Review: Brash Characters, with Melodic Prose
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 31, 2014
First Impression... I haven't had the best luck with books about fighters lately. But, I do really like the cover, and at 156 pages, it's worth a shot.The Story... After a tumultuous upbringing, Bri left her home and started a new life far away. With a job at a club and her friends, Bri has all she wants. She doesn't want a relationship, even when she meets the brooding and mysterious Luke. Luke, a boxer, doesn't especially want to start things up with the smart mouthed, tough Bri. This means, obviously, the two cannot stay away from one another. Bri doesn't like Luke's tough guy boxer lifestyle; Luke won't give up, and he doesn't like her living with her co-worker/roommate Jax. Add in the fact Luke's vicious opponent will do whatever it takes to bring him down, and you have a fairly intense story.The Characters... Bri is a character who will likely rub a lot of readers the wrong way. She had a tough mouth and personality, which, fine by me. Her decision-making skills kind of stunk, with her seeming to be bound and determined to get mugged and/or beat up by continually going down dark, rough streets at night by herself. I definitely liked the side of Bri that it seemed only Luke Turner could bring out.Luke was an interesting guy. He was a real tough guy. He didn't take Bri's crap, but gave as good as he got it. He was reluctant to get into a relationship with her, but didn't fight it. And I liked that. I liked that he was protective, even though he could be pretty abrupt.Jax and Rosie were Bri's friends, and I have to say, I liked them both. If I thought Bri was rough, then she had nothing on Rosie, but she was hilarious. Jax, I felt sorry for him, in a way. It's always hard to see the nice guy lose.The Writing... had a very interesting quality to it, one I've had a hard time defining. There were these really tough, loud characters, and yet the prose could be very melodic and sweet at times.Could I Put Wild Ones Down? Honestly, I could have throughout the first seventy-five percent. It's not that I wasn't into the story, just that I felt a detachment. I liked them well enough but the characters weren't especially endearing, which I think made the difference for me.In the End... Wild Ones was an interesting read for me. And no, I'm not even sure what I mean by that. I didn't love it, but I did like it. I would be interested in checking out the next book in the series.Favorite Quotes:"You're so adorable. Every time I wonder why I bother associating with you, I remember it's because you say the most adorable things. You're like a monkey using a fork or reading Shakespeare. Just precious."I made a face at her in the mirror and she snickered as she fluffed her hair behind me. "There you go again. Just don't start throwing your shit, please. This top is new and I don't want poop on it."It wasn't love, not quite, but it was almost there and it was desperate and I didn't know how to put it into words. It was the back and forth of him, the hot and cold, it made me crazy, made me feel crazy, and sanity never felt more pointless than when I was with him. He was poison and a cure and I wanted him all the time and hated him occasionally and sometimes it was all at once, which just made me want him more.