Fictional Book Boyfriends Pt 15-Side Characters

Yeah yeah we know... The title of this post might say Fictional Book Boyfriends, but every once and awhile we like to mix things up and not just pick casting for men. So on this dream-casting edition we are doing popular side characters in books.
To see our picks for past casting just click here.

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angels have come down to earth... Except they're the bad guys.

James and Oliver Phelps as Tweedle Dee and Dum

This ones a given.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Girl is locked up for having a deadly touch.

Ki Hong Lee as Kenji
Seriously, just look how stinking cute he is.

Six of Hearts by LH Cosway
Magician and his lawyer's daughter start seeing one another.

Jillian Rose Reed as Jess
No one does sass like Jillian does.

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
 Homeschooled girl starts high school for the first time.

Dove Cameron as Six Jacobs
Dove Cameron is far too underrated.

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Girl lives next door to sassy hot aliens.

Alexandra Daddario as Dee Black

She is the epitome of Dee Black. She looks like an alien goddess.

Maybe Not by Colleen Hoover

Girl and musician neighbor try to deny attraction to each other.

Emeraude Toubia as Bridgette
Because you can tell she's the kind of girl in real life
that would take no crap from a man.

Painted Faces by LH Cosway

"Dublin native Freda Wilson considers herself to be an acquired taste. She has a habit of making offensive jokes and speaking her mind too often. She doesn't have the best track record with first impressions, which is why she gets a surprise when her new neighbour Nicholas takes a shine to her." -Goodreads Synopsis

"We all paint on a face to show the world," Nicholas replies philosophically. "For some of us, that's quite literal.”

I'm in a bit of a pickle when it comes to Painted Faces... I don't think I have ever finished a book and didn't have any feelings at all towards it. I've never had a book fall right in the middle for me. I picked up Painted Faces because of how much I loved her book Six of Hearts. Everyone kept telling me that if I loved that book then I would love this more. Went into this without knowing a single thing about it.

I want to talk about Nicholas (or Viv) first because the prologue is from his point of view. Not even going to beat around the bush with this... The prologue is amazing! It's probably the best one I've read since The Law of Moses. It was dark, deep, and had an incredible hook. Nick's character is first officially introduced when he moves across the hall from Freda (or Fred). The two start spending time together right off the bat. while spending time together we find out that Nick is a professional Drag Queen... Yes, you read that right; a Drag Queen. And Hells to the yeah on a real original idea. I was so excited when I read this because this taboo concept is on I have never come across before. Nick isn't Bi or trans, he is just a guy who enjoys doing Drag. However this is where his character started fading out for me. Looks and job wise Nick was top notch... personality wise we just didn't click. I like my leading men upfront and bold, but even I have a line in the sand of where upfront goes from hot to not. Nick quickly fell on the not side. I'm talking five pages in was asking... no not asking, just flat out saying he wanted to sleep with Fred, and I wasn't feeling it.

He keeps this brashness thought the whole book. I found myself only liking him because he was a Drag Queen. his character could have been many things, but ended up putting all of his eggs in one basket. Freda kind of had similar problems for me. Just couldn't connect with her. She had a very positive attitude but her she was constantly body shaming and comparing herself to other women. After awhile this got to be a bit old for me. Her humor is another thing I felt was a bit forced. Both characters are suppose to be in their late 20's and neither of them spoke or acted as if they were. I would have guessed their ages around 18/19. They both had very similar voices and I was hoping that both would be able to stand on their own.

Fred and Nick's relationship didn't feel very authentic to me. in my opinion they didn't really feel right for one another. Also when Nick sleeps with another woman it was kind of a done deal. I was officially turned off. The two are suppose to have very hot and heavy relationship, but I didn't feel like they had much depth. There is also a particular sexual scene towards the end that kind of made my skin crawl a little. It just wasn't the smut for me.

Plot and pacing wise I found this book a little on the slow side. Not much goes on. For a concept that was this original I was hoping this story would pull out all the stops. Sadly, I saw everything that happened coming. Just; nothing really happened. Two people meet. One pretends they aren't interested. The other is overly invested. They end up together. It's your usual NA book. All this left me feeling a bit underwhelm.

