Review: Maddening Sequel
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 3, 2013
First of all, this needs to be said, I am Team Ollie! Always have been and always will be!Layla is young, and so spontaneous. She is still impetuous, leaping without thinking and being led around by her passions. Not to be confused with her heart. This female character is one of the most infuriating to read, because she just never does what you need her to. I believe that Layla is confusing obsession and addiction, for love. Obsession and Addiction is what fuels her decisions and ultimately leads down the wrong path.Jared is just maddening. He is powerful, stubborn, controlling, obsessive, and stalker-ish. He is sexy, and rich, but he is beyond secretive, and he never learns from his mistakes, because in his mind, they are always justified. He is never wrong, and even when apologizing I could never take him seriously. I hated the power he exerted over Layla, to me it just felt icky."Layla, I gave you an instruction. Are you still unable to do as you're told?"We are left at the end of the last book, knowing that Layla has made her decision and is finally choosing. I was left angry and thinking, "Oh you are going to regret this..."Jared and Layla's relationship picks up pretty much right where they left off, with one exception. Layla is determined to remain abstinent while they get to know each other, on another level. She is desperate to fix their previous and still simmering issues. Problem is, Layla is never strong enough to resist Jared and his ways. Jared doesn't see that they have a problem. No matter how crazy, and raging she becomes at his controlling, suffocating ways, her resolve flits out the door as soon as he lays his hands on her. As a reader, I found this maddening. The icing on this maddening cake, Layla knows she still loves Ollie!"Ollie. I felt instantly sick with guilt and I knew it was something I was going to have to grow accustomed to. I'd made my decision and I had to make him my past now.""My mind wandered to the man I'd left behind. I couldn't help it and I knew that this feeling would not go away quickly. I loved Ollie..."Ollie is suffering, but we see and hear very little about him in the beginning. When we finally do, he breaks my heart all over again."I could never hate you. I wish I could. But the sad and painful ***** truth is that I still love you. I love you so much it's killing me every second that you're not here because I know where you are and whose arms you're in."Yep, and this is why I am Team Ollie folks!I never changed my mind once, throughout this entire read. I knew what I wanted and I never waivered. This book was maddening to read, but so incredibly engrossing and consuming, I couldn't bring myself to walk away. I realize the irony in this now, after finishing. Layla and I suffer from the same afflictions.The author takes a very non-typical approach to this sequel. She is deliberately trying to drive the reader insane. The sex scenes are hot, everything we got in the first book and a little extra thrown in for good measure. I think the reason why I was so enamoured with these two books was simple, I loved the characters, that being said 75% of the time I loved to hate them too. Any book that makes you so enraged that you want to break our e-reader, is in my opinion a great read. It is hard to write this review, because I am trying to avoid spoilers. Rest assured if you enjoyed Bound Together you will enjoy Burning Up. However if you do not enjoy, stories with love triangles, infuriating characters, so much drama your head spins, beware, this one is chocked full of all of the above.*WARNING* THIS BOOK ENDS, AND A THIRD IS ON THE WAY. THERE IS NO REAL CLIFFHANGER, HOWEVER THIS STORY IS NOT YET FULLY PLAYED OUT! I cannot wait to read the next installment, even though this one made me want to start drinking at 9am in the morning. Congrats to the author, for making me temporarily insane!