Review: Fell Short On Many Levels
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 07 21, 2014
I really wanted to love this story because there is nothing hotter than a handsome bad boy worthy of redemption. But there were so many things about this story that just didn't ring true for me so I struggled to get emotionally invested. When I'm really feeling a story I share the tingles, and laughter and tears with the characters. Sure I smiled a couple of times but the sex scenes didn't do much for me and in the scenes I'm certain I was supposed to feel anguish and cry, there was nothing.If I have to boil it down, this is what kept me from really getting into this story and excuse the comparisons to Fifty Shades of Grey but I was balling my eyes out in that book: **SPOILERS**- Sebastian Black didn't do anything that made me thing he was worthy of redemption. Despite being plagued with nightmares for 12 years and bearing the weight of his guilt over having witnessed the death of Rosslyn's parents, he never did anything with his life to give back to society. Contrast this with Christian Grey who felt unworthy of love yet he went to great lengths to try to make the world better and address world hunger, etc. We are led to believe that Sebastian is filthy rich but all he spends his money on is a harem of women.- Sorry but the idea of him "buying" his women for sex any time, any where wasn't really sexy and didn't do much to get me in the mood. You may argue that Christian Grey wasn't much different, however the differences were subtle. Christian always focused on one woman at a time, the terms were negotiated and agreeable to both parties (not this concept of you drop everything when ever I call you, no questions asked) and he "showered gifts" on his women rather than outright "buying" them.- There wasn't enough build up to the two of them being obsessed with each other. Sebastian messes around with her a few times, ignores her for days at a time and suddenly he knows he is head over heels for her. It wasn't believable. Christian Grey was obsessed with Ana and spent hours dedicated to pleasing her and wooing her. And still he couldn't accept his or her feelings.I guess it all culminated in me not being able to connect with the characters. Sebastian was constantly trying to fight the way he was feeling towards Roz. As a reader, we put ourselves in the shoes of the heroine and we want to feel desired and wooed. Sebastian was a self-centered jackass for most of the story. No thanks!