Books That Didn't Make the Cut Pt.15

Hello hello! I'm back with some more books that didn't really work for me, but might be winners for you.

Born to be Bound by Addison Cain

BLURB - Every bit as ruthless as his reputation suggests…

Shepherd ravages both Claire and her conquered city, refusing to let either slip through his fingers. He steals Claire's innocence and future by forcing a pair-bond on the rare, unwilling Omega female. Violent, calculating, and incapable of remorse, he demands his new mate's adoration. Her attention. Her body.

My Rating: ★ — You know those stories that are going so well, you're so absorbed you can't stop to do anything you must do to sustain your lifestyle... like work or clean or feed your kids... You just have to keep reading to figure out what's next?

This was one of those kinds of reads. It wasn't romantic but it was hella explicit and dirty and all shades of wrong. The idea of consent was a pipe dream, there was power exchange, there was a war-torn society, there were all shades of darkness.

And then the so-called hero did something that turned a 4 or 5-star read into something you can't even stomach continuing to read. He completely ruined the story with one action [cheating] and I don't even care what his reasons were. He did it and my time with this story is over. Will I read the rest of the series? Ummmmmmm no because I won't even bother finishing this one.

The Best Years by Elena Monroe

SAINT
College. My one chance to escape. And I ran as far and fast as I could.
Straight into the arms of something more dangerous.
Oliver.
He thinks I’m a good girl. But he doesn’t know what I’m running from.
He thinks I should stay away from him. But I can’t.
I like his cruel words. And his intoxicating smile.
He’s a temptation I can’t resist.
Am I a sinner or saint?

SINNER
College. Second year.
There are bad decisions at every turn.
Including the new freshman, Layla.
Temptations I can’t fight. Shackles I can’t escape.
I’m only comfortable with the cruelty that slips from my lips.
Her innocent charm isn’t going to polish away my bad reputation.
This wasn’t going to end well.

We all have secrets. What’s your sin?

My Rating: ★ — It's probably the case of "it's me, not you". I wasn't able to get past the way it was written or the discrepancies that were apparent from the start. I didn't like any of the characters and couldn't care less about what was happening in their lives.

Swallow Me Whole by Gemma James

Sadie Sawyer wants to learn how to blow a guy.

She’s my sister’s best friend.
The girl I’ve known since grade school.
The girl I’ve always considered off-limits.

She’s the girl that crawled under a table in a bar one night and changed everything between us. Now the brain in my pants is more than willing to step up. The rules are simple.

No kissing.
No screwing.
No falling in love.

But the more I let her use my body in the name of experimentation, the more I know being friends isn’t enough. Is it too much to want it all with her?

The taste of her lips.
The sweetness of her innocence.
The chance to earn her love.

I might have a real shot with her…if her douchebag ex and my past don’t ruin everything.

My Rating: ★ — What. The. Ever. Loving. HECK!!

The title and blurb suggested a dirty little friends to lovers romance I would fall in huge love with. I've read from Gemma James before and each time was a blast. I figured this would be too. And... nope. The heroine was a complete waste of time and I couldn't continue to torture myself with her story.

I'm almost twenty-three-fucking-years old -- the same as Ash and Mandy, who are light-years ahead of me when it comes to sex. But me? I must be the last virgin from our graduating class. How pathetic is that?

Wanna know what's pathetic?
- Thinking there's an age limit on losing your virginity
- Finding your boyfriend getting a bj from someone else (because you never gave him one -- boo hoo) and going out, getting drunk, and giving a bj to one of your best friends for kicks
- Being consumed with the idea of sexuality vs. worth instead of finding some confidence in yourself so people don't walk all over you

I had so many issues with this book. Will I still try Gemma James again? Probably. Hating one story can't erase the pleasure I found in others.