A review by nicolet2018
Falling In, by Lydia Michaels
3.0
I knew that this would most likely to a Fifty Shades type of book and I avoid these books. But I was intrigued by Evelyn "Scout" the heroine who grew up being homeless and is trying to get out of it by working as a maid at the Patras hotel. I admire female characters who are independent.
It turned out to be worse than Fifty Shades because the difference between Scout and Lucian is so much more extreme. She is lowest while he is the highest in terms of income. This extreme makes the power dynamic in the relationship even more unequal.
At first I thought he was in his forties and she mentions she is twenty two. Another thing I do not like is romances where the couple have a huge age difference. But later, Scout guesses he is in his thirties which confused me.
"Dark hair clipped close to the sides and slightly longer at the top with the tiniest beginnings of silver peppered by his temples."
Page 9, Chapter 1
Things go downhill from the moment she meets the owner of the Patras hotel, Lucian. He decides he likes how she looks and offers to fund her lifestyle if she will be his lover. At first, things are business like but of course feelings come into the picture. I could not stand how dominating he is. He chooses her clothes, food, whether she can work, when they can be intimate..basically everything about her life.
Gosh, I disliked him. But the author tries to make him likeable by giving him friends and family who are nice. A jerk can't possibly have friends and family who like his company can he?
"'Lucian's been my friend for many years. I think you'll find he can be difficult and demanding most of the time, but he's a good person.'"
Page 38, Chapter 6
So it is okay if he is possessive and controlling as long as he is hot, rich and a good person?
Then there is the whole rationalising of his controlling side as him caring. I feel that this can be quite toxic because it sends the wrong message.
"His words were bossy and rude, but there was also a bit of concern beneath his censure. Underneath all of the gruff and growl, she suspected there was a soft little puppy. No, not a puppy, more like a bear cub or baby lion. She hid her smile."
Page 45, Chapter 8
To make things more trope-y, Evelyn is this beautiful woman who doesn't know it but everyone who meets her wants her. She has this perfect body and perfect everything. Ugh, I disliked how she is independent at first but became a doormat once she agrees to be his lover. She goes from working to sitting around all day watching TV and following him around.
"The next few days passed much the same. Lucian worked while Evelyn watched television. She visited the salon on days he had other obligations."
Page 161, Chapter 38
Okay, I admit she did put her foot down because he did not know how to communicate with her and she left, even if it meant she could have died from the cold. And she does say a few meaningful things like:
"Lucian, you can't control everything. What good would it be to have a relationship with someone who's had every bit of individuality stripped from them?'"
Page 81, Chapter 14
It is so obvious that the only thing holding this "relationship" together is his wealth. If he was not rich, Would she be so starry eyed?
She says she would be happy with only his company but I think that is not true.
He gets 22 cakes to celebrate her birthday, which I think is very wasteful because it is just two of them and what are they going to do with 22 cakes, there was even weddings cakes...
Then he buys her 22 Christmas gifts and brings her to a Christmas Tree farm with a horse drawn sleigh and the whole nine yards.
I mean, without him she would not be able to wear such nice clothes, lingerie, shoes, eat well or even sleep in a nice bed. I can see why she is taken with him because he can take care of her. Who is not attracted to that?
She tries to take some power back by saying she wants to work but did she really have any say because he is her boss. He literally tells her supervisor to give her less rooms to clean. It seems more like a symbolic gesture than her having any power at all.
Plus she is homeless so of course she is attracted to this knight in shining armour who can give her the world.
Then the author tries to again make it meaningful by saying they have feelings for one another and have this bond. Please....they have only met for a few days. And I think the author tried to lessen the power gap by having Lucian repeatedly say that Evelyn is like a drug to him, he can't live without her yada yada.....Oh and the part where he takes care of her mother felt fake to me. Yes, he wanted her back and did this amazing thing where he went to the her world - the train tracks where drug addicts and the homeless live. Ohhhh! such a big move.
Okay the sex part was trope-y as well because she is a virgin and he is like the "master of sex and kink". He introduces her to pleasures she has never known and gives her many orgasms! Yay score one for him!
She did try to be mature about being inexperienced but again he was a jerk.
"'Lucian, I know you didn't expect me to be a virgin, but so what? I'm not anymore. You act like it's a bad thing. Look at it this way You're all I've ever known as far as anything sexual. Rather than run from me, teach me.'"
Page 113, Chapter 24
I find it interesting how he makes sure that she understands that she has a choice and a safe word if things get too much but then there is this scene:
"It was too much. He was overwhelming her and she was thinking outside of her head, constantly forgetting what she had been considering from one second to the next, as her body struggled to feel. Scout lifted her palms to his chest and pushes, but he only pulled her closer."
Page 41, Chapter 7
I felt uncomfortable with this. There was the other situation where he pleasures her infront of his friend, Jamie and he did not ask if she was okay with it.
I did not like how he makes her say her body parts are his. What an egotistical person.
"'Your pleasure's mine to give. You don't take it without my permission.'
