Tessa Bailey is an author I generally enjoy. Some of her books are a miss for me, many are terrific. This book was definitely in the latter category. ITessa Bailey is an author I generally enjoy. Some of her books are a miss for me, many are terrific. This book was definitely in the latter category. If I were to sum this up, it is a sweet, yet dirty at times (this is Tessa Bailey, after all) modern love story, with a touch of comedy as the cherry on top. Our two protagonists, Beat and Melody, are the son and daughter, respectively, of two women who led a hard rock band 30 or so years ago. There was a very nasty break-up of the band and Melody and Beat, while knowing of each other, don’t actually meet for the first time until they are 16. Then they don’t meet again until….fast forward to today, where they are now thirty, and their story really begins.
Why modern? Because their story takes place under the lens of a camera and attached to a microphone- they have agreed to try and reunite their mothers for one last show and the process becomes a social media live-streamed production. (They both need the money that has been offered, but for different reasons). They are always miked up and followed by cameramen. They become an online sensation, mobbed wherever they go, all the while each of them struggling to overcome deep-seated personal issues and navigate the depth of feeling they are discovering they have for each other.
I wasn’t sure about the idea when I realised where this was going: I had to imagine what it must have been like for them growing up in the shadow of their rock legend mothers, and how this might have impacted them mentally and emotionally. Once I was able to connect to this, I was hooked.
Honestly, I wanted to slap Beat upside the head any number of times, and occasionally I would mutter out loud: that boy needs therapy. Stat! At first, I thought we were going down the kink road with his approach to sex. That I did not need, when I liked Melody so much. (#TeamMelody) I am not sure whether the author’s explanation for Beat’s sexual habits was valid from a psychological viewpoint, but I just went with it. And the sex scenes were very hot, just how Ms Bailey likes to write them. The dirty talk was definitely there! But really, Beat was pretty screwed up in the beginning.
I think what impressed me the most was how much Melody grew in the course of the book. She learned to value herself, so much so that when Beat mucked up AGAIN, she didn’t just cave at his first apology. She demanded what she felt she deserved: his trust. She made the point clearly to Beat that it wasn’t his job to look after her. It was their job to look after each other. (#Belody. Yes, really…) Beat took a while to finally see himself clearly, which did frustrate me. As that was probably the author’s intention, she was successful in achieving it!
Apart from a cracking good love story and clever incorporation of social media trends, I laughed out loud at some of the hilarious one-liners that Melody would blurt out, blithely ignorant of how funny she actually was. Definitely added to her cuteness factor, and confirmed her individuality and intelligence. She had a sweetness that was perfect.
Wreck the Halls is definitely a giant hit for me from Tessa Bailey. Sure, I had to suspend my disbelief at times, but we are reading a romance book. Disbelief suspension is generally required! The previous TB book I read was Unfortunately Yours, and I loved that one, too. The lady is on a roll.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book....more
This was a difficult book for me, because I struggled with the hero, Gray, who behaved like an arse far too often and with Ivy, for letting him get awThis was a difficult book for me, because I struggled with the hero, Gray, who behaved like an arse far too often and with Ivy, for letting him get away with it when she should have kicked him to the kerb so that he would learn to be a better person. I also found that the juxtaposition of the moral, sexually inexperienced Ivy with the promiscuous, vacuous college girls that appeared in the book too stereotyped to feel authentic. Are there only these two kinds of college girls in America? That's a bit worrying! [image]
At the start, Ivy is living in England for a bit, visiting her mum, and the hero, Gray, is able to use her (pink) car while she is overseas. They start to correspond, and begin their relationship as friends, but he wants more. Problem is, her dad is his sports’ agent and Gray is a man-whore-plus, (frankly, you'd have to dip it in sterilising solution before I'd go near that penis), really living on the surface, avoiding anything that might have him thinking too deeply. [image]
There are clearly a few obstacles these two need to push out of the way, and most of them are to do with Gray. This is often something that I dislike in Romance- the damaged hero saved by the selfless (often doormat) heroine. There was definitely a bit of this going on here. Later books by KC have much less of this, thank goodness.
