Review: On the Floor by Jennifer LaCross

Who knew that working together and living on the same floor with the guy of my dreams would be so hard?
Well, everyone. 

Rachel Harris has been closed off since high school, when her mother passed away. Worrying about her family has made her own happiness her second priority.
Jake Price has had family issues of his own, leaving him incapable of having anything more than a physical relationship.
When Rachel meets Jake on the dance floor, sparks fly. Fires burn. Their worlds change. 
And then he walks away with no more than a thank you...
Through a twist of fate, they are brought back together when Jake shows up the next day as Rachel’s new co-worker. They reluctantly decide to put aside their attraction for each other so they can work as friends. 
But when that attraction becomes something more, will Rachel and Jake be able to figure out how to work together, be together, and open up to each other? Or will their old issues be something that destroys everything they have built?

This is the first book in the series about the members of the band, Second Story.
Some of the material in On the Floor may be considered inappropriate for readers under 17.

4 Star Review by Jennifer Hagen

Rachel and Jake are both resident assistants on the same dormitory floor.  They need to be able to work with each other and keep an amicable relationship between themselves and the students on their floor.  It’s hard to do when one minute you want to rip the clothes off of him and the next minute rip his head off.  Jake is hot, but his bedside manner has a lot to be desired.

“You would want more than a f*ck from me and I don’t want anything more than that from you.”

Okaayyy…I guess he’s pretty much made himself clear on where he stands with Rachel.  Too bad his heart didn’t receive that memo.  

Jake was born to an addict of a mother and was dropped off at his grandparent’s house when he was 3 days old, addicted to heroin, and nameless.  His father only makes the required presence every few months and has kept Jake away from knowing his side of the family. His grandparents have raised Jake and Jake has a hard time letting himself get close to anybody because he doesn’t want to show that he is possible of caring because his mother or father never cared enough to be there for him. 

Rachel has spent the last 4 years of her life conforming it to fit around her family’s loss.  She has given up her own dreams in exchange for making certain that she can hold the family together.  She is very attracted to Jake and they seem to have a very easy rapport around each other.  She knows where Jake stands on this matter so decides that it’s time to move on from her infatuation.  Nothing like a little competition to bring out the big guns.

“You’re everything that I want, that I never knew I wanted.  I think I can be good enough for you, if you’ll give me a chance.  Just say you want me too.”

Jake is new to this thing called a relationship and of course he doesn’t handle every situation with maturity because he simply doesn’t know what’s to be expected when in a committed relationship.  There are some misunderstandings along the way that lead to words that hurt the heart and eventually one event will slay the heart to shreds. 

“I don’t need you here.  I don’t want you here.  This is a mistake,” he says quietly, almost calmly.

He’s pretty much laid it all out for Rachel…he doesn’t want to be with her.  Will he come crawling back to her begging for forgiveness, or will Rachel decide that love is not worth the pain?

Stomp. Jump. Crush. Trample. All over my heart. This is the worst.

This was a quick read that packed a powerful punch in a short amount of time.  I feel like a bad person saying I enjoyed the angst they had in their relationship, but the stomach-hurting angst happening on several occasions made the book along with their steamy scenes.  Holy mama…they were pretty hot.  Grab this book if you are in a book slump and need a quick pick me up read; it’s fast moving, angst filled, and steamy all packaged up nicely in one story.  No cliffhanger!  But there will be stories based on secondary characters which I am looking forward to.