Title: Fever
Series: Breathless, Book 2
Author: Maya Banks
Genre: Erotic Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: library
Published: April 2, 2013 by Berkley
Jace, Ash, and Gabe: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Jace, it’s a woman whose allure takes him completely by surprise...Jace Crestwell, Ash McIntyre, and Gabe Hamilton have been best friends and successful business partners for years. They’re powerful, they’re imposing, they’re irresistibly sexy, and Jace and Ash share everything—including their women.
When they meet Bethany, Jace begins to feel things he’s never experienced before: jealousy, and a powerful obsession that threatens him, overwhelms him—and excites him beyond control.
Jace isn’t sharing Bethany—with anyone. He’s determined to be the only man in her life, and it’s jeopardizing a lifelong friendship with Ash. Bethany will be his and his alone. Even if it means turning his back on his best friend.
Reviewed By: Laura
Why I Read This Book: The three men at the heart of this erotica series are enchanting to say the least. Spellbinding is a more accurate term for how they compel you to read on about their exploits. This second installment begins with Jace and Ash sharing a woman, like they are almost always doing, but this time it’s different. That difference is what caught my attention and made me really want to dig in and figure out what could change one of the two most invigoratingly sexual men I’ve come across in my recent readings.
What I Liked: Even from the first book (my review) I have always related to Jace better. I’m not sure I can quantify why, but I thought I’d put that out there as a sort of disclaimer considering how much I enjoyed this book.
Bethany was an incredible woman that it is no wonder Jace was drawn to her. Despite her circumstances (homeless, mostly jobless, and a recovering drug addict) she still had a light about her. Understandably she has some self esteem issues, she still manages to exude a sort of cautious optimism that I couldn’t help but admire.
Jace’s inability to determine how best to help Bethany without making her feel like a charity case was admirable. Being gorgeous and rich, it’s completely understandable how she might have some issues trusting the authenticity of his advances. I loved how he combined his BDSM kinks with her personality and comfort level. Obviously she is willing to be experimental (she did sleep with Jace and Ash within a few hours of meeting them) but his care and determination to ensure her openness were what absolutely filled my heart.
What I Didn’t Like: I did feel like Jace failed a little too hard at times. While he could be kind and understanding regarding things in the bedroom, that same respect didn’t seem to extend to their base relationship. I felt like he would undo so much of their work together with simple, personal biases and he would miss some of the more important red flags. It seemed as though he had a tendency to focus on her flaws and worry about her insincerity when he should have been checking his privilege and viewpoint.
The whole situation with Bethany’s friend was kind of a sidebar that I think took away from her own story. Sometimes it felt like that’s what Jace’s issues were really pointed at, but he took them out on Bethany since she was right in front of him.
Overall Impression: Fever is a fantastic continuation of a multi-viewpoint series. Jace and Bethany are by far my favorite story, mostly because of the road they travel together. If you’re in the mood for kink with some bite to it, this is a good book for that.
Laura’s Rating:
I haven't seen this series yet I don't think, but it sounds good. I do think Jace would bother me a bit, since focusing in imperfections is so frustrating and unfair, but it sounds like it wasn't enough to make him an unlikeable character. And I do like kink with bite :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the first book in this series but wasn't completely in love with it so I hope that Jace helps me to love this series. Plus I'm a huge fan of two men sharing a woman, I know this goes in a different direction but I love Ash so I want more of him as he is my fav.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great review!