Victoria Sue

This is the first book I have read by this author, but I intend to find the rest of them...at least the rest of this series. I loved the cast of quirky characters that needed someone to lead them and ground them, and that is what Joshua’s Rainbow is all about. It's also a May/December romance, but these characters blend together so well that they don’t notice the age difference, and neither did I. At first, I really wasn't quite sure how the two guys would even get together but as the show more story unfolds, you realize the big picture of how perfect their differences make them for each other. Both are at crossroads in their lives which causes them a great deal of uncertainty. Daniel is a forty-two-year-old business executive, who runs a very successful real estate development company specializing in hotels. He’s exceptionally proud of all he has accomplished, but it has come at such a price big to his health and to his general well-being...and now he's answering for it. he was sent to Rainbow Key to recuperate by his doctor and longtime friend, Daniel is learning just how big a toll his lifestyle has taken...not only on his body but on his outlook on life as well. He’s come to realize that he may have just found the one place that feels like home...but now he needs to figure out how he not only can save Rainbow Key and the few inhabitants, but himself as well. Now we have Joshua who came to Rainbow Key as a guest of the previous hotel owner, Clive, who had saved Joshua from a life on the streets. Joshua wants to pass his good fortune on to others who may need it as much as he did. His biggest problem is that no one had ever taught him just how to go about actually running a hotel...plus he couldn't afford a lawyer to look into Clive’s will. Now he’s being pushed out of Rainbow Key...him and the Rainbow Key "family" along with him. Everything Joshua has built is hanging by a thread. What Joshua doesn’t realize is that he is the glue that holds not just the hotel but its inhabitants together. Joshua is hardest on himself, only viewing himself as damaged goods. He doesn’t see the hope he inspires, or the confidence he gives, to the others. He tells himself that falling in love with the overworked businessman that is his only guest now is probably the stupidest thing he’s ever done. The author, Victoria Sue, has introduced her cast of characters and set the foundation for what seems will be a fantastic series. show less

3 Stars

Keeping in line with the main theme of Enhanced humans fighting for basic rights, this continues with the horrible hatred and bigotry and the brave men who try to make a difference against such.

What this doesn’t continue with is the high caliber story telling. I hate to say it, but the wording and sentence structure made for a bumpy confusing reading experience, markedly decreasing my enjoyment. Throw in a romantic progression that was frustrating, leaving me wanting for more show more development, personal growth, and definitely sexy times - all of which were significantly lacking in comparison to the previous books. WTH Ms. Sue? WTH?

However, despite my complaints, Vance is seriously one of the most endearing heartfelt gentle giants EVER. He was this close to overtaking my most favorite teddy bear Ethan Hobbes, and gave him a run for his money. Vance’s sensitivity, kindness, and innate goodness were the best parts of this book, and his hurt and longing slayed me. Unfortunately, I felt like I never got a clear picture as to why Vance wanted and cared for Sam so much, and Sam’s harsh handling of him did not endear me to these two further. It didn’t help that the ending felt anticlimactic, and Vance and Sam’s love resolution was way too quick and easy after the hell we were put through in the prior 200 pages.

I will say that I continue to be significantly and emotionally affected by the terrible things wrought on the Enhanced population, especially the children. This succeeds in the small victories regarding the connected storylines involving the multitude of kids that the team has started to make changes for, slowly gaining progress for those who have no champion.

Obviously, not my favorite on many fronts…. but this potentially sets up possibly the most intriguing and probably the most painful story arc to come if it involves Eli and Vance’s brother Daniel. Though I dread the hurt that lays ahead, I so look forward to being moved by some intense feels. I only hope this author takes a step back, takes her time in bringing out a more thoughtful story, as this seemed hella rushed. I'm so willing to wait a long time for something better (pretty sure that many others feel the same way) because I know fully well what Sue is capable of, and I hope she brings it the next time around. show less

There's so much wrong with this novel that, if you enjoyed the first book, stop there. Trust me.

It is a romance in that things work out, but it's aggressively disappointing. Not all horrible, but the fails are systemic. It reads like no competent editor was involved in the published draft, more what you send TO an editor, not one you'd publish. There's a lot of thoughtless "plot," and equally dorky actions, and both main characters are stupider than the first book's versions, with a show more jealousy subplot that not only is nonsensical according to book 1, but never goes anywhere. (If there is no point to a subplot, you eliminate it. Or your editor tells you to fix it or eliminate it. That is what editing is for.) I've made notes with some of the highlights if you'd like to see a few of the errors.

I expected book 2 to give me more about what "Enhanced" is. It does not. If anything, it's further muddied for questionable reasons, which is insulting to readers when that's what attracted us here. If your fictional world has known spontaneous super-humans but no non-evil research into what it is, after however many years it's been happening, I call you on your laziness. In the real world, Enhanced would be thoroughly researched, and/or headhunted by military and security worldwide, or captives (hello, human smuggling). If cops have tranqs that work on them, military had that first, and thus so do mercenaries and criminals. It's ridiculous, the way "Victoria Sue" just glosses over all this potential. The bad guy in this book is pathetic by comparison.

Also ridiculous is that "most people" aren't concerned? *squints* Have you met humans? Our lizard-brain physiology is fight-or-flight. We're hard-wired to stay wary of potential danger. But the flip-side of that is, we're also looking for safety. We are social creatures; groups are safer, and safer still when protected by powerful guards. Befriending Enhanced would feel smart to a lot of people, even as some brand them as unilaterally dangerous, and others fall somewhere in between those extremes. That's human.

It is not all bad, but you need either a high tolerance for nonsense or an ability to get the gist from skimming to reach the end without snarling and scaring your pets. I skimmed. Oh, it does have one of the most ridiculous mid-disaster kisses I've ever seen. (Not a compliment.) show less

Oh so good! I'm not a fan of age gap stories, but I liked this one, simply beacause the older guy wasn't trying to be dominant, and a know-it-all jackass. The connection between them felt natural, and easy, it didn't felt forced at all, they haven't felt the need to hump each other every second.

The secondary characters were very intriguing. This'll be a great series, I can feel it. :)