A high 2 stars
This book is a little hard for me to review. I liked it quite a bit, but it felt a little like a few separate books spliced together, with only a couple of them resolving. And I was disappointed by the end, which seemed rushed and too pat. Don't get me wrong; the author promises her books all have HEAs, and she delivers on that promise. I just felt a little deflated by the last 25 or 30 percent.
Charge is third in the Locked Security series, but it was my first. It worked okay as a standalone, but I suspect that at least the previous book (Archer's sister Everleigh's book) might have answered a few of my questions about what happened to Archer prior to the start of Charge.
So the spliced-together thing. One angle is about kids with crappy home lives becoming each other's family. The book starts in the past when Thea, Archer, and Everleigh are kids. Thea has an abusive mother, so she frequently escapes to stay with her BFF Ever and Ever's little brother Archer (seven years Thea's junior). Ever and Archer have parents who ignore them, but it was never really clear why and the parents never make an appearance.
Then we jump to the suspense angle, seven years in the future. This angle should have been the predominant theme, but it seems more like a vehicle to get Thea and Archer in the same physical space. Thea and Archer apparently grew apart when Archer went off to college, but we never really see the events that led to that. We just learn that Thea stopped all contact with Archer (though she stayed besties with Ever). Anyway, Thea is now married and in some kind of danger (related to her husband's business dealings) and Archer works for a hostage rescue/security company and comes to her rescue in a pretty dire situation.
Next up is the second chances angle, where Thea and Archer get their sexy time. It's emotional too, and I rather like them together, though I would have liked a little more wonder at the beginning. (I also needed him to be older than 24 because that's still a baby... But I'm older than dirt, so my perspective may not count.) Anyway, the suspense part kind of fizzles out here as the book turns into a pretty straightforward romance, compete with a rather awkward Big Misunderstanding that only served to make both of them (but especially Thea) seem a little immature.
I expected a big climax at the very least, but it never really came. It just sort of...ended.
What would have made it better for me? As hard as the topic of child abuse is, I think we needed to see a little more of teenage Thea's home life, and we needed the mother to be a little less of a charicature. Why? I needed a better understanding of why Thea made the decision to cut Archer out, and why she really needed to marry William.
Then, I needed the suspense to be more fleshed out OR (dare I suggest) cut out entirely. There's no real there there.
Finally, I needed the conflict to be more than the aforementioned Big Misunderstanding. It needed to relate to the suspense, perhaps even tying Thea's mother, always manipulative, in with the Russians.
All this is, of course, just my opinion, and I'm sure others will adore Charge. And to be clear, I really liked everyone: Aside from Thea, Archer, and Ever, I enjoyed the scenes with Ever's daughter, as well as the ones with William and especially Ciel. I just thought they deserved a more polished story.
I received an ARC of this book for free from the author and BookSirens. I'm writing this review voluntarily, and it reflects my honest opinion. Thanks!