Pepped Up & Ready (Pepper Jones book #3) by Ali Dean
Released May 28, 2015
Spoiler Free by Meagan
Pepper is finally a senior, and she’s determined to defend her national cross-country title. Although Jace is busy with the demands of college football, he’s still at Pepper’s side, supporting her goals. But is she taking her renewed enthusiasm for training too far?
As Jace and Pepper focus on their athletic ambitions, they discover that Jace’s social status has followed him to college, despite his attempt to keep a low profile. With her boyfriend as an idol on campus, Pepper discovers that she might just be a target to those who find Jace threatening.
Are Jace and Pepper strong enough to withstand the pressure from those who want something from them? It won’t be easy fighting for her title and her boyfriend, but nothing easy is worth winning… or keeping.
Now that Pepper is finally a senior, things should be a breeze, right? Wrong. With Pepper being a senior brings Jace to college life. Although Pepper and Jace are right down the road from each other, they can't just walk across the road to the others house and hang out when ever they want. Senior year in high school for Pepper means busting her but in cross. Freshman year in college for Jace means proving he isn't just some high school football player, but that he can actually help the team win more. But what about the people who are out to get Jace and Pepper?
"Ever since Jace became more than a friend, I knew my life would never be the same."
But it's not just Pepper and Jace who start having problems. Since Jace and Wes became friends again, Wes and Pepper have gotten closer too. Wes is supposed to leave for his fathers alma mater, Princeton, in three weeks, but what happens when he defers for a year?
"'You okay?' I ask, genuinely curious how he will answer.
'Not really. It's like everything I've been ignoring that's shitty about my life has hit me, and i knew i couldn't go to Princeton next week. And now that I told my dad I'm relieved but, like, kind of fucked in the head too.'
Sometimes girls are just easier to talk to about emotional stuff, and he may never have a discussion like this with Jace or Jim."
With Wes not going to college right away, what might he do instead? He told Pep he would work, have a real job and figure things out from there, stop being that spoiled brat he feels he is. But why does he keep telling Jim he'll think about that job with the construction company? Why not just take it?
Wes seems to be one of the smaller things Jace and Pepper should worry about when Pepper gets flowers delivered to her at lunch one day. Immediately Pepper knows Jace would never send her flowers without a card, but who sent these flowers?
When Pepper finds out she can't race, she doesn't take the news too well. I mean, who would? If racing was your entire life, like football is to Jace, wouldn't you be upset too? I know I would. Instead she is forced to take some time off due to the dreaded I word. That's right, Pepper Jones is injured and if she doesn't cool it and take it easy on her legs, she may not get the chance to prove herself to people, may not get the scholarship she so horribly wants and she may not have the chance to win Nationals for the second year in a row.
While taking it easy, Pepper borrows Zoe's bike so she can get around instead of walking. On her way to campus one night, she notices this white SUV following her, creepy right? So creepy it makes her peddle the bike faster, the faster she peddles the faster she gets to Jace.
"Fear sets in and my legs pump harder. Adrenaline courses through me when I take the final turn to Jace's dorm and the car is still behind me. What if it's some crazy person preying on college girls? I've heard stories about people like that on college campuses. My mind swirls with possibilities until I see Jace waiting for me outside the building and relief floods through me. The car speeds past me as I slow to a stop. The fear disappears and I suddenly feel silly. I'm just on edge from the flowers, The idea of a car following me is ridiculous. If it was, it was probably just because the driver thought I was someone they knew, and when they realized I wasn't they took off."
But something doesn't seem right, the farther into the book I get the more creeped out I get. Why doesn't Pepper tell Jace about the car following her? Why doesn't she have Buns give her a ride to Jace's dorm instead of riding a bike? These questions kept going through my head more and more as Pepper kept things hidden. But finally she is forced to tell Jace when something else happens.
When Pepper is finally allowed to race, she has to work hard to build her strength back up. But when she gets hurt again and ends up in the ER one night, is that the end for Pepper's racing career, or will she be permitted to continue racing again?
Ali Dean definitely knows how to keep me in suspense and make me question who is doing this to Pepper. But when I found out, I had my suspicions on who it was, but I also thought it was someone else too.
With this person taken care of, what will happen to Pepper and Jace? Will they stay together? Will they break up? I guess you'll have to read the book and find out for yourself.
