Mending Michael (Hunter Hill University #2) by J.P. Grider

by - Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Mending Michael by J.P. Grider



Mending Michael (Hunter Hill University #2)
by J.P. Grider

Genre: Romance
Age category: New Adult
Release Date: December 13, 2014

You can find Mending Michael on Goodreads

You can buy Mending Michael here:


There is a fine line between love and hate.

When bartender Mick Ross first sees Holly Buchanan walk into Donny's Bar, his heart comes to a halt. That is, until she serves him her fake ID and reveals her true nature when she's declined her drink.

Holly thinks Mick is an ass, and she has no clue why he can't stand her. Though, she does enjoy looking at his ass.

So, when Donny hires Holly to waitress at his bar, she must either deal with Mick's hatred toward her or give him a taste of his own medicine.

Tensions are high.
Comments are made.
Hearts are hurt.

But if there really is a fine line between love and hate, then Mick and Holly must decide on which side they stand.


J.P. Grider is a Young Adult and New Adult author. She is the author of six novels. Her young adult series The Honor Trilogy consists of A Touch of Honor, A Man of Honor, and A Heart of Honor, while her first two novels - Unplugged (A Portrait of a Rock Star) and Maybe This Life - are standalone adult contemporary novels. Her most recent release is the new adult romance Calling California, which is the first in her Hunter Hill University series. The next book in the series – Mending Mick – will be released in October, 2014. All the books in the Hunter Hill University series will be standalone books and can be read in any order.

You can follow J.P. on Facebook at J.P. Grider, Author, on Instagram and Twitter @JPGrider1, and on her blog at jpgrider.com.

You can find and contact J.P. Grider here:
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I received a review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.


Well, let's start off with the cover. 5 freaking stars for the brilliant contrast of colours and the simplicity of the idea. This is the kind of cover that would grasp my attention in the bookstore when I'm looking for a romance novel. 

With that aside, I thought Mending Michael (brilliant name, to add) was a great story that centred around a broken family and an impossible love relationship. Michael Ross and Holly are great characters to begin with, strong and independent despite being put through numerous hardships in life.

I love that Mending Michael is so family orientated that sets it apart from the rest of the romance novels (heh, don't you think the cover is deceiving? You're in for a heck of a ride!). To see how Michael fights for the better of his family was inspiring, it also reflected on how strong he is to put the weight of the world on his shoulders, and how selfless he was to push aside his needs and wants just to, quote "get his shit back together". Most men would crumble under the pressure, but he sought help, and that's what a logical person would do. 

On the other hand, Holly was so very different! With her sarcasm as an impenetrable exterior to protect her inner vulnerability, I've grown to like her very quickly as she struts around confidently, even though it was just a façade. Her problems might not be as bad as Mick's, but the way she dealt with her demanding and dominating father excellently portrayed her independence and strength, besides being emphatic and soft hearted for injustice. I really adore Holly because I feel we are similar in so many ways, minus the dominating father of course :P 

If you are looking for a romance novel that sweeps you off your feet, I assure you, this is not the book for you. Michael and Holly's relationship is anything but perfect, heck they spend most of the time apart! But in my opinion, it was necessary in so many ways, Mending Michael is more about finding the right life path than it is about romance. Nevertheless, it was real chemistry between those two and what I've learned? Time and distance does not keep true love apart. All the wait was worth it. 



Unfortunately, 

What I did not like was the fact that there was too much going on yet too little details in the plot despite it being a rather thick book. As the story was narrated from both Michael's and Holly's point of view, I was able to connect to the story more emotionally than I originally intent to, yet the switch from one POV to another sometimes happened too rapidly that it felt lacking and vague, and I often find myself wishing there was more to the chapters instead. 

I also loved to see more development going on for the secondary characters. Kenna (Michael's niece), being a huge part of the story, was repetitiously mentioned throughout the book with a brief appearance here and there. She was supposedly featured as a character that induces strong emotions in Michael as he ferociously tries to fight his way in court to win his niece back, unfortunately I did not feel the family bond there, which was sort of a put off for me. I would also love to read more about Charity, Aunt Liv and Holly's best friends, which I think also plays a crucial part in the plot. 

Apart from that, as much importance of Holly's character as suggested by the title, I still do not really understand the full impact of Holly's contribution towards Michael's recovery. I do appreciate that the author emphasized on self-willpower in dealing and solving with our own issues, however it was rather contradictory to the title and that small fact bothers me. I guess I was not really clear of the message the story conveyed. 

Mending Michael was not flawless, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless, with a few good tears here and there! 

I did not manage to read the first book in the series, but this is a perfect standalone. Looking forward to read the rest of the series! because really, one does not simply judge a series by a book! 

A solid 4 stars because Michael and Holly's sizzling chemistry just had my heart in tangles! 

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5 comments

  1. Sounds like Michael and Holly are two very different characters, who fit well together. I like romance books where you start off with two characters who differ a lot, but are perfect for each other. It's sad the side characters weren't as well developed, but I am happy to hear hat despite your issues you still enjoyed the book. I do think it's nice that this book actually can be read as standalone, often in cases like this I prefer to read the series in order because else I feel like I miss something. Great review Natasha!

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    1. Yes! I'm a sucker for romance so it is nice to read about a dysfunctional couple who persevere through all hardships. I have my dislikes, but it never got to the point where I would put down the book, I was still at the edge of my sit and can't turn the pages any faster. I love the book honestly, and hence went off to request for a review copy of the first one :P
      Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Thank you so much for your well thought out review. Thank you for reading Mending Michael.

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    1. You are welcome! Thank you so much for commenting on my blog! You definitely made my day :) I have requested the first book to the series and just received my review copy, anticipating how it will turn out!

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  3. Thank you so much for your well thought out review. Thank you for reading Mending Michael.

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