3.5 stars
I haven't read a lot of erotic romances, and I don't know if this is typical of the genre or not, but I felt with this story in particular it was more erotic than it was romantic. There was just less of an emotional journey between Devin and Cass than I would have liked. The physicality of their relationship was there definitely but beyond that I didn't feel that had that deep loving relationship in this story. Not that erotic stuff wasn't good because it was beyond and sexy and what I did enjoy most because it showed off their connection, but I wish there was more of a balance between the romance and the erotic.
Also, again this could be due to the fact I am not totally used to this genre, another thing I wasn't too comfortable with in this story was some of the language and its crudity. Usually something like that doesn't bother me. It sometimes surprises in the few erotic romances I have read but not both me. Here I was bothered by it. I think a big part of it had to do with the context of the story. It was a very sexual story hence some of the language, but I think I didn't feel that deep emotional connection between them than it just felt very cheap. It was just about the physical. And for me that's not enough. I wanted be moved on every level, and here I wasn't.
Something I noticed in this book that also bothered me was just how much of the book focused on outside things instead of Devin and Cass in their relationship. In fact that spent less time together than I ever would expect from a romance. It wasn't about them as a couple and getting closer and closer, which was the journey I was looking to go on with them. Instead everything else took over. I didn't need to know about sexual history in quite as much detail as I did. I didn't need to know about his liaison with Lois and where and when they didn't. I appreciated that it showed how he got into becoming a Yoni master, but I didn't necessarily need all the details of how he learned. I would have just been fine with the fact he met Genevieve and Genevieve explained about what a Yoni master was and him agreeing to it. I get why it was shown where he gots hands on action, but personally I didn't need it. I would have preferred showing Devin and Cass more than they were and just show how they were fall in love. If they had more time on the page together then maybe I wouldn't have minded the outside stuff coming into play, but they just had so little time together. I wanted more.
When they were together, it was awesome. It was highlight of the book. It just showed how special of attraction and connection that shared. I appreciated the fact they had a backstory from years past, and they had insane chemistry then and they had it presently. I loved seeing the pull between them. Those massage scenes between them where some of the hottest foreplay that I have ever read. Why couldn't there be more of that? And their lovemaking was just as scorching as the foreplay. Though the foreplay was pretty darn good. I liked seeing together. So why not more of it? I don't understand.
Or maybe I do. I think it was all about the build up and anticipation before they met again. It did add excitement and raised my adrenaline. I will admit that, but at the same time I was chomping at the bit for them reconnect again. I was dying for it in fact. It felt forever. I all about building up the anticipation between a couple, but not at the expense that they actually spend little time together in the story. Then it's less satisfying. At least for me.
Though I did cherish the times they had together, which so freaking hot and sexy, I wanted more from an emotional point of view. I want see them fall in love not just have them had sudden realization that they were. There was not a lot evidence supporting the fact that they were deeply in love with each. That had connection, yes, but it was more on the physical side. I didn't all that outside stuff come in, which was a turn off for me. Partially because when he was doing things with other women and it showed in such detail, it diminished from the impact of Devin and Cass's relationship. In fact it almost felt like he was cheating on her. He wasn't of coarse they weren't together at the time, but it still felt like it to me. And it felt the same with her mention her past liaison. In a story that's suppose to be about romance I feel like that's inappropriate. Now I'm not saying they should have both been virgins without sexual pasts because that's hypocritical, but the thing that bothered me was the detail it went into on their sexual past. If it was more general, it wouldn't have bothered me, but it did so that was that. Like I said I liked them together and wanted together. I just wanted together more. I wanted their love story not erotic story. Then my feelings would be totally different on this book.
I know it sounds like I didn't like this book, but I did. I wasn't bored with it. It definitely didn't put me to sleep. It was interesting. It was sexy and full of lots of anticipation that had me on the edge of my seat of when they would meet again. All those were strength of this book and was what great about. That had my eyes glued to the pages. I just wish it was amplified more so I didn't find the love story aspect too rushed and too unrealistic like I did. After I finished, I felt like that was it to their story. I needed a bit more substance there to make me believe they had this deep meaningful and loving relationship.
Maybe I am over analyzing things and taking it too seriously, but for my experience this was what I felt. And since reading is very personal experience that reflects on how one views and reviews the books that ones reads. And for me I wanted more balance between the romance and erotic portions in the book and I wanted more of Devin and Cass together. If that happened, I would have been more satisfied with it.