Review: 3 stars - A diamond in the rough kind of story
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 20, 2014
Very brief synopsis - Knox is injured on duty in Afghanistan, and needs help for a few weeks after he returns stateside. Charlie volunteers for a group who helps returning soldiers. Knox is still carrying the scars of losing his fiancée 11 years ago. Charlie is recovering from her own romantic drama. Neither are looking for anyone. Incinerate chronicles their story.What worked - Knox is a good hero. He's a little gruff, and kind of standoffish. Women are for...you know...and not for keeping around. But Charlie doesn't let him get away with anything. She calls him on his crap. Once he gets on board the Charlie train, he's determined to stay there. Knox has a lot of growth over the course of the book. And sexy? Oh, yeah...Charlie - she's a daddy's girl, a kickboxing tomboy with a bit of a racy side that Knox brings out in her. She's smart, and honest. As mentioned, she does not hesitate to call Knox when he is acting like a jerk. Charlie didn't show as much growth in Incinerate, but then, she didn't have as much to learn.The men are men, but they aren't cavemen. They have a few moments where their reactions are a little too non-masculine, but overall, the guys felt authentic. Good friend moments, some humor, some awkward moments.What didn't work as well - I read Incinerate as part of the Alphas On Top bundle. For the first 1/2 of the book, I was all in. I actually picked up my Kindle to read before checking my email, etc. this morning. That's huge. I never do that. The reason I did that is because I thought I was almost finished with the story. (Again-part of a bundle. I couldn't really judge, except by the pace and the actions of the characters, how far through the book I actually was.) Imagine my surprise when, 2 hours later, I am still reading. And I am not a slow reader. So, yeah, that was weird.First, let me say I really liked this author's style, overall. She shines at characterization. I cared about the MC's, and wanted them to be together. I liked the secondary characters a lot. Definitely a strength for Ms. Teevan.The story went too long. Like, 100 or more pages too long. I had totally forgotten about the injury that got Knox and Charlie together in the first place. If there had been an overall arc to focus on, that took up page time, that would have been different. Instead, we keep getting these scenes where Knox or Charlie, or both, are see-sawing about their feelings for each other. Then there would be an incident that takes a few chapters, then more see-sawing. The scenes were sweet. Knox is awesome, Charlie is a doll...I get it. I didn't feel like every scene contributed to the furthering of the story. More like every other scene. There were some unnecessary subplots, and foreshadowing of the next book in the series.Particularly with newer authors, I sometimes get the impression that they like their characters so much, they don't want to let them go. And I agree -Knox and Charlie were special. But sometimes, a little less is a lot more.Bottom line - Overall, very readable, especially the first half. Time well spent. If the story had been more focused, more polished, without the unnecessary repetition, I would have easily given Incinerate a 4 star rating.