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Pyte/Sentinel #2
Without Regret
This is an alternate-cover edition for ASIN B005RFG3JK.
Chris Williams is used to making sacrifices. For years he's done his duty by his family and his calling as he awaited the one person that was meant for him. When she finally came into his life she was nothing like the woman he'd expected. Instead of being the warrior ready to help him protect his family and the humans under his care he got.....
A computer geek named Isabella, who somehow managed to get her name on every Master's hit list. One minute she admits that she'd made a foolish mistake and the next she's kidnapped, held hostage by a crazy cult who steals her chocolate and she's sure is after her program, a program she has no plans on giving up anytime soon. As she tries to keep her wits about her the sexiest man she's ever seen claims her, only he doesn't seem to happy about it. It's clear that he doesn't want her, but the stubborn man just won't let her go even when it's clear that he may not have a choice.
Chris Williams is used to making sacrifices. For years he's done his duty by his family and his calling as he awaited the one person that was meant for him. When she finally came into his life she was nothing like the woman he'd expected. Instead of being the warrior ready to help him protect his family and the humans under his care he got.....
A computer geek named Isabella, who somehow managed to get her name on every Master's hit list. One minute she admits that she'd made a foolish mistake and the next she's kidnapped, held hostage by a crazy cult who steals her chocolate and she's sure is after her program, a program she has no plans on giving up anytime soon. As she tries to keep her wits about her the sexiest man she's ever seen claims her, only he doesn't seem to happy about it. It's clear that he doesn't want her, but the stubborn man just won't let her go even when it's clear that he may not have a choice.
466 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2011
375 people are currently reading
2838 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Mathewson
70 books15.5k followersNew York Times Bestselling author, R.L. Mathewson was born in Massachusetts. She’s known for her humor, quick wit and ability to write relatable characters. She currently has several paranormal and contemporary romance series published including the Neighbor from Hell series.
Growing up, R.L. Mathewson was a painfully shy bookworm. After high school she attended college, worked as a bellhop, fast food cook, and a museum worker until she decided to take an EMT course. Working as an EMT helped her get over her shyness as well as left her with some fond memories and some rather disturbing ones that from time to time show up in one of her books.
Today, R.L. Mathewson is the single mother of two children that keep her on her toes. She has a bit of a romance novel addiction as well as a major hot chocolate addiction and on a perfect day, she combines the two.
In 2019/2020, R.L. Mathewson will be publishing Devastated, the first Anger Management novel, Tall, Dark & Furious, the 6th installment to the Pyte/Sentinel series, Irresistible, the long anticipated novel for the Neighbor from Hell Series as well as many more books throughout the year, paranormals, contemporaries, and YAs.
Growing up, R.L. Mathewson was a painfully shy bookworm. After high school she attended college, worked as a bellhop, fast food cook, and a museum worker until she decided to take an EMT course. Working as an EMT helped her get over her shyness as well as left her with some fond memories and some rather disturbing ones that from time to time show up in one of her books.
Today, R.L. Mathewson is the single mother of two children that keep her on her toes. She has a bit of a romance novel addiction as well as a major hot chocolate addiction and on a perfect day, she combines the two.
In 2019/2020, R.L. Mathewson will be publishing Devastated, the first Anger Management novel, Tall, Dark & Furious, the 6th installment to the Pyte/Sentinel series, Irresistible, the long anticipated novel for the Neighbor from Hell Series as well as many more books throughout the year, paranormals, contemporaries, and YAs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 649 reviews
December 27, 2012
Ok so I normally really enjoy this author. I loved the neighbors from Hell series and actually really enjoyed Tall, Dark and Lonely. As much as I hate to give any book 2 stars I was so disappointed in this book.
SPOILERS.....
Chris is an absolute jerk in this book. And I don't mean, overbearing alpha kind of jerk, I mean cruel, selfish, and downright nasty. He spends the first part of the book saying that his "mate" is too weak for him. Apparently her only purpose for him is to be a fighter, when after the first day she is not a fighter, she is a nuisance and embarrassment that he can't wait to dump onto an island and out of his hair. On top of that, he repeatedly refers to her as a whore!
The middle of the book is him pushing her away, showing her not even a tiny bit of affection (except for the sex that he uses her for) and trying to ignore the "mistake" that is the child he knocked her up with. This is after he was unable to force her to abort it. He continues to intend to dump her on an island with the "mistake" once it's born!
