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A Future Worth Fighting For #1
Incarcerated: Letters from Inmate 92510
Librarian's Note: An alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here.
We all wear two masks. One to hide from the world. The other to hide from ourselves.
From Inger Iversen, the first book in a best-selling BWWM romance series, A Future Worth Fighting For that reaches across the great divide between prejudice and love.
Katie Andreasson's home office, where she writes best-selling novels, is her refuge from criticism that her private education, her success--even the way she speaks--betrays her own race. With her mother's death, grief and increasing isolation inspire her to create Capshaw Penitentiary's pen pal program. Even secretly participate, though her adopted father--the prison warden--would never approve.
Growing up in hardscrabble, rural Kentucky, Logan Whyte learned the hard way to stick with his own kind to stay out of trouble. Still, skirting the edges of the wrong crowd eventually landed him in prison--face to face with the kind of hard-core prejudice he never whole-heartedly embraced.
Now, with plans to get his life back on track once he's out, he's exchanging letters with "Kristen". The rules dictate they can never meet, yet her neatly penned letters do more than ease him toward rejoining the human race. They make him imagine what it would be like to touch the woman behind them. Maybe even call her his.
Safely hidden behind anonymous letters, friendship takes root and grows into bittersweet yearning. But as they break down emotional walls, the truth is revealed, leaving them with the greatest challenge of all. Proving to themselves--and the outside world--that love is truly colorblind.
We all wear two masks. One to hide from the world. The other to hide from ourselves.
From Inger Iversen, the first book in a best-selling BWWM romance series, A Future Worth Fighting For that reaches across the great divide between prejudice and love.
Katie Andreasson's home office, where she writes best-selling novels, is her refuge from criticism that her private education, her success--even the way she speaks--betrays her own race. With her mother's death, grief and increasing isolation inspire her to create Capshaw Penitentiary's pen pal program. Even secretly participate, though her adopted father--the prison warden--would never approve.
Growing up in hardscrabble, rural Kentucky, Logan Whyte learned the hard way to stick with his own kind to stay out of trouble. Still, skirting the edges of the wrong crowd eventually landed him in prison--face to face with the kind of hard-core prejudice he never whole-heartedly embraced.
Now, with plans to get his life back on track once he's out, he's exchanging letters with "Kristen". The rules dictate they can never meet, yet her neatly penned letters do more than ease him toward rejoining the human race. They make him imagine what it would be like to touch the woman behind them. Maybe even call her his.
Safely hidden behind anonymous letters, friendship takes root and grows into bittersweet yearning. But as they break down emotional walls, the truth is revealed, leaving them with the greatest challenge of all. Proving to themselves--and the outside world--that love is truly colorblind.
342 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 27, 2014
224 people are currently reading
1133 people want to read
About the author
Inger Iversen
32 books427 followersInger Iversen lives in Virginia Beach with her tree-hugging boyfriend Joshua and her overweight lap cat Max. When not reading or writing she spends her time watching reruns of True Blood or killing zombies in Call Of Duty.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
November 28, 2014
I wavered between 4.5 and 5 stars, but decided to go with the full five because Incarcerated is a risky as fuck romance.
Normally, the last thing I want in my contemporary IR is an overemphasis on race. In the wrong hands, such novels are tiresomely heavyhanded, written like some social treatise on race relations. I personally have no sympathy for a grown Black woman character (or a heroine of any race) who allows others to dictate her happiness. However, the premise of this novel really intrigued me and I was curious as to how a racist hero could be made redeemable.
How do you write an IR romance between a Black woman and a White man and somehow make the hero, who's both a racist and a criminal, both sympathetic yet remain true to life? An ex-con is one thing, and there are plenty of romances with such heroes. A racist hero is something else. There's no sugarcoating it. Can such a character be redeemed and in a way that doesn't insult my intelligence? The only other novel I can think of that has done equally as good a job handling such controversial subject matter is The Woman from Cheshire Avenue.
What I appreciated about the book was that author Inger Iversen didn't gloss over the kind of man Logan Whyte was. I didn't like him, and that was perfectly okay. I didn't swoon over him because he was sexy, tough and tatted. Too many authors in romance pull this kind of the "OMG he's a wounded bad boy but he's SO hawt so I'll forgive him for being a total dick" trope (Christian Grey anyone?). Writing a hero who believes and says horrible things about minorities, then to make him human is a very tall order, though it was very hard to believe that he stopped at using racial slurs. That sounded like a cop-out and detracted from Logan being true to life. He's a racist, let him behave like one. For all that, she humanized Logan, and it's the humanity, as flawed and messed-up as he was, that I understood. That doesn't excuse his past, and as a character he doesn't excuse it either. His inadvertently falling in love sight unseen with a Black woman who was writing to him via a prison pen pal program doesn't turn into a rousing rendition of "Ebony and Ivory". He's got a whole lot of baggage and a lot of unlearning to do. Yet, it's an unlearning he's willing to do in order to be a better man overall.
The heroine Katie had me back and forth emotionally. There were times I understood her desire for solitude. I related to her struggle as a Black person weighted down by societal and intra-cultural expectations. Her feeling of "not being Black enough" is one I knew far too well, and how that sense of not belonging to any world can lead to loneliness. On the other hand, there were moments her pity party made me want to reach into the book and slap some backbone into her. There were a few times I kept yelling "Your ass is a NYT best-selling author! You've got money, a beautiful home and a car all paid for! All those haters who made fun of you for 'talking white' are probably in jail or got twenty kids by ten different daddies or strung out on Meth in some dinky trailer park with no teeth! Get an effing grip!" Again, it is a moral imperative that I love the heroine as much as I do the hero. When Katie stood up to her father, best friend and her own fears/insecurities, she was amazing. She also didn't allow her feelings for Logan to blind her to his issues with race, and when she called him out on them, it was like "you go girl!"
Speaking of best friend Teal. Another reason for the five stars is because of the very strong female friendship. Teal isn't perfect and her habit of infantilizing Katie in the guise of protecting her was only that her heart was in the right place. After all, only a true best friend is going to question the wisdom of taking up with an ex-con. A racist one at that.
Let me say this. If you're a reader who likes everything wrapped up in a nice, neat bow, this book won't work. I personally consider it an HFN (Happily For Now) rather than an HEA, because both Logan and Katie have a very long struggle ahead of them. They both have pasts that are not easily nor quickly resolved, and I appreciated the realness of that. There were no easy answers, just a thought-provoking romance that dared to ask some tough questions.
Normally, the last thing I want in my contemporary IR is an overemphasis on race. In the wrong hands, such novels are tiresomely heavyhanded, written like some social treatise on race relations. I personally have no sympathy for a grown Black woman character (or a heroine of any race) who allows others to dictate her happiness. However, the premise of this novel really intrigued me and I was curious as to how a racist hero could be made redeemable.
How do you write an IR romance between a Black woman and a White man and somehow make the hero, who's both a racist and a criminal, both sympathetic yet remain true to life? An ex-con is one thing, and there are plenty of romances with such heroes. A racist hero is something else. There's no sugarcoating it. Can such a character be redeemed and in a way that doesn't insult my intelligence? The only other novel I can think of that has done equally as good a job handling such controversial subject matter is The Woman from Cheshire Avenue.
What I appreciated about the book was that author Inger Iversen didn't gloss over the kind of man Logan Whyte was. I didn't like him, and that was perfectly okay. I didn't swoon over him because he was sexy, tough and tatted. Too many authors in romance pull this kind of the "OMG he's a wounded bad boy but he's SO hawt so I'll forgive him for being a total dick" trope (Christian Grey anyone?). Writing a hero who believes and says horrible things about minorities, then to make him human is a very tall order, though it was very hard to believe that he stopped at using racial slurs. That sounded like a cop-out and detracted from Logan being true to life. He's a racist, let him behave like one. For all that, she humanized Logan, and it's the humanity, as flawed and messed-up as he was, that I understood. That doesn't excuse his past, and as a character he doesn't excuse it either. His inadvertently falling in love sight unseen with a Black woman who was writing to him via a prison pen pal program doesn't turn into a rousing rendition of "Ebony and Ivory". He's got a whole lot of baggage and a lot of unlearning to do. Yet, it's an unlearning he's willing to do in order to be a better man overall.
