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sarah_thornback's review against another edition
This book is littered with anti Indigenous racism. Not in a way that builds the plot or shows racism is bad, in an incredibly ignorant and harmful way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
caseroo7's review against another edition
2.0
Review originally posted at Ramblings From This Chick
Against The Wall is the first book that I have read by Rebecca Zanetti. After reading the blurb, I couldn't wait to get started on this one as it is the first book in her Maverick Montana series. At first glance this book sounds so promissing. Unfortunately as much as I was hoping to like this book, it just didn't happen for me. There were things from the book that I did like, but overall I had quite a few problems with this one.
Sophie goes to Montana with the hopes of swaying the Kooskia tribe to back her golf course project for her uncle's struggling company. She is literally swept off her feet by a sexy cowboy named Jake and the attraction is instant. After a brief introduction they go their seperate ways, but little does she know that she will be seeing him again soon. Jake is a member of the Kooskia tribe and also happens to be their lawyer. As Sophie tries to gain support even though the tribe and Jake oppose her development, she starts receiving threatening notes with the suggestion that she leave town. Sophie refuses to let the notes or anyone dictate to her what she will do with her life.
I kept waiting for this story to really develop, and it just didn't happen. Often times while reading I would go back a page or two to see if I had missed something because the story just seemed to jump around. I'm not one for reading a story where the author has to take you by the hand and lead you through the story as if you are a child, but I do like to at least know how we get from one place to the next. Because of the way the story seems to skip ahead without any kind of connection at certain points, I just felt lost while reading the majority of this story. I really was never able to connect with the characters at all, or see their relationship growing. I just couldn't buy into what the author was selling.
Although Jake and Sophie are hot together and really steamed up the pages, it seemed to me as though that was all there was to them. I never really felt as though they were emotionally invested in each other. I found myself caring more about the secondary characters than the main characters of the story. While Sophie had started off to be an independent woman who wouldn't let anyone run her life, it seemed that she just relinquished control of everything to Jake even though she hadn't known him long. As far as Jake goes, I like a dominating and confident man as much as the next girl, but Jake seemed to be that way one minute and then completely insecure the next minute. I found myself getting annoyed by both Jake and Sophie.
Another problem I had with this book was that there were several things brought up and dropped. There were also things that I felt were left completely unexplained. It just seemed as if this book was filled with inconsistencies and very easily could have been a rough draft needing to still be edited. Even though I didn't care for this book as much as I was hoping, I really did start to get invested in several of the secondary characters. They are the reason that I finished this book. I still plan to read Under the Covers, the second book in this series about Jake's brother Quinn and im hoping that the author takes the characters in that book in a better direction.
**ARC provided by Publisher**
Against The Wall is the first book that I have read by Rebecca Zanetti. After reading the blurb, I couldn't wait to get started on this one as it is the first book in her Maverick Montana series. At first glance this book sounds so promissing. Unfortunately as much as I was hoping to like this book, it just didn't happen for me. There were things from the book that I did like, but overall I had quite a few problems with this one.
Sophie goes to Montana with the hopes of swaying the Kooskia tribe to back her golf course project for her uncle's struggling company. She is literally swept off her feet by a sexy cowboy named Jake and the attraction is instant. After a brief introduction they go their seperate ways, but little does she know that she will be seeing him again soon. Jake is a member of the Kooskia tribe and also happens to be their lawyer. As Sophie tries to gain support even though the tribe and Jake oppose her development, she starts receiving threatening notes with the suggestion that she leave town. Sophie refuses to let the notes or anyone dictate to her what she will do with her life.
I kept waiting for this story to really develop, and it just didn't happen. Often times while reading I would go back a page or two to see if I had missed something because the story just seemed to jump around. I'm not one for reading a story where the author has to take you by the hand and lead you through the story as if you are a child, but I do like to at least know how we get from one place to the next. Because of the way the story seems to skip ahead without any kind of connection at certain points, I just felt lost while reading the majority of this story. I really was never able to connect with the characters at all, or see their relationship growing. I just couldn't buy into what the author was selling.
Although Jake and Sophie are hot together and really steamed up the pages, it seemed to me as though that was all there was to them. I never really felt as though they were emotionally invested in each other. I found myself caring more about the secondary characters than the main characters of the story. While Sophie had started off to be an independent woman who wouldn't let anyone run her life, it seemed that she just relinquished control of everything to Jake even though she hadn't known him long. As far as Jake goes, I like a dominating and confident man as much as the next girl, but Jake seemed to be that way one minute and then completely insecure the next minute. I found myself getting annoyed by both Jake and Sophie.
Another problem I had with this book was that there were several things brought up and dropped. There were also things that I felt were left completely unexplained. It just seemed as if this book was filled with inconsistencies and very easily could have been a rough draft needing to still be edited. Even though I didn't care for this book as much as I was hoping, I really did start to get invested in several of the secondary characters. They are the reason that I finished this book. I still plan to read Under the Covers, the second book in this series about Jake's brother Quinn and im hoping that the author takes the characters in that book in a better direction.
**ARC provided by Publisher**
leabookjoy's review against another edition
4.0
French & English reviews
Je lis rarement des romances de cowboys (trop cliché souvent ><) mais Rebecca Zanetti est une auteure que je dévore sans modération alors quand j'ai vu que j'étais passée à côté d'une de ses romances ...
Romance légère, sexy et qui a tous les ingrédients d'une bonne romance qu'on dévore : une héroïne talentueuse, amusante et attachante, un héros sexy, intelligent et badass (un cowboy amérindien, avocat et riche =D), un petit village dans le Montana et une bataille juridique autour de la construction d'un terrain de golf ><
Bref, une romance qui se dévore vite tout en donnant envie de partir vivre dans le Montana =D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I rarely read cowboy romances (too often cliché ><) but Rebecca Zanetti is an author that I devour without moderation so when I saw that I had missed one of her romances ...
A light, sexy romance that has all the ingredients of a good romance : a talented, funny and endearing heroine, a sexy, intelligent and badass hero (a Native American cowboy, lawyer and rich =D), a small village in Montana and a legal battle over the construction of a golf course ><
In short, a romance that is quickly devoured while making you want to move to Montana =D
Je lis rarement des romances de cowboys (trop cliché souvent ><) mais Rebecca Zanetti est une auteure que je dévore sans modération alors quand j'ai vu que j'étais passée à côté d'une de ses romances ...
Romance légère, sexy et qui a tous les ingrédients d'une bonne romance qu'on dévore : une héroïne talentueuse, amusante et attachante, un héros sexy, intelligent et badass (un cowboy amérindien, avocat et riche =D), un petit village dans le Montana et une bataille juridique autour de la construction d'un terrain de golf ><
Bref, une romance qui se dévore vite tout en donnant envie de partir vivre dans le Montana =D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I rarely read cowboy romances (too often cliché ><) but Rebecca Zanetti is an author that I devour without moderation so when I saw that I had missed one of her romances ...
A light, sexy romance that has all the ingredients of a good romance : a talented, funny and endearing heroine, a sexy, intelligent and badass hero (a Native American cowboy, lawyer and rich =D), a small village in Montana and a legal battle over the construction of a golf course ><
In short, a romance that is quickly devoured while making you want to move to Montana =D
laurenjodi's review against another edition
4.0
Against the Wall
4 Stars
While scouting the area for her golf course design, landscape architect Sophie Smith is saved from a stampeding horse by its exceedingly sexy rider, who literally sweeps her off her feet. Unfortunately, said rider is none other than Jake Lodge, the lawyer for the Kooksia tribe opposing the construction of Sophie's project. On opposite sides of the issue, will Sophie and Jake put aside their differences and give in to the temptation of their intense attraction?
Given the basic premise of Sophie and Jake's relationship, there is surprisingly little angst in their romance. Zanetti thankfully avoids the pitfalls of the silly misunderstanding trope as both Sophie and Jake communicate directly with one another rather than allowing anger to fester and grow.
Jake is typical of Zanetti's dominant and overbearing alpha heroes while Sophie is spirited and independent. Nevertheless, they complement one another, especially considering Jake's nurturing personality and Sophie's desire for family and a place to belong.
With regard to the setting, there is a wonderful sense of community in the town of Maverick. It is unclear how realistic the portrayal of the Native American elements are, but Zanetti does a good job of creating a sense of history and tradition.
All in all, an engaging romance with appealing characters and I look forward to reading the rest of the series focusing on Jake's siblings.
4 Stars
While scouting the area for her golf course design, landscape architect Sophie Smith is saved from a stampeding horse by its exceedingly sexy rider, who literally sweeps her off her feet. Unfortunately, said rider is none other than Jake Lodge, the lawyer for the Kooksia tribe opposing the construction of Sophie's project. On opposite sides of the issue, will Sophie and Jake put aside their differences and give in to the temptation of their intense attraction?