The end of the book is him informing her that he actually loves her and then basically taking ownership over his precious little daughter. No one else is good enough to hold her or care for her other then him. To the point where the mom wasn't even allowed any say so on nursery decor!
His treatment of her was so shockingly bad that I could hardly stand reading it. It was made worse by her acceptance of it. She had sex with this man minutes after he called her a whore! It was pathetic. I kept reading, waiting for her to set him straight and she never did.
RL Mathewson writes some very nice, very steamy sex scenes but I literally couldn't even read them. I despised these characters so much I couldn't have cared less what happened to either one of them!
My biggest complaint was Chris and "Munchkins" acceptance of his behavior but it's also worth saying that the typos in this book were pretty extreme. Maybe they bothered me more then usual because I was already so irritated.
I have the next book in the series ready for me to read but frankly, I'm dreading it. If the characters are like they were in Without Regret I won't finish it. I wont waste my time on another infuriating book.
SPOILERS.....
Chris is an absolute jerk in this book. And I don't mean, overbearing alpha kind of jerk, I mean cruel, selfish, and downright nasty. He spends the first part of the book saying that his "mate" is too weak for him. Apparently her only purpose for him is to be a fighter, when after the first day she is not a fighter, she is a nuisance and embarrassment that he can't wait to dump onto an island and out of his hair. On top of that, he repeatedly refers to her as a whore!
The middle of the book is him pushing her away, showing her not even a tiny bit of affection (except for the sex that he uses her for) and trying to ignore the "mistake" that is the child he knocked her up with. This is after he was unable to force her to abort it. He continues to intend to dump her on an island with the "mistake" once it's born!
The end of the book is him informing her that he actually loves her and then basically taking ownership over his precious little daughter. No one else is good enough to hold her or care for her other then him. To the point where the mom wasn't even allowed any say so on nursery decor!
His treatment of her was so shockingly bad that I could hardly stand reading it. It was made worse by her acceptance of it. She had sex with this man minutes after he called her a whore! It was pathetic. I kept reading, waiting for her to set him straight and she never did.
RL Mathewson writes some very nice, very steamy sex scenes but I literally couldn't even read them. I despised these characters so much I couldn't have cared less what happened to either one of them!
My biggest complaint was Chris and "Munchkins" acceptance of his behavior but it's also worth saying that the typos in this book were pretty extreme. Maybe they bothered me more then usual because I was already so irritated.
I have the next book in the series ready for me to read but frankly, I'm dreading it. If the characters are like they were in Without Regret I won't finish it. I wont waste my time on another infuriating book.
August 17, 2012
I demand a re-write! **** Spoilers ****
CAUTION: Ranting ahead
Chris was an absolute douche - and an absolute dissapointment. I actually liked him in the first book, but in this one he was just a pr*ck. He tells his MATE that she is a weak dissapointment throughout the WHOLE book. Or at least 98% of the book. He tells his MATE to abort his child. And then, he tries to incarcirate his MATE to a prison on a forgotten island for the rest of her life, which since she is a sentinel and is long lived will be at least another 180 years!!!!! And through this all he insists on screwing her whenever he wants because as his mate it is his due!!!!
What a messed up abusive relationship. The sadder part was that the author trully thinks that a 5 second "I'm sorry, I fucked up" speech fixed everything ( Literally 5 seconds, this conversation happened on an elevator ride). Paranormal or not it would be impossible for any person to withstand months of emotional and verbal abuse and not break on some level. This is not something that gets fixed in an elevator conversation. This is something that would require therapy!!!!!
CAUTION: Ranting ahead
Chris was an absolute douche - and an absolute dissapointment. I actually liked him in the first book, but in this one he was just a pr*ck. He tells his MATE that she is a weak dissapointment throughout the WHOLE book. Or at least 98% of the book. He tells his MATE to abort his child. And then, he tries to incarcirate his MATE to a prison on a forgotten island for the rest of her life, which since she is a sentinel and is long lived will be at least another 180 years!!!!! And through this all he insists on screwing her whenever he wants because as his mate it is his due!!!!