The heroine Katie had me back and forth emotionally. There were times I understood her desire for solitude. I related to her struggle as a Black person weighted down by societal and intra-cultural expectations. Her feeling of "not being Black enough" is one I knew far too well, and how that sense of not belonging to any world can lead to loneliness. On the other hand, there were moments her pity party made me want to reach into the book and slap some backbone into her. There were a few times I kept yelling "Your ass is a NYT best-selling author! You've got money, a beautiful home and a car all paid for! All those haters who made fun of you for 'talking white' are probably in jail or got twenty kids by ten different daddies or strung out on Meth in some dinky trailer park with no teeth! Get an effing grip!" Again, it is a moral imperative that I love the heroine as much as I do the hero. When Katie stood up to her father, best friend and her own fears/insecurities, she was amazing. She also didn't allow her feelings for Logan to blind her to his issues with race, and when she called him out on them, it was like "you go girl!"
Speaking of best friend Teal. Another reason for the five stars is because of the very strong female friendship. Teal isn't perfect and her habit of infantilizing Katie in the guise of protecting her was only that her heart was in the right place. After all, only a true best friend is going to question the wisdom of taking up with an ex-con. A racist one at that.
Let me say this. If you're a reader who likes everything wrapped up in a nice, neat bow, this book won't work. I personally consider it an HFN (Happily For Now) rather than an HEA, because both Logan and Katie have a very long struggle ahead of them. They both have pasts that are not easily nor quickly resolved, and I appreciated the realness of that. There were no easy answers, just a thought-provoking romance that dared to ask some tough questions.
July 10, 2015
This was one of the most memorable IR romance books I've read so far in 2014. Once Logan (inmate) and Katie (introverted writer) both take their lives back from others in their overly controlling environments (past to present), they discover together that love is colorblind.
December 12, 2014
So what happens when an avowed racist white inmate finds out the woman he has been exchanging letters with (and falling in love with) via a pen pal program is black?
That question gets answered in this book. Kinda.
I found the premise interesting and the writing to be clean. It was engaging and I found Katie to be a sympathetic heroine.
More problematic was Logan. For a racist he is remarkably bad at it. Honestly, he couldn't really get his back into it, really. For Logan, his brand of racism feels more like something he learned by rote and circumstance, rather than something he truly internalized. He begins to fall in love with Katie in her letters and once he discovers she is black, he takes a moment to be shocked and dismayed... but then she's pretty! So he can get over it.
The book succeeds in what it attempts, meaning it took it's own premise and made it work. By not making Logan this bone-deep racist in the first place, the ease with which he reconciles himself to being with Katie doesn't feel so unbelievable.
On the one hand, since I don't tend to like my leisure, escapist reading to spend too much time on people navel gazing about race, I bought what this book was selling.
On the other hand, I can't help but wonder how much more affecting and powerful the story could have been if the author had allowed Logan's racism to go deeper than his epidermis?
In any case this was an quick and interesting read.
That question gets answered in this book. Kinda.
I found the premise interesting and the writing to be clean. It was engaging and I found Katie to be a sympathetic heroine.
More problematic was Logan. For a racist he is remarkably bad at it. Honestly, he couldn't really get his back into it, really. For Logan, his brand of racism feels more like something he learned by rote and circumstance, rather than something he truly internalized. He begins to fall in love with Katie in her letters and once he discovers she is black, he takes a moment to be shocked and dismayed... but then she's pretty! So he can get over it.
The book succeeds in what it attempts, meaning it took it's own premise and made it work. By not making Logan this bone-deep racist in the first place, the ease with which he reconciles himself to being with Katie doesn't feel so unbelievable.
On the one hand, since I don't tend to like my leisure, escapist reading to spend too much time on people navel gazing about race, I bought what this book was selling.
On the other hand, I can't help but wonder how much more affecting and powerful the story could have been if the author had allowed Logan's racism to go deeper than his epidermis?
In any case this was an quick and interesting read.
October 18, 2014
This is my first book by this author and definitely won't be my last!
This is Katie and Logan's story.
Logan got himself incarcerated because he got himself mixed up with the wrong company and now he has to pay for his stupidity. Logan, growing up had his ass kicked regularly by black kids and so he made a decision not to get involved with them when he grew up because they only brought him trouble and pain. He has a friend with links to the KKK who helped him fight back and defend himself. So its understandable why he is not nuts about black folks especially black men.
Katie, has a white step dad who loves and cares about her. He is also the prison warden of the prison where Logan is being held. Her mum died when she was young and she only has him and her one best black female friend, Teal. These are the only 2 people she is close to in her life. In their efforts to protect her they get in the way of her making decisions for herself. She has a secret that she has never shared with either of them that she shares with Logan. She is lonely and has been attacked verbally by her own black people, saying things like she things she is too good for other black folks, that she thinks she is white because she speaks well and carries her self well. All the usual stereotyping we always hear from other jealous black folks.
Logan and Katie make a connection and start to have feelings for each other through phone calls and writing letters to each other. At this point Logan does not realise that Katie is a black woman. When he discovers she is black the story then starts to really deal with both their backgrounds and how they are going to overcome the roadblocks to their relationship. Not just because this is an interracial relationship but also because Logan is an ex-convict.
I loved this story because it did not shy away from dealing with the issues of racism and other black/black prejudices, which really pushed my buttons because I have experienced this in my life too, simply because you speak well and present yourself well. I also loved that the story demonstrates you can fall in love with a person and their personality long before you ever meet them. I love stories of love via letters/internet/phone. I met my own husband this way, so this part spoke volumes to me.
The story is about love being colour blind, which it should be. I felt more for Logan than I did for Katie, here was a man who fell in love with someone he would never deliberately chose to be with. How loving her causes him to have to face his past issues with men of colour and the sacrifices he makes to ensure he holds on to the woman he loves. I love what he does at the end of the story to get the 2 most important people back into the life of the woman he loves. That demonstrate true love. It is possible to love someone from another race and not love that race!
Great story, I absolutely loved it. I cannot wait for Teal and Trent's story because that is gonna be an explosive read.
The story is thought provoking in lots ways and caused me to reflect on my life of being in an interracial relationship and how your own race can ill-treat you simply because you carry yourself well and have pride and ambition in yourself!
I highly recommend this book!
This is Katie and Logan's story.
Logan got himself incarcerated because he got himself mixed up with the wrong company and now he has to pay for his stupidity. Logan, growing up had his ass kicked regularly by black kids and so he made a decision not to get involved with them when he grew up because they only brought him trouble and pain. He has a friend with links to the KKK who helped him fight back and defend himself. So its understandable why he is not nuts about black folks especially black men.
Katie, has a white step dad who loves and cares about her. He is also the prison warden of the prison where Logan is being held. Her mum died when she was young and she only has him and her one best black female friend, Teal. These are the only 2 people she is close to in her life. In their efforts to protect her they get in the way of her making decisions for herself. She has a secret that she has never shared with either of them that she shares with Logan. She is lonely and has been attacked verbally by her own black people, saying things like she things she is too good for other black folks, that she thinks she is white because she speaks well and carries her self well. All the usual stereotyping we always hear from other jealous black folks.
Logan and Katie make a connection and start to have feelings for each other through phone calls and writing letters to each other. At this point Logan does not realise that Katie is a black woman. When he discovers she is black the story then starts to really deal with both their backgrounds and how they are going to overcome the roadblocks to their relationship. Not just because this is an interracial relationship but also because Logan is an ex-convict.
