Publisher: Loveswept
~Synopsis~
I wasn’t always this jaded. I had a clear head, things I wanted out of life, and a concise plan on how to get there. For being only twenty-one, I pretty much had it all figured out. Until the day my cousin died.
I spent months going over all the details surrounding her death, trying to figure out how I missed the signs, and the only thing I could come up with was she would still be alive if it wasn’t for one person: her professor. So I transferred to his college, enrolled in his class, and set my new plan in motion.
First I’ll seduce him. Then I’ll ruin him. I’ve just got to stay strong and not let his charm and my emotions get the best of me. Because someone has to pay for her death. If it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to break Noah.
2 Stars
Zara Hamilton is a 21 year old college student on a mission
to avenge her cousin’s death. Professor Noah Bain, 26, is the object of her
wrath. The scenario hinted at an engaging story but to be honest, it felt
forced and rushed right from the beginning.
For starters, readers are never given a glimpse at what Zara
is really like before she sets out on this life/career destroying mission
against a person she’s never met. What we do see of her is a reckless,
arrogant, conniving nutcase with no self-respect who changes her whole life
around based off speculation derived from a somewhat vague suicide letter. (Don’t
even get me started on why the cousin would go about it that way). Noah comes off as clumsy and dense. He’s
clearly only thinking from below the belt because any educated adult could see
through Zara’s immature and absurd seduction tactics.
Sometimes I thought Zara was headed for crazy town. The way
she acts and the things she says to Noah are just so over the top that it’s eye
roll worthy. (The 50 Shades
references and Britney Spears bit to name a few). Despite her loss, it was difficult to believe
that any sane person would sacrifice her own college career and pimp out her
body to expose something that she could have done by other means.
Readers who are turned off by cheating will not enjoy this
one as it’s basically every characters MO in this story. (And what was up with Noah not wanting to
bother with a condom when he knows she’s sleeping with Dillon too? Yuk!) No one
is really likeable and the reader is served the pathetic, lame excuse that it’s
easier to stay with someone rather than leave them even when you’re unhappy
and/or your mate is a two-timing abusive jerk.
I simply couldn’t find any real chemistry between Noah and
Zara. I’m sure their relationships with other people didn’t help. Anything they
felt for each other seemed more like desperation and insta-lust than any kind
of basis for love. Honestly, I didn’t see that Zara had any self-respect or
maturity to actually function in a real relationship.
Meanwhile, the teacher-student interactions felt forced. Their
roles felt contrived. And many of the supporting characters felt one
dimensional. What I assume is to be the story’s biggest plot twist I figured
out by chapter 3. All you have to do is read those chapters carefully and then
it’s pretty obvious.
I wish I could find some positive things to address but honestly it was a struggle to get through. The plot unfolds like a soap opera and a teen angst drama. The concept had potential to be a deep, engaging read but the plot overpowers character development at every turn.
*ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
I wish I could find some positive things to address but honestly it was a struggle to get through. The plot unfolds like a soap opera and a teen angst drama. The concept had potential to be a deep, engaging read but the plot overpowers character development at every turn.
*ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Missy Johnson is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in a small town in Victoria, Australia, with her husband and her confused pets (a dog who thinks that she is a cat, a cat who thinks he is a dog . . . you get the picture). When she’s not writing, she can usually be found looking for something to read.
Ashley Suzanne has been writing for as long as she can remember. As a youngster, she was always creating stories and talking to her imaginary friends. Thankfully, her parents also carried this love of fiction, and helped her grow into the
bestselling author she is today. When Ashley isn’t coming up with her next story, you’ll most likely find her on the couch, telling her husband all about her new book boyfriend, or spending quality time with her two gremlins . . . er, adorable children.
bestselling author she is today. When Ashley isn’t coming up with her next story, you’ll most likely find her on the couch, telling her husband all about her new book boyfriend, or spending quality time with her two gremlins . . . er, adorable children.
~Giveaway~
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