Given the basic premise of Sophie and Jake's relationship, there is surprisingly little angst in their romance. Zanetti thankfully avoids the pitfalls of the silly misunderstanding trope as both Sophie and Jake communicate directly with one another rather than allowing anger to fester and grow.
Jake is typical of Zanetti's dominant and overbearing alpha heroes while Sophie is spirited and independent. Nevertheless, they complement one another, especially considering Jake's nurturing personality and Sophie's desire for family and a place to belong.
With regard to the setting, there is a wonderful sense of community in the town of Maverick. It is unclear how realistic the portrayal of the Native American elements are, but Zanetti does a good job of creating a sense of history and tradition.
All in all, an engaging romance with appealing characters and I look forward to reading the rest of the series focusing on Jake's siblings.
halcyon_rising's review against another edition
1.0
As I read this book a week and a half ago, it is about time I put up a review about it. Now, as you can see from the score I gave the book, it didn’t please me. And I can explain exactly why.
Before I begin, perhaps I should mention that this was my first book by this author, and I guess my first ‘published’ work of this genre. I have, however, read plenty of other such material so I definitely know what I like and what I don’t.
What I was expecting from this book, and perhaps wrongfully, was a well built up story with some sexy times romance mixed in between. What I read, it saddens me to say, was anything but this. Or it was, but it was in the completely wrong order for me to feel anything for it, and it made me angry. Please do take note that I don’t feel the book or the author are completely hopeless. Take out the romance aspect of the book, or rather change it into something better, and it would have worked better. Sad, really.
Now please let me jump behind a spoiler tag. Warning, rant of frustration ahead! I mean it!
In chapter one, we meet Sophie and Jake, our main couple. They also meet each other, and in my opinion it’s in a borderline ridiculous scene. She is standing in a forest, he rides by on his horse and picks her up, because his sister needed a photo? Um… Anyway, she’s not too happy about being horse-napped and starts to struggle against Jake, elbowing him so she can jump off a galloping horse. He stops riding, lets her down and she pretty immediately takes on a defensive position, ready to kick him in the knee because he’s big.
Which brings us to page two or three, when it happens. The thing that arrived way too fast, and in a too ridiculous and cheap fashion that left me utterly behind and I could buy it not: there was instant UST from the moment they lay eyes upon each other, he was utterly perfect with his big chest and arms, and long, girly eyelashes that made her *zing* in her panties, and he saw she too had a big chest and smelled of vanilla, which in turn made him uncomfortable in his panties.
Why, oh why, was there not a much more toned down version of that scene presented when we are only still in the first few pages of this book, when the readers are still trying to create the world around the characters in their minds? There’s really no need to have your female start kegeling for the guy on page two, because not everyone is ready for it yet, then. Build the romance up instead of they met, it was epic, and that was it. I feel like we deserve better. (Unless I was truly mistaken when I picked up this book and it is supposed to be PwP?)
I’ll just say over here that this guy, as presented, would probably never work for me, and it’s not even mostly because of his own (dominant) actions. I don’t mind him being 6’4, nor necessarily that he’s muscular although a bodybuilder’s not my type of man, but it’s the part where every time Jake walks into a room Sophie needs to describe him as being oh so wide-chested and muscular through his shirt that it gets to be ridiculous. I do not find those steroid-type bodybuilders with their teeny weeny shirts sexy. There, I said it. I’d have loved it if Jake was more of a lankier build, was muscled but not overly so, and if he dropped the dominant stuff. It would be more neutral and would attract, or keep, more readers, I think.
Anyway, perhaps back to the beginning of the book. Jake, after Sophie takes her stance against him, quickly – like, VERY quickly – admires her, thinking she’s displaying guts. I don’t necessarily think that elbowing a guy when you’re up front on a galloping horse, trying to twist free and jump/fall off of it is a smart thing to do. (I rode for close to 8 years. Falling off a horse can hurt.) When she’s back on the ground, she’s just silly for thinking that she, with her 5’4 frame, could hurt a 6’4 inflatable looking guy. Perhaps I should give her half a point for trying? My end thought remains the same: whatever works for him? It doesn’t for me. Oops.
In chapter two, Sophie receives a phone call from her womanising but-I-totally-want-you-now (for-your-uncle’s-company) friend, telling her either this deal she’s there to work on goes through or they’re out of a job. Cue time to act professional. Then she finally meets the ‘lawyer’ for the opposition of her little project, Jake, and his grandfather, one of the tribe elders she needs to convince. Good thing, though, the elder sends her and his grandson out on a ‘date’ the next morning, but they decide they can’t possibly wait that long and make out halfway in her parked Jeep. So far for professionalism. It’s not that jobs are important or anything.
