A review by cflag
Flawless by Elsie Silver

slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I thought this was a gentle slow-burn romance novel, and it largely read like one, until there was a spice scene that felt uncomfortably male dominant-y to me. Like Cowboy Rhett’s force-squirting whipped cream into Summer’s mouth to “shut her up” and I’m like supposed to think it’s sexy? And where on earth did the scene with the doing shots from between her breasts at a bar come from… prior to this she had been a professional PR / sports management / lawyer person for the bull rider and next thing we’re getting a teen party scene, in which whipped cream features way too much for a bar, and putting on a guy’s hat means you have to have sex with them even if you aren’t aware of this “rule”. It almost felt like it didn’t match the book’s original tone, so the sudden tone shift really took me out of the whole story. 

I had been enjoying the book until that moment and I literally put it down mid sex scene and was like I can’t go on…  I no longer care about these two getting together. The uncomfortableness of her having to look after him the whole time then getting dominated (when they are getting together he says ‘tell me what you want’ and she says… ‘ruin me’…. uhhhhh what?) Prior to this is had been a slow burn, constant proximity story about two people falling for each other and opening up - a cowboy at the end of his career, and a sports manager / lawyer at the the start of hers, both with some baggage.
 
The other thing I found weird was the female character became responsible for everything of Rhett’s - his personal training, his injury management, doing the minute travel arrangements, following him to bars and watching him so he wouldn’t get in trouble, living with him. Would a multiple champion bull-rider not have staff other than his lawyer / manager to do that? Also doesn’t make sense as to why the owner of the company (her dad) would put a young upstart on her first job to prove herself, with an older cowboy who has a reputation as a casanova, and expect it to be a fair power dynamic and that she can “tame” him. A lot of responsibility on her when Rhett’s the one losing sponsors and behaving badly. 

I’d say I got 2 thirds of the way enjoying it and then dropped it. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings