Synopsis:
An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling.
Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate--and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.
Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative--completely infuriating--creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules--or outright smash them--if it means he can have her. All over the office.
As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they're willing to lose in order to win each other.
Review:
Personally, whether or not something was FanFic (Twilight or otherwise) has no bearing on readability nor does it effect my opinions about the writer's ability. The guage by which I measure good writing is not at all impacted by the genesis of a story. I figured I'd mention that because so many people seem to be offended that FanFic is being published and finding a lot of success along the way. I could care less. As far as I'm concerned, congrats are due to anyone who can get their stuff out there and if I don't like it then I won't read it.
So, onto Beautiful Bastard.
This was a mixed bag for me, hence the waffling.
I almost gagged at some of the cheesy lines. A lot of the dialogue was cringe-worthy and hilarious, though I suspect it wasn't meant to be. In many instances it was way, way over the top.
Other times, I was like these people are nuts. I kept thinking that these characters needed to take a week and check into a clinic for some obsession-detoxing, intense therapy and mood stabilizing drugs.
Most of the book was an exercise in arguing and screwing. Yes, there's a LOT of both.
But I will say this, for whatever it's worth, the story really flows and the pacing in really good. I was able to finish it in one sitting and I didn't skim, which is a biggie as I have the attention span of a gnat. So obviously these authors must have done something right. Toward the middle of the book, as it became clear there was more going on than sex, I actually started enjoying it more. It was nice to watch this couple struggle with these new feelings and what they meant.
I did have a problem with the alternating POV, which is odd since it's usually something I love. Here's what struck me: while Chloe seemed consistent during both POV's, Bennett did not. I haven't checked but I suspect that these author's alternated the storytelling, one writing for one character, the other writing the second. At least that's how it seemed to me. During Bennett's POV I felt like he was far less cocksure and seemed almost to stammer, and I'm talking about the dialogue, not the narrative, though the narrative seemed a little off too.
Did I see the ending coming? Yes. There's no doubt this is predictable, but that's okay, a lot of books are. There was no real depth, no real character development but, as I mentioned, the writing was pretty decent and far better than a lot of the tripe I've read recently.
No comments:
Post a Comment