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A review by haletostilinski1
Back Piece by L.A. Witt
4.0
3.5 stars
I truly enjoyed this book, so I hated to have to take off half a star when I really do feel like this deserves 4 full stars.
But it felt like there was something missing from this story that I, personally, rarely get from L.A. Witt stories. Not only did the sex rarely simmer and make me feel something (I was like, what, no this feels perfunctory and Witt's sex scenes never feel that way, AND it was sex scenes with a virgin, someone who has never experienced it before and was very eager, and yet I didn't FEEL anything with a lot of the scenes) but it didn't feel like a lot happened.
I know for a fact Witt can take two "ordinary" people in the "ordinary" world and make a hell of an interesting story - but there just wasn't a lot happening with this story outside the romance. And believe you, me, generally all I want is the romance, or actually, I want to get to the romance in romance novels and want to get past the friend scenes or family scenes a lot of the time...but really, those type of scenes help set up characters outside of the two MC's, and Witt has done it before, but kinda fell short in this one. I liked the other secondary characters, but they didn't feel very present throughout the book, kinda in the periphery. And while part of me loved that, a part of me was frustrated because then we got a scene around 75% of Shane spouting, what to me, felt like bullshit about Daniel (who hadn't even met yet), I didn't quite understand his motivation. Yeah, he cares for his brother a lot and wants to protect him, but...it didn't feel like that to me. Idk, it pissed me off.
Anyway, I just feel like the secondary characters could have been a little more present, and then they would have felt a little more rounded and like full characters.
But overall, aside from these little annoyances, I did enjoy this. I did really like Colin and Daniel together, and Colin was so sweet to Daniel - they were sweet to each other. And I loved the complexity of both their characters, how they weren't able to get over sucky emotions and thoughts that ate away them easily - because as much as we tell ourselves we're gonna do better or be better or love ourselves, it's a lot harder than it seems. And those thoughts always creep in, no matter how much you don't let them consume you. Colin is always going to have those demons eating away at him, but he doesn't let them take over him like he had before (even though he came close several times in this book. It just showed how human he is)
I also did find a few of the sex scenes hot (like at the end and this scene of them in a motel...DAmN. You just gotta read it).
And the ending was both a happy ending and happy-for-now. They're in a good place, but it is also pretty clear, hey, we're getting a second book, and it will probably focus on these two (and if not, then that ending will become a "that's it?" more than a "okay, just gotta wait for more" ending.)
I do think this is worth a read, because it IS enjoyable for the most part. I just think...don't expect anything amazing and "not able to put it down" worthy about this book. Enjoyable and engaging, but not up to Witt's usual standard, I think.
I truly enjoyed this book, so I hated to have to take off half a star when I really do feel like this deserves 4 full stars.
But it felt like there was something missing from this story that I, personally, rarely get from L.A. Witt stories. Not only did the sex rarely simmer and make me feel something (I was like, what, no this feels perfunctory and Witt's sex scenes never feel that way, AND it was sex scenes with a virgin, someone who has never experienced it before and was very eager, and yet I didn't FEEL anything with a lot of the scenes) but it didn't feel like a lot happened.
I know for a fact Witt can take two "ordinary" people in the "ordinary" world and make a hell of an interesting story - but there just wasn't a lot happening with this story outside the romance. And believe you, me, generally all I want is the romance, or actually, I want to get to the romance in romance novels and want to get past the friend scenes or family scenes a lot of the time...but really, those type of scenes help set up characters outside of the two MC's, and Witt has done it before, but kinda fell short in this one. I liked the other secondary characters, but they didn't feel very present throughout the book, kinda in the periphery. And while part of me loved that, a part of me was frustrated because then we got a scene around 75% of Shane spouting, what to me, felt like bullshit about Daniel (who hadn't even met yet), I didn't quite understand his motivation. Yeah, he cares for his brother a lot and wants to protect him, but...it didn't feel like that to me. Idk, it pissed me off.
Anyway, I just feel like the secondary characters could have been a little more present, and then they would have felt a little more rounded and like full characters.
But overall, aside from these little annoyances, I did enjoy this. I did really like Colin and Daniel together, and Colin was so sweet to Daniel - they were sweet to each other. And I loved the complexity of both their characters, how they weren't able to get over sucky emotions and thoughts that ate away them easily - because as much as we tell ourselves we're gonna do better or be better or love ourselves, it's a lot harder than it seems. And those thoughts always creep in, no matter how much you don't let them consume you. Colin is always going to have those demons eating away at him, but he doesn't let them take over him like he had before (even though he came close several times in this book. It just showed how human he is
Spoiler
and also he has an eating disorder, and he battles it throughout the bookI also did find a few of the sex scenes hot (like at the end and this scene of them in a motel...DAmN. You just gotta read it).
And the ending was both a happy ending and happy-for-now. They're in a good place, but it is also pretty clear, hey, we're getting a second book, and it will probably focus on these two (and if not, then that ending will become a "that's it?" more than a "okay, just gotta wait for more" ending.)
I do think this is worth a read, because it IS enjoyable for the most part. I just think...don't expect anything amazing and "not able to put it down" worthy about this book. Enjoyable and engaging, but not up to Witt's usual standard, I think.