5 Heart Review: Breathe by Lauren Jameson

Breathe (In Vino Veritas #2)
Lauren Jameson

Page Count: 304
Release Date: December 3rd, 2013
Publisher: NAL Trade (Penguin Group)
Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Signet Eclipse!)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Two people learn what it really means to give up control in the sizzling new novel from the author of Blush and Surrender to Temptation...

When business mogul Elijah Masterson travels to the Mexican coast for his chain of luxury resorts, he purchases an emerald green glass sculpture for one of the properties. He is soon fascinated by the fiery temptress who created it. The attraction between them is instant and explosive, but Elijah resists, unsure that a woman as strong-willed as Samantha would ever yield in the way he needs her to.

Headstrong glass artist Samantha Collins hides a secret desire to submit to the right man. Samantha sees everything she wants in Elijah, but apart from one steamy night, he seems determined to keep his distance. She has always held back, but refusing to let go now that she’s found the dominant man she’s always wanted, Samantha makes Elijah an offer he can’t refuse: a month of absolute submission.

But after a month of incredible passion, will either of them be able to walk away?

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Review

But being restrained—that had been a major turn-on. More than that, the manner in which Elijah had taken her in his arms after she'd had her momentary panic attack had filled something deep inside her. The way he'd wrapped her in a blanket, held her close, fed her—it had been strange and some kind of wonderful to be taken care of.

That was what she wanted, more than anything she'd seen in the BDSM club. She wanted a strong man, a man who would take care of her without questioning her endlessly about it. A man who wasn't put off by the fact that she could be argumentative and stubborn.

Elijah was that man. She was absolutely sure of it.

Considering how much I adored the first book in the In Vino Veritas series, Blush, which I reviewed back in May, I thought I would love Breathe, but I was actually very disappointed. With backdrops of breezy José del Cabo and colorful Las Vegas, Breathe is business tycoon Elijah Masterson's story—the story of how he finds the girl who steals his heart, and how he responds to her touch—even though she isn't fully available for his taking.

Samantha, our heroine, is running away from a deep, terrible past that still haunts her in the flesh today. I don't know what it is in recent trends that has glamorized childhood trauma, but as you can imagine, this "escaping the past" trope was predictable, superficial, and left a bad taste in my mouth—not because it was too horrible for words, but because it was so recklessly developed. Samantha has always had to be the responsible one, the one who had to pick up the scattered pieces of her broken family, but when she meets Elijah, a relationship as fiery as her personality ignites, and for once, she gets the chance to give up control.

There are two problems here that I can name already: first, the degree of "heat" of the relationship, and second, Samantha's "sassy" attitude—both the result of poor characterization. Whatever chemistry there is supposed to be between Elijah and Samantha is unconvincing; I felt nothing for them, and didn't care enough to root for their romance either. While the more explicit sex scenes are taboo and decently written, the character interaction, the entire presumption of their so-called relationship, is stinted and utterly painful (and not in the good way!).

Samantha is portrayed as your typical contrary, smart-mouthed redhead who's so uptight that she can't ever be fully submissive. The heart of the book's tragedy lies here: while Samantha wants to surrender to Elijah's kinky ways, she is too much of a "strong, independent woman who don't need no man" to do so; and while Elijah is intrigued by this adorable, passionate character, he is a true Dom and cannot be with a sort-of, kind-of sub. She's the kind of girl that could make him get way over his head—fall in love too quickly and get hurt—again. The dilemma of the impossible power play, as well as the secret he wants to coax out of her without damaging her, is really well elaborated, but that's about all I can praise.

The characters themselves are hard to sympathize with; entirely two-dimensional and routine. Samantha huffs her breath out and puts her fists on her hips too much, while Elijah does creepy, unrealistic things like call her "kitten" and lust after his best friend's fiancée. Jameson tried too hard to make each character ideal—Samantha the brazen, bold heroine, and Elijah the smooth, rich Dom—but she ended up making them unrealistic and rather ridiculous in the process.

I thought I'd at least enjoy the BDSM aspect, but nope, didn't happen. Samantha's immersion into the world of kink is uncannily Fifty Shades-esque; we've got a pathetically naïve innocent girl with only not-so-witty inner monologues to her name, and we've got a billionaire-slash-handsome-devil who's an expert on whips and chains and gags. On top of this, we have an author trying way too hard to be inventive, to be sexy; it was entirely unsexy. A few nights together and a trip to Elijah's infamous sex club later, and they're already developing separation anxiety. They call it incredible passion. They call it love.

Sorry, but this one just wasn't for me.

Pros

Brief cameos of characters from Blush // Intense love scenes // D/s relationship well explored // Quickly paced; I kept reading, didn't I?

Cons

Physical BDSM is poorly incorporated // Laughable characters // Laughable romance/love/whatever // Stereotypical "rich sex god falls in love with unextraordinary girl" plot // Emotionally artless; Jameson tries too hard to be sentimental, but I got nothing out of it

Verdict

Breathe's pages turned easily and were paced well, but the story itself is insipid, unoriginal, and at times, just too over-the-top. A clear Fifty Shades of Grey wannabe—the two books having nearly identical plots and equally ridiculous characters—the second installment of the In Vino Veritas series disappointed me sorely. Frustratingly, I really wanted to enjoy this novel about giving up and handing over control, but I must have gotten my hopes up too high; even if you're a fan of Blush or Jameson's alter ego, Lauren Hawkeye's other works, I can't recommend this one 

5 hearts: Doesn't particularly light any of my fires; I feel indifferent about this book (x)

9 Heart Review: Blush by Lauren Jameson

Blush (In Vino Veritas #1)
Lauren Jameson

Page Count: 304
Release Date: 7 May 2013
Publisher: New American Library (Penguin)
Source: Won in a giveaway
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

From the author of Surrender to Temptation comes a provocative story of overwhelming passion set free with one exquisite touch...