It made me feel like, to get the plot to move forward, we needed to get the porn out of the way. Odd sensation, and direct opposite of the reasons I picked up this book.
This make-out session at the beginning of chapter three is what made me open up a Word document to type out my frustrations with this book, by the way. And there’s quite a few yet to come. Such as this thing you’ll notice in the first few chapters: Jake and Sophie are constantly describing each other’s scents. It can’t be more than a little off-putting to only myself?
After the beginning of chapter three, stuff gets better for a while. (I might have been right that the porn needed to be out of the way, indeed!) It only lasted until they started sleeping with each other, though.
In chapter four and beyond, there’s the following that irritated me:
Sophie [on horseback] fought to relax her muscles, butt, and thighs as she balanced. She couldn’t help but remember Jake’s hard thighs bracketing hers on the big black horse he rode again today. She studied his broad back as he maneuvered two tons of near-wild animal along the old trail easily, naturally.
It is true that you can never really take the animal out of the horse, but when one is under perfect control there is really no reason why it needs to be described as ‘wild’.
But that’s not the issue here. A 2,000 kg horse is. A quick Google/Wiki search gives you this:
The largest horse in recorded history was probably a Shire horse named Mammoth, who was born in 1848. He stood 21.2 1⁄2 hands (86.5 inches, 220 cm) high and his peak weight was estimated at 1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb).
Guardian, Jake’s horse, needs to be an absolute freak of nature in terms of not only this described weight but the sheer size to carry all that weight along while not being straight out grossly overweight. Is that really necessary to carry Jake’s inflatable body and macho ego around?
He thrust harder, prolonging her orgasm, filling the world with Jake Lodge. Finally, with a low growl of her name against her skin, he leaped into pleasure with her.
Filling the world with Jake Lodge? Seriously?
A little later followed what I thought was quite a gross scene. After a full night of going at it for Jake and Sophie, Jake tells her that the condom for round three broke. (The reality check/pregnancy scare for Sophie doesn’t last long. His equipment is more important. *rolls eyes*)
“Oh.” Reality slammed with a thud as her eyes focused on the painting of a desert landscape on the opposite wall. Thick rust and orange cascaded in firm swipes illustrating hard rock. “The condom broke.”
“Yes.”
“Inside me.”
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
His hand resumed playing in her curls. “How’s the timing on that? You know, cycle wise?”
Her heart pretty much stopped beating. “Ah, the timing.” She calculated in her head. Once and then again. “Um, the timing would be ideal if we were planning to procreate.”
He stiffened behind her. And not in the good way. “Ideal, huh?”
“Yes.” Dread made her limbs heavy. “But, hey. No worries to you. Really. I’ve got this.” Could this be any more awkward?
One smooth motion had her under him. All of him. Amusement warred with intent in his eyes. “You’ve got this?”
“Uh, yeah.” She nodded vigorously against the pillow, her face aching as embarrassment spiraled heat into her cheeks. She bravely met his gaze even as her breasts pebbled in response to his welcome weight.
“Sophie?” He lowered his face. His muscled body pressed her into the mattress. “Do you think you’ve gotten to know me during the time we’ve spent together?”
She groaned. Even with the recent revelation of her possible pregnancy, her body reacted to the feeling of him against her. She fought to keep from moving against him. From stretching up into his heat.
Jake’s jaw firmed. “If you had to guess, how do you think I’d react to your statement?”
“My statement saying that I got this?” Her voice whooshed out in a breathy whisper. She tried to concentrate on the subject at hand. Instead of the hardness caressing her flesh.
“That statement.”
“Um. Not so good?”
“Not so good,” Jake affirmed.
“Ah. Sorry.”
“If you are pregnant,” Jake said, enunciating each word, “we will deal with it together.” He pressed a hard kiss against her lips. “Got it?”
“Yes.” She gave up the fight and moved against his hard erection.
What you have to understand about these two people is that she’s only there for a limited amount of time (few weeks more tops), and their deal was just to sleep together until she had to leave, no further strings attached since he knew she was going back home where she belonged.
For her a lot of things are at stake. Her uncle’s company is probably going bankrupt if she doesn’t get this deal she’s there for, and if it goes so does her job. Yet she can’t help but sleep with the lawyer-guy who’s on the opposite side of her company at court, who’s described as being ruthless professionally, and instead of trying more to talk to him about the case against her company, fishing for anything that would give them an advantage over him if needed, she just sleeps with him without thinking much on the future (giving HIM power over HER privately that of course would leak into business, too.)
