Funny !! LOL!! Loved Loved Loved

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DNF at 50%.

I've been DNF'ing a lot of books over the last year. I know this. I sometimes, almost, just a tiny bit, perhaps feel bad about it. But dang it, life is too short to read bad books.

I saw a lot of good reviews for this and the premise was semi-interesting so I decided to jump in. What I did not see, but soon picked up on with a growing sense of doom, was that it was labeled "New Adult".

Kill me now.

Now, I'm not saying that New Adult is a bad genre, it's just not one that generally appeals to me personally. This book is a good example of why.

But I decided to push through it, at least until the halfway mark. That was my goal. I met that goal. And immediately stopped. Making goals and reaching them, that's me.

- The plot is full of weird knowledge gaps, and not a whole lot of reasoning behind the major plot movements. For example, Nox apparently turned this job down, then hacked Lily's fathers email for no real reason, then kidnapped her and her family. But it's implied later that her father had him on payroll the entire time. And that her father completely trusts Nox. Again, for no real reason. There might be deeper reasons for these things that are revealed later on, but I didn't get that feeling from the beginning. We seemed to be fully coasting on surface level.

- Lily is a completely hysterical, irritating nuisance of a lead. I mean that in the kindest, "well, bless her heart" sort of way. She cries at the drop of a hat, freaks out in weird ways to whats going on around her (not that she shouldn't be freaking out, it's just the way she does it), and generally acts like a spoiled teenager not getting her way most of the time. I don't remember her exact age, but I'm pretty sure she wasn't a teenage. Just sayin'.

- Nox is just a cardboard cut out of a stereo-type lead in these types of stories. Crazy ripped, hard attitude but has a heart of gold, altruistic in the extreme for his lady-love, etc. It didn't feel right that he or any of the people he worked with were in the business they were in. Not that they were too young necessarily (although I do think that it was part of it), but that they acted like young, clueless kids not the mercs they were supposed to be. I hate it when books try to force realism like that for no reason other than to fit the age group the book is supposed to be appealing to.

So yeah, DNF for unlikable characters and vauge plot. Do not feel bad.
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Despite the unfortunate title, I quite enjoyed this. It was a unique plot, though it had some holes that weren't completely explained, and I liked the characters and their interactions. ( )

I read Raw in two days (being a mom of a teen and two nearly-teens, that's a fast read for me) and immediately looked up other books by Ms. Aurora. Lily and Nox make a very brief appearance in Raw, so, Willing Captive became my next read.

Both are quick reads in that they grab you, hold on tight and make you want to keep turning pages!

This receives a high-ish rating because of the emotions Ms Aurora carries the reader through; well done, Ms Aurora. It does not receive a 5-star because I would have liked to have the plot developed more -- give the reader a chance to know Jett and Jamie better, to be taken in by them and then deceived by them like the whole family was; define Cianan and his wife better for the reader -- give the reader understanding as to why he is so very over protective of his daughters, and why Lily especially so, how he developed his business and why there is a threat to it and why Lily was kidnapped before; let the reader know more about Nox and his business, insight the reader is given which Lily is not, but knowledge just the same. At not quite 300 pages, this book could handle a bit more meat on its bones.

Willing Captive remains a tasty, delicious dish, leaving me pleasantly full, though still wanting more! I love the relationships -- Lily with Boo, Boo and Rock, and, of course, the development of Lily's and Nox's relationship. I loved the inner dialogue/head speak of Lily and of Nox. This works well to keep the story light and funny, even during the break-in and subsequent kidnapping/rescue.

Now? I'm moving on to Friend-Zoned!

All that is missing is Boo & Rock's story. ( )

I enjoyed this story of Lily and Nox, the man who was hired to protect her from a threat. Lily must live in seclusion for months with Nox and the others who work with him. I liked the slow way their relationship develops, starting with them driving each other crazy, then gradually becoming more affectionate, with light touches, caresses, hugs, etc (no insta-love here). While the first half of the book has a light, fun feel to it, the second half is deeply emotional. I highly recommend this to fans of the NA Romance genre. ( )