I loved this story because it did not shy away from dealing with the issues of racism and other black/black prejudices, which really pushed my buttons because I have experienced this in my life too, simply because you speak well and present yourself well. I also loved that the story demonstrates you can fall in love with a person and their personality long before you ever meet them. I love stories of love via letters/internet/phone. I met my own husband this way, so this part spoke volumes to me.
The story is about love being colour blind, which it should be. I felt more for Logan than I did for Katie, here was a man who fell in love with someone he would never deliberately chose to be with. How loving her causes him to have to face his past issues with men of colour and the sacrifices he makes to ensure he holds on to the woman he loves. I love what he does at the end of the story to get the 2 most important people back into the life of the woman he loves. That demonstrate true love. It is possible to love someone from another race and not love that race!
Great story, I absolutely loved it. I cannot wait for Teal and Trent's story because that is gonna be an explosive read.
The story is thought provoking in lots ways and caused me to reflect on my life of being in an interracial relationship and how your own race can ill-treat you simply because you carry yourself well and have pride and ambition in yourself!
I highly recommend this book!
July 25, 2021
I’ve long been curious about what might happen in a romance novel where one of the characters was overtly prejudiced against the race of the other character. Although I tend to side-eye the idea of prison romance in real life, I decided to give its book incarnation a chance when several people whose opinions I trust told me they had enjoyed this book.
While I found the main characters to be thoroughly unlikeable and their love story a bit of a stretch, I thought that Inger Iversen did a great job of making their characters believable within the context of the story she wrote.
Katie’s personality was ripe for epistolary romance – because her past experiences had left her inept at maintaining in-person relationships, it wasn’t hard to believe that she might “fall in love” through letters. I see no shame in that, and Iversen was careful to include enough detail about who Katie was to make me believe in it. (I thought that she behaved as if she was “stuck on stupid” many, many times. [Seriously, you thought you were stupid for missing the neon-lit signs that you “boyfriend” was racist? You don't want to know what I thought of your intelligence and powers of observation.] But stupid sometimes happens to smart people in real life... even to writers on the NYT best-seller list. And the sort of stupid that involves lonely people “falling in love” with a person who pays them a little non-real-world attention happens often enough that tales of women falling for convicts have become old hat.)
Just the fact that Logan had been imprisoned for nearly a decade for having made a stupid choice lends some credence to his ability to find love through letters and phone calls, but I felt that Iverson fell short of the mark in establishing his as a personality capable of doing just that. Perhaps if we had been given more glimpse of his interactions with Katie, I’d have been more of a believer. As things stand, I didn’t feel like I was given strong reason for someone with deeply engrained trust issues to overcome his biased beliefs to give love with this woman a chance.
The book stumbled on the editing front, as well. While not as bad in that area as many non-traditionally published books, the errors stood out because I was already struggling to relate to characters I didn’t like. And that was exacerbated by occasional consistency errors.
Why was “Jake” called “Jack” on first reference? Did Jan-Erik meet Katie's mother when Katie was ten years old, or had he been married to her since Katie was eight? Was Teal a college dropout or did she have a college degree? Had Katie’s father died, or had he divorced Katie’s mother and then abandoned Katie?
This wasn’t a terrible book, and its problems are eminently fixable, but it's not ready for the bright lights in its current form.
While I found the main characters to be thoroughly unlikeable and their love story a bit of a stretch, I thought that Inger Iversen did a great job of making their characters believable within the context of the story she wrote.
Katie’s personality was ripe for epistolary romance – because her past experiences had left her inept at maintaining in-person relationships, it wasn’t hard to believe that she might “fall in love” through letters. I see no shame in that, and Iversen was careful to include enough detail about who Katie was to make me believe in it. (I thought that she behaved as if she was “stuck on stupid” many, many times. [Seriously, you thought you were stupid for missing the neon-lit signs that you “boyfriend” was racist? You don't want to know what I thought of your intelligence and powers of observation.] But stupid sometimes happens to smart people in real life... even to writers on the NYT best-seller list. And the sort of stupid that involves lonely people “falling in love” with a person who pays them a little non-real-world attention happens often enough that tales of women falling for convicts have become old hat.)
Just the fact that Logan had been imprisoned for nearly a decade for having made a stupid choice lends some credence to his ability to find love through letters and phone calls, but I felt that Iverson fell short of the mark in establishing his as a personality capable of doing just that. Perhaps if we had been given more glimpse of his interactions with Katie, I’d have been more of a believer. As things stand, I didn’t feel like I was given strong reason for someone with deeply engrained trust issues to overcome his biased beliefs to give love with this woman a chance.
The book stumbled on the editing front, as well. While not as bad in that area as many non-traditionally published books, the errors stood out because I was already struggling to relate to characters I didn’t like. And that was exacerbated by occasional consistency errors.
Why was “Jake” called “Jack” on first reference? Did Jan-Erik meet Katie's mother when Katie was ten years old, or had he been married to her since Katie was eight? Was Teal a college dropout or did she have a college degree? Had Katie’s father died, or had he divorced Katie’s mother and then abandoned Katie?
This wasn’t a terrible book, and its problems are eminently fixable, but it's not ready for the bright lights in its current form.
February 28, 2015
Incarcerated Letters: A Review
(May contain spoilers)
Before I even started reading this book, I had a ton of preconceived notions about what to expect-and they weren’t all good! But you know what they say about assuming…
Incarcerated Letters is my favorite kind of romance. I love the ones where two effed up people (and there’s levels to effed up-ness) somehow find a way to be together in spite of all the odds being against them. You see, this ain’t your typical lonely girl becomes pen pal to inmate; they fall in love and live happily ever after. Oh no…This is some real ish! There’s no idealizing this story, and that is what sold me.
So the story starts innocently enough when Kathryn, or Katie as she’s affectionately known, suggests to her prison warden father that they initiate a pen pal program for the inmates so that they won’t feel so detached from society. Her father reluctantly agrees with the stipulation that she can NOT be a part of the program in any way, specifically becoming a pen pal herself. Katie of course agrees, but y’all know she’s lying. She’s going through some issues of inadequacy herself: She just broke up with her man, she has no social life, and her only friends are really her father and her BFF Teal (she sounds more pathetic than me…)
Fast forward to Katie using an assumed name, Kristen. She is paired with inmate Logan (who also initially uses a pen name, Scott). They strike up an innocent enough exchange, trading letters on a weekly basis. This quickly escalates into a mutual attraction that neither can nor want to deny even though they both know it may not be for the best. There are a couple of things that Katie and Logan don’t know about one another-things that will test the strength and dynamic of their relationship throughout the entire story. You see, Katie is black, and Logan is white. Okay, yeah, so what, you may say. But the thing is, Logan is a racist-an unapologetic one at that. If you ain’t white, then you ain’t right kind of racist. He believes Katie is white, because one, her dad is white (read the story for the background on that), and two, she “talks” and “acts” white (code for she doesn’t behave like a ghetto loud-mouthed thot so what else can she be but…) But when the truth is revealed, oh man…. Read this book my friends…
Now here is what I love about this story. The author does not sugarcoat a damn thing! She gives you the real instead of this romanticized notion that one taste of the brown sugar can convert even the most vehement racist. Katie and Logan struggle throughout this book, and as a black woman reading this, I felt Katie’s dilemma. Logan is very forthcoming with his feelings for Katie (this after realizing that he loves her regardless of her race) while admitting that he still has issues with black people, specifically black men (the reason is well explained throughout).
