Tina's Reading Books

Warning -- this is a long review that could be considered spoilery. The tl;dr version says: Not even a likeable hero can save a book that primarily consists of a proliferation of bad sex scenes and a cliche filled storyline.

Have you ever seen a very pretty woman whose beauty is obscured by a lot of bad make-up or ruined by bad plastic surgery? Well that is how this book seemed to me. Underneath it all, this had the makings of a good book but it was hampered by some pretty glaring issues. A pretty girl undone by bad make-up.

Before I got this book, I read the sample and was cautiously optimistic. There were no glaring typographic or grammatical errors. The premise seemed interesting. I love the friends-to-lovers trope. I really enjoy reading about smart, urbane professionals of which both Lacey and Rye were. It took place in Atlanta, so it sidestepped the small-town thing that is a bit overdone. So, yeah, I was happy.

It begins promisingly enough. Lacey is a Cordon Bleu trained chef who has opened a catering company thanks to help of a a hefty investment by her wealthy parents. The book starts as she has just successfully catered a very high profile event hosted by the Mayor of Atlanta. She is justifiably thrilled. Rye, the hero, is in attendance. He and his family are long-time friends of Lacey's folks. He is also the life-long best friend of Lacey's older brother Kyle. So in essence they've all grown up together.

He happens to be the only person on hand when she is handed the hefty check and the glowing appreciation by the Mayor's office. She whoops in joy and she and Rye embrace.

And this is where my problems begin. Because it takes approximately one page to go from a friendly celebratory embrace to him having her top off and he's suckling on her breasts. In a public place.

This brings me to my biggest issue with the book.

The Sex.

There is a lot of it. I would venture to guess that approx. 70% this book is sex related. Either Lacey and Rye are having it or someone is talking about it or they are busily clenching/getting hot/wet/hard thinking about it. This is why I am shelving this as erotica because the sex is really the major component in the book.

Now, truthfully a lot of sex in a book does not bother me. I like and read a lot of erotica. I actually prefer my romances to have open-door sex scenes. So it isn't the sex per se that bothers me. It is the bad sex that bothers me.

Here are some quotes:

"His cockhead managed to delve into her glory"

"He groaned in an unrecognizable voice as cum shot from him at high speed"

"at one point he was so deep, he smoothed his fingers over her stomache to see if he could feel his cockhead there." (yes, he is trying to feel his cock through her stomach)

"Suddenly, her nipples resembled torpedoes and her feminine lips were moist"

"How did she manage to turn him into a quivering inferno time and time again?"

"Lacey had fucking kryptonite between her legs and he was powerless to resist it"

"Immediately he sank his aching manhood into her molten tunnel"

"Leaving his seed unfettered in her womb produced feelings he couldn't explain."

"Did you give my pussy to someone else" he growled (this was a jealous outburst)

"I need my cum on you."  (not in you but on you)

I kept being dragged out of the story by the awful sexxing. The prose was purple, yes, but there was a crudeness to the sex scenes that kept them from being HOT in a good way.

Actually I think the crudeness pervaded a lot of the language around sex in the book. Kyle and Rye's very first scene together in the book has Kyle inviting Rye to a party proclaiming there would be "nothing but prime pussy there." (BTW, 'Pussy' was used 58 times in this 197 page book, that is once every 3 pages on average).

Lacey is shopping for lingerie and runs into a co-worker of Rye's who recognizes Lacey as Kyle's sister and thus a friend of Rye's. These two women introduce themselves and literally within a few sentences after the introduction the other woman says "I've heard Rye is a wild man in bed." Seriously? You just met this person and you are asking about her man in bed?

Even Lacey's grandmother gets in on the act. Rye and Lacey go public with their relationship at a longstanding weekly family brunch. But just a few weeks ago Lacey had invited another guy as her date. Grandma Katie just can't let that pass observing loudly at the table "Lacey is having relations with Rye, but didn't she bring another date here a few weeks ago. The young black man? You went from not having a man to acting like the coochie ambassador to the United Nations, huh?"

So yeah, that was right around the 45% mark where I knew I couldn't take anymore and skimmed through the rest.

The Story:

I could have tolerated the sex if the story had been strong enough to overcome it. But sadly it wasn't. It was really quite riddled with worn out tropes.

Lacey and Rye start out as Lacey says:"no strings, no rings" But within one chapter Lacey is fretting about being nothing but a booty call. She's beginning to fall in love but worries about her family and what people will think.

Good call because her brother and mother are outraged. How dare Rye touch Kyle's 29 year old grown sister? Why didn't 29 year old grown woman Lacey talk through her romantic choices with her mother? But no worries because dad gave his blessing to 29 year old grown woman Lacey dating Rye.

But her family isn't the only issue. There is a scheming white woman who scathingly refers to Lacy as "The chocolate help" and who announces her plans in Bond villain detail to steal Rye from Lacey. This goes about how you think it will since Lacey, despite all the evidence to the contrary, believes Rye will choose the other (white) woman over her.

Sadly the book does not pass the Bechdel test because even though Lacy has female friends and family that she shares scenes with, their only conversation is her relationship with Rye.

The one bright spot in this book is Rye.  Even through all the alpha-male chest thumping and "Whose pussy is this!?" demands, he is actually a pretty good character.  He is gone over Lacey and makes no bones about it.  He wants a real relationship, he shows her in every way he wants her.  He is a decent guy and tries to convince Lacey they have a future.

But Lacey falls into one of my pet peeve traps.  While Rye is jumping through hoops to show that he is in this for the long haul, she is distrustful and illogical and really can't see what is in front of her face.

It is a shame because even under all the hot mess, there is a little spark of something that shines through here.  Lacey and Rye do have a lot of chemistry and there is a palpable emotional connection between them -- that pretty girl that you get a glimpse of behind all the bad make-up.