GUILTY AS SINby MEGHAN MARCH
Guilty until proven innocent.
That’s the way the world works, right?
I’m tired of being convicted without evidence, all because my last name is Gable.
The Riscoffs might own this town, but I’m done following their rules.
If only I could forget just how easily Lincoln Riscoff can drag me under his spell.
ADD TO GOODREADS
REVIEW: 3+ STARS
"No woman has ever affected me like Whitney Gable. Not before. Not since."
After the bomb that was dropped on us at the end of Richer Than Sin, I was ready to go when this book came around. I was so excited to finally get some answers and some more action thrown at me. Excited was an understatement!! So, while I wasn't entirely disappointed with this book, I wasn't exactly blown away either. It wasn't bad, it just was a lot slower than the first with little to no information until the very end of the book.
I wish I could just ask what happened? I mean, there was the drive and the desire to fix this amazing love that had no end in sight, and I really did feel Lincoln striving for that. Their love was one that, despite the obstacles presented to them, was determined to charge forward. But Whitney turned weak and Lincoln kind of got soft on me for a bit. I just....I don't understand. This book stalled. It just felt like filler instead of forward progression. It was if there wasn't enough information presented in this book to necessitate a whole 'nother book. I almost wonder if this trilogy would have read better as a duet because of the amount of extra added to this one just wasn't necessary. There was a BOMB at the end, but it just didn't have the oomph that the first book did. Maybe it was me hoping for more, and I set my expectations too high.
I do know this time around I got tired of switching back and forth between the past and the present as much as we did, and that took away from the buildup of the actual storyline in present tense. The idea of back and forth is to give us some backstory while growing the current one, but it has to be done in such a way that it doesn't pull you out of the intensity as it grows in the current. I was completely committed to the intensity of Lincoln and Whitney's love, but each time we started to get somewhere in present tense, she would jump to past and that aggravated me a lot this time. Their love, the headiness and the sexiness of their love was pure and absolutely intoxicating, so I definitely wanted to continue on with their love story. I crave a heavy and sure love that has me pining for more. Whitney and Lincoln have that love. It's undeniable and it burns hot!
I do know that for some reason this time, Whitney felt a little more whiney to me and the self talk came across as very cheesy. She was also much more self conscious about everything. Everything. That was kind of grating for me since we originally had this broken but very headstrong woman in the first book that was so determined to move on. I don't understand why she reverted back to this meek woman that needs constant reassurance, because those mental discussions she was having were just not necessary. It felt like it was dragging some of the story down, and that's not normal for me to feel with Meghan's books. What others may have seen as growth for Whitney read as fluff for me and I hate admitting that. It lacked a lot of substance the go around. So much so that this book ultimately felt more like a filler book than an addition to a great love story that I started to see grow in the first one.
"Leave it to me to fall for the woman I could never buy."
Alas, here's where I struggle: there is a little bit of Whitney in all of us, and I know Meghan makes sure all her characters are relatable in some way. Her females generally have a talent that is undiscovered or under-appreciated and she allows for that growth. I love that. They have real insecurities that we can connect to and understand as our own. I appreciate that. As with her male characters, they are usually very determined and stubborn men that have a lot of money at their disposal to throw around and get what they want, including the love that they cannot deny in any capacity. Nothing stands in the way of their one true love, no matter the cost. I looove that fantasy. I'm certain that I struggled so much with this addition to their story because the characters felt like they stalled in this book. Meghan's such a good character writer, and I love her characters, so when this one showed a different side than what we started out with, it kind of threw me for a loop....like I was backpedaling a bit.
I don't want this to be a review that sounds completely negative, because it really isn't. After being all excited in my review of Richer Than Sin, I felt like I was in love with some new characters. Lincoln and Whitney have a love that transcends all adversaries, and it's clear that we are going to see them overcome some serious ish, so this is a series I definitely want to see through. I want the butterflies that Lincoln gives me. I want the realizations and the smiles that Whitney gives me. I love watching them grow and discover each other...watching them realize that the love for the other is truly the real deal, but also realizing the small (and big) actions of the other is the truth of the depth of their love, and how far they're willing to go to fight for them as well. I like their love. I really do.
Again, please don't think I'm saying it's a bad book, but it's definitely not at the pace and caliber of the first book. Richer Than Sin felt action packed, but this one was quite slow compared to it, so maybe that's why I was having a harder time with it. We got a hefty dose of sweet with a side of cheesy, with the action lacking until around 95%. I am invested in their story, so I will happily see it to the end. I am looking forward to the conclusion and to find out about that bomb dropped at the end of this book. Not that my feelings are hurt about what happened...haha! I have my own guesses as to how some things are going to come to light in Reveling In Sin, so now let's see if I'm correct or if Meghan changes things up again and throws another twist at me! I have high hopes for an unprecedented ending for Whitney and Lincoln's epic love story.
"Everything you want is on the other side of fear."
~BEE
PURCHASE GUILTY AS SIN
A New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels, Meghan March has been known to wear camo face paint and tromp around in woods wearing mud- covered boots, all while sporting a perfect manicure. She’s also impulsive, easily entertained, and absolutely unapologetic about the fact that she loves to read and write smut. Her past lives include slinging auto parts, selling lingerie, making custom jewelry, and practicing corporate law. Writing books about dirty talking alpha males and the strong, sassy women who bring them to their knees is by far the most fabulous job she’s ever had.
She loves hearing from her readers at meghanmarchbooks@gmail.com
Sign up for Meghan's newsletter and receive exclusive content that she saves for her subscribers: HERE.
~CONNECT WITH MEGHAN~
She loves hearing from her readers at meghanmarchbooks@gmail.com
Sign up for Meghan's newsletter and receive exclusive content that she saves for her subscribers: HERE.
~CONNECT WITH MEGHAN~
ARC REVIEW
COPY PURCHASED FOR GIVEAWAY
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