What a messed up abusive relationship. The sadder part was that the author trully thinks that a 5 second "I'm sorry, I fucked up" speech fixed everything ( Literally 5 seconds, this conversation happened on an elevator ride). Paranormal or not it would be impossible for any person to withstand months of emotional and verbal abuse and not break on some level. This is not something that gets fixed in an elevator conversation. This is something that would require therapy!!!!!
July 10, 2021
Awesome story and supporting characters!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎧🎧
Romance: 💋💋💋💋💋
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📙📕📗📙📘
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌏🌎
Character development: 👨🏻👱🏻♀️🧔🏻👩🏻👱🏼♂️
The heroine: Isabella (a.k.a. Munchkin) - She is a computer programmer/hacker. She created a program that all the masters (Vampire leaders) want. She is also the mate of Chris (adopted son of Ephraim from book 1).
The Hero(es): Chris Williams - He is a Sentinel, which are basically Vampire Slayers. They keep humans and their families safe from Vampires and other supernatural threats. Each Sentinel is born as a twin and the other twin dies in childbirth. There are ten born every ten years. Five are boys and five are girls. Each male has a mate who is the other part of their soul.
The Story: When Isabella is attacked by Vampires and saved by a team of Sentinels, she thinks she has been drugged and is being held by some kind of weird cult. Chris immediately knows Isabella is his mate, she thinks it is the drugs that are causing her to be so unbearably attracted to Chris.
Isabella keeps trying to get away from Chris and his family. Chris in this book turned from a funny young 16 year old to a huge selfish jerk. He was so likable in the last book but was an unbelievable asshat in this book. The narration made it even worse. They used the same narrator and she used the same young kid voice for Chris as was used in the last book. It was hard to hear the Hero of a romance with a young kid’s voice.
The story was absolutely terrific and even though I hated how Chris acted compared to how he was in book 1, it added to the story and the steam between Izzy and Chris when they finally started giving in to their feelings for each other. I ended up liking this book even more than the first due to the Sentinel storylines, the Vampire Master Logan chasing them and the Shifter mercenary Kale hired by Logan. Another book with terrific supporting characters.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎧🎧
Romance: 💋💋💋💋💋
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📙📕📗📙📘
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌏🌎
Character development: 👨🏻👱🏻♀️🧔🏻👩🏻👱🏼♂️
The heroine: Isabella (a.k.a. Munchkin) - She is a computer programmer/hacker. She created a program that all the masters (Vampire leaders) want. She is also the mate of Chris (adopted son of Ephraim from book 1).
The Hero(es): Chris Williams - He is a Sentinel, which are basically Vampire Slayers. They keep humans and their families safe from Vampires and other supernatural threats. Each Sentinel is born as a twin and the other twin dies in childbirth. There are ten born every ten years. Five are boys and five are girls. Each male has a mate who is the other part of their soul.
The Story: When Isabella is attacked by Vampires and saved by a team of Sentinels, she thinks she has been drugged and is being held by some kind of weird cult. Chris immediately knows Isabella is his mate, she thinks it is the drugs that are causing her to be so unbearably attracted to Chris.
Isabella keeps trying to get away from Chris and his family. Chris in this book turned from a funny young 16 year old to a huge selfish jerk. He was so likable in the last book but was an unbelievable asshat in this book. The narration made it even worse. They used the same narrator and she used the same young kid voice for Chris as was used in the last book. It was hard to hear the Hero of a romance with a young kid’s voice.
The story was absolutely terrific and even though I hated how Chris acted compared to how he was in book 1, it added to the story and the steam between Izzy and Chris when they finally started giving in to their feelings for each other. I ended up liking this book even more than the first due to the Sentinel storylines, the Vampire Master Logan chasing them and the Shifter mercenary Kale hired by Logan. Another book with terrific supporting characters.
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February 17, 2013
CHRIS WAS HORRIBLE!! URGH I HATE HIM SO MUCH!!!
I thought 'oh, he has issues he'll sort himself out, apologise and stop being horrible'. Did this happen? NO!
He was just a selfish, mean horrible guy who couldn't bear the thought of having extra 'responsibilities'. Seriously. That is all he saw her as. Someone to burden him and that he'd have to take care of her. SHE DIDN'T FRICKIN' ASK TO BE TAKEN CARE OF! SHE CAN TAKE CARE OF HERSELF!
Seriously. I really, really hated him.
