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jenngummo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ojeda87's review against another edition
1.0
I really dislike relationships in which a partner is very controlling. I liked that the plot was rather different and that the heroine was literally rags to riches, but it made me uneasy. Even though the characters male character is all "you don't owe me anything, you have all of this because I love you," the female protagonist still seems to "owe him" for dragging her out of bad situations. The male protagonist and all of his friends make it clear that he is only controlling (to the level of psychological and emotional abuse) because he cares so much about her. I don't buy this. I think that there are people who understand or identify with this mindset, this will probably be an enjoyable read for you.
nero1279's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.75
🎧AUDIO VERSION🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️& half /5 performance by Adam Paul
Written in 3rd POV. Stronger male character voices in this instalment which helped.
ARTICULATION - clean, clear, precise
Written in 3rd POV. Stronger male character voices in this instalment which helped.
ARTICULATION - clean, clear, precise
BREATHING – controlled, volume, consistent, project appropriate, relatively low mouth noise
DELIVERY – solid and in the spirit of the text and author’s intent. Timing and pacing is appropriate. Varied and not too predictable.
EYE BRAIN MOUTH CONTROL – accurate and effortless delivery.
CONSISTENT – high energy, good articulation, breath and pitch control
ANALYSIS – understands the story arc and characters.
CHARACTERISATION – attempts to bring to life. Distinct and majorly consistent in tone, attitude, age, accent. Voices match characters quite well. Although a character change is evident for the main male from book 1 to book 2.
SEPARATION- some spillover is evident between narration and character, which can be a little disconcerting.
INVESTMENT – the emotional connection is not as visual as it could be but better than the first book.
STORYLINE. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ but a little predictable
Some massive reviews on this book with a lot to stay from the good, bad and ugly. If you liked the first one then this one was a good follow up. Plot was very predictable however, but you are not reading these books for the plot 🤔🤣, are you?
If BDSM is your thing, then give this one a go. Jace and Bethany, a tad far fetched in the where from to where to, but a good Cinderella rendition nonetheless. You still get to met Mia and Gabe and can totally see where the story is going head next. Bring on Ash.
STORYLINE. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ but a little predictable
Some massive reviews on this book with a lot to stay from the good, bad and ugly. If you liked the first one then this one was a good follow up. Plot was very predictable however, but you are not reading these books for the plot 🤔🤣, are you?
If BDSM is your thing, then give this one a go. Jace and Bethany, a tad far fetched in the where from to where to, but a good Cinderella rendition nonetheless. You still get to met Mia and Gabe and can totally see where the story is going head next. Bring on Ash.
nitzanschwarz's review against another edition
3.5
I adore Maya Banks. Her Historical romances are some of the best out there. I will pretty much read anything she writes. However, from all her series I've read, this one is my least favorite, and I usually love possessive, controlling Alpha males.
Bethany is homeless. Broke. Hardened by the rough streets and yet breakable. She is delicate, fragile, and scarred inside. She knows there are no such things as miracles or fairy tales in real life, and she knows there is no such thing as 'happily-ever-after' for girls like her. The fight for survival is never-ending and constant in her world.
Because of all that, she can't understand why a guy like Jace, who is rich, handsome and can get any woman he wants, probably whenever he wants and where he wants, would want with her. Let alone love her, care for her, or want to keep her safe.
But it seems like that's exactly what Jace wants and that he's going to make sure of it whether she wants him to or not. Sure, he'll go slow at first - or as slow as a dominating guy like him can go - but ultimately, she'll be his, completely.
Jace falls fast and hard for Bethany, and she is attracted to the safety of his arms, the warmth of his love, and the care he gives her, even when she's certain he will eventually either grow tired with her, realize how out of his league she is or figure out just how messed up she is, and then he'll break her heart.
Being inside Bethany's head, her insecurities and doubt, self-hatred and fears, was tough. It made me tear up at times. I felt sad for her life and happy that she found someone to take care of her. For some reason, I liked her a lot more than I did Mia. She was easier to relate to, I guess.
Being in Jace's head was a little bit like being inside a caveman's head, and that's okay. We all love our Alpha males, and Jace was sweet and caring and quick to realize and recognize where he was being an A-class A-hole.
The relationship between the two was pretty instant, but the relationship-y parts of the story, AKA their few dates or their talks, were pretty good. There was also no creepy-assed contract detailing how their relationship would be and that he'd own her (he just thinks about all these things in his head).
Now, where does the problem of the book come from? honestly, it's from having 20% story and 80% sex scenes. If I had to choose a word to describe this book, it'll be "SEX". Like, every two pages, sex, and very soon it becomes too much, and I started skimming pages.
