Review: Great Chemistry
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 19, 2014
This is a well-written, smart book, with terrific chemistry between the leads. Cale is especially satisfying, with his sharp tongue and strong sense of self. I also loved Darren's gruff, demanding bedroom style but there were aspects of his character that didn't make sense. He's mostly drawn as a rough-hewn military leader, the type who'd choose a plain serving boy over a glamorous, bedecked courtesan, and who scoffs at the idea of being called Sir or My Lord--basically all leather and no silk. And yet a lot of the book's details seem to indicate he's a prince or some sort of aristocrat. We're not really told enough about him, this society or the conflict with the Sloans to account for his inconsistencies--if he is an aristocrat, why doesn't he act like one? Otherwise, the plotting was smooth, though the final climactic crisis was not exactly a surprise. Definitely the strongest parts of the book were the bedroom scenes, and who am I to complain about that!My issues feel more like the kinds of problems you see in an early novel--the book is very short and there really isn't time for much sustained world-building. What we get is a very broad-brush feudal-type setting with castles and lords, though the characters have a decidedly modern mind-set and verbal style. I actually prefer more modern, colloquial style in fantasy to a lot of "doths" and "smiting," though I could do without the present tense.Bottom line: I am very excited about this author and I think once she hits her groove we will be seeing some fantastic stuff from her. In the meantime, I am enjoying these short, hot little stories of hers.