BOOK REVIEW: Eighteen (18): Based on a True Story by J.A. Huss

~Synopsis~

Eighteen is hard.
And so is Mateo Alesci.
He’s hard to read, hard to predict, hard in every way that counts. He wants things from me.
Dirty things, nasty things, forbidden things.
And I have to give in.
His attention is completely inappropriate, but I can’t say no. The way he looks at me… the way he watches me through my bedroom window… the way he drags me deeper and deeper into his completely forbidden fantasy world just… turns me on. 
He knows it turns me on.
He holds all the power. He holds all the cards.
He holds my entire future in his hands.
And I have to give in.
Because Mr. Alesci is my teacher.
And I need everything he’s offering.

GOODREADS

~Book Review~

4.75 Stars

Shannon Drake celebrates her eighteenth birthday by getting extra courses piled on to graduate, attitude from her fellow students, and a punch from her brother-in-law—the only family she has left aside from her infant niece. Shannon has about the hardest life you can probably imagine for your average high school senior.

Enter Mateo Alesci, 28. Tattoos, biker boots, leather jacket, and the occasional suit. Yep, you read that right. Mr. Alesci, or Mateo as he insists, is a dichotomy of identities and a walking enigma. And that’s some of the magnetism of Mateo right from the start, not that Shannon’s story isn’t engaging because it hooked me from the very beginning.

But Mateo had me glued to this book, page after page, all afternoon. He takes what he wants, which is a lot of liberties with Shannon, cuts right to the chase, and oh lord the things that come out of his mouth! He’s definitely not a cookie-cutter book boyfriend, which was refreshing to say the least.

“‘What are you doing?…’

‘Fucking you….’

‘You can’t fuck me.’

‘I can if you don’t stop me.’”

He’s alpha and demanding, secretive and unethical. He makes a few missteps and isn’t always a prince but he’s original and best of all he’s NOT a manwhore.

Shannon is mouthy, headstrong, and sometimes immature although that’s fitting for her age. But she’s most definitely not a weak female character even when she’s falling under Mateo’s spell. She’s got plenty of guts and bravado, which she needs to overcome her circumstances and play with the likes of Mateo.

A lot of the story is lust, with the romance seeping in on select scenes. But holy cow is this story hot and it doesn’t take long to heat up.

“I stand there naked in front of him as a condition of being given the opportunity to learn trig, take a test, give him a blow job, get at least one question right, and get my pussy licked.”

With the exception of the epilogue, it’s told via Shannon’s first person POV which helps maintain an air of mystery to Mateo. It’s a super sexy page turner with just the right amount of intrigue, twists, reveals, and excitement.

While the author in the “End of Book Shit” describes the book as “for people who relate to drama and angst,” I honestly never saw it that way (which is a good thing because I detest angst.) Perhaps it’s the influence of real people and events (which she details further in that section) to the writing that made what I could only assume are the “embellished” parts entertaining rather than over the top drama. It is a taboo relationship, and Shannon has a tough life where she’s hit with a lot of heavy issues at a young age, but the story never made me groan in frustration or roll my eyes like angsty stories do.

Instead I found my eyes bugging out at times, my mouth dropping open, and my hand waving madly at my face to fan myself.

“‘I like you. Keep going.’”

That also sums up how I felt about the characters and the story so I closed the book wanting more of Mateo and Shannon. :)

AMAZON    B&N