Review: Great premise, lacking in execution.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 13, 2014
I wanted to love this book. It sounded like it was right up my alley! A modern day antihero pirate. A captor/captive enemies to lovers intensely emotional romance. The premise definitely intrigued me, but sadly it didn't deliver.It should be noted in terms of plot that there are coincidences so fantastical that the chances of this story actually ever really happening in real life are about one hundred billion trillion to one. Which would be fine if we were talking paranormal, supernatural, urban fantasy...but we're not.But I was prepared to overlook the complete unlikelihood of the plot in favor of strong character development and relationship building...but that did not come to pass either. When I think enemies to lovers I imagine loathing being tempered by short exchanges where each sees the other in a different light, then a grudging respect forms, then shockingly the couple find themselves enjoying each other's company, feelings are engaged and often fought - there's lots of angst and intensity of emotion, until finally a connection is forged. Here we went from almost immediate lust to pretty much insta-love on both sides, and I will be damned if I can figure out why in either case.I liked Hendrix and wished there was more back story on his character. I have no problem with an antihero killing - for a logical reason, but I did find Hendrix's murder of 6 innocent men and trying to make the heroine feel responsible for it to represent a significant lapse in judgment. (Especially when all he had to do was yell "Hey Indi, I'm not selling you, you're mine! I'm keeping you". Problem solved. But no...)I really didn't care for Indi and I have a hard time really getting on board with a romance when I don't like the heroine. I found her to be immature in both her speech and behavior. When she tells her friend Eric to not "make her regret her decision to save him" I really wanted to tell her to get over herself. Hendrix made a deal with her that he would let Eric go unharmed if Indi promised to not try to hurt herself (she had an opportunity to kill herself and failed to take it, thus clearly she won't) and not to try to escape (from a boat in the middle of shark infested waters where she's out numbered 100 to 1) and in return she gets free reign of the ship. This gets turned into her sacrificing herself for her friend because she is going to "let" Hendrix sell her. Apparently she is overlooking the fact that he could have simply trussed her up, stuck an apple in her mouth and left her in his cabin like a Christmas pig, killed Eric AND still sold her and there was diddly she could do about it. Meanwhile Eric is sleeping on the floor in a cramped cell in the hold and she's traipsing about the entire ship at her leisure - but she's "saving" him.I will say the sex scenes were very well done. Hendrix is hot and I get what Indi sees in him in that regard, although again I would have preferred more relationship building and greater maturity on Indi's part.Overall it was a quick read, it was different and it held my interest. I just wish I didn't have so much to complain about. The ending sets up a sequel and I would read it out of curiosity if it ever drops to $.99.