Review: Hot sex with a side of angst coming right up
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 17, 2012
What's worse: a physical betrayal or an emotional betrayal? And is it cheating when it's your fiance who practically instigates the addition of a hot, young stud into your bedroom? I have to admit Test Shot had me feeling angsty and twitchy. I'd just come off reading a fairly angsty Megan Hart novel, and I don't know if my heart was ready for this one. Some might not consider this one that angsty, but when I read a book, I get really invested in the action and the characters, as if it's all happening to me, too. And when I care about a character, I want it all to work out for him or her. And I have to admit Test Shot had my chest hurting with a fair bit of anxiety and worry throughout the story.First, I was worried about Aidan's motivations. Why does he really want to bring Sawyer into Layla's life, into her bed? Aidan and Layla have been together for four years; the sex has slacked off, things are strained, and I began to wonder why that was. It's soon obvious to the reader, I think, but this made it no less worrisome. Although I felt some understanding of Aidan, I still saw him as a somewhat cold and distant character, and I never fully warmed up to him. And I felt a little guilty about that. Then, there's Layla. I worried about her, too, as I felt she was somewhat pushed into this scenario by Aidan. I had a hard time really liking him for that reason. I worried that Layla was being forced into a situation that would backfire on her, sooner or later, and all I could do was watch her say yes to Aidan and then embrace Sawyer while Aidan looked on. How was this threesome going to work when everyone seemed to have different expectations?And last but not least, I worried about Sawyer. Sweet, hunky, adorable Sawyer. The guy was delicious in every way. While the action between Aidan and Layla tended to be darker, even dominating to some degree, the sex between Sawyer and Layla was fun and playful, so very hot and sexy. Those scenes were special, even with me worried about them both and even with Aidan looming over them, and me. Dark, brooding Aidan vs. light, open Sawyer. That's usually a no-brainer for me, but here, I didn't want Sawyer to be only a means to an end, just a diversion or a kinky experiment. Adding a third to the relationship complicated an already strained situation, and opening a Pandora's box is rarely the right thing to do, not unless you're ready to look at all that's revealed. Sometimes the truth is brutal, unexpected, even damaging, and it's ultimately undeniable.Some sex outdoors; some sex toy action; some sweaty, pounding, scorching sex; some sweet, tender and loving sex (but no m/m action and really no menage in a complete/true sense); voyeurism; plenty of conflicted emotion along with some jealousy and hurt; complicated feelings and uncertain relationships: This author definitely started this series in the deep end, and I wonder where she'll take the rest of it, where she'll take me next. I have a feeling about that, and I know that book is going to be as fraught with complexity and tension as this one was. Test Shot was a pretty deep little read, deeper than first glance, and written very well with lots of gritty emotion and longing, and lots of chest-aching angst. But I have to say that the author ended this story in just the right way. I closed the book with a smile on my face, and that made all the worry worthwhile.