But back to this scene. She is still eventually leaving as they made no promises to each other, but if she ended up pregnant from their night together (she’s super fertile then and a rarity amongst women since she’s not on the pill), this alpha-male macho doesn’t even want her to ‘take care of it’, which in this first instant would mean for her to drive over to a pharmacy and get a Morning After pill, nothing as invasive as an abortion since there’s nothing there yet to abort. And even if there was, she’s a woman who’s allowed to be in control of her own body so she’s free NOT to have a baby with a guy who’s somewhere else than with her when she might very well not have a job left to support herself with when she comes home!
Another background thing: Jake has a daughter of 6, from a girl he slept with on the day he came back from the Army even before he arrived at his parents’, and 3 weeks later it turned out she was pregnant and they got married, but she ran out on them after nearly 2 years. So this whole sleeping with someone, getting them pregnant and possibly marrying them is a thing with him. Sexy. Not. Ask if the women you sleep with are on birth control, ffs.
In chapter thirteen, her company – and therefore herself, since she represents it – gets dealt a huge blow before the commission because of some dirt Jake randomly found on them, and Sophie is sad/angry/humiliated he did that to her (I told you above to go fish for information from him, but instead you didn’t even try to be professional about things. You can’t be shocked at this?) A chapter later he’s caught up with her at her B&B, and while she still tries to be angry at first, just at the predatory sight of him she once again yields and they go at it again a page later. What was confirmed here is what was there all along, even her spirit guide told her: she’s a doormat.
As of about here it’s all a big set-up to try to keep the girl in town, by Jake’s mother, daughter, friends, etc. Sophie basically gets commissioned to draw every new design the town will ever need, even an art show, which she accepts, but the thing she doesn’t accept – because she doesn’t want to be that doormat – is the redesign for the golf club that has to be put somewhere else than her original design was. All those other designs, which you accepted to do, make you a doormat, like your spirit guide dream tells you. *shakes head sadly*
A few other personal pet peeves from this book, built on my already-there frustration so that's why they drew my attention:
Erotic tingles cascaded along her scalp. The man was beyond male. Primitive and powerful.
I always tend to laugh at using erotic as an adjective. This was no exception. And a ‘man beyond male,’ lol!
Two dark, masculine heads dipped to read the notes in the muted light of the paramedic’s vehicle.
Since the boys that are standing in front of her are already male, why do they need to be described as ‘masculine’ as well?
Male outrage blazed through his eyes.
Personally, I’ve never read a male having female outrage in their eyes. Am I missing something?
Cowboys can be very hot. I’ve previously read unpublished fiction of the sort and I liked it, which made me give this book a go, hoping that I’d find a good, normal guy clad in sexy chaps, working with horses and perhaps even a bit of cattle, etc. in here. Needless to say that this is not what I found here, which is a disappointment.
I have also taken the liberty of reading the first page or two of the next book, and what I saw there seems to already have the same problem as I described way above: girl sits in room, is kegeling at the sight of guy, who already has a bulge in his pants. First two pages. Again no build-up, even if we met the characters in book one. It can’t be so that when there’s 200-250 pages in a book there’s absolutely no time to start them a bit slower, establish an environment and only then start with having the love interests for the book meet/see each other and not have them immediately drool. A chance meeting, a few glances here and there is so much more sexy than wham bam come here ma'am.
Dark Protectors is also a book series I could be interested in, but judging from the reviews there the execution of the storyline is pretty much the same as here. A guy who thinks he is something bosses a girl around. Another pity.
Before I begin, perhaps I should mention that this was my first book by this author, and I guess my first ‘published’ work of this genre. I have, however, read plenty of other such material so I definitely know what I like and what I don’t.
What I was expecting from this book, and perhaps wrongfully, was a well built up story with some sexy times romance mixed in between. What I read, it saddens me to say, was anything but this. Or it was, but it was in the completely wrong order for me to feel anything for it, and it made me angry. Please do take note that I don’t feel the book or the author are completely hopeless. Take out the romance aspect of the book, or rather change it into something better, and it would have worked better. Sad, really.
Now please let me jump behind a spoiler tag. Warning, rant of frustration ahead! I mean it!