Why is Gray such a shallow prick? (view spoiler)[We do find out that Gary’s dad and older brothers used to beat up on him under the pretext of toughening him up for football when he was younger (because that’s sure gonna do it). Also, his mother died of cancer and he was the only one in the family who cared for her at the end. (hide spoiler)] This leads to an appallingly cowardly and cruel decision on his part that shocked and pissed me off big time. Gray does work to banish his ghosts and comes through for Ivy in the end, but I did struggle with his promiscuous past and failure to be a Mensch when he needed to be. He just about redeems himself when Ivy faces another crisis, however, which gave me hope that he might actually grow up and be deserving of Ivy. KC writes well, as usual, and while her characters are often very flawed, with the men bordering on alpha-holes, the stories are engaging. An interesting addition to the Game On series....more
This one, and book 2 in the series, are probably the last of this author's books I have enjoyed. Ewe have a problematic hero, and I was really worriedThis one, and book 2 in the series, are probably the last of this author's books I have enjoyed. Ewe have a problematic hero, and I was really worried it was going down the oxymoronic "mafia romance" road, (which kind of disgusts me, actually) but hang in there. It's worth it. No question this lady can write, she has just fallen into the trap of many romance authors who feel the need to spice up their stories with bdsm tropes at the expense of good characterisation. If you spend too much time getting the FMC to beg and crawl, you don't have enough time to add the depth I crave in my MCs. This was, however, a good read, with interesting people and a heroine who definitely had a backbone, even if the hero was borderline obsessive in his attachment and need to dominate. I had hoped, with the witty and emotionally satisfying Rules of Engagement that the author would revisit that style of writing, but I should have seen the red flags when she threw Perfect Strangers at us back in 2019. (And don't get me started with the internet porn inspired anal action. Just. No.) So this was classic JT, albeit with a darker edge. ...more
Nope. When you cannot warm to either of the main characters, and then the ending with the villain is ridiculously OTT (this, after you have ploughed tNope. When you cannot warm to either of the main characters, and then the ending with the villain is ridiculously OTT (this, after you have ploughed through some improbable plot twists), you know you wasted your time....more
Ends in a cliffhanger. She was silly and a bit skanky and he was unethical and a weird combo of dominant and masochistic in the relationship. UnfortunEnds in a cliffhanger. She was silly and a bit skanky and he was unethical and a weird combo of dominant and masochistic in the relationship. Unfortunately, I don’t care enough to find out what happens in the end....more
4 stars, but sometimes the potty-mouthed heroine and the violent hero annoyed me. He was a battle god, I guess! Ruby Dixon is a top-notch world builder4 stars, but sometimes the potty-mouthed heroine and the violent hero annoyed me. He was a battle god, I guess! Ruby Dixon is a top-notch world builder. Her Ice Planet Barbarians (I have read most of them, but admit I became a bit bored with them eventually) and her Fireblood Dragons in the post-apocalypse series are very readable. The detail she describes in these worlds is quite astounding. But this book was a surprise, and in a good way.
The book is long. Was I bored?
[image]
For starters, I am a bit of a mythology geek. I love me some gods and goddesses, wherever they happen to be from. Ruby has cherry picked bits and pieces, added her own special twist, and created a fascinating, colourful world. It is primitive and brutal, the gods are selfish, callous and cruel (when are they not?) and our poor modern girl is sucked into this world with nothing but the clothes she stood up in.
It is the time of the Anticipation, a festival where the inhabitants of this world, Aos, await the arrival of their god. You see, every now and then the High Father (a kind of Zeus/Christian God) casts the 11 gods down to live among humans in order to remember qualities like compassion, empathy and mercy, feelings that they have gradually lost over the centuries. He does this to make them better, kinder gods. To help them get in touch with these feelings, a human anchor must be bound to the god, someone to teach these selfish beings what life is like for mortals.
