Review: Taming Hearts
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 23, 2013
was taken by surprise when I read Selling Scarlett this summer. What I thought would be a fluffy, sexy story about a woman who sells her virginity to help her best friend turned into as story about love, friendship, sacrifice, and human trafficking.One of the heavily affected players in that book was Cross Carlson. It was his injury that prompted Lizzy to sacrifice a piece of herself in the name of friendship. But not only did Cross have to deal with a debilitating injury and the aftereffects, but also the fact that his father, the Governor of California,  was a philandering douchebag who had ties to human sex trafficking to Mexico. Depressed and in pain, now Cross is on a mission to rescue the woman who paid a horrible price for unwillingly getting involved with the Governor.I gotta say, I truly enjoyed Taming Cross. You might think, based on the gorgeous sexy cover of this book that you're going to get a frivolous (no judging, I love frivolous) story, but that couldn't be further from the truth. This is a story of redemption and sacrifice. Of laying yourself on the line for another human being with no expectations, simply because it is the right thing to do. Shamefully, I know next to nothing about sex trade and human trafficking, but I love that this series has examined and shed a lot of light on this horrible practice, one I can barely fathom exists.The two lead characters, Cross and Merri, were both characters I embraced. Cross I already knew, and was excited to get his story. Not only is he likeable, and yes, sexy, but he's also still suffering from the debilitating effects of a motorcycle wreck and ensuing stroke. Because of this, Cross stuffed from extremely brutal nerve pain and has not regained use of his left hand. I truly admire the author for not making Cross invincible and impervious to the pain, both mental and physical. Cross was still a very handsome man, and he's partially disabled. And, he was sexy. I love James didn't cut corners with him and make his injuries magically disappear.I also appreciated Merri's characterization. She was a typical college student who got with the wrong guy, got in trouble, then seeking a way out, got in waaay over her head, and was exposed to the brutal side of human nature. She is a woman who believes she's irredeemable, and must continue to atone for her sins.When Cross and Merri come together, the attraction is fast, but the author took her time establishing a base of friendship and trust, a justice to these characters due to their circumstances. Great chemisty + a slow burn romance = great results!On a fun side note, I learned something really fun while reading Taming Cross. I know men have different reasons for getting, ahem, "excited", but I'd never really heard terms for these reasons. Cross referred to different types of boners. There's the "Friendship Boner" which occurs when your hot friend rubs her boobs on you when giving a hug. Also the "Adrenaline Boner", occurring when you're dashing through the Mexican countryside on motorcycle, avoiding bullets from a grief-deranged psychopath.Taming Cross was the story I'd hoped it would be, maybe better. If you're looking for a series that is truly more than meets the eye, give it a try.