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now_booking's review
emotional
medium-paced
2.0
This is awkward to review because I didn’t NOT like it, but I didn’t exactly love it either. In fact, like the first book in this Kiawah Kisses series (Merry Kiss Me), I was pretty excited about the premise of this second entry into the series. This author comes up with really creative story ideas and the tropes are my jam. I love single parent romance and after Book 1, I wanted to know what was up with Tara and her covering for her trifling husband. Especially since she seemed filled with such wisdom and smarts and feistiness otherwise.
The premise is that Tara is still hung up over her no-good, trifling husband two years after the breakdown of her marriage but her eyes are gradually opening after witnessing the way he keeps trying to get out of paying child support when he has all the money for vacations with his new fiancée. When Tara finds herself in Judge Cameron’s court, it’s instalove sparks at least on his part, but that’s not the only reason why he’s determined to make a deadbeat dad pay.
The premise is something I was instantly attracted to. I thought the idea of a somewhat forbidden relationship between the judge and a petitioner was unique. Their meet cute was delightful and set up the book nicely after a somewhat “side-eyeing the heroine” prologue. But then I was somewhat disturbed by both Tara’s unhealthy longing on her deadbeat husband at the beginning, her general fecklessness as a character, which just didn’t go with anything else we knew about her- either from Book 1 or even how she described herself. As for Cameron, I think Tara described him best and most accurately (and kindly) when she said he was “overbearing, overprotective, high-handed, intense, (yet) caring.”
I felt some dissonance between who these characters were in their actions and what they said they were about. And the thing is I liked the characters I believe the author intended- how lovely for someone to take charge, how lovely to be taken care of- Tara and Cameron are coming from such tough childhoods that I see the attraction of both personality types for each other. But then like with the heroine in the first book, there’s a conflict between the characterization of the characters motivations and back stories and relationships with others, and what the characters actually did, how they thought and how they behaved. For example, Cameron was I assume supposed to be a Stern Brunch Daddy, but in actuality he was often very much out of pocket in his actions and borderline controlling based on no context or foundation. As for Tara, I didn’t feel she grew enough as a character- based on the high level of responsibility she took on in her early life, it was weird that she was such a passenger in her own life, even when carpets had been yanked from under her feet. Even in her conflict with her mother, her BFF had to get involved to resolve it, you didn’t get the impression she was sorted or improving emotionally.
For me, I think this could have worked better if Cameron and Tara had had a conversation or any form of interaction or foundation for him to go all alpha dominant on her out of nowhere. Because of the lack of this context, it came across a little creepy, and this is even though I personally like a take charge, commanding type hero. I will say this kind of works if you read it as a D/s romance- but it wasn’t really taken in that direction and that wasn’t at all the vibe created, again because there was a step missing before Cameron got inappropriately pushy. It was weird how at the beginning of the relationship, Cameron demanded a vulnerability and trust he hadn’t earned, which for that reason seemed toxic and a little unhinged.
What DID work well all through this book was the spice!!!! The author is a heat master and she brought it all here! All the intimate scenes were beautifully executed but incredibly erotic and the chemistry was explosive.
Overall, I think if you like erotic romance and a very commanding hero, the premise is unique and it’s worth checking this out. I can’t vouch that you won’t side eye the heck out of Tara and Cameron, but at least you’ll be warm doing it because 🌶🥵🌶🥵 🌶🥵!
I got a complimentary PR advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The premise is that Tara is still hung up over her no-good, trifling husband two years after the breakdown of her marriage but her eyes are gradually opening after witnessing the way he keeps trying to get out of paying child support when he has all the money for vacations with his new fiancée. When Tara finds herself in Judge Cameron’s court, it’s instalove sparks at least on his part, but that’s not the only reason why he’s determined to make a deadbeat dad pay.
The premise is something I was instantly attracted to. I thought the idea of a somewhat forbidden relationship between the judge and a petitioner was unique. Their meet cute was delightful and set up the book nicely after a somewhat “side-eyeing the heroine” prologue. But then I was somewhat disturbed by both Tara’s unhealthy longing on her deadbeat husband at the beginning, her general fecklessness as a character, which just didn’t go with anything else we knew about her- either from Book 1 or even how she described herself. As for Cameron, I think Tara described him best and most accurately (and kindly) when she said he was “overbearing, overprotective, high-handed, intense, (yet) caring.”
I felt some dissonance between who these characters were in their actions and what they said they were about. And the thing is I liked the characters I believe the author intended- how lovely for someone to take charge, how lovely to be taken care of- Tara and Cameron are coming from such tough childhoods that I see the attraction of both personality types for each other. But then like with the heroine in the first book, there’s a conflict between the characterization of the characters motivations and back stories and relationships with others, and what the characters actually did, how they thought and how they behaved. For example, Cameron was I assume supposed to be a Stern Brunch Daddy, but in actuality he was often very much out of pocket in his actions and borderline controlling based on no context or foundation. As for Tara, I didn’t feel she grew enough as a character- based on the high level of responsibility she took on in her early life, it was weird that she was such a passenger in her own life, even when carpets had been yanked from under her feet. Even in her conflict with her mother, her BFF had to get involved to resolve it, you didn’t get the impression she was sorted or improving emotionally.
For me, I think this could have worked better if Cameron and Tara had had a conversation or any form of interaction or foundation for him to go all alpha dominant on her out of nowhere. Because of the lack of this context, it came across a little creepy, and this is even though I personally like a take charge, commanding type hero. I will say this kind of works if you read it as a D/s romance- but it wasn’t really taken in that direction and that wasn’t at all the vibe created, again because there was a step missing before Cameron got inappropriately pushy. It was weird how at the beginning of the relationship, Cameron demanded a vulnerability and trust he hadn’t earned, which for that reason seemed toxic and a little unhinged.
What DID work well all through this book was the spice!!!! The author is a heat master and she brought it all here! All the intimate scenes were beautifully executed but incredibly erotic and the chemistry was explosive.
Overall, I think if you like erotic romance and a very commanding hero, the premise is unique and it’s worth checking this out. I can’t vouch that you won’t side eye the heck out of Tara and Cameron, but at least you’ll be warm doing it because 🌶🥵🌶🥵 🌶🥵!
I got a complimentary PR advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Stalking, and Infidelity
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