There are several incidents in the story where Katie and Logan’s relationship is tested as a result. I expected Katie to acquiesce, but she stood firm in her non-acceptance of Logan’s racism. You see her trying separate her personal feelings for Logan while at the same time acknowledging that the man she loves still has deep-seeded issues with race. And as a reader, black or white, you will find yourself asking, “What would I do?” Oh, this story had me all in the feels, and any story that does that is worth reading…Now on to Teal and Trent. I expect this one to be 100x deeper…
(May contain spoilers)
Before I even started reading this book, I had a ton of preconceived notions about what to expect-and they weren’t all good! But you know what they say about assuming…
Incarcerated Letters is my favorite kind of romance. I love the ones where two effed up people (and there’s levels to effed up-ness) somehow find a way to be together in spite of all the odds being against them. You see, this ain’t your typical lonely girl becomes pen pal to inmate; they fall in love and live happily ever after. Oh no…This is some real ish! There’s no idealizing this story, and that is what sold me.
So the story starts innocently enough when Kathryn, or Katie as she’s affectionately known, suggests to her prison warden father that they initiate a pen pal program for the inmates so that they won’t feel so detached from society. Her father reluctantly agrees with the stipulation that she can NOT be a part of the program in any way, specifically becoming a pen pal herself. Katie of course agrees, but y’all know she’s lying. She’s going through some issues of inadequacy herself: She just broke up with her man, she has no social life, and her only friends are really her father and her BFF Teal (she sounds more pathetic than me…)
Fast forward to Katie using an assumed name, Kristen. She is paired with inmate Logan (who also initially uses a pen name, Scott). They strike up an innocent enough exchange, trading letters on a weekly basis. This quickly escalates into a mutual attraction that neither can nor want to deny even though they both know it may not be for the best. There are a couple of things that Katie and Logan don’t know about one another-things that will test the strength and dynamic of their relationship throughout the entire story. You see, Katie is black, and Logan is white. Okay, yeah, so what, you may say. But the thing is, Logan is a racist-an unapologetic one at that. If you ain’t white, then you ain’t right kind of racist. He believes Katie is white, because one, her dad is white (read the story for the background on that), and two, she “talks” and “acts” white (code for she doesn’t behave like a ghetto loud-mouthed thot so what else can she be but…) But when the truth is revealed, oh man…. Read this book my friends…
Now here is what I love about this story. The author does not sugarcoat a damn thing! She gives you the real instead of this romanticized notion that one taste of the brown sugar can convert even the most vehement racist. Katie and Logan struggle throughout this book, and as a black woman reading this, I felt Katie’s dilemma. Logan is very forthcoming with his feelings for Katie (this after realizing that he loves her regardless of her race) while admitting that he still has issues with black people, specifically black men (the reason is well explained throughout).
There are several incidents in the story where Katie and Logan’s relationship is tested as a result. I expected Katie to acquiesce, but she stood firm in her non-acceptance of Logan’s racism. You see her trying separate her personal feelings for Logan while at the same time acknowledging that the man she loves still has deep-seeded issues with race. And as a reader, black or white, you will find yourself asking, “What would I do?” Oh, this story had me all in the feels, and any story that does that is worth reading…Now on to Teal and Trent. I expect this one to be 100x deeper…
February 4, 2015
Beyond Interesting and Fresh
The interracial romance subgenre has become somewhat stale. When I read the blurb for this book I was instantly intrigued. This was a new kind of story that I knew would either go entirely wrong or breathe life into the IR Romance world.
Logan Whyte has been in prison for eight years when he signs up for the new prison pen-pal program. Katie is a successful author who is also the Warden's daughter. She's lonely and a hermit and desperate to make a connection with someone. These two end up writing to each other but the reader knows that at some point things are going to go wrong. Logan is a racist and Katie hasn't told him that she's the warden's daughter. Logan also doesn't know that Katie is black.
I was really nervous about Logan's character. A racist? How is this author going to make me understand/like a racist? The was Iversen did it was that she didn't sugarcoat the racism. Once Katie and Logan figure things out they still struggle because racism is not something that just goes away because Logan fell in love with a black woman. I loved that about this book; love didn't solve everything. Love made Logan start working toward becoming a better person and letting go of his past.
I've seen some people say that they found Katie to be weak or wishy-washy. I didn't see it that way. Katie has had to deal with people telling her she's not black or white enough. She spent her childhood isolated, found it easier to be alone and does what she thinks is neccessary to keep her father and her one friend in her life. That pretty much entails letting them be way too involved in her decision making process, and letting them have too much control over her life. To me, that's not weakness, it's just not wanting to be completely and totally alone.Katie's growth in the story is not easy but, just like with Logan, it needs to happen in order to make her relationship work.
I enjoyed this book more than I have enjoyed any book in a while. Also, two of the secondary characters get a book of their own, coming out at the end of February, and I can't wait!
The interracial romance subgenre has become somewhat stale. When I read the blurb for this book I was instantly intrigued. This was a new kind of story that I knew would either go entirely wrong or breathe life into the IR Romance world.
Logan Whyte has been in prison for eight years when he signs up for the new prison pen-pal program. Katie is a successful author who is also the Warden's daughter. She's lonely and a hermit and desperate to make a connection with someone. These two end up writing to each other but the reader knows that at some point things are going to go wrong. Logan is a racist and Katie hasn't told him that she's the warden's daughter. Logan also doesn't know that Katie is black.
I was really nervous about Logan's character. A racist? How is this author going to make me understand/like a racist? The was Iversen did it was that she didn't sugarcoat the racism. Once Katie and Logan figure things out they still struggle because racism is not something that just goes away because Logan fell in love with a black woman. I loved that about this book; love didn't solve everything. Love made Logan start working toward becoming a better person and letting go of his past.
I've seen some people say that they found Katie to be weak or wishy-washy. I didn't see it that way. Katie has had to deal with people telling her she's not black or white enough. She spent her childhood isolated, found it easier to be alone and does what she thinks is neccessary to keep her father and her one friend in her life. That pretty much entails letting them be way too involved in her decision making process, and letting them have too much control over her life. To me, that's not weakness, it's just not wanting to be completely and totally alone.Katie's growth in the story is not easy but, just like with Logan, it needs to happen in order to make her relationship work.
I enjoyed this book more than I have enjoyed any book in a while. Also, two of the secondary characters get a book of their own, coming out at the end of February, and I can't wait!
September 18, 2020
Well, I thought this was a mafia romance. It's not and that's okay.
This is romance between an incarcerated man and his pen pal, the warden's daughter. *Sighing*
I applaud the author for taking this bold risk. Inmates are people and not all are violent offenders. My main issue was that Kathryn "Katie" was just a doormat. Her fear of conflict has reduced her to a recluse and someone who's dad and best friend run her life. It makes sense that she would quick cleave to her pen pal. It's kind of anonymous and you can be whoever or whatever you want to be on a paper. Things progressed between Katie and Logan so fast. She gave him her phone number, and so many personal information. With google and even outside friends, Katie basically gave Logan the keys to the kingdom.
To top it off, Logan was a racist and believed people should stick with their own kind. I am unsure if he continued with Katie because she was a link to a new life outside those walls. I know that personal contact can change the mind of a racist I wouldn't gamble my safety though. Giving a prison pen pal your address is unsafe. Then dating one who is racist when you are a black woman was just weird. It ended well, but I normally wouldn't encourage people think good lovin' is the magic cure-all. I know I wouldn't be comfortable having sex with someone who despises my race.
Katie was kind and not judgemental, Logan was able to change his beliefs but I don't know the probability of this romance lasting. It is a hopeful and optimistic outlook on a romance with a racist felon.
This is romance between an incarcerated man and his pen pal, the warden's daughter. *Sighing*
I applaud the author for taking this bold risk. Inmates are people and not all are violent offenders. My main issue was that Kathryn "Katie" was just a doormat. Her fear of conflict has reduced her to a recluse and someone who's dad and best friend run her life. It makes sense that she would quick cleave to her pen pal. It's kind of anonymous and you can be whoever or whatever you want to be on a paper. Things progressed between Katie and Logan so fast. She gave him her phone number, and so many personal information. With google and even outside friends, Katie basically gave Logan the keys to the kingdom.
