Review: My New Watch-Out-For Author
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 1, 2014
4.5 starsI loved this book and loved, loved, loved the beginning!  From the very first sentence I knew this was an author who could write and I couldn't wait to see what this story would bring.  I thought she captured perfectly the insecurity and independence of someone who left a small town for university life.  Her style, world building, and plot development was brilliant and highly engaging.  I loved the switching of POVs and each character had a unique voice.  I found it easy to adjust to the shifting of tones.  The main and supporting characters were fleshed out nicely and believable.  The rawness and veracity of the thoughts, emotions, and motivations of protagonists Jeremy  and Beck was refreshing and made the story so much more enjoyable.  Jeremy's spicy, spitfire attitude was delightful and amusing, especially when juxtaposed with Beck's outward show of reservation and quiet, subtle command.  I really loved the tension between the two as they meet one another and flirt in that innocent yet sexy way that occurs as two people test the waters in determining not only their chances with one another, but also in this case the discreetness and carefulness of discovering the other's sexuality.  The relationship throughout was filled with the right amount of angst and sensuality to keep it fresh and exciting.  I thought the conflicts, some used many times before in this genre, were handled in a believable fashion.  I believe this is due to the setting of the novel as well as the author's amazing story telling ability and beautiful writing style.  There were so many lines from the book that I wanted to highlight and store away to keep forever.I loved that this book was plot focused with an appropriate amount of sex thrown in.  There were several instances that I though the author was going to sacrifice plot for meaningless and excessive sex scenes but always I was pleasantly and gratefully surprised that this wasn't the case.  In fact, not only did these scenes not detract from the story, but they served as important moments to push the plot along as well.  Readers who are familiar with the abundance of useless sex scenes in this genre will appreciate this author's dismissal of such a tool.  As far as the steamy scenes go, they were hot, well written, and contained elements that I've rarely read in other m/m books, something I found added to the uniqueness and distinctness of this author's style.As far as negatives go, there aren't many.  My biggest niggle is the smattering of punctuation errors throughout the book, consisting mainly in the form of missing quotation marks.  It wasn't terribly distracting, but a bit discerning considering the author seems well educated and has a degree in English.  Also very minor was the fact that the main characters seemed to have the same classes everyday, something which does not occur in a collegiate setting.  A good editor should have picked up on these things and made them an easy fix.  The climax of the story and the events leading up to it seemed to happen quickly and the resolutions were almost too convenient.  I also felt like the "fight" that occurred around this time would not have gone on for so long in real life given that there were police officers present as well as an adult who wasn't entirely informed about the surrounding circumstances.  Also, while I would have found it believable that some of the characters accepted Beck's coming out and relationship with Jeremy, it was too much of a stretch to believe that virtually all of the cast, especially Jeremy's parents, displayed such easy reception.  As someone who grew up in a rural, southern town similar to the one presented in this story, I feel that such universal acceptance, while ideal, is rare and unusual, even among a university setting.  To me, it seemed the author wrote such responses to make this book a feel-good read and happy ending for her characters.  Finally, there was one exchange between two very minor characters that I know was included to set up a future book in this series.  The scene actually did serve to enhance and move this story along, but I felt the same effect could have been produced with a few simple sentences depicting the actions of these two characters, rather than the inessential and almost awkwardly placed and awkward to read dialogue that was written.Pinned is a beautifully written, do not miss book.  Jeremy and Beck were wonderful protagonists to ride along with, and their story was gripping.  The few criticisms I have do not mar the book in any substantial way, and are far outweighed by everything that is right about this novel.  The length is perfect and I felt satisfied after reading Beck and Jeremy's story, although I am now eagerly and impatiently waiting for the next installment of the SSU Boys series that I know is sure to come.  Based on what was presented in this novel, I can foresee at least three, and maybe four, books to come, and those stars are just as intriguing and enjoyable as the two presented here.  I can see Maris Black becoming a staple and auto-buy for m/m lovers and I highly suggest picking up Pinned.