A review by raven168
Cocky Bastard by Penelope Ward, Vi Keeland
2.0
*Sigh* You'd think by now I'd have learned to just stay away from any sort of contemporary romance book. Far, far away. This one especially was painfully unbelievable. I hated both of the main characters. Chance was not a cocky bastard, he was a rude, pushy, asshole that had absolutely no filter or couth. Aubrey was just stuck up and annoying. I also had to question if she actually had any brains in her head a few times. I don't care what each one repeatedly said about their chemistry, there wasn't any between them. They had absolutely nothing in common and Aubrey just went along with Chance's flow because he was too hot for her to say no to him.
Obviously a minority here, but this book was not good. There were so SO many things wrong with this book. Right from the start we get Aubrey agreeing to let this absolute stranger into her car because he says he's not a serial killer and who else would change her tire for her? The other creepy guy in the parking lot? Oh, I don't know, maybe a goddamn tow truck service or something! Obviously they have them if someone is coming to get Chance's motorcycle that won't start. Then there was this entire ordeal with a fucking goat. Are these people that stupid? Like, really? They have never heard of animals that faint when they are startled? Or is it just because I'm not a city girl that I know this? Then they rush it to a vet!? I just...what!? But it gets worse. They take the goddamn goat on the road trip with them! A goat! In the car! And a car that was already packed to full because Aubrey was moving across the country with everything she owned in the car already. These people astound me. When they were almost to their destination, they decide to take a little side trip to Vegas. Which would have been fine except they get wasted, fake married, and Aubrey is determined to have sex with Chance. Also would have been fine except the stupid idiot that she is, truly thought that sleeping with him would get him to stay with her and they could be together. He had been telling her, since the beginning that they could not be a couple. Repeatedly. So why in the world would she think that sex would change that!? Also ridiculous...these two had been traveling together for a week. A week. And somehow Aubrey has fallen so far in love with him that she is depressed for months after they part. And it takes her years to even move on. So stupid.
Part two is a time skip of two years and told from Chance's point of view. Gawd was he a sap in this part. I will say that I never even thought that the real reason he couldn't be with Aubrey was what it was. So at least that was something unexpected. But when he finally is able to do what he wants, the first thing he does is look her up and head to her city. And proceeds to become a super stalker. He watches her go to work every morning, and leave every day. He finds out where she lives and takes it upon himself to start taking care of her lawn. Eventually he starts paying for her breakfast too. When Aubrey finds out that it is him, and that he's back, she's not freaked out at all by what he has been doing. No, she again finds herself unable to push him away. By this point, Aubrey has moved on and has been going out with a guy for at least 7 months. She says she doesn't want to hurt him, but she lies to him about where she is going and who with when she goes out with Chance. Now, for a woman who was moving across the country because her boyfriend cheated on her, it was really surprising that she didn't see this as cheating. Because it was.
Of course these two get their happy ending, but by then I didn't care. I didn't think they belonged together and I didn't believe how they ended up there. So glad I got this when it was free.
Obviously a minority here, but this book was not good. There were so SO many things wrong with this book. Right from the start we get Aubrey agreeing to let this absolute stranger into her car because he says he's not a serial killer and who else would change her tire for her? The other creepy guy in the parking lot? Oh, I don't know, maybe a goddamn tow truck service or something! Obviously they have them if someone is coming to get Chance's motorcycle that won't start. Then there was this entire ordeal with a fucking goat. Are these people that stupid? Like, really? They have never heard of animals that faint when they are startled? Or is it just because I'm not a city girl that I know this? Then they rush it to a vet!? I just...what!? But it gets worse. They take the goddamn goat on the road trip with them! A goat! In the car! And a car that was already packed to full because Aubrey was moving across the country with everything she owned in the car already. These people astound me. When they were almost to their destination, they decide to take a little side trip to Vegas. Which would have been fine except they get wasted, fake married, and Aubrey is determined to have sex with Chance. Also would have been fine except the stupid idiot that she is, truly thought that sleeping with him would get him to stay with her and they could be together. He had been telling her, since the beginning that they could not be a couple. Repeatedly. So why in the world would she think that sex would change that!? Also ridiculous...these two had been traveling together for a week. A week. And somehow Aubrey has fallen so far in love with him that she is depressed for months after they part. And it takes her years to even move on. So stupid.
Part two is a time skip of two years and told from Chance's point of view. Gawd was he a sap in this part. I will say that I never even thought that the real reason he couldn't be with Aubrey was what it was. So at least that was something unexpected. But when he finally is able to do what he wants, the first thing he does is look her up and head to her city. And proceeds to become a super stalker. He watches her go to work every morning, and leave every day. He finds out where she lives and takes it upon himself to start taking care of her lawn. Eventually he starts paying for her breakfast too. When Aubrey finds out that it is him, and that he's back, she's not freaked out at all by what he has been doing. No, she again finds herself unable to push him away. By this point, Aubrey has moved on and has been going out with a guy for at least 7 months. She says she doesn't want to hurt him, but she lies to him about where she is going and who with when she goes out with Chance. Now, for a woman who was moving across the country because her boyfriend cheated on her, it was really surprising that she didn't see this as cheating. Because it was.
Of course these two get their happy ending, but by then I didn't care. I didn't think they belonged together and I didn't believe how they ended up there. So glad I got this when it was free.