Review: One hot ride!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 17, 2014
Rebel is one hot, erotic ride and I just couldn't put it down!Readers were introduced to Wes and Rubi in the first book, Reckless and were given a small hint of the building attraction between them... Did I say attraction? I actually meant a raging inferno with enough sexual tension to affect any one within a 10 mile radius! By the time Rebel begins, it's clear that Wes has had enough with being "just friends" with the beautiful, intelligent but emotionally scarred Rubi and he isn't shy about pursuing her. Rubi on the the other hand, normally doesn't care about what people think about her, she's lived her life in a way that has worked for her for years but for some reason, Wes is different. She's attracted to him but more than that, she likes him. He's a damn good friend and she doesn't have a lot of those. The last thing she wants to do is lose Wes' presence in her life so she'd rather have him as a friend than take a chance romantically and lose him completely.Where some people might see Rubi as selfish, cold and heartless, I saw her feelings and actions as justified. Most of the time. Her life has been all about being rejected by the one person who should have been showing her that she is worth taking a chance on and that she can make a relationship work, with the right man. Instead, Rubi's father has destroyed her faith in herself on a personal level. That's not easy to fix and it certainly isn't going to happen over night in some cheesy epiphany. The only time I truly despised Rubi was when she allowed Wes to think she'd fall back on her old habits when he was out of town. She did get a taste of her own medicine though and quickly began to redeem herself. She's pretty flawed for a heroine and that's part of what made Rebel more enjoyable. Rubi wasn't as predictable as other female characters.Wes and Rubi are complete opposites, Wes is laid back and as simple as they come. A country boy with a taste for adventure, a romantic streak a mile wide and a hidden dirty side that only comes out to play with Rubi. Can you imagine a man like that in real life? He'd be hunted by every woman in the world! Why he wasn't in Rebel is a shocker. He's got that all around charm that's backed up by intelligence, patience and loyalty to those he loves. You'd think he and Rubi wouldn't work with how opposite they are, but author Skye Jordan found a way for them to connect on a more personal level.Rebel was more of an emotional read for me than Reckless was. What made Rubi frustrating also made her endearing and Wes is almost perfect as the man who wants to show her a different side of life. I love that this series take place in Hollywood yet it isn't right in the thick of it. Sometimes "Hollywood Romances" can get tedious and become ridiculous with all the name dropping, it kind of spoils the fiction element for me, however, since The Renegades series centers around the world of stunt actors, there's just a enough of the Hollywood element to make it believable but not too much to make a reader roll their eyes.I can't wait for the next book in this series, they just keep getting hotter and hotter!