Review: I really enjoyed this book, and Lydia's addiction to alcohol was believable...I just wish there was a little more chemistry.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 13, 2014
3.5-3.75 StarsI was a little hesitant to read a book about a woman who uses sex and alcohol as a way to cope with her life, because I can't imagine anyone portraying an addiction the way Krista and Becca Ritchie do in the Addicted series; and I was right, but I don't think Lydia has an addiction to sex the way she has an addiction to alcohol. She uses sex as a way to forget when the alcohol doesn't do the job, and I think she slept with a different man every night as a way to get back at Desmond more than anything.When Aiden moves in next door, she knows he's off limits. There's nothing more awkward than using a guy for sex and living next door to him. Aiden has his own agenda though, and he'll take nothing less than friendship to be around Lydia. He makes Lydia confront her lifestyle and flaws-something Lydia will avoid at all costs-hence the alcohol.Desmond was a piece of work. I didn't understand the severity of control he had over Lydia until I got deeper into the book. Lydia's whole life revolves around Desmond. She's completely dependent on him, and he knows it. In fact, he prefers it that way. She is nothing but a puppet on strings that he can manipulate, and she tolerates it.Until Aiden.Aiden literally comes to Lydia's rescue figuratively and literally. Her past dictates her future, but Aiden helps her see that she can have a future that doesn't involve Desmond. He makes her start to believe that she's worth something more than she could ever imagine being. Aiden is the support system she has always needed, and gradually we watch Lydia become stronger.I do have a few complaints though. The intimate part of Lydia and Aiden's relationship was glossed over. I've said this before and I'll say it again: I don't need sex in a book to enjoy it, because if I can feel and imagine the chemistry between two characters, then they don't need sex as a way to form a connection.And there lies the problem. I didn't feel the chemistry was enough, and I think a sex scene would have helped me believe their connection more. I appreciate the friendship they formed, and I completely understand why Aiden wants to hold off on a physical relationship after they slept together once, but I just didn't feel it enough between these two.I really enjoyed this book, and Lydia's addiction to alcohol was believable. I enjoyed reading her transformation, and the way Aiden shaped the woman she becomes. I just wish there was a little more chemistry.