The thing with Isabella is that I liked her for most of the book, but the fact that she freaking loved HIM made me start to hate her too. Doesn't she realise that he treated her like crap and she deserves better? And the bit that made me really hate her too by the end is that she stayed with him at the end of the book and forgave him.
So yeah. I hated him and by the end I hated her too. Though I guess the book is effective since I read this last year and I still feel such deep hate for Chris.
I thought 'oh, he has issues he'll sort himself out, apologise and stop being horrible'. Did this happen? NO!
He was just a selfish, mean horrible guy who couldn't bear the thought of having extra 'responsibilities'. Seriously. That is all he saw her as. Someone to burden him and that he'd have to take care of her. SHE DIDN'T FRICKIN' ASK TO BE TAKEN CARE OF! SHE CAN TAKE CARE OF HERSELF!
Seriously. I really, really hated him.
The thing with Isabella is that I liked her for most of the book, but the fact that she freaking loved HIM made me start to hate her too. Doesn't she realise that he treated her like crap and she deserves better? And the bit that made me really hate her too by the end is that she stayed with him at the end of the book and forgave him.
So yeah. I hated him and by the end I hated her too. Though I guess the book is effective since I read this last year and I still feel such deep hate for Chris.
April 11, 2017
**SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT**SPOILER ALERT**
I feel like I need to qualify my 1 star rating. It is solely based on my dislike for the two main characters, not the author's writing ability. There were a few editing errors, but not any that were very bad. So if you can put up with a jerk (understatement) hero and a doormat heroine, you may enjoy this book. Or you may see them completely different than I did. I do have some GR friends that rated this book 5 stars.
1 & 1/2 "With A LOT of REGRET, Chris is a Jackass" Stars
Well, that intro there really says it all. But I'll go a little further so you understand me completely. Chris is a selfish, egotistical, narcissistic asshole! He constantly belittled Isabella. He told her she was worthless, useless, and week. He continuously tried to ship her off to a damn island. He never ever complimented her, or even tried to find out what her strengths might be. But since she was not a good fighter he had no use for her. Except for sex of course... and to top it all off, he told her she had to "get rid" of "the mistake" when he found out she was pregnant- OVER AND OVER AGAIN! Then when she told him she was keeping her baby, he told her he would have nothing to do with her or the baby. She was on her own because "he didn't want kids". Never mind that she was ecstatic because she thought she would never be able to have kids. Only what Chris wanted mattered. No, let's talk about it. No, let's take a bet to think things though. Nothing! Just you're getting rid of it. I could just slap him! This did not just happen in the beginning of the story, then Chris changes his ways and they build upon their relationship and nurture their growing family. Oh, no! This goes on up until the 90+% point in the book. Then Chris miraculously changes his freaking one track "I don't want you or the baby" mind when Ephraim- his father/H from book 1- solves his problem for him by thinking in a loving and rational way. Of course Chris then expresses his undying love for Isabella and tells her "it was for her own good" that he was only trying to push her away to "keep her safe", "he couldn't handle it if something happen to her". EFFING BU**SH*T!!!
Which brings me to the other issue- Isabella. AKA, Freaking Idiot Doormat. She kept putting up with him treating her like less than CRAP for 90+% of the book. AND STILL HAVING SEX WITH HIM-often. Anytime he wanted to because she "just couldn't resist him". STUPID! I wanted to scream at her and slap her. Then when he decided he wanted to keep her, she just ate that crap up with a spoon and gave him absolutely no resistance what so ever. IMO, this was the most terrible "romance" I can remember reading. I usually eat this "destined soul mates" stuff right up. I usually love it, but this was just awful. Hero, Chris is not. This was so very disappointing because he was my favorite character from book 1. He went from super sweet to super JERK!
Now, why did you continue reading this story, you may ask? Well the number one reason is probably because I am too dang nosy and curious. I wanted to find out how Isabella was going to get herself out of the situation that put her in danger in the first place. I wanted to see if Chris was going to change and have to grovel, and if Isabella would grow a backbone. Let's just say, I was disappointed on all those fronts. But I also got interested in Kale and Logan. What their dynamic was and then when Kale suddenly changed targets to Marc- Madison and Ephraim's son- a pyte and Isabella. I wanted to know why. What was Kale's history with pytes? Somewhat satisfying answers, but not completely. And so by the way, the 1 1/2 stars are for the side characters and those side stories. Zero stars for Chris and Isabella.
