Expected Publication: April 7th 2015 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
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Genre:
Contemporary Romance/ New Adult
Summary on Goodreads:
Sia O'Donnell can't help but push the limits. She secretly attends every underground MMA fight featuring The Predator, the undisputed champion. When he stalks his prey in the ring, Sia is mesmerized. He is dominant and dangerous and every instinct tells her to run.
Every beautiful thing Ray "The Predator" touches he knows he'll eventually destroy. Soft, sweet and innocent, Sia is the light to Ray's darkness-and completely irresistible. From the moment he lays eyes on her, he knows he's going to have to put his dark past behind him to win her body and soul.
"Fifty Shades of Grey meets Fight Club."- RT Book Reviews
RATING: 2.5/5 stars
*** REVIEW ***
I can only blame myself for reading this book and then not enjoying it, because I requested it on Netgally even after I've read the comment from RT Book Reviews which described it as "Fifty Shades of Grey meets Fight Club." Having read the FSoG trilogy and the synopsis of this book I had some idea of what I can expect and I still read it despite knowing that Fifty Shades-alike stories don't work for me nowadays, so there's little wonder that neither did this one. I thought that this time might be different because of my weakness for MMA fighters and tattoo artists, but unfortunately it wasn't.
This is the third book in the Redemption series, but if you're interested- you can it read as a standalone just as I did. I must admit that I was even hooked at the beginning of the story and pretty sure after reading the first 20 % that this will be a 4 stars read for me, but then things (read: melodrama) started to escalate in the 2nd half of the book to the point that I even started skimming (mostly sex scenes), so my final rating is 2.5 stars. Btw. the only similarities of this book with Fifty Shades of Grey, in my opinion, are: one possessive and dominant alpha male (especially in the bedroom) afraid of commitment and a big amount of sex scenes.
You should definitely read this book:
- if you enjoy dark contemporary romances filled with sex and push & pull drama.
- if you enjoy stories with the setting in underground clubs/fights and tattoo parlors.
- if you are fans of MMA fighters and the thrilling fight scenes.
- if you have a weak spot for dominant, possessive and jealous alpha males.
- if you're a fan of tortured heroes.
Why it didn't work out for me:
- The biggest reason is because there was too much unnecessary (melo)drama for my taste.
- There were also too many repetitive sex scenes for my taste.
- I didn't find it sexy how the male MC spoke Tarzan-alike- talking about himself in the third person or shortening the sentences. His, at times, over-possessiveness didn't work for me too.
- While the female MC definitely had a stronger personality than Anna from FSoG, she also handled poorly some situations and had some immature and naive outbursts which tended to get on my nerves.
So, there you have it. If you find yourself more in the first group above, then I definitely recommend reading this book, but if you're share the same plot and characterization "issues" with me, then I say: skip it!
xoxo,
Purple
I think I wouldn't like this book for the very reasons you gave, so thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteWelcome! Yeah, if you have similar book "issues" like I do then it's better to skip it despite the mouthwatering cover. ;)
DeleteI'm sorry that this one didn't end up working for you. I think I would get hugely frustrated by the melodrama. Thank you for the honest review, I hope your next read is a lot more enjoyable! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jasprit! Hope so too.
DeleteHmm, repetativeness is never good!
ReplyDeleteAgree!
DeleteOh, bummer Purple! I have this for review as well. I really love how you broke this story down! I have low tolerance for major melodrama and push and pull. I didn't think it possible, but books can have too many sex scenes, and that gets old quick. I also don't care for frustrating heroines, and this one sounds a bit like that. I do like a lot of your pluses, so maybe I'll enjoy this a little more than you. I'll cross my fingers! Brilliant review! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rachel! Hope you'll enjoy it more than I did. If you're fan of this series I'm sure you will.
DeleteOh man. I would've love to read a book that combines two of my guilty pleasures, but I don't think I can stand the exaggerated Tarzan-like personality.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think I overgrew this type of books long time ago too.
DeleteOh well that's disappointing. That like 50 would make me skip it to begin with. I missed seeing that line of advertising. Hope the next read is better.
ReplyDeleteI actually liked FSoG trilogy when I first read it, but it was long time ago and since then I read a lot much better books and my reading preferences changed.
DeleteThanks, Anna! My current read is definitely better. :)
By the time 50 came out I'd been reading erotica for years and whew yeah to say it was a disappointment would be an understatement. I had the same issue with Twilight. I know a lot who loved it but most it was their first foray into vamps/para and again I'd been at that for years and read Frost and Hamilton and Ward so I got to those and had that uhhh. moment. lol Sometimes it really has a lot to do with what you've already read.
DeleteAnd yay for the current read going better! Always good to hear.
Agree. In my case, FSoG was my first introduction to BDSM erotica. I was curious and fascinated by that "lifestyle" and with their chaotic relationship, but since then I've read much better BDSM erotica novels which made see all the faults in it, but I'm still not sorry for reading it and I'm definitely going to watch the movie, even though that type of stories/characters don't work for me anymore.
Delete