Review: Illusions, Secrets, Cruel Behavior, Learning To Trust... Hope. Its All Here In One Spectacular Read!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 15, 2014
*Written for Craves the Angst Book Reviews*4.5 Deceptive, Sexy, Pole Dancing Stars!The Review:Where do I even start with this review...The first half of this book was steeped in unanswered questions both for the reader as well as the heroine. In all honesty, I didn’t know who to root for or where my loyalties should lie until about halfway through.In one corner, you have the heroine, Candy, who is a stripper and whose financial stability is dubious. She’s on the brink of losing everything as her money has long since dried up and her nightly earnings aren’t cutting through the debt fast enough. Her father is sick and she hasn't been able to see him for quite some time as he lives hundreds of miles away and she can’t afford the airfare or drive.In another corner, you have the hero, Blue Eyes, or as we later learn his name to be Nathan, who is incredibly wealthy, handsome and has come into the strip club and requested Candy by name on a few previous occasions. He is shrouded in mystery, demands and an aloof personality that borders on malicious and most definitely hostile.Nathan propositions Candy to be his wife, to carry his name, be his sexual partner on his terms, pose for photo ops and be the doting wife in public he needs her to be. But thats where the “relationship” ends as he wants no emotional ties.Then standing in the middle is Nathan’s right hand man, Drew, who watches from the sidelines with envy, need and lust. He seems to be a kind reprieve for Candy, a mirage in a scorching desert, from Nathan’s carnality and unkind manner. But he too is holding secrets and something is definitely not right with this whole situation.I can say I honestly didn't like any of the characters in the beginning and in hindsight, I don't think I was supposed to. Every player in this story is acting a part, has a reason for doing what they do, how they behave... and what that story is, isn’t revealed until halfway through.So whats the point I'm trying to make?The first half of the book was filled with lusty goodness but left confused me, questioning everyone’s motives and left me distrustful of everyone. But once the secrets are revealed and the true story comes out, this book transforms from a ball of intense confusion to a fantastic tale of trust, mistrust, love, hate, obsession and indifference all wrapped neatly around some very sexy, steamy, burning scenes.This books is VERY well told with fascinating characters and a plot that captivated me right from the beginning even while leaving me questioning everything. And once I realized what was going on, I read straight through and couldn’t put the book down.In short, I really really enjoyed this read. Nathan was highly sexual and commanding and though some of his actions were demeaning to Candy, there were reasons behind them we don't fully understand until much later. Candy wasn't a pillar of virtue either. Her actions were very questionable, but in the end, these characters were just struggling through life and the hands they were dealt.Character Lowdown...Candice (Candy) came off as dimwitted and clueless, having no real development until middle way of the book. Its not until the secrets are revealed, you understand this is intentional because until that point, she didn’t understand the power she wielded. And once she recognizes she in fact had power, we see a whole new side to her. She smartens up, she relaxes, her personality isn’t hidden away. She becomes intelligent, playful and likable.Same with Nathan (Blue Eyes). Until the big reveal, he wields all the power and used his position to dominate, control and intimidate. This was also on purpose. These were his walls, his security, his protection. He’d had his power taken away once and he wasn’t about to let it go again. But once those walls start to fade and crack, his light shines through and you see the man behind the mask. And though I love a more serious alpha dominant, I also love a carefree, open, sexy alpha as well and this author did a fantastic job with both side of these characters.The Wrap Up:By the end, these characters wade through their journey, finding themselves, finding each other, figuring out what's really important and learning the value in trust.By the end of this read, I absolutely loved everything about it.