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Book summary:
23-year-old aspiring
artist Sophie Walker can think of no better place than the exotic
paradise of the Maldives to escape the wrath of her controlling parents,
the monotony of her boring legal work and her passionless boyfriend.
With her two best friends along for the ride and to help her find
herself again, Sophie is not prepared for the enigmatic Clayton
Sinclair. Clayton comes from another world of privilege that seems like a
fantasy to Sophie. Can this man introduce her to the passion &
seduction she never realized she was desperately searching for? Sophie
quickly becomes ensnared in Clayton's seductive web until a shocking
treachery makes her question her judgment and actions...
Mad Love on Goodreads
My rating: 2 stars
My review:
Maldives. Artist heroine. Enigmatic hero. Sounds like a premise of an interesting romantic story. Or so I thought.
Instead it was: Maldives. Virgin heroine. Possessive billionaire hero.
Now, I don't know about anyone else, but I am definitely over that kind of romance. As far as I'm concerned, one was more than enough.
There are two reasons I finished this book: 1. I downloaded it from NetGalley, so I kind of felt obligated to read it to the end, and 2. the writing style of the author was something I liked in this book. I kept thinking that it would've been nice that this was a romantic comedy, because it would've worked great for me. But, no. Unfortunately, it was another virgin/billionaire book.
I'm aware I keep using the word virgin for the heroine. Believe me, I am aware. It's due to the fact that a lot of the story focuses on the fact that she is a virgin, and later on how she no longer is. And at one point that just started getting on my nerves. From the way she and everyone else talked about her, I felt like "virgin" was her whole identity. It would become a topic in every conversation she had, including her inner monologues.
Then the hero appeared to help with her "condition". Of course, as soon as they lay eyes on each other, they feel instant attraction. The hero, Clayton, being a wealthy businessman, is used to getting everything he wants, and he wants Sophie (that's the heroine), and whether she likes it or not, he's going to get her.
Personally, I did not find one single thing I liked about Clayton. He was arrogant, possessive, ill-tempered, rude, and just outright creepy. Using sex to get Sophie to say or do whatever he wants, and those mood swings are something that raised a lot of red flags for me. More than once I had the urge to scream to Sophie:
But in the end, the things I found disturbing, Sophie thought of as sweet, and proof that he likes her. Oh, that reminds me: throughout the book this was Sophie:
Oh, yes, our little innocent Sophie was very insecure in her "relationship" with Clayton, which led to a few ridiculous arguments that really could have been avoided by simply using their mouths for talking.
You know who did a lot of talking? Sophie's mind. Honestly, that thing never shuts up. It was fun at first, but after a while, it just became too much. I believe that is one of reasons I dislike Clayton - I never actually got to know him. He would say something, and then Sophie would start her inner monodrama, so that everything about him got lost in the process of Sophie's analyzing his every word.
One thing I liked, besides the setting, was Erik and Orie, Sophie's best friend and his boyfriend. Except for a few lapses, they provided the much needed voices of reason. Every time Sophie would start to lose it, they had a way of setting her straight and talking some sense into her, but quite honestly, the woman is faster than a bullet when it comes to jumping to conclusions. That ending was just blah. Way to create a cliffhanger.
Lastly, even though it doesn't say in the blurb, this is not a standalone novel. I don't know how many books will there be in the series (I'm assuming three); I only know that there will be book two. This is something I would have preferred to know at the beginning.
*A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley.*
Instead it was: Maldives. Virgin heroine. Possessive billionaire hero.
Now, I don't know about anyone else, but I am definitely over that kind of romance. As far as I'm concerned, one was more than enough.
There are two reasons I finished this book: 1. I downloaded it from NetGalley, so I kind of felt obligated to read it to the end, and 2. the writing style of the author was something I liked in this book. I kept thinking that it would've been nice that this was a romantic comedy, because it would've worked great for me. But, no. Unfortunately, it was another virgin/billionaire book.
I'm aware I keep using the word virgin for the heroine. Believe me, I am aware. It's due to the fact that a lot of the story focuses on the fact that she is a virgin, and later on how she no longer is. And at one point that just started getting on my nerves. From the way she and everyone else talked about her, I felt like "virgin" was her whole identity. It would become a topic in every conversation she had, including her inner monologues.
Then the hero appeared to help with her "condition". Of course, as soon as they lay eyes on each other, they feel instant attraction. The hero, Clayton, being a wealthy businessman, is used to getting everything he wants, and he wants Sophie (that's the heroine), and whether she likes it or not, he's going to get her.
Personally, I did not find one single thing I liked about Clayton. He was arrogant, possessive, ill-tempered, rude, and just outright creepy. Using sex to get Sophie to say or do whatever he wants, and those mood swings are something that raised a lot of red flags for me. More than once I had the urge to scream to Sophie:
But in the end, the things I found disturbing, Sophie thought of as sweet, and proof that he likes her. Oh, that reminds me: throughout the book this was Sophie:
Oh, yes, our little innocent Sophie was very insecure in her "relationship" with Clayton, which led to a few ridiculous arguments that really could have been avoided by simply using their mouths for talking.
You know who did a lot of talking? Sophie's mind. Honestly, that thing never shuts up. It was fun at first, but after a while, it just became too much. I believe that is one of reasons I dislike Clayton - I never actually got to know him. He would say something, and then Sophie would start her inner monodrama, so that everything about him got lost in the process of Sophie's analyzing his every word.
One thing I liked, besides the setting, was Erik and Orie, Sophie's best friend and his boyfriend. Except for a few lapses, they provided the much needed voices of reason. Every time Sophie would start to lose it, they had a way of setting her straight and talking some sense into her, but quite honestly, the woman is faster than a bullet when it comes to jumping to conclusions. That ending was just blah. Way to create a cliffhanger.
Lastly, even though it doesn't say in the blurb, this is not a standalone novel. I don't know how many books will there be in the series (I'm assuming three); I only know that there will be book two. This is something I would have preferred to know at the beginning.
*A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley.*
Hopefully, next time I'll share my thoughts about a book I loved. Until then...
XOXO
Ooo well definitely not one for me. I really don't mind virgin heroines or billionaire heroes but really don't like it when done like this or that book that seems to have sparked so many just like it. I've read a few that the characters had those characteristics but it wasn't WHO they were. Just a part of them. Does that make sense? So it wasn't annoying or eye rollable just something about them. Ah well. Hope the next one goes better for ya!
ReplyDeleteIt makes perfect sense. I completely agree with you. I don't mind it either, but I hate it when it's done like this. I even expected her to start introducing herself to people as "Sophie, the virgin." I'd also prefer the books I read to be original, and this theme has been done ad nauseam.
DeleteThank you. :) I hope so, too. I mean, it could hardly go worse.
Bwaha it would have been kinda funny if she had. LOL I hear ya. It really has. It's just reading the same story over and over with different names it seems.
DeleteAnd whew yeah I'm having the same thing today. Last read...did not go well. Really not much further down to have gone so it's gotta get better.
Yeah, it would have funny. I actually liked the book at the beginning. I really thought it would have worked as a romantic comedy. But when the hero came into the picture, it just went downhill for me. On the plus side, at least I managed to finish it. The last one I read with this theme, I couldn't even do that. I think I stopped at about 20%, and that says a lot.
DeleteWell, I hope your next read is not just better, but amazing, and that you soon forget about that one. :)