To top it off, Logan was a racist and believed people should stick with their own kind. I am unsure if he continued with Katie because she was a link to a new life outside those walls. I know that personal contact can change the mind of a racist I wouldn't gamble my safety though. Giving a prison pen pal your address is unsafe. Then dating one who is racist when you are a black woman was just weird. It ended well, but I normally wouldn't encourage people think good lovin' is the magic cure-all. I know I wouldn't be comfortable having sex with someone who despises my race.
Katie was kind and not judgemental, Logan was able to change his beliefs but I don't know the probability of this romance lasting. It is a hopeful and optimistic outlook on a romance with a racist felon.
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December 22, 2014
12/22/2014 --
I was intrigued. It started good, but then the story started dissipating until it really was pretty average. I am glad I read it. I appreciate the authors attempt at addressing stereotypes. Love can conquer most things. However, we really can be our own worst enemies.
The h was a bit of a nutjob .. oh, well.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Overall Rating = 2.5 Stars
Book Cover / Book Blurb / Book Title = 4 / 4 / 5 = 4.5 Stars
Writer’s Voice = 2.5 Stars
Character / Secondary Character Development = 3 / 3 = 3 Stars
“Did I like” Hero / Heroine = 4 / 2 = 3 Stars
Story / Background Story Development = 4 / 2 = 3 Stars
“Did I like the Damned Thing” = 3 Stars
Ending = 2 Stars
Worth the Chili = 2 Stars -- [$2.99 on Amazon] Kindle Unlimited
Smexy [HEAT] Rating = Steamy
276 pages
First sentence: Kristen, First of all I'd like to thank you for signing up for this program.
I was intrigued. It started good, but then the story started dissipating until it really was pretty average. I am glad I read it. I appreciate the authors attempt at addressing stereotypes. Love can conquer most things. However, we really can be our own worst enemies.
The h was a bit of a nutjob .. oh, well.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Overall Rating = 2.5 Stars
Book Cover / Book Blurb / Book Title = 4 / 4 / 5 = 4.5 Stars
Writer’s Voice = 2.5 Stars
Character / Secondary Character Development = 3 / 3 = 3 Stars
“Did I like” Hero / Heroine = 4 / 2 = 3 Stars
Story / Background Story Development = 4 / 2 = 3 Stars
“Did I like the Damned Thing” = 3 Stars
Ending = 2 Stars
Worth the Chili = 2 Stars -- [$2.99 on Amazon] Kindle Unlimited
Smexy [HEAT] Rating = Steamy
276 pages
First sentence: Kristen, First of all I'd like to thank you for signing up for this program.
June 30, 2015
What happens when Logan, a white inmate with racist leanings, is paired with Katie, a black pen pal whose Scandinavian-sounding name makes him assume that she too is white and shares his beliefs? Against all odds, they fall in love. Well, that's the premise of Inger Iversen's Incarcerated.
I was a bit skeptical initially--I wasn't sure how Inger was going to pull off this love story and make it believable, but it was easy to become emotionally invested in Katie and Logan's story. I thought it was interesting how both characters developed in Incarcerated. Both come to the table with preconceived notions of one another and these are challenged as they get to know one another.
I also though Inger did a great job of handling the issues of race and racism in the story. Without drumming it over our heads, she infused it into the story in a way that felt authentic and unforced. And really--even if we say we are tired of reading about racism, you cannot really write an IR story and completely ignore race or racism. I also liked that she examined how we must struggle against others' expectations and find what feels true for ourselves. This is a struggle for both Logan and Katie--especially once he is released from prison and others become involved in their relationship.
If you're new to IR romance, then this is a great introduction thanks to its unique story and deft characterization. I'm looking forward to delving into the second part of this series.
I was a bit skeptical initially--I wasn't sure how Inger was going to pull off this love story and make it believable, but it was easy to become emotionally invested in Katie and Logan's story. I thought it was interesting how both characters developed in Incarcerated. Both come to the table with preconceived notions of one another and these are challenged as they get to know one another.
I also though Inger did a great job of handling the issues of race and racism in the story. Without drumming it over our heads, she infused it into the story in a way that felt authentic and unforced. And really--even if we say we are tired of reading about racism, you cannot really write an IR story and completely ignore race or racism. I also liked that she examined how we must struggle against others' expectations and find what feels true for ourselves. This is a struggle for both Logan and Katie--especially once he is released from prison and others become involved in their relationship.
If you're new to IR romance, then this is a great introduction thanks to its unique story and deft characterization. I'm looking forward to delving into the second part of this series.
October 30, 2014
Absolutely LOVED this book!!! Sometimes you need second chances, an open-mind and heart, but you have to be willing to fight for love! Inger Iversen is truly AMAZING. Can't wait for the story about Trent and Teal!!!
December 22, 2023
Logan and Katie meet through a prison pen pal program. Katie has always been accused of 'acting and sounding white' and because she carries her Swedish stepfather's last name, Logan assumes she's Caucasian. Their friendship progresses to a romance and they start discussing plans for the future, since Logan's parole date is fast approaching. But all is not well in prison love paradise. Logan unwittingly makes a comment about black people and, after overhearing Katie's black friend in the background while on a phone call, he explains to Katie that he has to insist that his woman stick to her own race; that's who he wants them to be as a couple, and this is non negotiable if she wants a life with him. It's in this stunning moment of clarity that Katie realizes that a) Logan thinks she's white and b) he's a racist. Well!! Color her surprised, angry and disappointed. From there, my friends, ish gets real.
I really, really liked the author's exploration of racism, and of an interracial couple working to overcome an obstacle as big as one partner having to unlearn years of mistrust of other races. Logan is not about hating other races or actively looking to hurt them. He's declined invitations to join the KKK while on the outside, and the Aryan Brotherhood while in prison, but he believes in sticking to his own kind. He's found that that works best for him, after having black kids repeatedly beat him up while he was growing up. I liked that Logan was very much a man's man who refused to hide behind Katie when it came to her father (you'll see why this is impressive!), and refused to live off of her even though she was successful. He owned his mistakes and made the difficult choices.
Katie was frighteningly naïve. In real life, this book would be a what's what of things NOT to do when dealing with prison inmates, but I still really liked her and liked them as a couple.
The ending felt a bit abrupt. I loved the epilogue, but I would have loved to see Logan get some closure with his best friend.
I really, really liked the author's exploration of racism, and of an interracial couple working to overcome an obstacle as big as one partner having to unlearn years of mistrust of other races. Logan is not about hating other races or actively looking to hurt them. He's declined invitations to join the KKK while on the outside, and the Aryan Brotherhood while in prison, but he believes in sticking to his own kind. He's found that that works best for him, after having black kids repeatedly beat him up while he was growing up. I liked that Logan was very much a man's man who refused to hide behind Katie when it came to her father (you'll see why this is impressive!), and refused to live off of her even though she was successful. He owned his mistakes and made the difficult choices.
Katie was frighteningly naïve. In real life, this book would be a what's what of things NOT to do when dealing with prison inmates, but I still really liked her and liked them as a couple.
The ending felt a bit abrupt. I loved the epilogue, but I would have loved to see Logan get some closure with his best friend.
June 6, 2017
Racism, prejudice and criminal charges do not make for an attractive hero. A heroine who's so in love that she overlooks all of this isn't really relatable either.
August 18, 2015
I wasn't sure what to expect when starting INCARCERATED. The idea of an African American woman continuing a relationship with a man who has a strict belief that people of different races should remain separate was, in my mind, going to be a big stretch. I didn't know how Iversen would be able to make a man like Logan appealing in any way but she managed to do it.
Logan has reasons for believing the way that he does. His reasoning is flawed but after suffering physically at the hands of people he felt so different from, Logan felt that the only way to protect himself was to stay with "his own kind". I liked that Iversen didn't try to make his issues overly reasonable. His reasoning was explained not justified. The hurdles that Logan will face with Katie were for the most part realistic and the way that he faced his demons believable.