[image] Umm.....NO.
(view spoiler)[Then, just to make it more complicated, four versions- Aspects- of the god are sent to Aos: Arrogance, Apathy, Lies and Hedonism. (Seven Deadly Sins, anyone?). Only one will survive, but to kill an Aspect, one needs to kill the anchor. That Aspect is absorbed by the Aspect remaining alive. The final Aspect standing then goes back up to heaven (the Aether). (hide spoiler)]
In this first book, Faith finds herself about to be sacrificed to the Battle god, Aron, so without knowing what she is signing up for, volunteers to be his anchor. Shoulda read the fine print, Faith. It's a steep learning curve.
[image]
That she didn't punch him and snark more at him verbally was a credit to her self-control and common sense. She certainly didn't mince her words when she got mad at him- it was often fairly crude. Along the lines of "Go fuck yourself." Well, Aron was such a tool, he needed a rough, straight-talker to slap him into shape. Faith certainly met that criteria. You gotta be tough when you go toe-to-toe with Aron of the (freaking) Cleaver!
Aron was supremely annoying a lot of the time, and I am sure that was the author's intention. It took him a long time to develop some positive character traits, and strangely enough for a war god, he was very weak when it came to strategising or planning. He just wanted to go roaring into battle and smite peeps with his axe. It was Faith who did the thinking for them, and I loved that Ruby had her some that role. She showed imagination and initiative in their struggle to remain alive,(view spoiler)[ even though she was terrified by the fact that she was the target. I could understand her ambivalence when dissecting Aron's motives: was he keeping her alive because he cared about her, or only because her death meant his death? (hide spoiler)]
I note the irony of the High Father not giving a toss about the mortal Anchor's lives and happily sacrificing them on the altar of making his naughty children nicer.
[image]
Way to go, dad.
In the end, Faith was awesome- brave and intelligent. It was a struggle to survive as a woman in that misogynistic world, and I hope Ruby might tweak it a tad in the future, so that women have more roles than whore, slave, wife or the occasional psycho bitch goddess. (Just a question- when a woman is jealous of her man's possible attentions towards another woman, why does she want to attack the OW? That's just rubbish- and adds to the stupid women-compete-for-men shite that our patriarchal culture brainwashes us with. Let's just sheet the blame home to the man who had a choice and didn't choose you.) Another gentle gripe: why is Faith friendless, alone, in a shit job and so very, very ordinary in our world? Why do authors persist with this cliché? OK, we need room for the MCs to grow, to become awesome, I get it. But it seems very convenient- no loose ends back home when they decide to stay in their new world- and it makes their transformation just that little bit unlikely. I am reminded of the The Golden Dynasty. The heroine there had a very close relationship with her dad, a responsible position in his business and was a successful woman in her own right. She still chose to stay with her crazy barbarian king. It can happen.
