Thursday, August 4, 2016

RELEASE BLITZ/REVIEW: Tempting the Law by Alexa Riley

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~Synopsis~
Eden literally fell into Coen's arms as he rescued her, and she has belonged to him ever since that day. She has sent him an invitation to her graduation and he's obliged to go... Right?

Coen has always been Eden's knight in shining armor, and now she needs him more than ever. Will he come and rescue her one final time?

Warning: This book is short, with speed-of-light insta-love and a ridiculous storyline. If you're looking for quick and dirty, then come tempt the law with us!


~Book Review~
2 Stars

Eden was kidnapped for ransom as a teenager. Coen was the cop that saved her. They haven’t stopped thinking about each other ever since, and two years later at her graduation party, they have their chance to reconnect.

I usually don’t read short stories as I typically prefer a fuller novel, but this summer has been hectic and reading time has been scare so I decided to give a quick one a whirl.

For a short smutty story though, it starts off with some depth and emotion. Coen began as a compelling hero, literally, and their tale had tons of potential for a full fledged romance. A version of Knight in Shining Armor Syndrome that goes both ways is what’s happening to Eden and Coen, and I really wanted to keep digging into their thoughts and feelings—their connection to each other.  If only the relationship was developed, if only they’d talked to each other beyond Eden’s flirting. But I hung in there hoping to get something more since at that point I still liked both characters. And then it went quickly downhill.

Some inner monologues were just eye roll worthy: “The sooner I get my baby in her, the better.” While others were utterly cringe worthy: “I’m losing my cool because I want to bread her…”  Seriously? She’s a woman, not an animal. An 18 year old virgin to boot.  Statements like that should not fly in this day and age. Disgusting. And then he starts telling her how to dress, and I realized the book boyfriend that started out with so much promise had morphed into a romance hero that just wasn’t cool—as in if a man starts dictating what you wear and who sees you in it while trying to impregnate you your very first time having sex, well you’d better run for the hills, not his home.

So for me, what was meant to be a sexy little story wasn’t even that because the underlying theme was how one young girl went from the control of one man (her stepfather) to another (her suitor).  Disturbing won out in a battle with dirty during my reading experience.  

This review is based off an unedited ARC although I must admit there were quite a few distracting grammatical errors, errors easily caught on a simple read through, that pulled me out of the story because I had to read some sentences twice.  

Aside from the grammar, one more thing kept distracting me. Coen’s age is never provided, but he’s clearly years older than Eden. She might be a virgin, but I kept wondering about his sexual history, even more so when they forgo protection. Some more character development could have gone a long way.

All in all, the premise had tons of potential, but the execution is a feminist’s worst nightmare.


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Alexa Riley is two sassy friends who got together and wrote some dirty books. They are both married moms of two who love football, donuts, and obsessed book heroes.

They specialize in insta-love, over-the-top, sweet, and cheesy love stories that don’t take all year to read. If you want something SAFE, short, and always with a happily ever after, then Alexa Riley is for you!

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