When Val Jensen gets tossed aside by her boyfriend after refusing to have sex because she wants to wait for marriage, the nasty confrontation in the school’s cafeteria goes viral making Val an instant online star. For some Val is an inspiration, others think she’s a prude, Val just wants her peaceful life back. But when she sees the reach one video has, Val decides to take her convictions and start a nation-wide movement. Only one problem, this year’s Sexiest Man Alive has his eyes set on Val and he won’t let up.
I adored this book! Val is a character that is easy to like. She’s straightforward in her convictions. Her birth mother became a pregnant teen after a drunken encounter at a party and couldn’t even name Val’s father. Adopted, Val vows to not be her birth mother. She will wait until she finds someone to spend her life with. You have to love that conviction! It isn’t to hurt anyone as her boyfriend at the beginning of the book believes. She just refuses to become another teen mom. Val is headstrong, a little shy, and knows what she wants in life. I admire that.
When the video of her confrontation with her ex goes viral, Val earns the nickname “Virgin Val” and she’s devastated. She isn’t sure if she should be embarrassed or wear the name proudly. It takes seeing the responses to the video from her peers for her to decide something should be done. My heart breaks for her though as she goes through the transformation. Her friends aren’t as good as she thought, the media is relentless in finding skeletons in the closet, and then enters Kyle Hamilton, the consummate playboy.
“You haven’t seen Tralse’s website today.” She said it as a statement, not a question.
Without saying another word—apparently there were none to explain the coming horror—Robin surfed over to Tralse’s website. Aside from having posted videos from the concert last night of their new song, Kyle had posted a new blog.
“Ten reasons why Virgin Val sucks?” I screeched.
A couple walking past the store looked up, startled, so I bit my tongue to keep from spouting profanities of my own.
I clicked on the blog. There was no way to make myself not click on it.The Top Ten Reasons Why Virgin Val Sucks
10. She called me a one-hit-wonder.
9. She doesn’t appreciate the endearing nickname I gave her.
8. She makes me write stupid blogs about her at four in the morning.
7. She’s encouraging people not to have sex.
6. She blew me off when I asked her out.
5. She has a crush on a douche bag.
4. She won’t answer any of my calls.
3. She’s such a tease with her look-but-don’t-touch policy.
2. I played a whole effing concert just for her and she didn’t come even though she told me she would. (You’re such a liar!)
And the #1 reason why Virgin Val sucks?
I still want her anyway.A full minute of silence passed with me simply staring at the computer screen, blinking over and over, hoping that the next time my eyes closed the blog would disappear.
“It’s actually very sweet…” Robin said. “If you think about it.”
My jaw, which had already fallen slack, hit the floor as I gaped at her. “Sweet?” I choked on the word. “I’m going to KILL him!”
Kyle is perhaps my favorite character. He sees Val as a challenge, but I also believe that he was infatuated with her. He genuinely likes her simply because she isn’t intimidated by his fame and speaks her mind to him. I may have rooted for him just a tad 😉
Overall, this book is great! It’s heartbreaking and uplifting all at the same time. Val learns some hard truths about herself, the people she surrounds herself with, and how sometimes the heart wants what it can’t have. If you enjoy clean, romantic comedy, I highly recommend it!
A is for Abstinence by Kelly Oram Series: V is for Virgin #2
Published by Bluefields on 2014-05-12
Length: 282 pages
Reviewing eBook from My Book Shelf
Rating:
Best selling YA romance author Kelly Oram takes her first dive into new adult romance with this heartfelt and hilarious tale of a rockstar and a virgin.
Rockstar to the core, Six-time Grammy Award-winning musician Kyle Hamilton has it all—money, fame, talent, good looks, and a job he loves. His only regret in life: walking away from a certain notorious virgin because he was too prideful, stubborn, and even afraid to give her the only thing she asked of him—his abstinence.
Four years and a broken heart later, Kyle realizes that sex isn’t everything, and he suddenly can’t stop thinking about the girl that got away. Virgin Val Jensen got under his skin like no one else ever has. He wasn’t ready for her then, but things are different now. He’s grown up, he’s learned a few things, and he’s finally figured out exactly what he wants, or, rather, who he wants.
Kyle Hamilton wants a do-over, and this time he’s willing to do—or not do—whatever it takes.
A is for Abstinence by Kelly Oram is a follow-up/sequel of sorts to V is for Virgin. This time the story is told from Kyle’s perspective and can I just say it was perfect ❤️ I LOVED this book!!! It picks up about 8 months prior to the epilogue of Val’s story so you know where it’s going but also get what’s been happening with Kyle which again I loved.
Kyle Hamilton is (and I’m sorry Brian) my favorite Oram character. I’m in love with him 😀 He’s confident, knows he’s sexy, and is unapologetic for it. He knows his reputation and in this book he’s working to prove to Val he’s a changed man. This is the Kyle I could see in Val’s story but he just wasn’t mature enough to admit it yet. He’s a man in love with a girl who he’s never forgotten and he’s out to win her heart this time *swoon*
“It may have been four years, Kyle, but that doesn’t mean I don’t remember how you operate.”
I snatched her hand as she reached to open the door to the studio. I wasn’t ready to end this moment alone with her. “You don’t think I’ve learned a few things since then?”
She smirked and shook her head. “New tricks. Same dog.”
It was impossible not to take her words as a challenge. I pushed her back until she was pinned against the door and leaned in close enough that our breaths mingled. Her eyes snapped wide the same way they always had whenever I’d invaded her personal space, and I watched, satisfied, as she sucked in a lung full of air and held it.
“That mentality will be your downfall this time around, Val.” I leaned in, letting my lips linger at her jawline for a moment too long before bringing them to her ear. “Same old tricks,” I whispered. “New man.”
With that, I kissed her cheek and breezed past her into the studio, leaving her flustered and in need of another moment to collect herself all over again.
Val has grown up a lot in this book. While we don’t get her perspective this time, there were a few scenes I really wish I could have known what was running through her head, specifically the music video. Val is the confident young woman I knew she’d grow up to be. She’s still toting her “Virgin Val” brand and you can tell it is starting to wear on her, especially as her friends are getting married and having children of their own. She’s ready for it but after the heartbreak of Kyle turning her away once, she’s hesitant and really you can’t blame her for it.
Overall I adored this book! While V is for Virgin is more for the mature young adult crowd, I would classify this one in a clean new adult genre. After all, Kyle is a rock star 😉 I enjoyed reading this story from his perspective as he worked to change not only Val’s perception of him but the world’s perception of him. The abstinence bracelet Val gave him in the first book makes a reappearance in this one and he’s wearing it. How sexy is that?! If you enjoy clean, romantic comedy, I highly recommend you set aside some time and binge this book!
About Kelly Oram
Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen--a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat, Mr. Darcy.
Leave a Reply