Review: Unexpectedly satisfying!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 28, 2014
With all the warnings posted by the author, I should have been discouraged. But I wasn't. I bought the book and I loved it to bits! So much that I'd be willing to re-read it.The author tries her best to turn the faint of heart  away. She explicitly explains everything that might disturb the average reader. People cuss. A lot. They beat each other. A. LOT. Everyone sports cuts, bruises, swollen eyes. In every chapter. Dominic keeps calling Bronagh "bitch". Not cool. She keeps throwing things at him. Aiming at his head. He's a possessive bully, harassing her, annoying her at every possible chance. So why did I like it so much?Bronagh is not your average heroine. She's not small and slim (she's in the one-hundred-forties) with a small upper body and a big "arse" that gets her crude comments on a daily basis. That instantly made her likable to me. The fact that she's embraced who she is and slaps her offenders with witty retorts or literally slaps them makes her feisty (too feisty) but each flying object that found its target made my young pushover self (the one I have supposedly left behind) do a little happy dance. Well, it's not like Dominic could not defend himself. He's a solid six foot three underground fighter. And he acts like a fifteen-year-old, liking her so much and choosing to annoy her to bits to get her attention. In spite of how verbally and physically violent this got, I found it unconventionally sweet and heart-warming. Weird? Maybe...I also loved the Irish setting, the authentic Irish lilt, present in all dialogues, the honest-to-God feelings that did not manifest themselves through incessant internalization (as in a typical YA novel) but through candid dialogues. The young protagonists' guardians (Bronagh's sister and Dominic's brothers) were not ignorant--just a presence to add a backdrop to their respective houses--but they took active part in the developing romance, knowing and commenting even in very private matters, resulting in adorable situations. And although there is explicit sex and hair-raising language, the story upholds an Irish girl's dreams. There is talk of marriage, kids, forever-afters, that if I saw in a setting on the other side of the pond, I'd have rolled my eyes. But this is Ireland, guys!Yes, there are faults and imperfections in this book. But it's so gut-wrenchingly honest, just like its author must be, that I ended up loving both. Can't wait to read about the next Slater brother!