Review: Not What I Expected
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 22, 2014
This book is a great addition to a very good series and was not what I expected.We are so used to these MC characters being big and strong and able to handle any situation, no matter what.  We don't think that they may have a vulnerability inside them that could ultimately eat away at them and destroy them if not faced.....and they aren't built to face or survive the emotional aspects of life.  Nash is one of these men.  His pain is so horrendous that his only option is to bury it and cover it up by being a man-whore.  His coping mechanism is sex.  Enter Velvet.....a broken woman who has pulled her self up out of the darkness of her own life and offers him something that no other woman had.....friendship.  When their relationship goes beyond friendship,  she does not compromise on certain standards she has set for herself and will not give on what she wants or expects from a man.  The dance that takes place from this point on becomes a struggle for domination, is clumsy and painful,  with toes being crushed many times but teaches them both, that either one can lead this dance, at any time,  without ruining the beauty of it.  I enjoyed watching the true Nash emerge.  He is a diamond that was formed from the blast furnace of crushing devastation and was chosen and shown how to shine by a woman who knew herself that the true treasures are not always in the glittery package.The other things I loved about this book.......Nash's loving and supportive family......the great friendships that develop between the women with no cattiness and the strong, strong female characters that this author creates.  The women know their men and know what it requires to be with these men but they are not submissive.  No shrinking violets here.  Kudos for that.I love the direction the author took with this character.  I'm sure she felt it was a risk, making him an open wound, but I'm glad she showed us that the real person is usually not the one you see standing in front of you.