Scan barcode
A review by bananatricky
Blue Lines by Toni Aleo
3.0
I found it a struggle to finish his book to be honest. having thoroughly enjoyed the three preceding books I was looking forward to this follow up but I was disappointed.
I had two main problems with the book - the "hero" Erik and the "heroine" Piper. I found neither believable and heartily disliked Erik. I just didn't believe in his redemption.
So, Erik and Piper hook up at someone's engagement party (Audrey's?). Apparently it was amazeballs and Erik told Piper personal things that he had never told anyone else. Then he chickened out and sent her a Dear John text. Piper then finds out she is pregnant. Piper keeps her pregnancy secret from everyone, family and Erik, until she is nearly six months gone. She did try to call Erik a few times but he wouldn't answer so she didn't bother going forward.
Erik has had a terrible childhood, really awful, and his birth parents were bad people who's obsessive love for each other was destructive and unhealthy. As a consequence he is scared that if he falls in love he will copy their behaviour. All of that I get, I really do. But, he is a total douche. He is mean and disrespectful to Piper and his attitude is at odds with her repeated declarations that he is a good guy. She has no evidence of that at all.
Piper annoyed me because she was a doormat, why did she keep cooking for a man who refused to accede to any of her reasonable requests to, for example, sit at the dining room table to eat? Also, she spent the last three months of her pregnancy in constant floods of tears over Erik and his behaviour.
Piper has always been portrayed as the flighty sister, the one who flits from job to job. Erik seems to appreciate that about her, he sees it as her being multi-talented - and then suddenly he has a complete volte-face and accuses her of all the things her family throw in her face. That seemed inconsistent!
As is often the way with these series, the author attempts to rewrite history, or at least show stories from the other point of view so that what was totally unacceptable behaviour in a previous book becomes totally understandable later - which I suppose is what she tries to do with Erik. I felt there was also an attempt to refocus on Piper by showing that her sisters constantly expect her to go out of her way to help them but never help her/ recognise her value - I didn't think it worked very well.
In some respects I should congratulate Ms Aleo for making Erik so dislikeable but I just found his character to be so inconsistent that I really didn't care much for the HEA.
I had two main problems with the book - the "hero" Erik and the "heroine" Piper. I found neither believable and heartily disliked Erik. I just didn't believe in his redemption.
So, Erik and Piper hook up at someone's engagement party (Audrey's?). Apparently it was amazeballs and Erik told Piper personal things that he had never told anyone else. Then he chickened out and sent her a Dear John text. Piper then finds out she is pregnant. Piper keeps her pregnancy secret from everyone, family and Erik, until she is nearly six months gone. She did try to call Erik a few times but he wouldn't answer so she didn't bother going forward.
Erik has had a terrible childhood, really awful, and his birth parents were bad people who's obsessive love for each other was destructive and unhealthy. As a consequence he is scared that if he falls in love he will copy their behaviour. All of that I get, I really do. But, he is a total douche. He is mean and disrespectful to Piper and his attitude is at odds with her repeated declarations that he is a good guy. She has no evidence of that at all.
Piper annoyed me because she was a doormat, why did she keep cooking for a man who refused to accede to any of her reasonable requests to, for example, sit at the dining room table to eat? Also, she spent the last three months of her pregnancy in constant floods of tears over Erik and his behaviour.
Piper has always been portrayed as the flighty sister, the one who flits from job to job. Erik seems to appreciate that about her, he sees it as her being multi-talented - and then suddenly he has a complete volte-face and accuses her of all the things her family throw in her face. That seemed inconsistent!
As is often the way with these series, the author attempts to rewrite history, or at least show stories from the other point of view so that what was totally unacceptable behaviour in a previous book becomes totally understandable later - which I suppose is what she tries to do with Erik. I felt there was also an attempt to refocus on Piper by showing that her sisters constantly expect her to go out of her way to help them but never help her/ recognise her value - I didn't think it worked very well.
In some respects I should congratulate Ms Aleo for making Erik so dislikeable but I just found his character to be so inconsistent that I really didn't care much for the HEA.