A review by perscoot
The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich

adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

This was a really frustrating read. Gabriela is introduced as this Lara Croft type character, badass, brave, adventurous, fiercely independent, and delightfully greedy. She has a charming love of pirates and dedication to her family. But as soon as her ex-husband/love interest enters the picture, she becomes bland and Bella Swan-esque. Also, her ex is...creepy. I don't care that they grew up together and he 'knows her', he crosses all of her boundaries and Gabriela never actually puts her foot down, which turns her from badass adventurer to basic doormat. The actual plot was a little messy and unrefined, but it was the most fun part of the book. That's not entirely a compliment.

I feel like the author has a lot of love for these characters, but unfortunately, she wasn't able to show us, the audience, what the hell there is to love about them. Gabriela is flat and boring, Rafer is creepy and drags the story. I went into this wanting romance, but as I read further in, I kept thinking that it would be so much better if the love interest wasn't in the story at all. His presence seemed to neuter Gabriela's competency in every scene, and I was not convinced that they actually cared about each other by the end. 

The premise of this story gave me a lot of hope and I was really excited going in, but the writing was flat and boring. Finishing this book felt like a chore.

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