On the surface, my new boyfriend is a stiff, buttoned-up architect. He plans every detail of his life while carefully maintaining the walls he’s built around his heart. But when the biggest project of his career pulls him away, Clay’s solution is both temporary and unconventional. It even comes with a name—Travis.
This handsome stranger is sweet and thoughtful. He’s only meant to be a stand-in, to fulfill my needs under Clay’s watchful direction, yet these two men couldn’t be more different. The one thing they share? Well, I guess that would be me.
One gets off on my pain, the other on my pleasure, and it awakens a desire none of us knew existed. But it can’t last.
Eventually I’ll have to choose.
And it’s going to destroy us all.
This handsome stranger is sweet and thoughtful. He’s only meant to be a stand-in, to fulfill my needs under Clay’s watchful direction, yet these two men couldn’t be more different. The one thing they share? Well, I guess that would be me.
One gets off on my pain, the other on my pleasure, and it awakens a desire none of us knew existed. But it can’t last.
Eventually I’ll have to choose.
And it’s going to destroy us all.
"His slow, sensual kiss was less about romance and more about seduction. It was dangerous."
Well, hello Travis!!! That's really all I need to say because he was the SOLE reason I kept reading this book. So I figure, I will start it off with that. He was fine AF and he had all my attention. Every last morsel. Deeeeelicious. Ok, let's get serious. Now, Nikki Sloane was a new-to-me author, and while this was the third book in a series - rest assured, it was truly a standalone. I didn't feel like I missed out on anything by not reading the first two. Buuuuut, it also told me this will be the last book in this series I will check out based on the small introductions to the characters from the other books. Definitely not my favorite kind of characters. But, alas....here goes my thoughts on a book that intrigued me from the get go but didn't technically work for me, but still makes me want to read more by this author. Super confusing for me too, trust me.
Sadly, right off the bat, I was rolling my eyes. I hate admitting that, but I wasn't able to get into this one right away. The beginning was completely full of forced innuendos and circumstances to make things fall into place. Like, to the point of utter ridiculousness....so it didn't really start off on the right foot for me. Don’t tell me why she’s running outside in her heels, in the dark, in pouring rain because she “will take every opportunity” to wear her beloved heels. Show me the emergent nature in which she has no reason to change. I mean, you’re shielding your face so your eye makeup doesn’t run, but you’re not worried about your expensive and precious shoes? So weird. I guess it felt odd to me and was just an opportunity to throw “sexiness” into the scene when it wasn't necessary. I like to have something of substance that endears me to the characters’ plight or a push for the necessity of drama - something real. This one was truly rough around the edges. That promising synopsis is what pulled me in, but unfortunately, it was clear that it wasn't what I was hoping for. I mean, it was, but it wasn't. This whole story played out awkwardly, at best.
But then by 14%, I was skimming for relativity....something, anything to hold onto. This felt like it was missing out on structure. No character buildup. No real introduction. Nothing. I felt like I just jumped into the deep end of the pool without my floaties. Literally.
I struggled to connect on any level whatsoever with Lilith - and she wasn't easy to understand when it came to her actions or reasonings for things. I think the most annoying aspect was how she "announced" everything as if it were fact about what HE was thinking and feeling. She did it for both Travis and Clay. I don’t like projection and assumptions like that. I either want the story from a dual POV, third person, or it should only be her perspective in her POV. It just read as presumptuous and not genuine. It was almost frustrating. How does she know what they are thinking and feeling deep down? If you tell me it's because they are so in tune with each other, I am going to have to 'nuh uh' that thought immediately and provide quotes. They did not know each other beyond sex.....so her insight into their innermost thoughts and feelings was completely misplaced.
