Sun-kissed (Au Pairs) - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Sometimes when the sun shines, it scorches.

Third time's the charm as Mara, Eliza, and Jacqui head back to the Hamptons. This summer the au pairs are doing it right: in style, in step, and "in" everywhere.

Mara has the VIP hookup at all the new clubs -- not to mention sweet digs living with bf Ryan on his parents' yacht. Eliza's nights are steaming too, since she and Jeremy are in total relationship bliss. Too bad she's spending her days at a fashion internship where the hot new designer goes all Devil Wears Prada on her. Jacqui is newly single, and on the prowl, with three boy millionaires next door competing for her affections.

The girls seem to have the whole package this summer. But looks -- as all good Hamptons girls know -- can be very deceiving....

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars

Should've Stopped After Two July 24, 2006
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

Ms. de la Cruz's writing was flawless as usual, but the content was a disappointment compared to the first two in the series. I know that you have to read these knowing they're unbelievable, but this one went too far in my opinion. Mara somehow manages to be one of the best writers for a magazine and gets published in a big name paper; three incredibly cute and successful guys all want to be with Jackie; and Eliza starts her own fashion line--complete with a show--and the press comes to see it. Oh, and the girls throw a huge party for Anna and Kevin so they won't get a divorce. And Jacqui uses Anna's ATM account without any trouble at all. It was just too much.

Also, whereas with the last two books I felt like there was a nice progression through time, this one was different. It seemed like the summer went by without anything really happening. Mara and Ryan live on a boat together. All Ryan does is surf and Mara puts out amazing articles. The only conflict was that Ryan wanted Mara to be with him more often. He ends up coming off as some weak pansy. Jacqui just goes on dates with the boys next door and has trouble deciding which one is for her. The kids are hardly mentioned. There's a new Au-Pair whose only purpose in the book is to hack into computers because she's a smart Asian. The series should not have been entitled Au-Pairs since the third book had nothing do with it.

My main problem with the book is that there were only the big events that were covered, so it felt like I only got to see what they were doing every three weeks or so. To be perfectly honest, there just wasn't much of a plot. It was still an entertaining read, but I was disappointed after the first two were so great. Ms. de la Cruz said she might write a fourth, so I'm hoping it will be better, and a little more believable--like the first two.

3 out of 5 stars

Fair June 7, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I really enjoyed the other books in the series, if, as I had previously stated, you were ready to suspend your disbelief.

I found this one very hard to get through. I think the problem is that the storyline felt forced. The author was attempting to show that each of the au pairs had individual lives, while at the same time, trying to write stories showing them together.

It did not work. I think what worked so well in the first books was the fact that the au pairs were always basically together - since they all worked together. Now, the cuteness has been lost and I frankly found myself not caring about any of them.

I think its time to retire this series.

5 out of 5 stars

A Really Good Book June 27, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Well, It's really hard for me to say whether or not it was worse then the other two in the series (Au Pairs, Skinny-Dipping), but but it was amazingly intersting and fun to read.
The book is about three girls who come back for their third summer in the Hamptons. Jacqui is still an Au Pair for the Perry's, Eliza lands a job as an interen for a famous designer but ends up designing some clothes along the way, and Mara is staying with Ryan on his yacht! TOGETHER!
Of course, their are some problems that develop with the three girls. The Perry Parents are fighting and Mr. Perry files a divorce with Anna (his wife). This is not going to work for Jacqui because if she can't keep this job, then she can't go to school in New York!
Eliza gets fired from her designing job (You'll see why), gets a new job at a crappy lunch resturant, fights with her boyfriend Jeremy because he used to date her evil ex-coworker.
Mara's boyfriend Ryan doesn't understand how important Mara's job is to her. He wants her to stay home with him and have fun all day. Mara's extremly upset because she got accepted into a good school in New York that has a great writing program, but she finds out she acepted into Darthmouth, the school that Ryan goes to, and she doesnt want to tell him that she thinks that she should go to the school in New York (I think it's Columbia). Read to find out what happens!

4 out of 5 stars

Fast, fun read February 23, 2007
I was surprised to see some of the reviews here. I guess some people felt this book was not as good as its predecessors in the series. I thought it was maybe a little better, since the 3 girls were no longer working together. As a result, there were more varied storylines. It also seemed like Eliza, Jacqui and Mara had developed more distinct personalities. And each one had troubles that a teenage girl (or any woman, for that matter) could relate to.

Eliza gets hired as an assistant to a diva-esque designer, only to get fired for upstaging him. Mara dives into her job as a cub reporter with enthusiasm, but her relationship is on the line, because Ryan would rather surf than go to parties where Mara needs to interview celebrities. NYU turns Jacqui down because she didn't take enough math and science courses in Brazil.

The plot twists are entertaining and numerous, if not always believable. They helped make the book a compelling read. If you liked The Au Pairs and Skinny Dipping, I don't see why you wouldn't like this one.

