Review: Fun story, hot sex, painful backstory
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 25, 2014
For whatever reason, I started following author Avery Flynn on Facebook. Maybe she is a friend of a friend? Really, I haven‘t a clue how I found her. Anyway, she has been heavily promoting her new book and seems to think it totally rocks. As she seems normal enough, and I was very intrigued by the title - what does that even mean?? - I decided to give it a try.Overall, it is a pretty good book. Ryder the ass-kicking forensic accountant, and Devin  the rich boy turned MMA fighter turned department store executive, make a great couple.  Having them hook up for a single night before the story even begins is a nice set-up for a love conflict, and not one usually employed. The crime-solving aspect, the fashion world setting, the traveling to an exotic locale all make for a fun read. It’s a simple, fluffy romance, masquerading as an action novel. Oh, and there is loads of sexual chemistry, and some very hot sex.The forward story is written fairly well. The backstory, however, is not. The book reads as if the author just plugged information into dialogue to bring the reader up to speed. The first conversation in the entire book is one in which the two characters present announce the age of the other person. “You’re too cynical for a 25 year old,” he says, and she responds by also listing a quality of his and stating his age. Who speaks like that?Later in chapter one, Ryder has a conversation with her brother in which they both repeatedly state their relationship. I am positive that both little sister Ryder and big brother Tony are well aware they are siblings and do not require reiteration of this point in conversation. Repeatedly.The worst example of this telling through unnecessary dialogue is with Ryder and her friends, at a coffee shop. The scene involves only her two besties and her, yet when they get on the topic of Ryder’s last Terrible Boyfriend, the two friends give a detailed account of what was bad about the relationship and what ultimately ended it. As if they are telling this to someone unfamiliar with the story instead of to Ryder herself. What is most puzzling about this exchange is how thoroughly unnecessary it is. A few chapters later the story of Ryder and her crappy ex is revealed in a smoother and more appropriate manner. Why then bother with the strange coffee shop conversation?The main story is written pretty well so why the author used such a clunky method to fill in these blanks is beyond me. I think she can do better.I also think she needs a new proofreader, because it is “guerilla” warrior, not “gorilla” warrior. Right in the middle of a serious scene, the precursor to the climactic battle, and I get an image of two apes bashing each other. Which is not at all what actually happens in the final battle scene, btw. I thought the mistake was funny, and then (regretfully) wondered what gorilla warfare would actually entail. It is much more gruesome and disturbing than I expected.Avery Flynn shows promise as a writer, and I am hoping she steps up her game in the future. The badass romance novel heroine is a favorite character of mine, and seems to be Ms. Flynn’s specialty. If she works past that telling conversation mud pit I will happily join the ranks of her fans.