Katie on the other hand is almost too open, naive, and idealistic. Having found herself secluded and sheltered by her own doing, Katie often doesn't want take the effort to be a part of the world at large. She feels comfortable and safe as long as she isn't taking risks. As a writer Katie has found success but with only a few friends and a close relationship with her stepfather she hasn't really established herself as an independent woman who can take care of herself. Katie has issues standing up for herself which comes across clearly in her relationship with both her stepfather Jan-Erik and her best friend Teal. Although both Teal and Jan-Erik have Katie's best interest at heart, they don't fully respect or trust her enough to be able to take care of herself by making her own decisions.
Although I really enjoyed the story I do think that the conflicts that could have happened between Katie and Logan, their friends and family, and the major issue of Logan's inability to trust people who aren't white were too easily resolved. I expected bigger blowups with more complicated circumstances that would result in larger consequences to their relationship. Even with that small complaint I will definitely get Inevitable which is book 2 when it becomes available on audio. The narrator, Olivia Peppersmith, who narrated INCARCERATED did an excellent job. I thoroughly enjoyed listening and can see myself revisiting the story again.
You can find more from me at Monlatable Book Reviews
http://www.monlatablereviews.com/
Logan has reasons for believing the way that he does. His reasoning is flawed but after suffering physically at the hands of people he felt so different from, Logan felt that the only way to protect himself was to stay with "his own kind". I liked that Iversen didn't try to make his issues overly reasonable. His reasoning was explained not justified. The hurdles that Logan will face with Katie were for the most part realistic and the way that he faced his demons believable.
Katie on the other hand is almost too open, naive, and idealistic. Having found herself secluded and sheltered by her own doing, Katie often doesn't want take the effort to be a part of the world at large. She feels comfortable and safe as long as she isn't taking risks. As a writer Katie has found success but with only a few friends and a close relationship with her stepfather she hasn't really established herself as an independent woman who can take care of herself. Katie has issues standing up for herself which comes across clearly in her relationship with both her stepfather Jan-Erik and her best friend Teal. Although both Teal and Jan-Erik have Katie's best interest at heart, they don't fully respect or trust her enough to be able to take care of herself by making her own decisions.
Although I really enjoyed the story I do think that the conflicts that could have happened between Katie and Logan, their friends and family, and the major issue of Logan's inability to trust people who aren't white were too easily resolved. I expected bigger blowups with more complicated circumstances that would result in larger consequences to their relationship. Even with that small complaint I will definitely get Inevitable which is book 2 when it becomes available on audio. The narrator, Olivia Peppersmith, who narrated INCARCERATED did an excellent job. I thoroughly enjoyed listening and can see myself revisiting the story again.
You can find more from me at Monlatable Book Reviews
http://www.monlatablereviews.com/
February 15, 2015
I'm going to jump right in and saying I really liked Incarcerated. I've been very excited about this book every since I saw the gorgeous cover (I swear I'm obsessed with it). So I'm really glad it didn't disappoint me at all. It's not a genre I've read before from Inger Iversen but she did a damn good job at it!
I loved the concept of this book, of two people, Katie and Logan coming closer together, first through letters and then through talking on the phone. What made it so special was that one of these people, Logan, was in prison. So I really liked the chapters that involved the letters and reading them, and the way they got they know each other. And I loved the moment where they first meet. It was sizzling!
Katie was a really great character to read about, in my opnion. She's a lot like me in many ways, I think, so that made me relate to her quite a bit. Logan was also an interesting character, even with his issues. I loved the dual points of view and Logan's was my favorite (male pov is almost always a favorite with me). Their relationship was intense and a bit too hurried sometimes but I love them so much as a couple. And oh, the sex scenes were scorching hot. Way to go, Inger! I had to literally fan myself at times. Katie and Logan sure had enough chemistry to light my Kindle on fire!
Of course, there were a whole lot of issues involved mostly for Logan because he has issues with black people, mostly men, due to his violent past with them. Once he finds out that Katie is a black woman, he feels lied to, though he's willing to work on his issues because of his feelings for her. I must say that some scenes were a little hard for to read like the scene where he finds out she's black. It was an emotional one and I could really feel how much it had hurt Katie. But it was very well written by the author and I just love her for writing a book like this.
Incarcerated was a beautiful story. It had all the right elements I'm looking for in a great contemporary story — engaging characters, enjoyable writing, steamy romance and an amazing message. You'll definitely want to read this book. It's definitely a favorite of mine and I can't wait to read more books in this genre by Inger Iversen.
I loved the concept of this book, of two people, Katie and Logan coming closer together, first through letters and then through talking on the phone. What made it so special was that one of these people, Logan, was in prison. So I really liked the chapters that involved the letters and reading them, and the way they got they know each other. And I loved the moment where they first meet. It was sizzling!
Katie was a really great character to read about, in my opnion. She's a lot like me in many ways, I think, so that made me relate to her quite a bit. Logan was also an interesting character, even with his issues. I loved the dual points of view and Logan's was my favorite (male pov is almost always a favorite with me). Their relationship was intense and a bit too hurried sometimes but I love them so much as a couple. And oh, the sex scenes were scorching hot. Way to go, Inger! I had to literally fan myself at times. Katie and Logan sure had enough chemistry to light my Kindle on fire!
Of course, there were a whole lot of issues involved mostly for Logan because he has issues with black people, mostly men, due to his violent past with them. Once he finds out that Katie is a black woman, he feels lied to, though he's willing to work on his issues because of his feelings for her. I must say that some scenes were a little hard for to read like the scene where he finds out she's black. It was an emotional one and I could really feel how much it had hurt Katie. But it was very well written by the author and I just love her for writing a book like this.
Incarcerated was a beautiful story. It had all the right elements I'm looking for in a great contemporary story — engaging characters, enjoyable writing, steamy romance and an amazing message. You'll definitely want to read this book. It's definitely a favorite of mine and I can't wait to read more books in this genre by Inger Iversen.
October 17, 2014
This was a story about a best selling author who was lonely and became the pen pal of an inmate. Katie was a woman who lived as a hermit after a tragedy befalls her. She starts a pen pal program so that she can get her mind off of her own problems and focus on others. Logan was an upstanding inmates as far as felons are concerned. He took full responsibilities for his actions and never denied what he was doing. He and Katie were matched based upon certain criteria that Logan had, which was basically to make sure that his pen pal was a white woman and he thought that he had that with Katie based upon her name. Of course he was wrong, but he didn't know that. During that time, he got to know Katie as a person and she got to know him as well, and he became infatuated with her before he realized that the woman he was becoming attached to did not fit his basic profile with the correct ethnicity.
I enjoyed this book because I've never read anything like it and the storyline was interesting as I wanted to know how this couple was going to overcome this monumental obstacle once they found out that this was an issue. The story was well written with a few editing flaws, but it was still a very good read. I liked the best friends Trent (Logan's friend) and Teal (Katie's friend). Their personalities were very strong and I loved them and how they loved their friends. Trent was a complete racist and he still intrigued me despite that fact. That could be considered a little disturbing, but it intrigued me to know why. Ms. Iversen didn't delve into that, but there is a second book where the focus will be on Trent and Teal and a continuation of the current story, so I shall wait patiently.
I enjoyed this book because I've never read anything like it and the storyline was interesting as I wanted to know how this couple was going to overcome this monumental obstacle once they found out that this was an issue. The story was well written with a few editing flaws, but it was still a very good read. I liked the best friends Trent (Logan's friend) and Teal (Katie's friend). Their personalities were very strong and I loved them and how they loved their friends. Trent was a complete racist and he still intrigued me despite that fact. That could be considered a little disturbing, but it intrigued me to know why. Ms. Iversen didn't delve into that, but there is a second book where the focus will be on Trent and Teal and a continuation of the current story, so I shall wait patiently.
