A review by bribreez
Stinger by Mia Sheridan

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

*POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD! & LOOK UP TRIGGER WARNING

Whether Grace Hamilton wanted to admit it or not, she had always strived for perfection. Being the dutiful, responsible daughter, making sure she got the highest grades in school, attending the best school for her dreams of becoming a lawyer. Everything that Grace did had been meticulously planned out in her mind, and she always needed to maintain control of everything in life because, she wanted to ensure everything went according to her plan. Carson Stinger on the other hand was the kind of guy who flew by the belt of his pants, just going with the flow, and very laid back. Carson was aware of how he looked and used it to his ability, especially considering his line of work in the adult entertainment industry. Grace and Carson were complete opposites, and yet one day while both were in Las Vegas for different conferences gave them the opportunity to meet.

I liked the differences between Grace and Carson. Something about opposites attract is one of those tropes I enjoy because, you get to not only see the differences between the characters, but also how they affect one another. For Carson, since he was so laid back he was able to show Grace how to let loose, have fun, and in some ways see that there was more to life than just planning out her life. Not to mention, Carson had offered to “teach” Grace a few things in the pleasure department so that way she would be prepared in the future for her future boyfriend/ husband. For Grace, she was able to give Carson a renewed sense of joy that he hadn’t felt in such a long time. In the short time that Grace and Carson met, they formed a connection that was equal parts steamy, fun, and deep. 

Grace had her reasoning behind why she was so dead set on maintaining stability in her life. After the loss of her brother due to him getting sick from Cancer, Grace had then taken on the role of making sure she didn’t cause any trouble, and tried to alleviate any stress for her Dad when she was younger. A lot of that from a young age changed Grace’s outlook on life, and it made sense why she wanted to control every aspect of her life. Being with Carson, Grace was able to enjoy herself and even relax in terms of her responsibilities. In addition, Grace was able to experience true pleasure and passion with Carson. While Grace wasn’t inexperienced when it came to intimacy, her time with Carson showed her all that she was missing out on, feeling the truth depths of passion, steamy, breathless kisses, and overall learning to enjoy herself both in her body and mind. 

Carson was someone that I was curious about from the beginning. Considering Carson’s line of work, I wondered why he was still in the adult entertainment industry if he wasn’t fully happy in it to begin with. As the story progressed, Carson opened up about himself and the reasoning to which led to him being an adult entertainer. Hearing what Carson thought about Grace, how happy he felt around her was so sweet and uplifting especially since he hadn’t felt that kind of connection with someone ever. I really liked how Grace and Carson brought open parts of themselves they didn’t know they were capable of. Carson may have initially judged Grace as someone to be “high and mighty”, but in the time they spent together, Carson realized that Grace wasn’t like that. 

The chemistry between Grace and Carson was passionate, steamy, and endearing. For Carson, being around Grace made him feel more significant, like he was more than just a man with his good looks and body. Carson was well aware of his good looks and for the longest time, just went along with it, but after meeting Grace, he felt like he had more to offer than just his physical attributes. I felt bad when I read the parts of how fans of Carson treated him like he was a “piece of meat”, he was so much more than that, and not to mention just because he worked in the adult entertainment industry didn’t mean that others had an automatic right to his body, that wasn’t fair. Grace was attentive, kind, and loving towards Carson in a way he had never experienced. All in all, seeing Grace and Carson together was lovely and I loved seeing Carson felt a genuine love and respect form between him and Grace. 

Once again, Mia Sheridan knows how to not only write a captivating story, but also turns a seemingly straightforward plot, and puts a twist on it. At first, I just thought this was going to be a story about how Grace explored her sexuality with Carson, and Carson got to turn Grace from just the “perfect” girl into embracing her inner desires. This story was so much more than that, with the story separated into the three parts of the Scorpion as mentioned before the story started, it highlighted the different phases in the overall story between Grace and Carson. Carson and Grace not only fell in love with each other over the short time they spent together that weekend in Las Vegas, but it was a significant turning point for Carson, and made him reevaluate his life. Towards the middle half of the book was when the gears started to shift and I saw that this wasn’t your typical “boy meets girl” romance story. I really liked seeing the change in direction that Carson took with what he wanted to do in life, and of course I couldn’t help but feel a little sappy that Carson just wanted to be a better man for Grace. 

This story also ended up spanning over a couple of years, further illustrating the changes in both Carson and Grace’s lives. Carson becoming a Navy SEAL was unexpected, but also admirable, he changed his life course, and it seemed like it benefited him, he had structure, made some new friends, and pushed himself beyond limits he didn’t know he was capable of. I really admired Carson’s change, but also seeing him in a new light made me appreciate him more. I wasn’t expecting the level of danger and mystery that was later revealed in the story, but it added more depth to the plot, and of course provided Grace and Carson to be reunited. Seeing Grace and Carson back together after so many years apart was heartwarming yet also had a layer of sadness to it considering that Grace was engaged to another man *sad face for Carson. Regardless of the circumstances that brought them back into each other’s lives, there was still hope for Grace and Carson. 

Wow, simply wow. This story wasn’t unexpected in the best way possible. Grace and Carson’s story was truly unique and took me by surprise at what I had initially thought this story would be about. The story spanned over the course of five years, and between the time Grace and Carson first met to being reunited years later was so beautiful and loving. There were some obstacles in the way before they fully got back together, but once they found their way back into each other’s lives, it was a done deal. The chemistry, romance, and deep connection between Grace and Carson was great. I liked the mystery and finding out exactly what Carson had been up to following his leave from the Navy. This story had the added level of danger, and with that had mentioned some heavy topics so please check trigger warnings for this book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and with the way the story ended it tied everything up perfectly and of course the epilogue further illustrated the heartwarming ending that Grace and Carson got together, awww so happy!
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