Review: A stand-out read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 28, 2012
I don't normally like to read books with jealous heroines, but I found myself reading Love My Way without a lot of frustration toward Katie, without any dislike or irritation for such a heroine with that type of insecurity. That's unusual for me, and it was all due to the way this author wrote Katie.This story is told in first-person from Katie's POV, and at first, Katie felt a little hard to me, somewhat brittle, maybe even cold to a certain small degree, at least where men and love are concerned. Because of a cheating ex and a devastating break-up, Katie has made the decision to love and leave 'em. "When I was in control, with my rules in full effect, I always knew the destination, even if it was going to be a very short trip." So, she has a rule: one man for one night, and then it's goodbye, no expectations, no love involved, and no risk of being hurt again.I found myself liking Katie, feeling for her. When Peter is introduced to the reader, we see the self-protective Katie. She's in complete control of Peter, rebuffing his advances, not quite playing with him but it's close, or it felt that way to me at least. And Peter is so sweet, so eager, so into her, pursuing Katie despite herself. And once he gets one night with her, he's determined to stretch that into more. And in this process, the author shows us Katie changing and evolving. Yes, we're privy to her inner thoughts, know everything she's thinking and feeling, but this author also showed us Katie's change and growth. It was really well-written, done in a very adept way.As for the sex, that was also well-written. From a touch to a glance, the chemistry is there, pulling me into that connection between Katie and Peter, tying me to that feeling of need and attraction. This author can definitely write a hot scene, an incredibly sexy as well as tender feeling to it. The carnality and the heat, it was all done with an undercurrent of sensuality and seduction, because that is what Peter really does. He seduces Katie, wearing down that resistance, making her fall for him. There was really no way for her to resist. I couldn't have resisted him.I seem to be reading my share of rockstar heroes just recently, and Peter is a stand-out. His character is so well-rounded. Even without the reader being in Peter's mind, the author allows us to really see him, to know him, and to fall in love with him. He's sweet without being artificial, imperfect without being a jerk, vulnerable without being weak. That last bit is true about Katie, too, and that is probably why I liked her so much. She was vulnerable, having her moments of doubt, but there was a strength about her as well.Knowing Peter's past, knowing the life of a rockstar, and knowing Katie's past and her insecurities, you can easily see what will play out, that there will be a big moment to make her face her fears. When her best friend is having relationship problems, she tells Katie, "I just need to remember that sometimes things don't work out the way we want them to." But for Katie, she had to realize that sometimes things *do* work out, with some faith and some trust. The author combined just enough vulnerability and jealous uncertainty in Katie, just enough to make her real to me and to make me like her.This is my first time reading this author, and I was impressed with her skill at developing character, her ability to show and not tell, her easily written love scenes, so very sexy, erotic as well as romantic; the whole flow of it was lovely, natural and easy. Love My Way is about 90 kindle pages, but it felt much deeper and fuller than that page number. A stand-out read for me.