February 27, 2017
This is the first time that I'm reading a book by this author. I have to say that I read a book very similar to this book. So this wasn't the first time that I read about penpals becoming friends and then lovers. I probably would never do this myself although when I was younger I was part of a international penpal group. However that was with students from other countries. Now getting back to the store I found it highly improbable that the guy would drop his guard as far as he did when he found out that his penpal was a black woman I suppose it could happen and I wish things like that happen all the time I just found the very improbable. Now this is not to say that I didn't enjoy it I did I was cheering for their relationship. I however wanted the author to go a little more in depth with both of their previous lives. And for there to be a little bit more resistance once they did get together. However all in all it was a good story. I really would like a follow up to find out how the relationship handout did they actually get married that they have children were there any struggles after he went to the rehab sessions. However I still recommend this book to you
September 14, 2014
This book opens a new door for Inger Iversen. It's so different from anything else she has ever written. They are all amazing, don't get me wrong but I am used to reading her in the Paranormal area and this borders on Erotica. Tastefully written and lets your mind drift to areas that aren't covered. Basic story line is a Successful young woman starts writing a man in prison and as it comes closer to time for him to get out they become closer. Finally deciding to meet when he is released it's not a simple thing. Her father is the Warden of the prison and her best friend works there and alters the letter with her address. With two this powerful against them it's hard to see how they can possibly work it out. As if that wasn't enough he is a white racist pig and she is a beautiful woman of color. So much to overcome and it all comes together so beautifully. I love this new side of Inger and I can't wait for the next book in this new series. So many epic lines in this one that are Oscar Worthy. I just love it.
April 22, 2015
I really liked this, though there ARE elements and details I'd definitely change. Basically a 3.5 but I rounded up because its been a while since I finished it and I didn't do a review right away, so details are lost.
I liked the realism of how a relationship like this would be conducted; him locked up, her living her life but lonely due to her own personality and choices to a degree. I did feel like The Moment (where Logan realizes she's black) was done well and the fact that they both kind of have the natural reaction but ultimately can't leave each other alone. Everything felt kind of natural as far as them gravitating back into each others orbit and how it all played out.
I didn't so much like the end. A little too trite for me though I did appreciate them actually DEALING with the realities of him having to find work, deal with his own friends reactions and her father. A little trite is fine under the circumstances.
I liked the realism of how a relationship like this would be conducted; him locked up, her living her life but lonely due to her own personality and choices to a degree. I did feel like The Moment (where Logan realizes she's black) was done well and the fact that they both kind of have the natural reaction but ultimately can't leave each other alone. Everything felt kind of natural as far as them gravitating back into each others orbit and how it all played out.
I didn't so much like the end. A little too trite for me though I did appreciate them actually DEALING with the realities of him having to find work, deal with his own friends reactions and her father. A little trite is fine under the circumstances.
December 28, 2016
The inmate and the Introvert
Good book, interesting story, racist white inmate Logan White becomes pin pal with lonely black author Kathryn Andressen, through letters and phone calls they fall in love. When he discovers she's black and she discovers he's a racist, the ish hits the fan! Will love conquer all or will their differences keep them apart.
I really did like this book,the story was well written and the characters were well developed,the reason for my 4 star
Good book, interesting story, racist white inmate Logan White becomes pin pal with lonely black author Kathryn Andressen, through letters and phone calls they fall in love. When he discovers she's black and she discovers he's a racist, the ish hits the fan! Will love conquer all or will their differences keep them apart.
I really did like this book,the story was well written and the characters were well developed,the reason for my 4 star
June 11, 2017
46% DNF. But will at a later date. Don't have the patience for it. Moving on.
December 2, 2014
Hmmmm. I feel like I should have liked this more than I did and I feel badly that I didn't. So many others loved it but there was something off for me. The first half, sort of the getting to know you stage between Katie/Kristen and Scott/Logan was good. I liked the build-up and the dialogue between the two. But then it took a weird turn for me. I wasn't too keen on Katie. She was borderline agoraphobic and for a 25 year old, somewhat immature. Now I know that was probably due to her traumatic past and how her father treated her but I kept getting this odd vibe from her childish behavior and.... I didn't really like her. When she and Logan became really friendly then I got confused. Huh, wasn't that a little too fast! When she found out what Logan was like, I thought, good, that's what he deserves. But then it's smoothed over! What?! Just no. And when he gets out - Katie takes this hard right and turns into this sexy vixen that seemed so out of character and my not liking her much didn't help my feelings about this book. Things moved a little too fast for my liking and rushed headlong into, for me, an unbelievable HEA. There was also a bit of a loose end with Jake, too. So what happened?! Now the writing was good and I liked the author's style but sadly, when I don't like one of the MCs, then my rating plummets. The tension between the races in prison and in life were accurately portrayed, particularly the prison scenes. Logan's feelings toward black men seemed accurate and I liked that Logan didn't just change his worldview because of Katie. This is a new to me author and while this was a bit of a miss for me, I will read Inevitable, the follow up to this that includes Teal and Trent. Definitely need to see how that plays out.
September 21, 2014
*Let's form a connection*
This is my first Inger Iversen book and it will not be my last. When I was treated to her ARC of Incarcerated, I'll admit, I wasn't sure what to expect. You get that way when you read an author for the first time. But, I'm pleased that I found this book to be intriguing. It is not my usual read. I usually read YA, Fantasy or Paranormal, so reading this genre was very slow going at first. Inger's writing made the book fly by and before I knew it, I was done.
That's refreshing for me. I hate to have to struggle to read a book and that was not the case here.
Logan and Katie form a bond through letters, which I found to be quite romantic. Although he was in prison, he was still human and he was in need of a connection with someone. Logan a white male, lead a life that was so hard and it was hard to read about. I felt for him but he made choices too. It was choices that he made that landed him in jail in the first place, but that's irrelevant to the book. SO, moving on.
Katie, a successful writer (Love that she writes!)and a dark skin black woman who finds solace in reading books and being alone sometimes. This is something her friend Teal wants to change. Her father even tries to change that she is alone and sets her up with this jerk! UGH, hated Joe. What a jerk face!
So here are these two people of different races who are essentially alone in the world and they are in need of one another, they just don't know it yet.
Romantic, spicy and eye opening. This book will be a hit. I hope that it opens peoples eyes, that the color our skin doesn't set us apart; its the actions of that person that does. Logan and Katie are meant to be together no matter the color of their skin.
This is my first Inger Iversen book and it will not be my last. When I was treated to her ARC of Incarcerated, I'll admit, I wasn't sure what to expect. You get that way when you read an author for the first time. But, I'm pleased that I found this book to be intriguing. It is not my usual read. I usually read YA, Fantasy or Paranormal, so reading this genre was very slow going at first. Inger's writing made the book fly by and before I knew it, I was done.
That's refreshing for me. I hate to have to struggle to read a book and that was not the case here.
Logan and Katie form a bond through letters, which I found to be quite romantic. Although he was in prison, he was still human and he was in need of a connection with someone. Logan a white male, lead a life that was so hard and it was hard to read about. I felt for him but he made choices too. It was choices that he made that landed him in jail in the first place, but that's irrelevant to the book. SO, moving on.
Katie, a successful writer (Love that she writes!)and a dark skin black woman who finds solace in reading books and being alone sometimes. This is something her friend Teal wants to change. Her father even tries to change that she is alone and sets her up with this jerk! UGH, hated Joe. What a jerk face!
So here are these two people of different races who are essentially alone in the world and they are in need of one another, they just don't know it yet.
Romantic, spicy and eye opening. This book will be a hit. I hope that it opens peoples eyes, that the color our skin doesn't set us apart; its the actions of that person that does. Logan and Katie are meant to be together no matter the color of their skin.
