Review: Not bad, but the main characters lacked proper development
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 9, 2014
Note: I reviewed an uncorrected proof. It is possible that some events/quotes were changed prior to publication.HEAT was the second book I've read this week featuring an abused doctor heroine and a Jack of all trades hero to include a master of Kinbaku (Japanese rope bondage), tantra instructor, martial arts trainer, MMA fighter, and when necessary, bodyguard slash babysitter. Also, and this was a big part of his past and present, he could sew and was working on his own line of sports wear. Max was supposed to be a Dom, but besides giving a few orders to kneel or take off clothes, obey or be punished, I found very little of him to be dominant in the true sense. And more often than not, Mallory ended up topping from the bottom. He did have a bit more depth than I thought he would have. He didn't like being treated like a piece of meat, he didn't approve of anyone who looked down on others, and despite his father having been an abuser of everyone in his family, he kept the deathbed promise to his mother to take care of his ailing father. All fine qualities to have.As for Mallory, I couldn't connect with her because, quite frankly she baffled me. She seemed to take her job very seriously as an ER doctor, to the point that she was a workaholic and that put an added strain to an already dysfunctional relationship with her fiance, David, a hot shot attorney. She was the victim who decided not to get help, thinking she could fix him, until he took things too far (after getting hit a few times, I was surprised there was such a thing as a "last straw" with her). Initially, I understood why she ran away to get herself together and weigh her options, but as the story progressed, I was confounded by her near panic attacks over being found by her ex and so sexually turned on by the goings on in her sister's establishment and her instant attraction to Max. What I mean is, the mood changes between acting as if she wasn't broken to claiming she was broken and scared gave me whiplash. As for her character arc, she made some progress, but I feel as if it went downhill near the end of the story. I understood her reluctance to press charges, but after enough time and support from the friends around her, I couldn't believe that she did nothing but think of herself. David flashed a gun, not once but twice, and he was obviously unstable and yet she didn't want charges pressed. For a doctor, a woman, a human being...what if he had gone on and done the same thing to another woman. She was seriously going to let him get away with it.The story started out well enough with a good idea and good descriptions of her sister Colleen's setup. But there was a lot to keep straight between Couture which was an exclusive spa slash nightclub slash sex workshop with demonstrations and instructors. It was also the (vanilla) front to her kinkier operations, Hot Spot and Club Inferno. There was a little drama in the form of the rich and cough slutty female clientele who threw themselves at some of the Doms, including Max, much to the ire of Mallory. Normally that type of behavior would get shut down really quickly. There was another incident for even more drama that I just found really petty. The drama was over the top immature and ridiculous, to include a tirade from David and his sister.I also noted two inconsistencies, one in chapter sixteen when Colleen was enraged when Max told her that Mallory had returned to work. In chapter fifteen on the second page, Max told Mallory that Colleen was on the warpath and pretty pissed she hadn't told her about returning to her old job. In Chapter fourteen Mallory had made it through one week of work. In chapter sixteen Max told Colleen it was only Mallory's second day back.The Bottom LineI really wanted to like this book because the blurb and the cover drew me in. And I am always looking for that next great BDSM read to add to my growing collection. However, this story didn't hit the mark. Instead, I found it following pretty common and overused formula. I think this story could have been really good had the story been tighter. Max had so many different things on his plate that it was rather distracting, nor was he especially dominant in the way that it counts. Mallory started out insecure and pretty much remained that way up until the very end. I would have liked to have seen a more cohesive character arc on her part instead of rushing through the events. Their relationship moved almost too quickly with parts of it developing off page and with more sex than important relationship dialogue. The secondary characters were a saving grace: Colleen, Anya, Nefertiti and Istvahn. If they get their own stories, I would definitely pick them up. I loved Colleen's smart mouth and sharp humor. I'd like to see the man who could win her over. If it wasn't for them, I would have stopped reading before the end. It wasn't for me, but you might enjoy it if you prefer light BDSM with some humor and drama.Disclaimer: Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.