Like with the first book, I got the same feeling here; there wasn't really a story in this, just a giant sex scene with some dialogues here and there to create the appearance of a story, and it's rather a shame because I really enjoyed the 'story' part of the book, and would've loved more of it.
Now, before you'll hate on me, I did enjoy the book on a level. I just expect so much more of Maya Banks, and I wish for fewer sex scenes and more story parts.
theninabeana's review
3.0
Okay so,
I have such mixed feelings about this book.
Let me start off by saying I loved the first book in this series, Rush. I thought Mia and Gabe had a real connection that I could feel through the words in the book. However, when it came to Jace and Bethany I felt a little... confused??
I get love at first sight (maybe infatuation at first sight would be a better term), but it just didn’t make any sense to me. There was no context to their relationship, he seen her and that was it.
Also I get the dominant, possessive men trend in these books (honestly I don’t mind it cause I’m into a dominant man), but it was like excessive. By the way, the amount of time the word possessive, along with other synonyms of the word, was used in this book was infuriating. I get it, she’s yours.
The threesome between Ash, Bethany, and him just had me a little lost because he said that was the only way he could have her. But I highly doubt she would have turned him away if he suggested just being with him.
At one point in the book they were having this deep conversation and literally the next sentence they went into full blown sex and I’m like wtf did I miss. Where is the connection? Where is this coming from? Half the book I literally just sat there and said wtf to myself.
Bethany’s thoughts of not being enough and running away drove me insane as well. It was so much flip flopping I wanted to throw the book across the room. If you love him, you love him. Sit there and work through it instead of being a little bitch and running when things get tough. ANYWAYS, I digress.
HOWEVER, I do want to go ahead and say that the last quarter of this book (maybe like page 300 on), I felt I was enjoying the story a little more. They focused solely on Jace and Bethany for so long in the book that you forgot he even had a sister half the time and that there were other characters besides them and Jack.
The connection between her and Jace made more sense as the book went on, solely because they had been around each other a lot and that connection could grow. Once the connection between them was established and Jace wasn’t running around like a mad man trying to abduct this girl and keep her held up in his apartment, I could get with it.
I thought the ending was pretty intense and it definitely threw me through a loop, which I always welcome a good twist.
Sorry if this is so rambly, I have so many mixed emotions on this book... I even ranted to my husband about it!
So conclusion, lol, the only reason this book got three stars from was because of the last quarter of the book. It was a slower read for me just because I couldn’t get into it as much as Rush. I’m really hoping that Ash’s book will be better (although I read some reviews for it and unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be the case.)
That’s all for now.. on to Burn!
I have such mixed feelings about this book.
Let me start off by saying I loved the first book in this series, Rush. I thought Mia and Gabe had a real connection that I could feel through the words in the book. However, when it came to Jace and Bethany I felt a little... confused??
I get love at first sight (maybe infatuation at first sight would be a better term), but it just didn’t make any sense to me. There was no context to their relationship, he seen her and that was it.
Also I get the dominant, possessive men trend in these books (honestly I don’t mind it cause I’m into a dominant man), but it was like excessive. By the way, the amount of time the word possessive, along with other synonyms of the word, was used in this book was infuriating. I get it, she’s yours.
The threesome between Ash, Bethany, and him just had me a little lost because he said that was the only way he could have her. But I highly doubt she would have turned him away if he suggested just being with him.
At one point in the book they were having this deep conversation and literally the next sentence they went into full blown sex and I’m like wtf did I miss. Where is the connection? Where is this coming from? Half the book I literally just sat there and said wtf to myself.
Bethany’s thoughts of not being enough and running away drove me insane as well. It was so much flip flopping I wanted to throw the book across the room. If you love him, you love him. Sit there and work through it instead of being a little bitch and running when things get tough. ANYWAYS, I digress.
HOWEVER, I do want to go ahead and say that the last quarter of this book (maybe like page 300 on), I felt I was enjoying the story a little more. They focused solely on Jace and Bethany for so long in the book that you forgot he even had a sister half the time and that there were other characters besides them and Jack.
The connection between her and Jace made more sense as the book went on, solely because they had been around each other a lot and that connection could grow. Once the connection between them was established and Jace wasn’t running around like a mad man trying to abduct this girl and keep her held up in his apartment, I could get with it.
I thought the ending was pretty intense and it definitely threw me through a loop, which I always welcome a good twist.
Sorry if this is so rambly, I have so many mixed emotions on this book... I even ranted to my husband about it!
So conclusion, lol, the only reason this book got three stars from was because of the last quarter of the book. It was a slower read for me just because I couldn’t get into it as much as Rush. I’m really hoping that Ash’s book will be better (although I read some reviews for it and unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be the case.)
