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A review by idyrrlaon
Floodgates by Mary Calmes
4.0
If you've read some of Mary Calmes' work before, the way this story reads should not come as much of a surprise. Her traditional methods of storytelling (nested flashbacks, mental tangents, sometimes awkward dialogue conversations, etc.) are still there, love 'em or irritated by 'em, so be forewarned if you don't care for her style.
That said, I generally don't mind them, and find her stuff rather fun to read, not too deep and thought-provoking, but not entirely fluff either. Floodgates fits into that theme; you have a cast of characters that fall somewhere between 2D and 3D, and interact in ways that are fun and engaging but not too earth-shattering.
I did have a few quibbles with this story. Knowing how Calmes' works usually go, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by this, but I was disappointed somewhat in the switchover from "enemies" to "lovers" that happens between the love interests in the middle of the book.
We spend a good chunk of time at the beginning of the book setting up the characters of Tracy and Cord, and their cadre of friends and acquaintances, as well as the conflict that separates them now, mainly that Tracy thinks Cord is a slut due to how he seems to use and throw away the men in his life. A previous encounter between the two started Tracy's perception down this road, and nothing that he's seen seems to have changed this.
Suddenly, however, we are expected to believe that Tracy is going to throw away all of the thoughts, fears, and beliefs he's had over the last 5 years because he finds out that Cord might actually truly want him back, and may have changed. Not much thought behind it, he switches from his faith in Cord's sluttiness to pretty much absolute certainty that they are a "forever" couple. Without the structures that can support that (such as lifemates/bonded/etc. in works that deal with supernatural forces, such as werewolves), I just didn't buy it.
That main issue aside, I did enjoy them. Tracy's ex Breckin is a cad of the worst sort, and it is both entertaining and frustrating to watch their interactions play out. Tracy is all too trusting (which might lead to why he instantly trusts Cord), and But when Tracy and Cord get going, it's also very entertaining to see them bicker and maneuver around each other.
If you like Calmes' previous works, pick this up. If you're looking for something entertaining and a little fluffy, this is probably also a good fit for you, but be warned, there are some structures of Calmes' works that might be off-putting if you're not familiar with her writing style.
That said, I generally don't mind them, and find her stuff rather fun to read, not too deep and thought-provoking, but not entirely fluff either. Floodgates fits into that theme; you have a cast of characters that fall somewhere between 2D and 3D, and interact in ways that are fun and engaging but not too earth-shattering.
I did have a few quibbles with this story. Knowing how Calmes' works usually go, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by this, but I was disappointed somewhat in the switchover from "enemies" to "lovers" that happens between the love interests in the middle of the book.
We spend a good chunk of time at the beginning of the book setting up the characters of Tracy and Cord, and their cadre of friends and acquaintances, as well as the conflict that separates them now, mainly that Tracy thinks Cord is a slut due to how he seems to use and throw away the men in his life. A previous encounter between the two started Tracy's perception down this road, and nothing that he's seen seems to have changed this.
Suddenly, however, we are expected to believe that Tracy is going to throw away all of the thoughts, fears, and beliefs he's had over the last 5 years because he finds out that Cord might actually truly want him back, and may have changed. Not much thought behind it, he switches from his faith in Cord's sluttiness to pretty much absolute certainty that they are a "forever" couple. Without the structures that can support that (such as lifemates/bonded/etc. in works that deal with supernatural forces, such as werewolves), I just didn't buy it.
That main issue aside, I did enjoy them. Tracy's ex Breckin is a cad of the worst sort, and it is both entertaining and frustrating to watch their interactions play out. Tracy is all too trusting (which might lead to why he instantly trusts Cord), and
Spoiler
his increasing number of revealed indiscretions makes me wonder how much more we don't see that he lied about.If you like Calmes' previous works, pick this up. If you're looking for something entertaining and a little fluffy, this is probably also a good fit for you, but be warned, there are some structures of Calmes' works that might be off-putting if you're not familiar with her writing style.