[image]
Nevertheless, a great start to what promises to be another entertaining and uniquely Ruby Dixonesque series!...more
No way this woman is 30 (and a virgin, btw). The way she behaves and talks, her impossible naïveté when she has spent so much time working with blokesNo way this woman is 30 (and a virgin, btw). The way she behaves and talks, her impossible naïveté when she has spent so much time working with blokes on a construction site? Just doesn't make sense. So: she can build a whole house from the ground up, still lusts madly after the hero and is a tomboy virgin. Eek. Then we have dirty talk and, my pet hate, the word "cum for ejaculate/semen. He commands "come" and she does. Like a good dog. Ah- no. If you like a rough and tumble sex romp, this one's for you. No OW, no real angst, just lots of sex on/near a construction site :) ...more
After the relatively sweet story of Tryp (also in this rock band) we get Xan- and ladies, he's all yours. Just could not warm to him or Georgie, and iAfter the relatively sweet story of Tryp (also in this rock band) we get Xan- and ladies, he's all yours. Just could not warm to him or Georgie, and it all became a bit unbelievable and ridiculous. Not interested in continuing, especially because that boring BDSM place Evilhouse (that name- really?) just annoyed me. This is not romance for me, erotic or otherwise....more
The author lost me when she had one of the characters (Close friend of hero) tell the heroine that she shouldn't be shy about him being there in the bThe author lost me when she had one of the characters (Close friend of hero) tell the heroine that she shouldn't be shy about him being there in the bedroom with them because "we've often shared women". Lovely. And I'm outta here, folks....more
2.5 stars. I am reading this series against my better judgement, which is a testimony to the writing skills of the author, because I didn't like the h2.5 stars. I am reading this series against my better judgement, which is a testimony to the writing skills of the author, because I didn't like the hero, Brock, much at all, and his arrogant assumption that Tess would simply forget about the fact that (view spoiler)[ Brock pretended to be someone else, working undercover to take down her drug lord ex-husband, and had a relationship with her for four months before he left her bed after they had sex for the first time so that the police could raid her house and arrest her in the middle of the night! His warning: don't sleep naked tonight. Thanks for the heads-up, asshat. (hide spoiler)]
He turns up after three months, says: let's forget about the SHIT that I did and move on with our relationship like the adults we are. WTAF? No "sorry". No grovelling. No acknowledgement that he betrayed her trust so terribly, all the while knowing she was pretty fragile after her ex-husband's behaviour. People, there's alpha and then there's alphahole. Brock was definitely the latter.
[image]
I am also always vaguely disturbed by the coarse/crude language so many of KA's heroes use with their love interest. A bit of dirty talk during sex is all well and good, but when you are trying to have a conversation about the betraying shit that you did? Am I the only one who thinks KA blokes have this odd, disjointed, abrupt way of talking, leaving out words so that they sound quite cave-mannish. Probably on purpose. And in the midst of all the profanity and the dropping of the "g" in words ending in "ing" (these guys need to learn how to speak properly, the teacher in me cries!) he keeps ordering "eyes!" to her if she is not looking at him directly. Yup. Because she is a recalcitrant child who is not allowed to look away from him. Whew! I'd give him eyes alright- like two fingers stabbing him in the eyes!
[image]
But... I read the whole thing and was caught up in the story. Who'd have thought? Just don't expect hearts and roses. And heroes admitting to their bad behaviour and pleading for forgiveness on their knees. Even though they should!...more
This was a much dirtier book that than its prequel. And the putative hero, Prescott, was pretty much a promiscuous pig.
[image]
Prescott is a very dirty This was a much dirtier book that than its prequel. And the putative hero, Prescott, was pretty much a promiscuous pig.
[image]
Prescott is a very dirty, sex-obsessed, shag anything-with-a-pulse, foul-mouthed borderline stoner/alcoholic. Whew! He is also, and this is somewhat laughable, a successful businessman. He is certainly much more independent than his friend, Weston, the hero from the previous book. But he is another with a very problematic relationship with his parents. Prescott is really the clichéd dude who uses sex, drugs and alcohol to avoid any introspection. God forbid that any self-awareness might creep in to that numbed emotional intelligence. Lots of daddy issues in these books.
Again, Prescott seems to be quite immature compared with the heroine. Vivi puts up quite a fight when he starts chasing her, and I did not blame her. (Prescott knew her in high school as the plump chick who he paid to do his homework, all the while he screwed around. Now Vivi has metamorphosed into the proverbial swan and Prescott wants her.) Vivi was a nice girl. She deserved much better than the soiled screw-up that Prescott was. But in the usual romantic cliché, the good woman swoops in to save his sorry arse.