Madeline Stone is determined to heal from her tragic past, one difficult step at a time... and she doesn’t need any distractions. Then she meets a mysterious and captivating stranger—and over a glass of outrageously expensive wine, her world turns upside down. Try as she might to banish the wealthy business mogul from her thoughts, Madeline can’t fight Alex’s staggering appeal or his enticing offer of intimate discovery.

Alex doesn’t date—at least, not in the traditional sense. Still, he wants Madeline... and his sexual intensity provides her with a much-needed escape. They embark on a tumultuous erotic affair, one that takes them to the pinnacle of obsession and desire. But underneath each explosive encounter lie dangerous secrets waiting to consume them both...

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Review

A night of risks—a night when Maddy Stone finally decides to push herself and try something new—presents her with a hot, sultry encounter with a man who can read her better than she can even read herself. Alex Fraser picks up on her deeper notes right away, and he's not letting them go anytime soon. Whether it be with wine, with words, or with one delicate touch, he'll seduce her... that is, if he doesn't fall in love with her first.

I absolutely devoured this book! Jameson's writing is smooth, sleek, and sexy, and her witty dialogue and mesmerizing character interaction are right on par.

Alex, a Vegas business tycoon, is not a nice man. He's your typical rich, dominant, Acqua de Gio-wearing tall, dark, and deadly (yes, I just made that a noun); in other words, totally swoon-worthy—I need more of him now!!! He has a cool, controlled exterior—except in the presence of Maddy, with whom he doesn't feel coldness, nor mere attraction, but rather, a slow, wicked burn. The development of their relationship is exactly that: a slow, wicked burn that ignites at its hottest points and sizzles when it's cool.

Alex knows right away Maddy will not be able to handle his intensity, unless, that is, he pushes her all that far. However, she's much too innocent to do the things he wants to do with her, cravings aside. And his life is too much of a mess for a woman clearly dealing with her own issues. Yet, something inevitable draws him to her, and that's what's so heartbreaking—so devastatingly perfect—about the two of them together.

Maddy, after losing everything, wants to start afresh in the quaint town near Las Vegas. She's irrationally afraid of trying anything new and as it is, Alex—his world, his background, his body, and of course, his mindgames—is as new as it gets. As troubled as she is, she discovers she needs Alex because he knows what she needs even when she doesn't. Nights of unbridled passion, insecurity, and heat expose both of their vulnerabilities to each other, and to the most painful realization of all: heartache.

The couple dynamic here is interesting. It's not just a love-at-first-sight kind of romance story. Both characters are deeply flawed and deeply scarred, with more emotional baggage than each can handle, which means their relationship is weird, complicated, and utterly messy. Maddy's been rendered passive ever since her family tragedy, so her lingering guilt and humiliation dictate her into thinking she just might deserve the pain of Alex's singular tastes; Alex, on the other hand, wants to punish her, but only for pleasure—because that much, he knows, she deserves.

Alex may be her cure, but Maddy just might be his demise. The force of this kinky duo will have you panting and your insides searing. The climax is a bit disappointing—Alex's deep dark secret is, without giving too much away, not that deep and dark. And for a large portion of the book, I felt like Maddy was being rather a baby, but I reconciled with her behavior upon realizing how weak, how fragile, of a character she is. It's obvious within the first few pages of Blush that Alex will become the remedy for her frailty, and that's where the journey of their irrevocable love begins.

Pros

Alex is a fabu-fuckin'-lous alpha male // BDSM scenes hit the spot! // Relatable protagonist // Realistic chemistry // Pitch-perfect dialogue // Emotionally solid // Love that the next book in the series will have recurring characters

Cons

Not exactly a fresh plot (Bared to You reference right on the cover...) // Stilted ending // Deep, dark secrets are not actually that deep and dark; would have liked to see edgier

Love

[Susannah] had insisted on helping Maddy decide what to wear on the date that Maddy didn't even yet have.

From the size of the pile of "no" clothing in Maddy's lap, she was pretty sure that she'd be attending the so-called date naked.

Verdict

Sultry and alluring, Lauren Jameson's first full-length novel Blush is a sinful thrill of a read, and it'll definitely become your next guiltiest pleasure. The inescapability of one's identity is highlighted upon in Maddy's attempted flee from her past, and her acquaintance with the smokin' hot Alex Fraser will make her—and readers—understand that. As she discovers that although he may seem indestructible, in the end, Alex too, is only human, readers get a private glimpse of the composed dominant's perspective—the insides of an outwardly tranquil and authoritative character. A better-written and actually classy variation of the Fifty Shades of Grey madness, this first book in the In Vino Veritas series is heavy on secrets and heavy on sex; it expertly explores the necessary trust and determination in the sexuality of a BDSM relationship, on top of its erotic tendrils 

9 hearts: Loved it! This book has a spot on my favorites shelf (x)