That’s all for now.. on to Burn!
jodeezle's review
4.0
This book was good. I didn't like how helpless Bethany was, coming from where she did. I also didn't like the ending. But I am for sure going to read the 3rd one.
caseroo7's review
2.0
Review originally posted at Ramblings From This Chick
Fever is the second book in the Breathless Trilogy by Maya Banks, and I have to tell you I was so excited to read this one! I really liked Rush (#1 in the trilogy) and was really looking forward to reading Jace's story. However, I really had a hard time getting into this one.
Jace is used to sharing his women with his best friend Ash. They like them quick, unattached, and submissive. Both men are used to total control. But when Jace spots Bethany from across a room, he knows that he doesn't want Ash anywhere near this one. Thinking that the only way he can have her is to share her, Jace and Ash spend the night with her. Only to wake up the next morning and discover that she is gone. Jace goes on a mission to find her and learns that she is homeless and has nothing. He makes it his mission to take care of her and make her his. Having had such a tough life and trust issues, Jace decides that it would be best to ease Bethany into the kind of life that he wants for them. Although he wants to ease her into the control that he expects to have, every other part of their story moves pretty rapidly. One minute she is on the street and the next minute he is moving her into his sister's old apartment. The fact that she just blindly goes along with this after spending one night in bed with him and his friend was really where this book lost me I think.
I really loved the way that Jace related to his sister Mia and was expecting to really enjoy watching him fall in love. Although I honestly don't think that you ever really got to see him fall in love in this book. It just seemed as though the author skipped the falling part and went straight to the already in love part. I also felt like there were several inconsistencies with his character, the biggest of which was the part about control. It was that old cliché of he talked the talk but didn't walk the walk. He claimed to be super controlling (in every aspect of her life) and yet he was always letting her take the lead even after she said that she wanted him to have control.
As for Bethany, having come from such a hard life I was expecting that she would be a stronger more mature and independent woman. But she seemed to be somewhat childish and afraid to really be her own person. She did have some moments where it seemed as though she was going to change, but then she would just revert right back.
Overall, I was disappointed with this book. I didn't feel as though I could connect with the characters, and I really wasn't feeling their connection to each other either. The plot was completely inconsistent and it just seemed to be a jumbled together rough draft. The highlights of this book were without a doubt the sex scenes. They were extremely hot and well done. It was also nice to see glimpses of Gabe and Mia from Rush. Next up is Burn (Ash's story) and i'm really hoping that it will be more like Rush than Fever.
Fever is the second book in the Breathless Trilogy by Maya Banks, and I have to tell you I was so excited to read this one! I really liked Rush (#1 in the trilogy) and was really looking forward to reading Jace's story. However, I really had a hard time getting into this one.
Jace is used to sharing his women with his best friend Ash. They like them quick, unattached, and submissive. Both men are used to total control. But when Jace spots Bethany from across a room, he knows that he doesn't want Ash anywhere near this one. Thinking that the only way he can have her is to share her, Jace and Ash spend the night with her. Only to wake up the next morning and discover that she is gone. Jace goes on a mission to find her and learns that she is homeless and has nothing. He makes it his mission to take care of her and make her his. Having had such a tough life and trust issues, Jace decides that it would be best to ease Bethany into the kind of life that he wants for them. Although he wants to ease her into the control that he expects to have, every other part of their story moves pretty rapidly. One minute she is on the street and the next minute he is moving her into his sister's old apartment. The fact that she just blindly goes along with this after spending one night in bed with him and his friend was really where this book lost me I think.
I really loved the way that Jace related to his sister Mia and was expecting to really enjoy watching him fall in love. Although I honestly don't think that you ever really got to see him fall in love in this book. It just seemed as though the author skipped the falling part and went straight to the already in love part. I also felt like there were several inconsistencies with his character, the biggest of which was the part about control. It was that old cliché of he talked the talk but didn't walk the walk. He claimed to be super controlling (in every aspect of her life) and yet he was always letting her take the lead even after she said that she wanted him to have control.
As for Bethany, having come from such a hard life I was expecting that she would be a stronger more mature and independent woman. But she seemed to be somewhat childish and afraid to really be her own person. She did have some moments where it seemed as though she was going to change, but then she would just revert right back.
Overall, I was disappointed with this book. I didn't feel as though I could connect with the characters, and I really wasn't feeling their connection to each other either. The plot was completely inconsistent and it just seemed to be a jumbled together rough draft. The highlights of this book were without a doubt the sex scenes. They were extremely hot and well done. It was also nice to see glimpses of Gabe and Mia from Rush. Next up is Burn (Ash's story) and i'm really hoping that it will be more like Rush than Fever.