RELEASE/REVIEW: Criminal by Alex Abbott

~Synopsis~

He was my protector. My savior. He would have done anything for me.

Now he's a criminal, and he's taken everything.

He's my stepbrother and I hate him.

I'm homeless, jobless, desperate. And I had to come crawling back. To him.

Bad enough my college money went to post his bail, now I have to work in the same, seedy bar he deals out of, too, just to get by? And listen to him with girl after girl, night after night, while he walks around all shirtless and sexy during the day?

I'm going crazy--wanting him. I know I shouldn't.

Maybe he was once my Prince Charming, but now he's just a big, tattooed, pierced, cocky prick. 

Problem is, even though he cut contact with me two years ago, I couldn't turn off the feeling I had for him. He's back, and my feelings are back too.

Now he's in trouble, with his gang, with the law.

And me... I'm in trouble, too.

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~Book Review~

3 Stars

Abby Tuney is down on her luck. And that’s almost putting it mildly. Her parents are gone, she has no money, and the only place she has to live is with her rough and rowdy older step-brother, Kaiden, who treats her like crap. Once her hero and the object of her crush, their relationship is now strained to say the least.  

Abby and Kaiden both land themselves in a dangerous situation so the story has a distinct desolate feel. It borders on the angsty side of fiction, and both characters were a little too fickle, too much hot & cold, too much running away for my tastes.

All in all, taking the book as I whole, I didn’t dislike Abby or Kaiden but I didn’t love them either. Abby is a little naïve at times; Kaiden a little too uncouth and stubborn. Kaiden definitely didn’t make me all warm and fuzzy about him from the opening. Abby might have been aroused by him banging other women in the room next to hers before they get together but that type of thing is a big turn off for me. As the story progressed I worked past it but then Kaiden would bring up those women when they’re intimate, and I was reminded once again what didn’t endear me to him in the beginning.

The sex scenes are definitely dirty—literally at times. And when Kaiden isn’t referencing the women before her, Abby isn’t referring to her “cunny”, and neither of them are labeling each other as actual siblings, it’s pretty hot. 

“In all my fantasies, I never knew it could feel like this, and my hands grip the cheap sheets as he impales me. He feels so hot, so thick, and I can feel the beating of his heart through his huge tool. Every pulse resonates through me, and for the first time, we’re really, truly linked.”

I give points for Kaiden redeeming himself in the end, although the ending felt a little rushed. I wanted a little more of how things worked out. 

All in all, the premise showed potential. A little more character and story development (what happened to Abby’s other parent? Did Kaiden have a last name?) and a bit of grammar/writing clean up (there were also many sentences that told the story in both present and past tense) would make it stronger.

It will most appeal to die hard readers of edgier step-sibling romances (it follows all the typical step-sibling tropes).  Readers of action-adventure romance will also enjoy the light suspense and outside the law plot.

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Alex Abbott is a former defense attorney who moonlights as an author of romantic suspense and erotic thrillers. Alex focuses on giving fans tastes of darkness, pushing them to the limits while exploring criminal underbellies, corrupt billionaires, and the women who get wrapped up in events they don’t want to control. Make sure to sign up for the newsletter for previews, review copies, and special surprises. http://alexabbottauthor.com/newsletter

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