[image]
I enjoyed all that he did to try and win her over and the sex scenes were plentiful and pretty filthy/erotic. Smut level high, but then what do you expect from a raging, sex-addicted man-whore? (Warning: backdoor action in this one.) ...more
2.5 stars. This could have been quite good, as the MCs were good people, but the hero, Weston, was so weak for a lot of the book! He was constantly bul2.5 stars. This could have been quite good, as the MCs were good people, but the hero, Weston, was so weak for a lot of the book! He was constantly bullied by his father (to an unbelievably ridiculous degree) and put up with it so he could retain access to his trust fund money and luxury lifestyle. Conclusion: material things were more important than self-respect and independence. Or was he just desperate to win daddy’s approval? He seemed much younger than 27. Then, suddenly, he finds his backbone. As usual, it took a "good" woman" for that to happen. Ho hum.
Weston’s arrogance and spoilt brat attitude repulsed me to begin with, but he undergoes decent character development. Lucky for him to find that "good" woman, one who has achieved success all on her own under very difficult circumstances to help him, of course! A bit of a cliché. The heroine, whose name IS Special(!) was stronger and more down to earth. I liked her a lot. Our hero should just have grown up a little sooner! ...more
He was a man-whore, she was a doormat and the sex was borderline degrading for the heroine. The excuses for the disappointing actions of a sexually prHe was a man-whore, she was a doormat and the sex was borderline degrading for the heroine. The excuses for the disappointing actions of a sexually promiscuous, lack-of-impulse-control "hero" were unconvincing.
[image] ...and be a decent human.
I have found some in this series interesting, with a suitably evil villain (and, occasionally, a surfeit of violence), yet I quite enjoyed reading them. This was not one of those....more
The start of this book had me seriously worried: our hero Seth is obsessivelywatching the heroine, Raine, IN HER HOUSE, which he has under video surveThe start of this book had me seriously worried: our hero Seth is obsessivelywatching the heroine, Raine, IN HER HOUSE, which he has under video surveillance, and has bugged, because he wants to get to her boss Victor Lazar, one of the villains (there is another who is apparently much worse). It’s like a peepshow for him- he knows her routine and looks forward to the times when he can see her undress etc. Ugh.
[image]
To make matters worse, his contempt and hatred of Raine is bordering on the pathological, because he is sure she is sleeping with her boss and is half in love with her without realising it. ((view spoiler)[Turns out Victor may be her dad, although it’s never clarified. (hide spoiler)])
Initially, I found Seth very psycho and stalkerish. He was quite horrible to her, something this author tends to include in all the books of hers that I have read, until he realises that he is being unfair, or is just plain wrong, and changes his tune to (obsessive) love. Raine is brave but vulnerable and lets him get away with a bit too much, especially at the start. There was some decent grovelling and Seth does come through for her at the end.
At times violent and brutal, also erotic- (lots of detailed, often rough, sex)
[image]
but also quite emotional.
Despite some reservations, (the voyeuristic vibe for the first third of the book, and Seth's judgy shite, dragged my rating down half a star) I ultimately enjoyed the story and plan to read the rest in this series. But make no mistake- it’s not an easy read....more
Another in this series on an MC Brotherhood with a difference. Jace is a pretty rough character, despite the heart of gold all these men seem to have,Another in this series on an MC Brotherhood with a difference. Jace is a pretty rough character, despite the heart of gold all these men seem to have, but Vivienne is trying to lift herself socially and does not want anything to do with him. Unfortunately, her sister Callie has embarked upon a downward spiral of drugs and alcohol, and Vivienne ends up needing Jace to help her rescue Callie. Sometimes, an independent woman just needs someone to lean on when the going gets tough. I know it is probably a bit formulaic, but the formula works for me and I enjoyed this one. ...more
2.5 stars. Initially, this seemed like a funny story about an Irish rugby player dude who is hot, rich and a man-whore, but shite in bed. Sean has lots2.5 stars. Initially, this seemed like a funny story about an Irish rugby player dude who is hot, rich and a man-whore, but shite in bed. Sean has lots of ONS but can’t actually get any of the women to orgasm.