Spoiler
Where shall I begin? How about the beginning, as that was exactly where I felt I was left behind, which means that everything that comes after this romance-wise is something that I feel I’m not included in. Why not? Because I suffer from that terrible affliction of needing a page or three, four to really get into a story, and quite simply put the author didn’t grant me anywhere near those pages to grab my full attention before she already started to establish her pairing’s drooling over each other.In chapter one, we meet Sophie and Jake, our main couple. They also meet each other, and in my opinion it’s in a borderline ridiculous scene. She is standing in a forest, he rides by on his horse and picks her up, because his sister needed a photo? Um… Anyway, she’s not too happy about being horse-napped and starts to struggle against Jake, elbowing him so she can jump off a galloping horse. He stops riding, lets her down and she pretty immediately takes on a defensive position, ready to kick him in the knee because he’s big.
Which brings us to page two or three, when it happens. The thing that arrived way too fast, and in a too ridiculous and cheap fashion that left me utterly behind and I could buy it not: there was instant UST from the moment they lay eyes upon each other, he was utterly perfect with his big chest and arms, and long, girly eyelashes that made her *zing* in her panties, and he saw she too had a big chest and smelled of vanilla, which in turn made him uncomfortable in his panties.
Why, oh why, was there not a much more toned down version of that scene presented when we are only still in the first few pages of this book, when the readers are still trying to create the world around the characters in their minds? There’s really no need to have your female start kegeling for the guy on page two, because not everyone is ready for it yet, then. Build the romance up instead of they met, it was epic, and that was it. I feel like we deserve better. (Unless I was truly mistaken when I picked up this book and it is supposed to be PwP?)
I’ll just say over here that this guy, as presented, would probably never work for me, and it’s not even mostly because of his own (dominant) actions. I don’t mind him being 6’4, nor necessarily that he’s muscular although a bodybuilder’s not my type of man, but it’s the part where every time Jake walks into a room Sophie needs to describe him as being oh so wide-chested and muscular through his shirt that it gets to be ridiculous. I do not find those steroid-type bodybuilders with their teeny weeny shirts sexy. There, I said it. I’d have loved it if Jake was more of a lankier build, was muscled but not overly so, and if he dropped the dominant stuff. It would be more neutral and would attract, or keep, more readers, I think.
Anyway, perhaps back to the beginning of the book. Jake, after Sophie takes her stance against him, quickly – like, VERY quickly – admires her, thinking she’s displaying guts. I don’t necessarily think that elbowing a guy when you’re up front on a galloping horse, trying to twist free and jump/fall off of it is a smart thing to do. (I rode for close to 8 years. Falling off a horse can hurt.) When she’s back on the ground, she’s just silly for thinking that she, with her 5’4 frame, could hurt a 6’4 inflatable looking guy. Perhaps I should give her half a point for trying? My end thought remains the same: whatever works for him? It doesn’t for me. Oops.
In chapter two, Sophie receives a phone call from her womanising but-I-totally-want-you-now (for-your-uncle’s-company) friend, telling her either this deal she’s there to work on goes through or they’re out of a job. Cue time to act professional. Then she finally meets the ‘lawyer’ for the opposition of her little project, Jake, and his grandfather, one of the tribe elders she needs to convince. Good thing, though, the elder sends her and his grandson out on a ‘date’ the next morning, but they decide they can’t possibly wait that long and make out halfway in her parked Jeep. So far for professionalism. It’s not that jobs are important or anything.
It made me feel like, to get the plot to move forward, we needed to get the porn out of the way. Odd sensation, and direct opposite of the reasons I picked up this book.
This make-out session at the beginning of chapter three is what made me open up a Word document to type out my frustrations with this book, by the way. And there’s quite a few yet to come. Such as this thing you’ll notice in the first few chapters: Jake and Sophie are constantly describing each other’s scents. It can’t be more than a little off-putting to only myself?
After the beginning of chapter three, stuff gets better for a while. (I might have been right that the porn needed to be out of the way, indeed!) It only lasted until they started sleeping with each other, though.
In chapter four and beyond, there’s the following that irritated me:
Sophie [on horseback] fought to relax her muscles, butt, and thighs as she balanced. She couldn’t help but remember Jake’s hard thighs bracketing hers on the big black horse he rode again today. She studied his broad back as he maneuvered two tons of near-wild animal along the old trail easily, naturally.
It is true that you can never really take the animal out of the horse, but when one is under perfect control there is really no reason why it needs to be described as ‘wild’.
But that’s not the issue here. A 2,000 kg horse is. A quick Google/Wiki search gives you this:
The largest horse in recorded history was probably a Shire horse named Mammoth, who was born in 1848. He stood 21.2 1⁄2 hands (86.5 inches, 220 cm) high and his peak weight was estimated at 1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb).
