Review: An Interesting Read
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 17, 2013
An interesting read with a very swoony leading man, but the female protagonist left a lot to be desired.Grey Amundsen is the child of a very conservative Christian household. Her father doesn't hold for much nonsense when it comes to self expression and her mother, though she tries to sway things Grey's way every now and then, by and large agrees that Grey should listen to her father's suggestions. Don't dance. Don't pursue the sin infested profession of film and production. Hollywood is full of whores and liars, after all.After the death of her mother, Grey cannot abide by her father's strict rules anymore. She tells him that if he cannot support her dreams and let her be free to live her own life, she's done. When he doesn't back down, she packs her bags and heads to California to college to pursue her passion.Alone in California, Grey is able to focus on school and pretty much nothing else. She's determined to prove to herself that she can follow her dreams. Unfortunately, the funding for her financial aid begins to draw thin and either she pays for her schooling and room and board herself or she can say bye-bye to her education and her dreams.For weeks she searches for some kind of employment, but she's never had a job before and her skills are slim to none. The only option she has is employment as an exotic dancer. Trained in some ballet and contemporary dance, she has the skills, but does she have the guts? She decides she has no other choice and accepts the position.A few months later, still uneasy with her profession, Grey nevertheless resolutely dances her way through the nights, making enough to pay her way through college. Plus, she's been  offered an internship at her favorite production company. All seems well until she runs into the handsome Dawson Kellor, the famous actor to play Rhett Butler in the new Gone With the Winds remake.Dawson immediately sees through her act and will stop at nothing to figure her out. Forced to be his assistant because of the internship position she's thrown in his magnetic presence again, and again, and again. An inexperienced virgin whose been taught the ways of the Bible Belt, she has no idea how to process the feelings she has for Dawson. It doesn't hurt that he's extremely protective, drop dead gorgeous, and sweet to boot.This has been on my top-tbr list for eons. I was interested in seeing what Jasinda could do with a virgin stripper, as she wrote the chaste prostitute so well with Wounded. I loved that book and figured something else by her would be an automatic hit as well.Unfortunately, not so much. I cannot get over how much Grey cried. After each set, she cried and threw up. Every time she saw Dawson she cried. Every time they had sex initially she cried. At work. At school. On set. Etc, etc, etc. It seriously detracted from my enjoyment of Dawson. I felt sorry that he had to put up with her drama.I really wanted to see more of a conclusive emotional development for her. I wanted to see her be stronger, more self-sufficient and kickass. I didn't want her to be a whiny little bitch. She needed to get over herself a little bit and do her job. I wanted her to be kind of like Ally from Rock Chick Revolution. Stripping doesn't have to be horrible. Then again from a pastor's daughter from Georgia, maybe she just couldn't get over her biblical hangups. I digress. Regardless, I did not click with Grey. I could not sympathize with her about her serious issues with her job. I ended up skipping through pages because I couldn't stand listening to her whine.Dawson, however, was great. He was sweet, understanding, moderately alpha and interesting. He is what kept me reading the book. Intense. Hot. I don't quite understand what he saw in Grey because she ran away every time he came within 10 feet of her. He brought the heat and the swoon and that's probably all that I liked about Stripped.