Roxy Blake > Recent Status Updates

Like the previous book in this series, this one needs some editing.

Sill wonderful, dynamic characters...but...secrets being kept from the reader is annoying. (ie: the infamous letter that both Lacey and June read entirely, but only part is shared with readers.) The book is bordering on angsty. I really (really!) hope the current scene (which is great, btw) moves everything forward in a way that celebrates trust.

There's a lot to love about this book. Hazel's emerging as a borderline bitch, though. The Bishop brothers are fun and likable. Hazel and Cam's relationship, though...iono. Toxicity doesn't do it for me, and right now, Hazel's just...looking like one of those yucky women that nice guys stay with for some inane reason. It's a weird parallel with Emilie's hubby, like an ugly glimpse into the future.

I like Ramsay and Willow more than the couple in the previous book. And...Willow. It's an unusual name...weird that she's a character in this book after Owen being a character in the previous one. My Willow (in my Broad Street Gym series) has a lot more parallels with Wild Scottish Beauty Willow than our Owens did.

It's odd to read books that have characters with the same names as my own characters.

The pub scene + the post-pub scene. The train wreck continues. While I want to know how this unfolds, it's a decided departure from the previous books. I've begun to dislike Shona, who's actually borderline toxic, which I guess makes sense, since she's tangled up with toxic Owen.

I like Gnorman. He's the one glimmer of sanity. (Irony: Shona was honest with Owen but he's slithering past her being uncomfortable.)

Reading this is like watching a slow-motion train wreck and being unable to stop it. Shona is entranced by Owen, who continues creeping me out. It's unfortunate that his name is Owen because my Owen (in Convergence) is a great guy. Wild Scottish Rose Owen is a walking red flag who lies to himself. His motivation is pretty clear to me, but he's in denial and Shona is clueless. Is this dark romance?

(typo on that 35% read lol)

So. Owen. The guy creeps me out. He's a walking red flag. I'm cringing as I read the firepit scene. I'm glad Gnorman is there to maybe bonk Owen with a hedgie if needed. Because Owen seems super manipulative and arrogant. Shona is a strong woman, but she recognizes Owen's out of her realm of experience. Danger, Shona! He's sneaky and agenda-driven. Not a pond you should swim in.

Loving the story. In a few places, the author literally repeats entire phrases / sentences. That tripped me up the first few times (went back to reread because it felt like I was reading the same thing again, which I was...it was the book not me lol). That aside, the characters and story have depth. There's a potential twist that concerns me because it's predictable so I *hope* it doesn't happen.

LOVE the beginning of this book. Maya is frighteningly relatable. It's like looking backward in a mirror. And Shane? He's intriguing.