Review: I went absolutely crazy for Cuba and Dovey
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 12, 2014
When I love a book, I love hard and the days that follow soon after finishing, I find myself in a book slump because I’m still hung over and unable to get past it. That’s exactly what Ilsa’s debut novel, Very Bad Things did to me. So when she announced that the follow-up to this series would be coming, I was booming with excitement. However, the thing about follow ups is this– when a reader such as myself who had fallen so deeply for the first book in that series, the expectations are always, unfairly set. The curse of the sequel in the film world holds the same value in the book world.  I had to set aside my love of Very Bad Things, Nora Blakely, and Leo Tate; reminding myself that Cuba and Dovey deserved my undivided attention and so, I began my journey alongside these two very wicked characters where I found myself falling in love, torn apart, tested, and ultimately regaling in finding a happily ever after.Katerina Dovey Beckham in one word is resilient. Though born into a life already set up for her to fail, she somehow finds incredible strength from within and bravely makes the conscious decision at a very young age that she would survive. I was most captivated with Dovey’s self perseverance. I loved that she had such a passion for dancing and I admired how she nurtured those around her even though she grew up not having a mother who did the same for her. She broke away from the vicious cycle that she was expected to follow in society’s standards. This girl was tough as nails and I enjoyed seeing her rise through all of her trials and tribulations because she kicked its butt each and every single time, irregardless of temporary emotional and physical injury. She always got up, dusted herself off, and gallantly floated away from the situation. Dovey Beckham was a force to be reckoned with, a silent explosion that no one ever saw coming.“I closed my eyes and pictured me dancing as Joan of Arc, of mesmerizing the audience with clean lines and elegant feet. And like her, I would be resilient in the face of sacrifice, I would preserve through the burning, and I would not give into fear.”Cuba Hudson wasn’t the hero I had expected him to be; he was SO MUCH better… SO MUCH MORE! I was ready for a rich, shallow hero who needed to be taught the meaning of what it was like to not have everything handed to him but I was happy to be proven wrong in my assumption. Instead, Ilsa developed a character worth all the heartache he caused, someone worth fighting for, and someone worth saving. My heart broke ten fold for Cuba– the tragedies that caused such a deadly weight in his life. The self loathing and the guilt that ran rampart from within really made you see that money couldn’t buy everything.“Cuba Hudson, the hottest, richest, most popular guy on campus looked as broken as I felt.”I went absolutely crazy for Cuba and Dovey. Their interactions– the flirtatious banter, the deep seated want for each other, the sweet rumblings whispered between them just had me floating on cloud nine. This is what I loved about this book. The chemistry that Ilsa created between these two was just a total knock out. It was everything that all readers hope for when picking up a romance novel. The beauty of Very Wicked Things lay on Dovey, Cuba, and the love that grew between these two brutally broken people. You had no other choice but to stand behind them and fight alongside their battles because their story is not easy to read– there were many times where I was shell shocked and I was left wide eyed at the toxicity of Cuba’s words and actions (I loathed him so many times over!!). Moments where I couldn’t believe Ilsa took Dovey on; but these also made everything in this book that much more viscous.  I LOVED LOVED LOVED Dovey and Cuba together, whether they were in love or at war. Together, they were just right.“You were a curiosity, Dovey. You’re  not from here, and I wanted a taste, that’s all. I moved on when it got boring. Get over it.” “I slummed with you.”“Like a dancer who automatically recognized which toe shoes are hers, my heart sensed him as mine.”And though there were so much I loved about Very Wicked Things, there was also a critical point which didn’t rock my boat (ergo the 4-star review). When suspense and criminal elements are added on to a romance book it becomes a really tricky situation for me. Don’t get me wrong, I have read and loved a handful of romance/crime novels. These worked because it was exactly that, romance and crime driven with the perfect amount of suspense to heighten the senses. In Very Wicked Things, this fell short for me. Though it greatly influences the story, it didn’t have the right focus and didn’t have enough acceleration to drive the story line across. In many ways, it broke up the momentum of their story and left me scratching my head.  I give props that Ilsa went BIG with a life changing decision that Dovey makes, but Dovey’s reaction to the aftermath, I didn’t feel to be realistic enough to drive the point of its magnitude. Again, I am very picky when a love story is intertwined with this type genre so it may be something that will totally work for others but just didn’t for me.Overall, I very much loved this follow-up. Ilsa remains strong in her story telling using the full force of her magnetic writing style. Her words suck you right into the pages, causing late nights of reading, ending with a huge smile plastered across your face. I cannot wait for what’s to come in this series… Especially when this minx of an author leaves you with something to think about because of some unfinished business for a certain hottie who we have yet to truly know.So, if you are a lover of great writing, addicting story lines, and characters so worth the sleepless nights, then Very Wicked Things (and Very Bad Things) is what you need.