Her lips formed the sweetest little petulant pout 'Who says?'
'I say.'"
Page 155, Chapter 36
I can not understand how discharge from a women's vagina can be described as sweet or like honey. Tangy sure because of the ph level but I can't get how authors make it sound delicious.
Even Parker tries to talk some sense into Evelyn but she is having none of it.
"'Is that what you think? That he bought me?'
He fingered the lapel of her new jacket. 'Didn't he?'"
"'And does he see you as something more? Does he get the real you that I know or just some dressed-up imitation of what he wants you to be? How could you...how could you give yourself to someone who knows nothing about you? Don't do it, Scout.'"
Page 101-102, Chapter 20
Parker was rude yes but he hits the nail on it's head with his words. They hardly know each other and he did buy her.
The reason why I dislike relationships like this is because of how unhealthy it is. These characters are so dependent on one another that they don't spend their time with others.
"It felt right, sitting there in his arms, letting him touch her. He touched her as if he had a right to. Entitled. That was exactly what it was and she liked it. When Lucian touched her that way it made all her worries take a backseat for awhile. She knew she could come to him with any problem and in no time he'd have a solution for her."
Page 94, Chapter 18
That sounds more like the role of a parent.
"He offered her some Japanese beer, but limited her consumption, keeping in mind she was not yet accustomed to drinking much."
Page 157, Chapter 37
This makes Lucian sound like parent talking about a child.
"'Lucian, can I call my mom?'
He stilled as if he hadn't considered Pearl.
'Of course, I am sorry Evelyn. I should've let you do that first thing. If you want, we can go see her before my sisters arrive.'"
Page 180, Chapter 40
Yeah, Evelyn ask your father if you can call your mother. This odd childish way she talks to him and then her strong willed self felt like whiplash.
But it wasn't all bad with the characters.
If there was one thing that I thought was sweet, it was how he gave her opportunities to learn to read as she was illiterate.
Scout is steadfast in taking care of her mother who is a heroin addict. I admired the way she is the adult as opposed to her mother. How she took the abuse from her mother and still looked out for her.
The first half of the book was plot and the second half was sex. I was annoyed with that because there seems to be alot of plot that could have been used. I wanted to know more about her mother and how she met her father. Evelyn described him as "the dragon". I was wondering if he was from the mafia or a really powerful businessman and Slade seemed suspicious when he meets her.
The storyline where Parker used to be rich and then fell from grace is intriguing too. The point of view switches from Evelyn to Lucian and Parker which actually made it interesting.
This book was definitely not a book I enjoyed and I feel is written for others. I think that if you enjoy a fantasy than this is probably a good pick. But I will not be continuing the series.
It turned out to be worse than Fifty Shades because the difference between Scout and Lucian is so much more extreme. She is lowest while he is the highest in terms of income. This extreme makes the power dynamic in the relationship even more unequal.
At first I thought he was in his forties and she mentions she is twenty two. Another thing I do not like is romances where the couple have a huge age difference. But later, Scout guesses he is in his thirties which confused me.
"Dark hair clipped close to the sides and slightly longer at the top with the tiniest beginnings of silver peppered by his temples."
Page 9, Chapter 1
Things go downhill from the moment she meets the owner of the Patras hotel, Lucian. He decides he likes how she looks and offers to fund her lifestyle if she will be his lover. At first, things are business like but of course feelings come into the picture. I could not stand how dominating he is. He chooses her clothes, food, whether she can work, when they can be intimate..basically everything about her life.
Gosh, I disliked him. But the author tries to make him likeable by giving him friends and family who are nice. A jerk can't possibly have friends and family who like his company can he?
"'Lucian's been my friend for many years. I think you'll find he can be difficult and demanding most of the time, but he's a good person.'"
Page 38, Chapter 6
So it is okay if he is possessive and controlling as long as he is hot, rich and a good person?
Then there is the whole rationalising of his controlling side as him caring. I feel that this can be quite toxic because it sends the wrong message.
"His words were bossy and rude, but there was also a bit of concern beneath his censure. Underneath all of the gruff and growl, she suspected there was a soft little puppy. No, not a puppy, more like a bear cub or baby lion. She hid her smile."
Page 45, Chapter 8
To make things more trope-y, Evelyn is this beautiful woman who doesn't know it but everyone who meets her wants her. She has this perfect body and perfect everything. Ugh, I disliked how she is independent at first but became a doormat once she agrees to be his lover. She goes from working to sitting around all day watching TV and following him around.
"The next few days passed much the same. Lucian worked while Evelyn watched television. She visited the salon on days he had other obligations."
Page 161, Chapter 38
Okay, I admit she did put her foot down because he did not know how to communicate with her and she left, even if it meant she could have died from the cold. And she does say a few meaningful things like:
"Lucian, you can't control everything. What good would it be to have a relationship with someone who's had every bit of individuality stripped from them?'"
Page 81, Chapter 14
It is so obvious that the only thing holding this "relationship" together is his wealth. If he was not rich, Would she be so starry eyed?
