ARC Release Review and GIVEAWAY Tuesday: Fabricating Jada by Vanessa Marie

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Goodreads Blurb:

"I need a mentor.
YouTube videos can only teach me so much.
And I want to learn from someone real.
From someone tangible.
But no one takes me seriously.
Only in my wildest dreams would I be mentored by Jesse Valentine.
He’s the top motorcycle and hot rod fabricator in the nation.
He also has the reputation for being one of the biggest jerks that ever lived.
Not to mention they say he can’t keep it in his pants.
I’m not interested in any of that.
Only in his knowledge.
I crave it.
And then I heard about the class he’s holding for the public.
I had to earn my spot.
Prove my worth.
Show them all that I was more than just some silly girl.
My name is Jada Carmen and I was born to build cars."

Review:

Thank you to the author, Vanessa Marie, and Shannon from Once Upon An Alpha for gifting me with an ARC copy of Fabricating Jada in exchange for an honest review!

1.  The characters.  Let me preface this by saying I don't think I've ever read a book where the main character is a girl who likes to build cars (well, maybe one, but I think it was just drag racing).  So I thought it was really cool that the storyline showed scenes of Jada making things from scraps of metal and doing what she loves.  These scenes advanced the plot to be sure, but they also did a stellar job of allowing the reader to get to know Jada and what she stands for.  I loved her feistiness and her unwillingness to give up, even when it seems like everything is against her.  And while she did have her moments, we're all human and we all make mistakes.  Her mistakes were pretty realistic ones.  There were some mistakes make by other characters that I questioned (DeAnna's major one made me facepalm) but overall, the characters were pretty dang realistic.  And for me, the characters make all the difference.

2.  The plot.  So, like I said, this book revolves around Jada and her fabrication of metals.  For her, this is all a journey of learning more about fabrication, finding her voice, and finding someone else who shares her passion.  The plot is fairly fast-paced and there's always some conflict going on or something to keep you reading.  There is never really a lull and I constantly wanted to know what would come next.

3.  The romance.  This is one of the things I'm a little leery about.  On one hand, it's so adorable (the main romance) and I can't help but sigh and smile and love every minute of their scenes together.  On the other hand, it's entirely predictable and I called it from the time the two characters were introduced.  It's just one of those things that you expect and is pretty typical.  Maybe it's because I've just read too many books so there's nothing that's new for me anymore or maybe it's because it's overdone.  Who's to know?

The Final Verdict:

I have to say, the best part of this book is Jada herself.  She's feisty and fierce and has the sass to build a mountain.  The other characters fit nicely into the world and many jumped off the page for me.  While the romance was very predictable for me, I also couldn't help but love it.

4.5 stars

Giveaway: $25 Amazon Gift Card (for all your book buying needs!)

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e39c288975/