Vanessa Waltz

This book was an adrenaline rush from start to finish. I started the first few pages just to see what it was going to be like and could not put it down. I read this in a furious fever and think the author must have written it much the same way. There's non-stop action and excitement on every page, which isn't resolved until the final word. I wanted to scream in frustration every time the hero and heroine were thwarted in their plans and couldn't wait for everything to be resolved for them.

In show more addition to all the excitement, you get to see a genuine love unfolding between the two main characters. At the beginning, I couldn't figure out how the author was going to take such a reprobate character and have him change, but it's done with finesse and believability. There were quite a few times throughout the book that it transcended the genre and included glimpses into the thoughts and feelings of the characters and other facets of their life. I think the alternating points of view were done very well and enhanced this aspect of the story.

I'm eagerly awaiting the next book from this author and look forward to more multi-layered novels such as this.

**I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review** show less

For some reason, as soon as I picked up this book on Amazon for free one day, I just had to read it. I didn’t go in expecting a lot but I felt like there was a lot of promise and it was a free, quick read.

While the book was quick to read it greatly suffered from it.

The beginning, as I said, showed a lot of promise despite being extremely stereotypical of the New Adult Contemporary genre. I liked their initial connection and how they meet (it’s a good combo of the current books out there) show more but it just moves way too fast for me from there.

Throughout reading this novel, I just felt like pieces were missing from the plot. In one moment we were dealing with this plot issue and suddenly another issue is brought up and dealt with quickly. The dialogue was awkward and it was mostly dialogue which made reading the story equally awkward at times. The story overall could have used an editor to just build it up a bit more and make the story stand out on its own.

Now, the characters are another story. Jessica was just plain irritating. Honestly, grow a back bone because as a female myself, I was embarrassed by your lack of self-respect. There is a particular scene near the end that absolutely floored me because she didn’t think twice about her decision when she should have. But she truly has nothing on Luke who was a complete asshole throughout the novel. I admit, I have a huge soft spot for asshat-jerk leads but even I have a limit! He was just a complete tool and not in a loveable way. Frankly, he wasn’t worth the time Jessica spent on him but I guess they deserve each other based on their stupidity alone.

The only positive I felt from this book was their sexual tension. Before I realized what idiots they were, I enjoyed the sexual tension between them but it wasn’t enough to carry the book.

Overall: I’m glad I got this for free because I would have had to punch myself for spending good money on this. Pass!

Check out more book and series reviews on my blog SERIESous Book Reviews as well as book recaps! show less

GAH, WHAT A STORY!! At first, I hated Cainin as he was just TOO smoothe, but when I saw how he felt and protected Claire I gave him another chance, At eight years old, his father made him watch when he killed his mother as his father was high on drugs. I loved that Claire was a breath of fresh air and tried to get her boyfriend healthy and against her older sister's pleas to stay away from him she followed her heart.

3.5-4 stars The first chapter of this book was like BOOM!! I love a jerk and Johnny was giving me the tingles! I could see how he might rub people the wrong way. Dirty mouth and wicked mind, oh I was loving it. But... I don't think the author allowed enough room to turn him around and by the time you were supposed to see his change of heart, I had a hard time believing he was sincere... or maybe he never really was? He just seems like that guy who would still probably keep a mistress on the show more side at some point down the road. *shrugs*

There were also few inconsistencies that another round with a proofreader would have probably caught. For example, in one scene Maya was wearing a dress then later on when she was leaving she tucked his card into her jeans pocket? Huh? Did she bring a change of clothes? At one point Johnny blindfolded her then later on she was looking into his eyes? When the did the blindfold come off? Little stuff like that was sprinkled about.

Overall, it packed a punch. The grittiness of the MC and the danger of the mafia were done well. It makes me want to read the rest of her stuff. show less