She says she would be happy with only his company but I think that is not true.
He gets 22 cakes to celebrate her birthday, which I think is very wasteful because it is just two of them and what are they going to do with 22 cakes, there was even weddings cakes...
Then he buys her 22 Christmas gifts and brings her to a Christmas Tree farm with a horse drawn sleigh and the whole nine yards.
I mean, without him she would not be able to wear such nice clothes, lingerie, shoes, eat well or even sleep in a nice bed. I can see why she is taken with him because he can take care of her. Who is not attracted to that?
She tries to take some power back by saying she wants to work but did she really have any say because he is her boss. He literally tells her supervisor to give her less rooms to clean. It seems more like a symbolic gesture than her having any power at all.
Plus she is homeless so of course she is attracted to this knight in shining armour who can give her the world.
Then the author tries to again make it meaningful by saying they have feelings for one another and have this bond. Please....they have only met for a few days. And I think the author tried to lessen the power gap by having Lucian repeatedly say that Evelyn is like a drug to him, he can't live without her yada yada.....Oh and the part where he takes care of her mother felt fake to me. Yes, he wanted her back and did this amazing thing where he went to the her world - the train tracks where drug addicts and the homeless live. Ohhhh! such a big move.
Okay the sex part was trope-y as well because she is a virgin and he is like the "master of sex and kink". He introduces her to pleasures she has never known and gives her many orgasms! Yay score one for him!
She did try to be mature about being inexperienced but again he was a jerk.
"'Lucian, I know you didn't expect me to be a virgin, but so what? I'm not anymore. You act like it's a bad thing. Look at it this way You're all I've ever known as far as anything sexual. Rather than run from me, teach me.'"
Page 113, Chapter 24
I find it interesting how he makes sure that she understands that she has a choice and a safe word if things get too much but then there is this scene:
"It was too much. He was overwhelming her and she was thinking outside of her head, constantly forgetting what she had been considering from one second to the next, as her body struggled to feel. Scout lifted her palms to his chest and pushes, but he only pulled her closer."
Page 41, Chapter 7
I felt uncomfortable with this. There was the other situation where he pleasures her infront of his friend, Jamie and he did not ask if she was okay with it.
I did not like how he makes her say her body parts are his. What an egotistical person.
"'Your pleasure's mine to give. You don't take it without my permission.'
Her lips formed the sweetest little petulant pout 'Who says?'
'I say.'"
Page 155, Chapter 36
I can not understand how discharge from a women's vagina can be described as sweet or like honey. Tangy sure because of the ph level but I can't get how authors make it sound delicious.
Even Parker tries to talk some sense into Evelyn but she is having none of it.
"'Is that what you think? That he bought me?'
He fingered the lapel of her new jacket. 'Didn't he?'"
"'And does he see you as something more? Does he get the real you that I know or just some dressed-up imitation of what he wants you to be? How could you...how could you give yourself to someone who knows nothing about you? Don't do it, Scout.'"
Page 101-102, Chapter 20
Parker was rude yes but he hits the nail on it's head with his words. They hardly know each other and he did buy her.
The reason why I dislike relationships like this is because of how unhealthy it is. These characters are so dependent on one another that they don't spend their time with others.
"It felt right, sitting there in his arms, letting him touch her. He touched her as if he had a right to. Entitled. That was exactly what it was and she liked it. When Lucian touched her that way it made all her worries take a backseat for awhile. She knew she could come to him with any problem and in no time he'd have a solution for her."
Page 94, Chapter 18
That sounds more like the role of a parent.
"He offered her some Japanese beer, but limited her consumption, keeping in mind she was not yet accustomed to drinking much."
Page 157, Chapter 37
This makes Lucian sound like parent talking about a child.
"'Lucian, can I call my mom?'
He stilled as if he hadn't considered Pearl.
'Of course, I am sorry Evelyn. I should've let you do that first thing. If you want, we can go see her before my sisters arrive.'"
Page 180, Chapter 40
Yeah, Evelyn ask your father if you can call your mother. This odd childish way she talks to him and then her strong willed self felt like whiplash.
But it wasn't all bad with the characters.
If there was one thing that I thought was sweet, it was how he gave her opportunities to learn to read as she was illiterate.
Scout is steadfast in taking care of her mother who is a heroin addict. I admired the way she is the adult as opposed to her mother. How she took the abuse from her mother and still looked out for her.
The first half of the book was plot and the second half was sex. I was annoyed with that because there seems to be alot of plot that could have been used. I wanted to know more about her mother and how she met her father. Evelyn described him as "the dragon". I was wondering if he was from the mafia or a really powerful businessman and Slade seemed suspicious when he meets her.
The storyline where Parker used to be rich and then fell from grace is intriguing too. The point of view switches from Evelyn to Lucian and Parker which actually made it interesting.
This book was definitely not a book I enjoyed and I feel is written for others. I think that if you enjoy a fantasy than this is probably a good pick. But I will not be continuing the series.