5 out of 5 stars

Sunscreen required - 'Sun-Kissed' is smoking! August 29, 2007
Two summers have passed, and the third is on the horizon. But this year, things are quite different from the past. Fashionista, Eliza Thompson, bookworm Mara Waters, and Brazilian bombshell, Jacqui Velasco have waved goodbye to high school, and are looking forward to the future. Unfortunately, while the future lands them all in the Hamptons, this summer, they'll be working in three very different professions that will leave them struggling to find time for one another.

For the past year, Eliza has found herself in relationship bliss with Jeremy Stone, a local Hamptons "gardener," of sorts, who just opened his own business. The two couldn't be happier, but Eliza is still uncomfortable with the fact that her V card is still intact; which is why she plans on handing it over to the wonderful Mr. Stone at the next available opportunity. But opportunities are scarce when you're interning for fashion-do-turned-fashion-don't designer, Sydney Minx, a veritable tyrant who seems to have lost his artistic light, and is searching to steal it from anyone possible. Eliza, with her over-the-top fashion sense, doesn't mind lending a helping hand; after all, she has just snagged a spot at Princeton, and can't wait to set off on the road to higher education in the fall, even if it means slaving a way for an untalented schmuck over the summer.

Mara is finally with the guy of her dreams - Ryan Perry. After two years of being hot-and-cold with the billionaire brother of her charges, this au pair finally sunk her claws into the boy of the hour. And, even though their relationship has been long distance over the past year, they've held tight to their blooming romance. This summer, however, Mara has ditched diaper duty, and is interning at HAMPTONS Magazine, where she'll have the chance to rub elbows with the rich and famous, and write about it in a society column. Even better, after a long day at work, Mara gets to come home to Ryan for snuggle sessions upon his father's yacht - The Malpractice - where the two are playing house for a full three months. The only problem is that Ryan keeps questioning Mara about her impending attendance at Dartmouth University - where Mara has been wait-listed - and Mara is forced to decide whether Columbia or Dartmouth is the proper place for a budding journalist, like herself, to be.

Jacqui, as always, is the epitome of hotness. Having broken up with her boyfriend, Kit Ashleigh, after a few months of bickering, Jacqui is once again single and looking for love. And this summer, she seems to have found it in the form of three billionaire hotties next-door. Smooth-talking Grant Kotack, sensitive Ben Defever, and the hilarious John Duffy are the creators of DormDebauchery.com, and renting out the Reynoldes' house next-door for the summer. While tossing money around like water, and hosting a slew of parties, all three guys are also vying for Jacqui's affections, and waiting for the chance to be called her "boyfriend." While the attention from the three guys is fabulous; Jacqui finds it hard to keep her mind in one place, especially due to the fact that NYU has just broken the news to her regarding the fact that she's missing mathematics and science credits, and will have to complete a fifth year of high school, dashing Jacqui's dreams of embarking on the college experience with her friends. And, to top things off, she's attempting to contend with the newest addition to the au pair line-up, a fifteen-year-old from New Jersey named Shannon Shin, who is utterly obsessed with Jacqui and her friends.

Together, the three girls will have to find a way to survive the summer, or be eaten by the monster known as the Hamptons.

I fell in love with Eliza, Mara, and Jacqui when Melissa de la Cruz first introduced them to the world in THE AU PAIRS, and, over the years, I find myself delving deeper and deeper into their privileged world. SUN-KISSED is no exception. Once more, de la Cruz paints the Hamptons in a light that will make readers want to escape there for a short vacation, then escape from the over-indulgent world for a reality check. Discarding Poppy and Sugar Perry in Los Angeles, where the two have become non-stop party girls, and leaving Kevin Perry in New York, so that Jacqui must contend with the oft-times step-monster, Anna Perry, all by her lonesome, de la Cruz introduces many new difficulties and problems that come along with growing up. Mara is still the most down-to-earth character, as she looks towards her future, and attempts to make the appropriate decisions that will suit her the best in her future. She has truly matured quite a bit since recovering from the "diva" syndrome that plagued her last summer in SKINNY-DIPPING. Eliza, on the other hand, has returned to her pampered princess ways. With her parents having reclaimed their fortune, Eliza is once again, riding high. However, she exceeded my expectations when she really began to get her hands dirty, and prove that, even though she's a spoiled little rich girl, she can work it like a pauper. Jacqui, while still an au pair for the Perry's, really shows a new side to herself, as well. Gone is the unsympathetic nature that she had towards the opposite sex in THE AU PAIRS, and, in its place, comes a kind, caring persona, who wants to spare people's feelings - no matter how hard she needs to work to do so. The introduction of Shannon Shin is entertaining. She talks a mile-a-minute, and seems like an obnoxious character at times, but she certainly redeems herself as the story continues, and leaves you hoping for her return in the next book. The presence of the children - Madison, William, Zoe, and Cody - is minimal within SUN-KISSED. However, that isn't too odd, considering all of them have grown up so much, and are displaying new traits and characteristics that they lacked in previous installments. Sunscreen required - SUN-KISSED is smoking!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

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