The Vincent Boys

Gr 10 Up—While her boyfriend, Sawyer, is away for the summer, preacher's daughter Ashton Gray finds herself entangled with his bad-boy cousin, Beau, in this predictable teen romance. Both Beau and Sawyer were Ashton's childhood friends, but she now prefers the passionate troublemaker to her buttoned-up boyfriend. The couple doesn't want to hurt Sawyer, or upset Ashton's parents, who approve of her relationship with Sawyer but don't like Beau. They sneak around until Aston is forced to make a decision-though it's clear whom she will pick in the end. The novel has an enjoyable Southern flavor, and romance lovers will be intrigued by the steamy, forbidden attraction between the main characters. However, the writing never transcends the usual clichés ("The moment my mouth touched hers, my world started spinning beneath me") and the male characters are occasionally unlikable, especially in their attitudes toward girls and women. The use of profanity can be jarring, and though the story does leave out most of the main sex scene and skips to the morning after, it's still a racy read.—Anthony C. Doyle, Livingston High School Library, CA