Review | Ignite by Lily Paradis

Ignite by Lily Paradis
Series: Ignite #1
Published On: August 26, 2014
Published By: Empire Books
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 328
Format: eBook
Source: Bought
Rating: ★★★★

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After her father’s untimely demise in a mining accident and her mother’s abandonment, Lauren Lindsay is no stranger to loss. She’s used to living life for one person: herself. That is, until another family tragedy thrusts three children into her care and uproots her life in ways she could never imagine. 
  Lauren's first instinct is to run, until she meets their striking, mysterious neighbor Dean Powell. Their immediate chemistry and his connection with her late father just might be enough to keep her in town long enough to uncover pieces of her past that she never had answers to. Dean’s shady past and her reluctance to trust him could cost her the life she's always been searching for, but will she run back to her old life? 
  Or will she choose to stay and live the life her father always imagined for her?


When her late father’s wife is killed in an accident, a brand new kind of responsibility is thrust upon Lauren in the form of three newly orphaned children. Though her initial instinct is to run back to her old life, the mysterious Dean Powell may just keep her there long enough to discover the truth.

I was desperate to read this book from the moment I heard about it. The premise completely drew me in, as I was very interested in the idea of our main character being suddenly responsible for three children. I love books with a focus on family so I had high hopes for this one, and it didn’t disappoint.

The highlight of this book for me was the great characters. I loved every one of them. I found Lauren, our main characters, to be very relatable and the type of character I can easily form a connection to. Of course, I adored Dean. I spent the whole book wondering where I can get myself a Dean Powell. However, my favourite character had to be Emma. I always love great child characters in books and she was no exception. As an only child who spent a lot of time wishing I had a younger sister, I felt like Emma was the little sister I always wanted.

While I have seen some complaints regarding the romance element, I loved the balance between the romance and the family element. Though it was the family aspect that initially drew me in, I really enjoyed the introduction of Dean and the progression of their relationship throughout the book. I think the balance between the two was managed very well and made for a more enjoyable read. 

Though I enjoyed the book, I did find some aspects to be a little predictable. This did not affect my enjoyment of the book too much, but I did see things coming. For example, the mystery of Dean did not seem like much of a mystery to me as I had worked out a lot of his ‘mystery’ before it was revealed.

I found this to be satisfying as a standalone but there were some unanswered questions. Obviously, as is revealed at the end of the book, there is a second book. This will no doubt answer those questions and fill in the gaps, but not knowing that initially made things slightly confusing for me.

I enjoyed reading about characters my own age. This is one of my first forays into the world of New Adult so this was a little different for me. As I am used to reading about either character still in high school or those who are married, so reading about main characters in their 20s and at university/college made the story much more relatable for me.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this book. It was a great introduction into the New Adult genre and just a fast-paced (I read it in one sitting), enjoyable contemporary read. These characters and the story have stuck with me and I cannot wait for the second book.