Hi! My name is Anna, "You'd really like me if you got to know me. I've known me for years and I love me."
Word count: about 110 600 words (waaaaay to long and feels downright endless)
Rating: By all means, do move at a glacial pace, you know how that thrills me.
I really wanted to like this book, but that didn't happen. It was bad. Not that it did something to make me hate it, but it went on FOREVER. Felt so incredibly long, I could not believe it. I even considered giving up on this, which is rare for me, since I have an attitude of a pit-bull and once I sink my fangs into something, I will not let go, even if it tastes like...
So what went wrong?
It started really good. I liked the time jumping thing. It gave the story depth, realism, time to set things up. Gave me a good feeling about this.
But then it just went nowhere. Story had no flow, no direction. Some jumbled pieces. Nice pieces, promising pieces, but they didn't make an interesting story. Very little happens and frankly, I didn't give a shit when it did. The whole set-up was not my thing.
The way women were treated was confusing/outraging(sometimes it was sweet - sometimes misogynistic; sometimes caring - and than women were disregarded as a lower form of life; something to be owned - than something to be worshipped and treasured). In the same. Fucking. Paragraph. I'm not down for that. I also wasn't down for quite a bit of biker language, but that is not why my rating is so low (I mean calling women in general "bitches" and girlfriends "old ladies" is just a cultural choice. Or is it?). That, I could take though.
Despite having potential and pretty nicely set up, distinct characters it didn't have a direction, there was no story, only a few separate, loosely connected pieces. And I should've been into it, since I have shitload of exams coming up, so now I would do anything to divert my attention. Usually it's a time, when any book seems surprisingly interesting. The fact that even under this circumstances that one didn't suck me right in says a lot.
What else was wrong, apart from lack of flowing storyline, you know, one that you care about and goes somewhere?
- Author seemed to revel in repeating certain phrases. But not throughout the book, no, only for short periods of time. Same thing could come up in every other fucking sentence, and than she just would drop it. So annoying. "I buried that instantly in my pit of denial" was the one that did me in.
- Stiff dialogue. At times it was truly horrible. And than it was fine again. And than it was really cool. And than downright terrible. Inconsistent.
- irresponsible sex. If you've ever used a condom, you know to pull out immediately after, so that nothing spills once guy shrinks. A biker that had lots of random sex for years would know that. He would want to avoid getting a random girl knocked up, so he would know. So why he doesn't seem to care? Fuck me if I know. I always have issues with unrealistic/ irresponsible sex in books. Like girls that get pregers, because they have two fucking brain cells and can't remember abut a pill (or a shot, yes, you know which book I'm referring to)... But that is not the case hear, I'm getting off point. Still annoyed me though. One of my pet peeves I guess.
- Descriptions of positions. Not sex positions, there are no nasty details, no porn in that book, but hugs. Every single weird hug (lying down, sitting on a bed, on a couch, on his lap...). The author has that deep need to describe exact hand/arm/leg/torso/neck/jaw/head/finger/knee/knuckles/hips/collar bones/ feet positioning. Don't get me wrong, it's fine, but not when it's so overused. And they travel in packs, so you get a few in a close proximity. Just what I need - long, long descriptions of those hugs. Not enough happening, too many detailed descriptions of the SAME bullshit. She could at least once describe a hug, once a kiss, once a couch or weather outside. But no. Weather doesn't exist. Or maybe doesn't deserve mentioning. Only those fucking cuddles do.
Conclusion - nothing happens.
If you want porn,
If you want drama,
If you want a swoony love,
If you want an exciting story,
If you want a character development story,
If you want a new, exciting premise,
If you want a short, fun read,
If you want something really dark and brutal,
that book is not for you.
I'm baffled by the ratings that thing got. It's so freaking bland... Not bad, but in a way it's worse. Bad would mean you care. getting angry, hating characters, ranting about it, is better that utter indifference. And that is what I felt towards it.
Usually romance books should make you long for the male protagonist, but not this one. In that case I felt like an complete outsider. I didn't want any piece of Shy. I was like "yep, you deserve each other, kind of". And don't get me even started on how he treated women. Like he had some split personality disorder. He disrespects them, treats them like things to be used, but than he has a romantic side. 0.o really? Come on...