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A review by lisajo85
Hell, Yeah by Carolyn Brown
2.0
Cathy O’Dell runs the Honky Tonk bar on the outskirts of town. She’s been beaten down by a man before, so her disposition towards the opposite is anything but friendly. That was until Travis Henry storms into town with his crew digging for oil in the lot next to her bar. She breaks every personal wall she’s set up around herself to let Travis in. The bad news is that his job is only temporary...once he’s done he’ll be moving on to the next job in Alaska. Cathy has to decide which one she wants to let go...the Honky Tonk or Travis?
It’s very troubling when you read a story and cannot connect with the characters. You cannot follow their perspective, their reasoning for their actions or their disposition. Cathy was truly a pill in the beginning. She seemed very selfish and so crude that is became hard to warm up to her as a possible romantic prospect for Travis. Travis, the man who was so odd he would be awkward in one scene yet confident and seductive in another. It was utterly baffling. Is he a confident cowboy or a shy nerd who would blush at the thought or mention of the heroine?
Truly, not much happens in the first two hundred pages and the book moves incredible slow. It deals with many conversations and introducing this overwhelming cast of characters. For example, a whole chapter is wasted when we are introduced to each man on the oil rig as they each arrive to find each one asking the same questions 'Where do I sign in?' 'Where's the closest bar?' 'Any live bands?' Each time the questions are asked and answered only to see one of those characters reappear in the remainder of the story. The rest we never hear of again.
The chemistry between the hero and the heroine is weak. Cathy’s cranky personality constantly left you wondering if she really was the kind of person that could be changed by the love of this man. About 200 pages in something dramatic and suspenseful happens only to be resolved forty or fifty pages later. Then we turn back to the pace set in the beginning of the novel. This episode was very traumatic and it’s almost treated as a ‘bump in the road’ and something the characters can easily move over. It’s a troubling approach to the situation rather than adding intrigue to the novel.
It wasn’t totally plot driven and it wasn’t totally character driven. This story and series follows the Honky Tonk bar, more than anything else. I have not read the first novel ‘I Love This Bar’ which may or may not have affected my opinion of this book. It is a very light read that could be very enjoyable for some. I usually like to have a little more emotional involvement with my characters and storyline and I just did not feel it with this novel.
Overall Rating: 2/5
Heat Level: 2/5
Lisa @ Once Upon A Chapter
It’s very troubling when you read a story and cannot connect with the characters. You cannot follow their perspective, their reasoning for their actions or their disposition. Cathy was truly a pill in the beginning. She seemed very selfish and so crude that is became hard to warm up to her as a possible romantic prospect for Travis. Travis, the man who was so odd he would be awkward in one scene yet confident and seductive in another. It was utterly baffling. Is he a confident cowboy or a shy nerd who would blush at the thought or mention of the heroine?
Truly, not much happens in the first two hundred pages and the book moves incredible slow. It deals with many conversations and introducing this overwhelming cast of characters. For example, a whole chapter is wasted when we are introduced to each man on the oil rig as they each arrive to find each one asking the same questions 'Where do I sign in?' 'Where's the closest bar?' 'Any live bands?' Each time the questions are asked and answered only to see one of those characters reappear in the remainder of the story. The rest we never hear of again.
The chemistry between the hero and the heroine is weak. Cathy’s cranky personality constantly left you wondering if she really was the kind of person that could be changed by the love of this man. About 200 pages in something dramatic and suspenseful happens only to be resolved forty or fifty pages later. Then we turn back to the pace set in the beginning of the novel. This episode was very traumatic and it’s almost treated as a ‘bump in the road’ and something the characters can easily move over. It’s a troubling approach to the situation rather than adding intrigue to the novel.
It wasn’t totally plot driven and it wasn’t totally character driven. This story and series follows the Honky Tonk bar, more than anything else. I have not read the first novel ‘I Love This Bar’ which may or may not have affected my opinion of this book. It is a very light read that could be very enjoyable for some. I usually like to have a little more emotional involvement with my characters and storyline and I just did not feel it with this novel.
Overall Rating: 2/5
Heat Level: 2/5
Lisa @ Once Upon A Chapter