Ironically, he will never learn how to from those girls, because all they want is to add him to their trophy shelf (cue lots of series of naked Sean in his bed after said ONS)- they fake their orgasms all the way! Not sure which of the two I disliked more, the man-whore or his groupies. We do get to know Sean better, and there is much more to him than what he chooses to show the world. But I have a problem with angry young men who wallow in their self-pity and don't just get on with making their lives positive and productive. It just seems so self-indulgent.
My first problem with this was that, in this day and age of Internet porn and Youtube, you can watch a million How to give a woman an orgasm videos that go into graphic (I'm talking close-up) detail. So the scenario was rather implausible to begin with. I'm not saying that it doesn't make a nice change from all these accomplished lovers who go straight for the G spot and give multiple orgasms every time! But it was a bit OTT for me. I was also fascinated by Sean's need to get shit-faced drunk every time before sex- surely that would affect his performance? On-field and off-field.
Added to this strange plot: Lucy agrees to show him/coach him on how to get her off. Yup.
[image]
Secondly where was Lucy's family loyalty? After Sean had behaved so badly towards her brother? It made me respect her just that little bit less.
In the end it became a bit sordid and just plain yuk. Sean might have been better off paying a high class prostitute to help him understand a woman’s lady-parts! That Lucy agreed to have sex with him -for teaching purposes only, no relationship, thank you very much- was off, especially given who he was. Even if she did have a lady-boner for him.
I understand what these authors were trying to do- flip the genre on its head a bit- but I'm afraid it didn’t really work for me. Good writing, and good sex scenes, though. Lady-boner, anyone? ...more
2.5 stars, (I was tempted to give it 1 star) because this lady can write- lovely turn of phrase, literary references and perfect grammar (I have alway2.5 stars, (I was tempted to give it 1 star) because this lady can write- lovely turn of phrase, literary references and perfect grammar (I have always known it was "you've got another thinK coming"!)
But the plot! The psycho torture she perpetrates on the reader! The endless pages of bondage, spanking and pussy slapping- at the cost of truly deep character development.
[image]
Yes, they were very well-written. But there was a lack of tenderness, of emotional connection, that no amount of kink could hide.
[image]
I want to do justice to this book. Apparently, it is partly based on the initial meeting of the author with her husband. That is sweet, but it was also telling that I found that information, revealed in an afterward, more interesting and touching than the actual book story. So here goes- I will not discuss the twist, however. It certainly had me gobsmacked.
[image]
And relieved, because the alternative was horrible. So, I thank the author for that.
I had two main problems with this book, and they combine to create a huge sense of disappointment for me, because I have really loved some of the books by this author (the Slow Burn series, Bad Habit series and the Wicked Games series). I do feel, though, that she has started down a much darker road recently, especially if anyone has read the Night Prowler series. Even now, as I re-read this series for review purposes, I remember how horrified I felt a lot of the time, how vividly violent and brutally cruel so many of the scenes in this series are. I’m not sure I want quite so much detail on torture in my dystopian fantasies!
[image]
Problem number one: the relationship between Olivia and James is based pretty much on mind-blowing, BDSM (no actual SM) sex. There is mention of their mutual love of books, (many references to Hemingway) but I honestly don’t recall much else in terms of an emotional or intellectual connection. Frankly, while I get the lure of spanking, it went a bit further than I actually like in a CR- this was definitely into erotica territory. Furthermore, dirty talk can be very sexy and arousing, but it loses its appeal for me when the c-word is thrown in. Which it was. Bottom line, nobody actually ever made love in this book. I prefer it when authors mix it up a bit and have that slow, sweet sexy-time as well as the banging wall sex. Alas, there was no relief from the rough fucking to be had here.
