Sweet/MMC was no better than Peety (a pointless side villain). Sweet was never MMC material. I’m only 41% and I haven’t even gotten to his current OW’s yet and I’m struggling to hang on. So far, other than the all female biker club, NOTHING else is interesting in this book.
Sweet’s character is of a man who plays women off each other. His actions when the FMC was 17 and their betrothal was announced was to push the FMC away by grabbing two CW’s and going into a room with them in her face. INSTEAD OF having a conversation with a 17 year old that he wants her to make the best life choices for herself and that it shouldn’t be about him/them as a couple. At least according to his BS explanation later in the story. Only for this same MMC to hit on EVERY SINGLE WOMAN in the vicinity of the FMC on day one of finding her again. AND leaving with one, with the absolute intention of making the FMC believe he was hooking up with another woman. All for the sole purpose of getting a rise out of the FMC. See my point that he plays women against each other? His actions are mentally detrimental, manipulative in the worse ways, and I’m supposed to believe he was faithful when no one knew that but him?! Then for him to roll in seven years later still thinking she was a virgin!! Is he insane?!?! He didn’t stay “faithful” and she ran from him specifically for that lack in fortitude, so what did he think she was doing? Did he honestly think she was holding out while he clearly couldn’t, wouldn’t, didn’t?? How does this make any logical sense to anyone. Granted, he seems to be some kind of good looking, charming retard, but still!!
52% UPDATE
After an epic smackdown of the MMC’s poor behavioral choices at the 51% mark, two pages later the FMC decides to give “them” as a couple a chance. Based. On. Nothing. And what’s worse is that she decided that when a BETTER man was showing her interest and she was likewise doing the same!! This is unreal! 🤦🏻♀️🙄🤮
Then the FMC gives the MMC an out saying, “ I know you already explained yourself”, BUT HE DIDN’T!! Everyone else explained his behavior to her. How the man is being made a prez of any charter is beyond me, because he only ever talks when he is flirting with someone else or as a grunt or a joke!! Ugh.
54% UPDATE
Wait, all of a sudden the FMC doesn’t like Jojo?!? In NO PART OF THIS BOOK UP TIL NOW has the FMC expressed any distaste for Jojo. In fact in one of the earlier chapters when they were sparring the FMC was beyond complimentary and she even kissed her affectionately on the nose after a take down! This is out of left field! Now this book has straight gotten worse than it’s been to this point.
67% UPDATE
This book is going sideways fast. Never mind the worthless MMC. The issues I’m now having is the relationship between the FMC and Jojo. The entire first half of the book they were besties even if Jojo didn’t have a high rank in the club but she was still front and center based on her skills. Then there was that throwaway statement that the author had the FMC thinking how she never liked Jojo and that she had always rubbed her the wrong way. But that was promptly followed by a normal friendly tight club member behavior. Now is another random throwaway thought that Jojo adamantly refused to be a bridesmaid, which if you don’t like her and she’s not a high ranking member then why would you want her to be(?), and the FMC continues that thought with she refused because the FMC didn’t go to Jojo’s father’s funeral. Ummm, where’s the “loyalty” the FMC has been harping the entire book about if you would abandon one of your trusted members in the wake of a close relatives death?!?!!! I ABSOLUTELY don't like the “b!tch” PETTY behavior from the FMC right now! Like WTF!
88% UPDATE
So the book ends on sort of a cliffhanger with regards to other characters. That was annoying as the side characters don't all have books yet. Also, the following 10% is the POV of the MMC of when he first met the FMC, through when he lost the FMC, to the present. Why the F#ck is this not just in the book to begin with?? Why not just edit this into the story if it was done post publication? I was so done with this book that to read POV's from such a nonentity of a MMC is beyond unappealing. So you are warned.
Having said that, this book was not satifying in any way. The FMC was strong unitl she cried in nearly every chapter. And nearly every time she had s e x with the MMC. Then in the last half of the book she was a "B" to one of the side characters in her club for no real reason, only for the author to add that it was because she was a doppleganger for the FMC's childhood BFF who sabotaged her relationship with the MMC seven years before. That felt like it was a BS excuse added to close a loophole in the story. Because there is NO WAY you would simply NOT REALIZE that a friend looks like an enemy of old! The MMC met Jojo early on in the book and he wasn't once struck with the similarities in appearances, so this simply does not track as an authentic reason for drama between the ladies. The author might as well have stated the FMC was PMS'ing as a better more believable reason for the catty behavior.