Guardian, Jake’s horse, needs to be an absolute freak of nature in terms of not only this described weight but the sheer size to carry all that weight along while not being straight out grossly overweight. Is that really necessary to carry Jake’s inflatable body and macho ego around?
He thrust harder, prolonging her orgasm, filling the world with Jake Lodge. Finally, with a low growl of her name against her skin, he leaped into pleasure with her.
Filling the world with Jake Lodge? Seriously?
A little later followed what I thought was quite a gross scene. After a full night of going at it for Jake and Sophie, Jake tells her that the condom for round three broke. (The reality check/pregnancy scare for Sophie doesn’t last long. His equipment is more important. *rolls eyes*)
“Oh.” Reality slammed with a thud as her eyes focused on the painting of a desert landscape on the opposite wall. Thick rust and orange cascaded in firm swipes illustrating hard rock. “The condom broke.”
“Yes.”
“Inside me.”
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
His hand resumed playing in her curls. “How’s the timing on that? You know, cycle wise?”
Her heart pretty much stopped beating. “Ah, the timing.” She calculated in her head. Once and then again. “Um, the timing would be ideal if we were planning to procreate.”
He stiffened behind her. And not in the good way. “Ideal, huh?”
“Yes.” Dread made her limbs heavy. “But, hey. No worries to you. Really. I’ve got this.” Could this be any more awkward?
One smooth motion had her under him. All of him. Amusement warred with intent in his eyes. “You’ve got this?”
“Uh, yeah.” She nodded vigorously against the pillow, her face aching as embarrassment spiraled heat into her cheeks. She bravely met his gaze even as her breasts pebbled in response to his welcome weight.
“Sophie?” He lowered his face. His muscled body pressed her into the mattress. “Do you think you’ve gotten to know me during the time we’ve spent together?”
She groaned. Even with the recent revelation of her possible pregnancy, her body reacted to the feeling of him against her. She fought to keep from moving against him. From stretching up into his heat.
Jake’s jaw firmed. “If you had to guess, how do you think I’d react to your statement?”
“My statement saying that I got this?” Her voice whooshed out in a breathy whisper. She tried to concentrate on the subject at hand. Instead of the hardness caressing her flesh.
“That statement.”
“Um. Not so good?”
“Not so good,” Jake affirmed.
“Ah. Sorry.”
“If you are pregnant,” Jake said, enunciating each word, “we will deal with it together.” He pressed a hard kiss against her lips. “Got it?”
“Yes.” She gave up the fight and moved against his hard erection.
What you have to understand about these two people is that she’s only there for a limited amount of time (few weeks more tops), and their deal was just to sleep together until she had to leave, no further strings attached since he knew she was going back home where she belonged.
For her a lot of things are at stake. Her uncle’s company is probably going bankrupt if she doesn’t get this deal she’s there for, and if it goes so does her job. Yet she can’t help but sleep with the lawyer-guy who’s on the opposite side of her company at court, who’s described as being ruthless professionally, and instead of trying more to talk to him about the case against her company, fishing for anything that would give them an advantage over him if needed, she just sleeps with him without thinking much on the future (giving HIM power over HER privately that of course would leak into business, too.)
But back to this scene. She is still eventually leaving as they made no promises to each other, but if she ended up pregnant from their night together (she’s super fertile then and a rarity amongst women since she’s not on the pill), this alpha-male macho doesn’t even want her to ‘take care of it’, which in this first instant would mean for her to drive over to a pharmacy and get a Morning After pill, nothing as invasive as an abortion since there’s nothing there yet to abort. And even if there was, she’s a woman who’s allowed to be in control of her own body so she’s free NOT to have a baby with a guy who’s somewhere else than with her when she might very well not have a job left to support herself with when she comes home!
Another background thing: Jake has a daughter of 6, from a girl he slept with on the day he came back from the Army even before he arrived at his parents’, and 3 weeks later it turned out she was pregnant and they got married, but she ran out on them after nearly 2 years. So this whole sleeping with someone, getting them pregnant and possibly marrying them is a thing with him. Sexy. Not. Ask if the women you sleep with are on birth control, ffs.
In chapter thirteen, her company – and therefore herself, since she represents it – gets dealt a huge blow before the commission because of some dirt Jake randomly found on them, and Sophie is sad/angry/humiliated he did that to her (I told you above to go fish for information from him, but instead you didn’t even try to be professional about things. You can’t be shocked at this?) A chapter later he’s caught up with her at her B&B, and while she still tries to be angry at first, just at the predatory sight of him she once again yields and they go at it again a page later. What was confirmed here is what was there all along, even her spirit guide told her: she’s a doormat.