Transparency time: I almost DNF'd this a few times - it took me days to get through it. I needed help - something to push me to keep going. I knew one of my closest book friends read it, so I went to her review for some insight before I gave up. She said this was so hot and she enjoyed it, so it was then I knew I couldn't give up - so I told myself, "Self! We must push on through on this!" That is, of course, exactly what I did. So I read through a little more to get to the promised good parts. I knew there was a carrot dangling at the end of this rope and I was rewarded a few times. While I like some good heat in a book, it's not what I always search out. So I decided, if this one didn't have the depth or the angst I really enjoy, maybe the heat level will kick it up a notch for me. And while that was purely the only reason I kept reading this book (because TRAVIS), it didn't pick up the actual story side for me at all. There’s never really such thing as too much sex in a book, is there? I mean, as long as the story is well hashed out, at least, right? Well, when the plot is weak and the character development is shallow and the ‘reason’ behind their arrangement is ridiculous, that turns my statement around. This book was full of PAGES per sex scene, and very little storyline in between. It was basically scene after scene with next to nothing in growth and advancement. There was literally sex on every page and that was the answer to everything - which, who’dah thunk I’d complain about that? Not me. That’s for sure.
Truth: I admit I did read this with a lewd curiosity. It felt rigid and dirty sometimes, but not always. There were many times it was in a super sexy way, and many others in a slightly dirty way, which is par for the course with many BDSM books. But ultimately, it was hot like my friend promised. And, also....
Expert
Level
Phone
Sex
This book provided some smiles in many different areas, but also, a slight spin on the threesome aspect - and that intrigued me a lot. It did pick up at the halfway mark for me and then by two thirds of the way through, I was enthralled with the dynamic of this throuple, with, of course, Travis at the helm. Way too long for me to ‘sink’ into it, but I held on by a thinly veiled thread of curiosity. Because, #Travis - again.
I do sit here and wonder about where the introduction for Clay and Lilith went. Where did we learn about who they were and what made them click? We learned about them in "real time" presence because as we read, we learned - but, that took away from me understanding the draw to her neighbor. That didn't give me any incentive to hope for their relationship to work out. I didn't know what made them tick, so certain components read oddly to me.
The plot points in this book that really made me shake my head over the flat out ridiculousness of it, were her shoes and the damn cat - oh, and HOW Travis was introduced to the mix, but I'm not hating on that as much as the other two because Travis was so perfect. I won't even get started on the other two plot points because these were HUGE points constantly being brought up and they were just utterly ridiculous. The use of these to drive some points home took away the seriousness for me because in my mind, I'm debating the validity of it at every turn. Who "adopts" a cat with their neighbor they just met? Like, seriously pushing this "adoption" on them? It really showed the lack of depth for me. And her beloved heels? Good lord. I couldn't with this girl. She was all shades of annoying.
Overall, this one was super hot - but I think that's honestly all it had going for it. I won't think about it. I won't reminisce. I won't even really recommend it heavily past the point of, if you want a no thinking - super hot - crazy heroine type read. Maybe I went into this one with the wrong mindset. Maybe this was supposed to be a naughty, down and dirty quickie (according to my book buddy). Maybe I missed that memo, but I'm quite sad about how this one "read" to me. There wasn't any depth, or character growth or development beyond Clay deciding he can go against his "plan" and learn something new. BUT, there was an amazing Hero in Travis (I freaking LOVED LOVED him - like, LOVED him. Can you tell?) and there was a (NOT) Dominant in Clay - despite what his active role in this relationship was, but it totally didn't fit what little we knew about him. And then there was Lilith. She was all shades of annoying. So, in other words I struggled, but I craved the parts with Travis in them.
So...I didn't hate it, but I most certainly didn't love it either. I wasn't impressed by my first read of this author's, but I guess it's safe to say, I'm also more intrigued by her other books as well, knowing what I do from this one. I'm still curious about her voice and style. Her style is very different, not gonna lie - but I'm always up for a challenge.
"My head was cloudy, and I was a passenger in my own body, but the sensation was amazing."
~BEE
~MEET NIKKI SLOANE~
USA Today bestselling author Nikki Sloane landed in graphic design after her careers as a waitress, a screenwriter, and a ballroom dance instructor fell through. For eight years she worked for a design firm in that extremely tall, black, and tiered building in Chicago that went through an unfortunate name change during her time there.
Now she lives in Kentucky, is married and has two sons. She is a three-time Romance Writers of America RITA© Finalist, a Passionate Plume winner, a HOLT Medallion finalist, and couldn't be any happier that people enjoy reading her sexy words.
Sign up for her newsletter: https://www.nikkisloane.com/newsletter/
~CONNECT WITH NIKKI~
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