[image]
Problem number two: I never felt I really understood the MCs. I can see why James seemed especially two-dimensional- and, apparently, a perfect Adonis who put David in the shade. That belongs to the twist, given his role in the novel, but that lack of connection had me feeling uninvested in the outcome. I didn’t care what happened to him and was pissed off that he could only get off with kink. The coup de grâce was his gift of clamps- yup- THREE of them. I’m crossing my legs just thinking about it. Hey, live and let live- all good- but a little warning about this would have been nice! And Olivia was just weird- all three versions of her. (Yes, the twist again). I never warmed to her, no matter how often we were told about her suffering and heartbreak. In the end, she was just as busy as James in getting herself off and chasing that perfect, mind-blowing orgasm. It was almost mechanical, the way these two interacted. I just need a little more than that in my books.
[image]
What I did find interesting was the discussion of a break-down and what being catatonic actually meant. Also, the brilliant depiction of what it would be like to suffer from ALS, which we call motor neurone disease in Australia. Absolutely horrific, and it broke my heart. I don’t think I would have forgiven the author if she hadn’t come up with that twist, even if it sucker-punched me, but I was in too much emotional turmoil by that stage to feel fully- compensated!
All I can say, really, is that this was a strange book, one that left me feeling a bit dirty, a bit let down and a bit cheated. I may need to cross this author off my auto-buy list. If her trajectory from rom-com, with her sexy alpha guys and feisty kickass gals, to dark, kinky, violent heroes living in a horrible world continues, that is a certainty.
Yikes- this was a psychopath stalker College romance-is that a genre? And I use the term romance loosely. WTAF? Insta-lust/love and obsessive control.Yikes- this was a psychopath stalker College romance-is that a genre? And I use the term romance loosely. WTAF? Insta-lust/love and obsessive control. If that's your crack- its all yours. I don't need it....more
3.5 stars. This was not quite what I expected, but I stuck it out. And it was pretty good. We have ourselves a scary, psycho stalker/murderer and and a3.5 stars. This was not quite what I expected, but I stuck it out. And it was pretty good. We have ourselves a scary, psycho stalker/murderer and and almost-as-scary pyscho hero (that man had some serious issues and the pushing away of the heroine became annoying). And the sex scenes- whew! So a little eye candy.........
[image]
But I will read more by this author, even if it’s all very OTT!...more
This was a little too insta-love/insta-sex for me, although it actually improved over the course of the book, particularly in terms of the characterisThis was a little too insta-love/insta-sex for me, although it actually improved over the course of the book, particularly in terms of the characterisation of the heroine, Mariana.
I never really felt I knew the hero, Ryan, that well. His grinning, good ole country boy Southern persona kind of annoyed me a bit at times. It's all very well to tell us that he had a genius IQ, but he rarely acted like it, and I began to see him more as an eye-candy action figure, not as a real man, which was unfortunate. I never found out enough of his background to understand what made him who he was today. (If I may make a comparison- authors like Penny Reid and L H Cosway really know how to write a hero- warts and all. Geissinger writes well, but her male characters need more depth and complexity. Surely men are not really the simple creatures we like to mock..? Mind you, calling your dick by a name is just wrong. The dude in book 2 did that as well. FFS.
[image]
Mari went through some horrific experiences, and the whole issue of human trafficking and sexual slavery of women and children just makes my blood boil, so I felt a lot of sympathy for her. In some way, and this may well have been what the author was going for, Ryan's endless optimism and good humour was a perfect foil for her intensity and serious attitude. But then, for Mari, life was all about survival and keeping the one person she cared about safe. Her life was pretty damned serious. Ryan's was a breeze compared with that hell.
[image]
There was a LOT of sex again, indeed, an exponential increase over the course of the three books in this series. Whew- they were banging each other like rabbits. It was hot but perhaps there could have been bit less? On the other hand, it seemed to be the way they best communicated. I think for someone as closed off as Mari, Ryan may have felt it was the only way to break through and get her actually talking to him.
[image]
The surprise twist near the end-that I did not see coming- actually had me gasping. So props to the author for that!
In summary: of the three books in the series I liked the first the best, the second was pretty good and the third the weakest for me, mostly because the hero's character was a bit two-dimensional. The women were by far the more complex and interesting characters in all three books. ...more
Loading...