As of about here it’s all a big set-up to try to keep the girl in town, by Jake’s mother, daughter, friends, etc. Sophie basically gets commissioned to draw every new design the town will ever need, even an art show, which she accepts, but the thing she doesn’t accept – because she doesn’t want to be that doormat – is the redesign for the golf club that has to be put somewhere else than her original design was. All those other designs, which you accepted to do, make you a doormat, like your spirit guide dream tells you. *shakes head sadly*
A few other personal pet peeves from this book, built on my already-there frustration so that's why they drew my attention:
Erotic tingles cascaded along her scalp. The man was beyond male. Primitive and powerful.
I always tend to laugh at using erotic as an adjective. This was no exception. And a ‘man beyond male,’ lol!
Two dark, masculine heads dipped to read the notes in the muted light of the paramedic’s vehicle.
Since the boys that are standing in front of her are already male, why do they need to be described as ‘masculine’ as well?
Male outrage blazed through his eyes.
Personally, I’ve never read a male having female outrage in their eyes. Am I missing something?
Cowboys can be very hot. I’ve previously read unpublished fiction of the sort and I liked it, which made me give this book a go, hoping that I’d find a good, normal guy clad in sexy chaps, working with horses and perhaps even a bit of cattle, etc. in here. Needless to say that this is not what I found here, which is a disappointment.
I have also taken the liberty of reading the first page or two of the next book, and what I saw there seems to already have the same problem as I described way above: girl sits in room, is kegeling at the sight of guy, who already has a bulge in his pants. First two pages. Again no build-up, even if we met the characters in book one. It can’t be so that when there’s 200-250 pages in a book there’s absolutely no time to start them a bit slower, establish an environment and only then start with having the love interests for the book meet/see each other and not have them immediately drool. A chance meeting, a few glances here and there is so much more sexy than wham bam come here ma'am.
Dark Protectors is also a book series I could be interested in, but judging from the reviews there the execution of the storyline is pretty much the same as here. A guy who thinks he is something bosses a girl around. Another pity.
the_coycaterpillar_reads's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
This book was hot!
Jake is the sexy badass real life cowboy who is a lawyer, a single father and a dominating alpha. He is totally, totally swoon-worthy! The way he loves his daughter gave me the warm and fuzzies!
Sophie the sassy golf course designer who was an opposing force in the plans for creating the golf course on Montana lands. Sophie had her own scars to bear, who silently wished she was apart of the family vibe the small tribe emanated. Not only the family love but also the ever interfering neighbours, even that proved you meant something to them.
"If Preston puts his mouth on you again, he'll be gumming his food for the immediate future."
"I don't share. You would do well to remember that."
Such a beautiful read...Truely enjoyed this one.
This book was hot!
Jake is the sexy badass real life cowboy who is a lawyer, a single father and a dominating alpha. He is totally, totally swoon-worthy! The way he loves his daughter gave me the warm and fuzzies!
Sophie the sassy golf course designer who was an opposing force in the plans for creating the golf course on Montana lands. Sophie had her own scars to bear, who silently wished she was apart of the family vibe the small tribe emanated. Not only the family love but also the ever interfering neighbours, even that proved you meant something to them.
"If Preston puts his mouth on you again, he'll be gumming his food for the immediate future."
"I don't share. You would do well to remember that."
Such a beautiful read...Truely enjoyed this one.
syndi3's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It is OK read. The theme of romance cowboy is not something new. I wish Miss Zanetti brings something new to the atory but she is not.
Against the Wall is typical clean romance. A bit boring with that same formula alpha male and damsel in distress. The conversation is also typical boring.
Overall I do not hate nor like it either.
Against the Wall is typical clean romance. A bit boring with that same formula alpha male and damsel in distress. The conversation is also typical boring.
Overall I do not hate nor like it either.
bibble0723's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
lynn_the_greyhound_mum's review against another edition
1.0
It was one of those annoying books, where despite several bouts of unprotected sex the heroine was still surprised that she was pregnant.
Why aren't these women ever deal with contraception before the event, or at least take the morning after pill the next day. I am not convinced modern women are that stupid that they don't take care of things.
Why aren't these women ever deal with contraception before the event, or at least take the morning after pill the next day. I am not convinced modern women are that stupid that they don't take care of things.