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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
This is the second book in the LAWLESS WOMAN trilogy. The other two books are Hannah's Promise and Seasons of Glory. I was never even able to finish HANNAH'S PROMISE, so I will admit that I wasn't holding out a lot of hope for JACEY'S RECKLESS HEART.
Just like in the first book of the series, this book suffers from a lack of romance. For a book labelled "romance", a love story seems to be the last thing this book is about. Instead, it's full of other subplots: revenge, old grudges, shootouts, and life in the old west. While those things are interesting, and can add depth to a story, the primary focus in a romance novel should be the relationship between the hero and heroine. I often felt as if their relationship was the last thing on the author's mind. She seemed more interested in her other subplots (and there were a lot of them to keep track of) than she was in the romance.
I also had a hard time liking the characters. Instead of being "fiesty", Jacey came across as irresponsible, hot-headed, and at times, not particularily smart. For a supposedly world-wise woman, she made a lot of dumb mistakes that were just out of character for her. And like her sister Hannah in HANNAH'S PROMISE, she was very quick to jump to conclusions, which got rather annoying after a while. Honestly, risking your life just to get a picture back (no matter what the sentimental value) seems rather silly.
The hero was abrasive, sleazy (most of his comments to the heroine made me roll my eyes at his cheeziness) and not very redeemable. I didn't see why the heroine should fall in love with him. He wasn't a terrible guy; just not a very swoon-worthy one. And no, being drop-dead gorgeous is not enough of a reason to love someone.
There were a lot of backstories alluded to, but they were very slow to develop. For instance, I wanted to know why Zant hated his father so much. I wanted to know what the people in Jacey's father's collection of letters had to do with the main story. These points might have become clearer later on (I never managed to make myself finish the book), but the storylines just weren't compelling enough to keep me turning the pages. I kept wondering when the author would get back to the love story. I kept slogging on until I realized that I really no longer cared if Zant and Jacey ended up together. I doubt I'll be seeking out the last book in the series, since the first two were not very compelling.
Just like in the first book of the series, this book suffers from a lack of romance. For a book labelled "romance", a love story seems to be the last thing this book is about. Instead, it's full of other subplots: revenge, old grudges, shootouts, and life in the old west. While those things are interesting, and can add depth to a story, the primary focus in a romance novel should be the relationship between the hero and heroine. I often felt as if their relationship was the last thing on the author's mind. She seemed more interested in her other subplots (and there were a lot of them to keep track of) than she was in the romance.
I also had a hard time liking the characters. Instead of being "fiesty", Jacey came across as irresponsible, hot-headed, and at times, not particularily smart. For a supposedly world-wise woman, she made a lot of dumb mistakes that were just out of character for her. And like her sister Hannah in HANNAH'S PROMISE, she was very quick to jump to conclusions, which got rather annoying after a while. Honestly, risking your life just to get a picture back (no matter what the sentimental value) seems rather silly.
The hero was abrasive, sleazy (most of his comments to the heroine made me roll my eyes at his cheeziness) and not very redeemable. I didn't see why the heroine should fall in love with him. He wasn't a terrible guy; just not a very swoon-worthy one. And no, being drop-dead gorgeous is not enough of a reason to love someone.
There were a lot of backstories alluded to, but they were very slow to develop. For instance, I wanted to know why Zant hated his father so much. I wanted to know what the people in Jacey's father's collection of letters had to do with the main story. These points might have become clearer later on (I never managed to make myself finish the book), but the storylines just weren't compelling enough to keep me turning the pages. I kept wondering when the author would get back to the love story. I kept slogging on until I realized that I really no longer cared if Zant and Jacey ended up together. I doubt I'll be seeking out the last book in the series, since the first two were not very compelling.