Now let me explain a lot of the things that made no sense in the plot.
First the confrontation with her ex bff/OW/Marisol where the chick breaks down a play by play of having f#cked the MMC to the FMC. We never get the fallout of that conversation. Did the FMC just stay smiling at her until she left? She didn't beat her into a pulp? No screaming, yelling, christ not even some kind of hair pulling cat fight?? The OW just came over dropped her bomb and left unscathed and NO ONE noticed they weren't friendly anymore. I mean we should have been told the OW was beat the hell up and no one was talking about why at least. Again, there’s no possible way anyone comes to your house and humilates you to your face and you don't lash out. And let's not forget the reason Marisol gave to the MMC when he came asking why the FMC disappeared. That simply had no logical rationale. Marisol wanted to break them up so the FMC would go with her to college like they planned. Yeah, maybe don’t tell your BFF you f#cked her man if you are trying to tempt her to go anywhere with you. Doesn't she know anything?!?
Next the FMC went to college and owned businesses and her father/MMC's MC never found her in seven years but they can find a sex trafficking ring running low tech with no problems?? Not even when she was in the hospitat four years back. No cyber alerts for these people who have their own cyber genius who just so happens to be the male best friend of the FMC, Quickshot/Wallace? But again they can follow the financials of criminals but not upstanding citizens? Hell, in the beginning of the story the FMC had explained her run in with the law over the assault of a cheating exboyfriend and his skank. But still no notice of her career or her college life or her charges?? There are so many unexplained situations in this story that would have just solved some of the silly conflicts and it would still have been a crap story, just a better crap story.
One of my pet peeves is when people make statments like this about themselves, “grown a$$ woman, grown a$$ man”, etc. If you have to say this to anyone then something you are doing is contrary to this statement and just makes you look childish and or immature. The FMC kept saying this in the first half of the book and then promptly followed it up with crying, running away AND hiding, saying one thing and then doing another, like when she talks about loyalty but then doesn't show any for Jojo or for her MMC or even her dad. Grown ass woman my patooty!
Lastly, the FMC gave into her father and the MMC too easily. I've mentioned above how she told the MMC she expected respect in behavior from him and because of his continued flirting she wasn't going to give him a chance and then TWO PAGES LATER they are a couple without any effort on the MMC's part to correct himself before this. The relationship with her father was no different. The FMC had no intention of ever reaching out to him, no intention of mending fences as evidenced by the start of this book with no mention of her ever going back to her dad at any point in the future. But she took him back into her life right from the moment he showed up on her doorstep once he found her again. That ruined the angst because other than him apologizing, hugging her and crying with her about his past treatment of her, which was done very shallowly I might add, they were all one big family all over again with no real effort made. Just words. The FMC's dad got his new love interest with little to no effort and we the reader are stripped of reading that romance and then a whole lot of useless side drama that leads to the FMC getting a baby with no emotional or personal sacrifice at all.
Spoilers!! The MMC got his steady f#ck buddy pregnant before the MMC relocated to the south and finding the FMC again. No cheating but this was a sad plot twist to ensure a false HEA if ever I saw one. And again, negates his statements that he was celibate for years after the FMC left only to have a quasi relationship with at least two FWB’s. Yeah, he’s faithful to everyone BUT the FMC.
The HEA was not valid. It was contrived. It was a square peg wittled down to fit the triangled sloppy plot of this book. It was very much a frustrating read and I probably won't read the following stories anytime soon. Another reviewer made two comments that I agreed one hundred percent with.
1) "It was like the stronger Jamie (FMC) was, the weaker Sweet (MMC) was".And considering how much she cried and ran away alot, this speaks volumes.
AND
2) "In Christine Michelle book series, you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain". Quoted by reviewer Aarann. This is across most of her books not strictly in this particular book.
But still an apropos and succinct summarization of these books.