Spotlight and Review: Tyed by L.J Shen

Rock bottom has built way more champions than privilege has.
Blaire, an underachieving college student with zero prospects and a ton of issues (hey, being the less-successful twin of a gorgeous supermodel would totally do that to you) needs something from Ty.
Mixed Martial artist Ty, a soon-to-be Welterweight champion of the Xtreme Warrior League and the hottest guy in the Bay Area, wants something from Blaire.
But Ty has a secret.
And Blaire can barely even handle his truths.
Life is about to throw a few knockout punches at both of them. Can they handle the pain?

Tyed is a standalone novel.

Shona's review 3 of 5 stars

When I first picked up this book I instantly liked Blaire, she wasn't in your face confident, but she also wasn't self-deprecating. She realises other people might think less of her because of her academic achievements to date and yes she might refer to herself as the less attractive twin, but for the most part she doesn't let that get to her. Until she lets that get to her later. Funnily enough, its only when she meets Ty and (in his words) he sees her, that she starts to really compare herself to her model twin and declare herself to be unworthy and inexperienced to be with him.
The first couple of times we meet Ty he comes across as a real jerk, but when he actually takes 5 minutes to talk to Blaire you realise he's all show... though that does not excuse some of the lines that come out of that boys mouth. Once you get passed that outer shell of his, you realise he's actually a really nice guy, one who sees the worth of the person standing in front of him. And gives her more chances than she perhaps deserves.

 I felt the story flowed fairly well. Although there were a few moments when it jumped weeks at a time, or it felt there was a bigger time jump than actually was. And sometimes it felt like we missed out on what could have been important stuff... like the earlier dates with Ty and Blaire, they went from their 2nd or 3rd date to several weeks later where they were spending all their time together....
And later in the book she has a conversation with Jesse and the way he speaks to her makes you think their relationship is far more than just she interviewed him for 20 minutes in the first few chapters of the book

 For the most part I enjoyed the book. However, Blaire is very judgemental of Ty and his lifestyle from the very beginning. With his decision to compete in MMA, his interaction with female fans and with some other stuff that comes out later on. She just seemed to react negatively to everything, as though she was deliberately trying to sabotage their relationship. Which for me felt very childish, something I would perhaps accept in a YA novel where the main characters are still in high school, but this couple are mid 20's... With Blaire's angsty reactions to everything filling the book, we were left with little resolution for the story, and for me it felt very rushed. Almost as though the author had run out of room, or words to embellish the ending a little. I ultimately felt cheated. Like there should have been more.

Clare's Review 4 of 5 stars

I started this book with a good feeling after reading the blurb. The characters were interesting and well written, I initially felt a little sorry for Blaire, with her references to her 'beautiful' twin and her academic achievements she clearly felt inferior and this had led to a lack of confidence. However as the book progressed I did find myself getting annoyed with Blaire on occasion especially with her reaction the MMA and Ty.

T y is lovely although he comes across a bit of an arrogant pig it was obvious to me that he was acting tough for the sake of appearances and to protect himself, especially with the revelations that appear later on in the story. I loved the way Ty forced Blaire to attend the gym and to change her mind on her previous judgement, I also enjoyed the way he made he feel more confident in herself. I really felt like the characters grew individually because of their connection.

 My only complaint is that I felt like the end was a little rushed and there could have been more there but overall I really enjoyed the story and would love to read more!

L.J. Shen resides in sunny Northern California with her husband, newborn son and chubby cat.
Over the years, she tried her hand at many, many things. Talking about herself in 3rd person is one of them, and she didn’t like it one bit, so she will now switch to 1st-person:
I was also a corporate secretary, fashion and celebrity journalist, Zumba instructor and even a waitress at some point (though not in this order). Tyed, my debut novel, is a New Adult, MMA-themed romantic comedy with a little angst and a lot banter. My second book, Sparrow, will be out in January 2016.
I love making people laugh, reading my favorite authors, traveling and dish number 22A in the Vietnamese restaurant underneath my apartment block. I also love talking books with my friends and readers, so please don’t hesitate to contact me on my Facebook page.

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