December 13, 2014
APB Perspective reviews ;
The first time I read what this book I was like I am not going to read that! Why would anyone write a book that contains this subject matter it can 't possibly be good. Then I thought this is going to be one of those books where the uses the female protagonist as a sex slave and never shows her any respect. I came back to this book on a fluke and decided to read just a little to confirm my suspicion and found out I was so wrong! This a book about two people falling love ,and the relationship is well written . The racial difference does not make the story harder to read , it makes the fact that they fell in love feel deeper and you watch them struggle through those differences and root for positive results. What would you do if fell in love with someone before you ever saw their face ? Read this book and watch it happen.
Merged review:
“APB Perspective Reviews :
The first time I read what this book I was like I am not going to read that! Why would anyone write a book that contains this subject matter it can 't possibly be good. Then I thought this is going to be one of those books where the uses the female protagonist as a sex slave and never shows her any respect. I came back to this book on a fluke and decided to read just a little to confirm my suspicion and found out I was so wrong! This a book about two people falling love ,and the relationship is well written . The racial difference does not make the story harder to read , it makes the fact that they fell in love feel deeper and you watch them struggle through those differences and root for positive results. What would you do if fell in love with someone before you ever saw their face ? Read this book and watch it happen. ”
The first time I read what this book I was like I am not going to read that! Why would anyone write a book that contains this subject matter it can 't possibly be good. Then I thought this is going to be one of those books where the uses the female protagonist as a sex slave and never shows her any respect. I came back to this book on a fluke and decided to read just a little to confirm my suspicion and found out I was so wrong! This a book about two people falling love ,and the relationship is well written . The racial difference does not make the story harder to read , it makes the fact that they fell in love feel deeper and you watch them struggle through those differences and root for positive results. What would you do if fell in love with someone before you ever saw their face ? Read this book and watch it happen.
Merged review:
“APB Perspective Reviews :
The first time I read what this book I was like I am not going to read that! Why would anyone write a book that contains this subject matter it can 't possibly be good. Then I thought this is going to be one of those books where the uses the female protagonist as a sex slave and never shows her any respect. I came back to this book on a fluke and decided to read just a little to confirm my suspicion and found out I was so wrong! This a book about two people falling love ,and the relationship is well written . The racial difference does not make the story harder to read , it makes the fact that they fell in love feel deeper and you watch them struggle through those differences and root for positive results. What would you do if fell in love with someone before you ever saw their face ? Read this book and watch it happen. ”
January 20, 2019
Okay, I’m just really confused.
First off, she (Katy) was mad at Joe for insinuating that she acts a specific race...she was mad and refused to forgive him for ignorance even though he apologised...yet, she is quick to forgive a racist KKK sympathiser who didn’t even apologise, but gave her some half assed explanation from the hospital.
He says some questionably racially charged things...and she doesn’t notice until he all out comes out and admits he’s a racist, acuses her of lying by acting like a certain race...yet she forgives him with no apology...but Joe doesn’t get forgiven for a lesser offence...right.
This girl is like a 5 year old, she doesn’t think of many consequences, her friend has to be the adult.
The writing was okay, and the storyline had promise, but the heroine was literally too forgiving and understanding of the bs the hero said/did.
Not finished yet, will update my review.
Katie is a lunatic. She is a disloyal despicable distasteful immature person. No matter what Logan does, she forgives, yet she is so angry with her best friend of years for having her best interest at heart. She is willing to choose this racist man with a terrible attitude over her own step father. A man who raised her and continued to look out for her when her mother was no longer around even though she is not biologically his.
First off, she (Katy) was mad at Joe for insinuating that she acts a specific race...she was mad and refused to forgive him for ignorance even though he apologised...yet, she is quick to forgive a racist KKK sympathiser who didn’t even apologise, but gave her some half assed explanation from the hospital.
He says some questionably racially charged things...and she doesn’t notice until he all out comes out and admits he’s a racist, acuses her of lying by acting like a certain race...yet she forgives him with no apology...but Joe doesn’t get forgiven for a lesser offence...right.
This girl is like a 5 year old, she doesn’t think of many consequences, her friend has to be the adult.
The writing was okay, and the storyline had promise, but the heroine was literally too forgiving and understanding of the bs the hero said/did.
Not finished yet, will update my review.
Katie is a lunatic. She is a disloyal despicable distasteful immature person. No matter what Logan does, she forgives, yet she is so angry with her best friend of years for having her best interest at heart. She is willing to choose this racist man with a terrible attitude over her own step father. A man who raised her and continued to look out for her when her mother was no longer around even though she is not biologically his.
March 2, 2015
Since I read the blurb for this novel, I knew I had to read it.. the premise is really interesting..
Incarcerated was a very touching story of two lost souls finding each other in the most unusual way. Katheryn (Katie) Andreassen is a character I deeply felt for. Especially with everyone around her trying to micromanage her life from setting her on dates and meddling in her choices. I hated what they did to her. She's never been taken seriously when it comes to her life and I am so happy she did make them see she doesn't need them doing that. She's my inspiration.
As for Logan, I also felt for the guy. He's loyalty to his people who saved his life from the attacks of black individuals growing up, caused him to land in jail for a crime he didn't committ. Adding to that, his struggle with trust, being under attack constantly in his early life is a guarantee of that, regardless of the race-issue. That's what appeared to me though.
The end warmed my heart,
Overall, it was a really great start for me reading for Inger Iversen and it definitely wouldn't be the last.
Incarcerated was a very touching story of two lost souls finding each other in the most unusual way. Katheryn (Katie) Andreassen is a character I deeply felt for. Especially with everyone around her trying to micromanage her life from setting her on dates and meddling in her choices. I hated what they did to her. She's never been taken seriously when it comes to her life and I am so happy she did make them see she doesn't need them doing that. She's my inspiration.
As for Logan, I also felt for the guy. He's loyalty to his people who saved his life from the attacks of black individuals growing up, caused him to land in jail for a crime he didn't committ. Adding to that, his struggle with trust, being under attack constantly in his early life is a guarantee of that, regardless of the race-issue. That's what appeared to me though.
The end warmed my heart,
Overall, it was a really great start for me reading for Inger Iversen and it definitely wouldn't be the last.
February 22, 2017
Katie and Logan were both looking for someone to alleviate their feelings of loneliness, and what better way than to find a pen pal. These two talk anonymously for awhile getting to know each other making each other feel I lot less lonely. They both feel that they have finally found someone special, someone who really understands them. until the truth comes out and they realize they really didn't know each other at all.
What would you do if you fell in love with someone only to find out that the person you thought they were couldn't be more further from the truth? That's exactly what happened to Katie and Logan. This was a story about finding out what really matters to you where love is involved, how you can think you know yourself until life comes along and shows you how wrong you are and that there's always something new to learn about yourself. True love know no color and for me is what Incarcerated is about. This is my third time reading this story and with every reread I find something that I missed from the previous reads. I loved it and give this one 4.5 stars!
What would you do if you fell in love with someone only to find out that the person you thought they were couldn't be more further from the truth? That's exactly what happened to Katie and Logan. This was a story about finding out what really matters to you where love is involved, how you can think you know yourself until life comes along and shows you how wrong you are and that there's always something new to learn about yourself. True love know no color and for me is what Incarcerated is about. This is my third time reading this story and with every reread I find something that I missed from the previous reads. I loved it and give this one 4.5 stars!
November 11, 2014
I am going to tell you what I know to be true and that is this book was great. This author took too strangers and molded them into lovers with a future. I loved the fact that Katie had such an open mind about his situation. and the change this man was willing to go through just for her was honestly one of the best reality checks I'm sure for a lot of people. Very good book first time reading anything from this author but definitely not going to pass up on the sequel.
October 4, 2014
I have nothing but good things to say about this book. The heroine did act a little immature but it's due to sensible reason, loneliness. I got it. I liked the hero so much. He's not the typical hero I read in most erotica; rich, tough, and sexy. I got to see this weak side of his which is fine by me. The fact that he's willing to grow up made me like him even more.
December 20, 2014
I LOVED THIS BOOK TO THE BITS
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