Painted Faces is a story that relied heavily on the fact that the characters should of had massive development. A novel that could have gone dark in the best way, but fell flat. I feel like Painted Faces weighted itself too much on the idea that it was a good idea. Now, with all this being said and done I do want to say this: This book is in no way a one star read. Some people are going to read this book and love it (clearly, just look at the review for it). Painted Faces just wasn't the book for me. LH Cosway is an amazing writer with some of the most creative concepts I've ever read. She is an author that I will continue to pick up and support, because you don't have to like every book an author puts out. This book will impact someone a lot. 

5/10 Stars
-Angela

Six of Hearts by L.H. Cosway

"The world thinks I killed a man, but I didn't. Bear with me. It’s all a part of the plan.

Revenge is what I want. I want it for me and I want it for her.
I want it for all six of us." -Goodreads

"Do your worst, for I will do mine"

Yeah Imma say it.... Magic hasn't been this hot since Harry Potter. It also feels like forever since I've really been excited to write a review! Mark your calendars folks! Today Magic hotness was brought back and a full review will be written!

Six of Hearts was a huge surprise to me. When I read the synopsis I remember hollerin' "HA, CHEESE!". I'm happy to announce I was correct! Because SOH is a fine aged cheese, the kind you find in the fancy cheese case in the deli section of at Harris Teeter. So yummy. This book was unique, fun, and wasn't too heavy on the romance. I know that sentence might be hard seeing, being this book revolves around romance... I stick to what I just said though the alluring pull of the plot and the lusty romance are very well balanced. 

This book will have me leaving a lot plot wise to your imagination. Luckily we can talk about characters. Matilda and Jay; oh how I loved these two. Matilda is working as a receptionist for her father's tiny law firm when Jay, an illusionist, comes in seeking him out to be his attorney. He is wanting Matilda father to represent him in suing an entire newspaper company. Matilda is instantly drawn to this strange bad boy... I mean who wouldn't be with his confident mysterious charm (I know I was). These two of course have an instant bond, that only grows more teasingly good when Jay takes residence in Mat's father's house. I want to just do an entire review where I just quote these two, but then that wouldn't really be a review, but I PROMISE it would be amazing. These two are guaranteed to have you grinning and giggling the entire book. Not only are these two so lovey they are both incredibly charming. They both have such unique character traits and talents that give the both such life. It did take me a little longer to get into Matilda's character than it did Jay's. This has more to do with me than it does with her. I usually like male characters first... and with Jay being so cunning, fine, and hilarious there was really no way around it. Also didn't hurt that ya boy is book smart. Kept imagining him with the attitude of Jesse Eisenberg, but with the face of Alex Pettyfer*schwing*.

The side characters in this book too. Be still me heart! Loved them. Jay's best friend Jessie is great. She funny, blunt, and a good time. But Matilda's best friend, Michelle.... Just killed me. Everything she says had me rolling. I knew as soon as she said "TOLO- Tits Out Legs Open" I was completely sold. Then the drunken scene where they dance and talk in British accents, amazing! The plot of Six of Hearts is good, but it has nothing on it's characters.

Six of Hearts' plot will drag you in as soon as you read the prologue. Right away I was pulled in and was  frantically flipping too get to the end. I had to know how things would end. I was also finding myself excited for something other than romance. I was waiting around for the moments when Jay got to preform and for the two of them just to be talking. I usually hone in on the romantic pacing of a book, but when I realized I wasn't I was actually set back. The romance and big secrets are revealed in the perfect manner. The only reason I couldn't give this book a perfect rating is because I knew what was going to happen at the end. I was hoping for something a little more jaw dropping (the ending is in NO way bad!), but found it a little predictable. That being said there was one thing that I didn't see coming that did shock my socks off a little. Oh and in case you were wondering the same thing I did, this does have the same feel as the movie Now You See Me, yeah which means it's great.

I wish I would have read this book during the summer because I think it'd be the perfect beach read. Not only did this book win me over, but the cover did too. At first glance I thought I hate it, but once I got deep into reading I realized how much I love it. If you're just getting into NA books I think this one would be a good fit and the perfect place to start. I really look forward to picking up more books by L.H. Cosway.


9/10 Stars 
-Angela