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nbiblioholic's review
4.0
So... Cole can stalk my a** ANY day he wants to. Call me crazy, but I got mad at Julia when she got mad at him for it. Is she nuts??? Billionaire knows you're a stripper, watches you have sex for money in public, and still wants you. And you're complaining because...??? Yes, some of what he did was shady, such as separating her from her best friends, but it's not like he killed them or something. I'm team Cole. Hopefully Julia/Jewel redeems herself sometime in the rest of the series.
habibaaibrahim's review
5.0
Couldn't put it down. I loved the characters, and the mysetry. I already love Julia. She was right to leave Cole. He was awesome with his few asshole moments throughout the book, but the end? He is a total jerk!!! She had the right to leave.
I didn't like Vic very much. He feels off to me.
I guess I will have surprises along the way. Can't wait.
Part 2 ----- Here I come
I didn't like Vic very much. He feels off to me.
I guess I will have surprises along the way. Can't wait.
Part 2 ----- Here I come
gerireads's review
3.0
2.7 to 3 stars!
I'm in the minority again...*sigh*
I was excited to read this book because the blurb sounded really interesting and I'm looking forward to reading about an unconventional heroine. While I did enjoy the book, there were aspects of it that I just couldn't connect with. But before I get to that, let me get to what I actually liked about it.
One. The story as whole. This is why I took a chance when I was offered an ARC by the author because I loved the whole set-up. Jules/Jewel is a stripper who also performs live sex shows with her best friend, Victor. I was really interested to see how the author will take the story. The story was fast-paced and the plot twist, while I did see it coming from a mile away, I was still shock at the revelation at the end of the book. And since this is just the first book, I'm still looking forward to reading the next book because I really do want to know what happens next.
Second.It was really hot. The voyeuristic and taboo elements just added fuel to fire. Cole/Ripper and Jules were hot together. Their chemistry was fantastic.
That said, the reason why I gave this a three was the inconsistency with the characterization. For example, the main character Jewel. If we go by the blurb, she's definitely one hell of heroine. Someone I could definitely sympathize with. But then I read this around 4% in. This is, by the way, from Jewel's inner monologue.
I understand her need for revenge against her abusive asshole of an ex but her way of exacting revenge was...mind boggling. I can't, for the life of me, understand how fucking your ex's bestfriend on your lawn, in broad daylight, would constitute as revenge. I just don't. Maybe this girl has zero self-preservation, I don't know, but it sounded like a stupid idea to me.
And not only that, her reason for choosing stripping had me shaking my head.
At this point, I'm sorry but I had to roll my eyes. The fact that she blamed her dad for choosing stripping because he paid for her boob job and she wasn't good at anything but shaking her ass and fucking didn't sit well with me. If the intention was for me to feel some sympathy towards her, then it failed because all I felt was annoyance.
Another thing that didn't really work for me was Cole/Ripper. I won't go into the details of what he did because I don't want to spoil the rest of the story for you guys but it was just...ugh! No. Not for me. I like alpha males but what he did and his reason for doing it was so ridiculous and scary at the same time, not to mention creepy. Really, really, creepy. Plus, I really didn't buy his reason for doing it.
And while I could easily overlook those two reasons, being that this book is marketed as dark erotica, what I cannot overlook was the lack of build-up between the character's relationship and the lack of character growth. Whether it's dark, light, angsty or whatever, I still expect my books to have at least some explanation as to why exactly is this guy in lurve with this girl. I'm sorry but 'because my dick got hard' isn't enough reason for me to buy into it. There's gotta be more than just lust for me.
I do hope we get more explanation and character development in the next book though because in spite of the things that I didn't like, the story really has a lot of promise. And that ending...yes, folks, the ending is somewhat cliffhangerish. It's a good cliffhanger ending actually because it makes you want to know more about what happens next.
Anyway, don't let my review discourage you from trying this one. These are just my personal opinions as to why this book failed to wow me. But hey, different strokes for different folks, right. What didn't work for me might end up working for you.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I'm in the minority again...*sigh*
I was excited to read this book because the blurb sounded really interesting and I'm looking forward to reading about an unconventional heroine. While I did enjoy the book, there were aspects of it that I just couldn't connect with. But before I get to that, let me get to what I actually liked about it.
One. The story as whole. This is why I took a chance when I was offered an ARC by the author because I loved the whole set-up. Jules/Jewel is a stripper who also performs live sex shows with her best friend, Victor. I was really interested to see how the author will take the story. The story was fast-paced and the plot twist, while I did see it coming from a mile away, I was still shock at the revelation at the end of the book. And since this is just the first book, I'm still looking forward to reading the next book because I really do want to know what happens next.
Second.It was really hot. The voyeuristic and taboo elements just added fuel to fire. Cole/Ripper and Jules were hot together. Their chemistry was fantastic.
That said, the reason why I gave this a three was the inconsistency with the characterization. For example, the main character Jewel. If we go by the blurb, she's definitely one hell of heroine. Someone I could definitely sympathize with. But then I read this around 4% in. This is, by the way, from Jewel's inner monologue.
Victor and I had been best friends since we first met at Rapture, an exclusive strip club in downtown Dallas, Texas. I’d gotten a job there just after turning twenty-one, when my dad kicked me out of the house for fucking my ex boyfriend’s best friend on the lawn while I was drunk… in the middle of the day. Revenge was a card that had screwed me in more ways than one. I’d gotten it, against Kevin, my ex-boyfriend, but I’d also lost everything I’d had to my name.
I understand her need for revenge against her abusive asshole of an ex but her way of exacting revenge was...mind boggling. I can't, for the life of me, understand how fucking your ex's bestfriend on your lawn, in broad daylight, would constitute as revenge. I just don't. Maybe this girl has zero self-preservation, I don't know, but it sounded like a stupid idea to me.
And not only that, her reason for choosing stripping had me shaking my head.
Naturally, I’d had no choice but to turn to stripping. I blamed my dad for the job choice, after all, he was the one who paid for my boob job just after high school. What else was I supposed to do with my life? I wasn’t good at anything but shaking my ass and fucking.
At this point, I'm sorry but I had to roll my eyes. The fact that she blamed her dad for choosing stripping because he paid for her boob job and she wasn't good at anything but shaking her ass and fucking didn't sit well with me. If the intention was for me to feel some sympathy towards her, then it failed because all I felt was annoyance.
Another thing that didn't really work for me was Cole/Ripper. I won't go into the details of what he did because I don't want to spoil the rest of the story for you guys but it was just...ugh! No. Not for me. I like alpha males but what he did and his reason for doing it was so ridiculous and scary at the same time, not to mention creepy. Really, really, creepy. Plus, I really didn't buy his reason for doing it.
And while I could easily overlook those two reasons, being that this book is marketed as dark erotica, what I cannot overlook was the lack of build-up between the character's relationship and the lack of character growth. Whether it's dark, light, angsty or whatever, I still expect my books to have at least some explanation as to why exactly is this guy in lurve with this girl. I'm sorry but 'because my dick got hard' isn't enough reason for me to buy into it. There's gotta be more than just lust for me.
I do hope we get more explanation and character development in the next book though because in spite of the things that I didn't like, the story really has a lot of promise. And that ending...yes, folks, the ending is somewhat cliffhangerish. It's a good cliffhanger ending actually because it makes you want to know more about what happens next.
Anyway, don't let my review discourage you from trying this one. These are just my personal opinions as to why this book failed to wow me. But hey, different strokes for different folks, right. What didn't work for me might end up working for you.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
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