There is a bit of a tease about Logan and Jill at the end of the book that may have made me curious to read their story, but after this one, I'm out on this series. This was not happy reading... :(
I feel like I need to qualify my 1 star rating. It is solely based on my dislike for the two main characters, not the author's writing ability. There were a few editing errors, but not any that were very bad. So if you can put up with a jerk (understatement) hero and a doormat heroine, you may enjoy this book. Or you may see them completely different than I did. I do have some GR friends that rated this book 5 stars.
1 & 1/2 "With A LOT of REGRET, Chris is a Jackass" Stars
Well, that intro there really says it all. But I'll go a little further so you understand me completely. Chris is a selfish, egotistical, narcissistic asshole! He constantly belittled Isabella. He told her she was worthless, useless, and week. He continuously tried to ship her off to a damn island. He never ever complimented her, or even tried to find out what her strengths might be. But since she was not a good fighter he had no use for her. Except for sex of course... and to top it all off, he told her she had to "get rid" of "the mistake" when he found out she was pregnant- OVER AND OVER AGAIN! Then when she told him she was keeping her baby, he told her he would have nothing to do with her or the baby. She was on her own because "he didn't want kids". Never mind that she was ecstatic because she thought she would never be able to have kids. Only what Chris wanted mattered. No, let's talk about it. No, let's take a bet to think things though. Nothing! Just you're getting rid of it. I could just slap him! This did not just happen in the beginning of the story, then Chris changes his ways and they build upon their relationship and nurture their growing family. Oh, no! This goes on up until the 90+% point in the book. Then Chris miraculously changes his freaking one track "I don't want you or the baby" mind when Ephraim- his father/H from book 1- solves his problem for him by thinking in a loving and rational way. Of course Chris then expresses his undying love for Isabella and tells her "it was for her own good" that he was only trying to push her away to "keep her safe", "he couldn't handle it if something happen to her". EFFING BU**SH*T!!!
Which brings me to the other issue- Isabella. AKA, Freaking Idiot Doormat. She kept putting up with him treating her like less than CRAP for 90+% of the book. AND STILL HAVING SEX WITH HIM-often. Anytime he wanted to because she "just couldn't resist him". STUPID! I wanted to scream at her and slap her. Then when he decided he wanted to keep her, she just ate that crap up with a spoon and gave him absolutely no resistance what so ever. IMO, this was the most terrible "romance" I can remember reading. I usually eat this "destined soul mates" stuff right up. I usually love it, but this was just awful. Hero, Chris is not. This was so very disappointing because he was my favorite character from book 1. He went from super sweet to super JERK!
Now, why did you continue reading this story, you may ask? Well the number one reason is probably because I am too dang nosy and curious. I wanted to find out how Isabella was going to get herself out of the situation that put her in danger in the first place. I wanted to see if Chris was going to change and have to grovel, and if Isabella would grow a backbone. Let's just say, I was disappointed on all those fronts. But I also got interested in Kale and Logan. What their dynamic was and then when Kale suddenly changed targets to Marc- Madison and Ephraim's son- a pyte and Isabella. I wanted to know why. What was Kale's history with pytes? Somewhat satisfying answers, but not completely. And so by the way, the 1 1/2 stars are for the side characters and those side stories. Zero stars for Chris and Isabella.
There is a bit of a tease about Logan and Jill at the end of the book that may have made me curious to read their story, but after this one, I'm out on this series. This was not happy reading... :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2020
Oh, dear...
I went from really enjoying the first instalment of the Pyte/Sentinel series to really disliking the second instalment. The main characters were hard to like and I found myself disappointed with characters that I had previously admired. When the 'hero' calls his mate a whore to her face, there's no way to recover from that. Sure, he tries, but I didn't buy it. I also struggled with something I normally like in paranormal/fantasy romance. When the mating call (sexual attraction) overruled their dislike for each other, it felt yucky instead of sexy.
I may go on with the series, but I'm not 100% sure I can recover from this one. I think I will take a break and maybe consider it again when it's not so fresh in my mind.
I went from really enjoying the first instalment of the Pyte/Sentinel series to really disliking the second instalment. The main characters were hard to like and I found myself disappointed with characters that I had previously admired. When the 'hero' calls his mate a whore to her face, there's no way to recover from that. Sure, he tries, but I didn't buy it. I also struggled with something I normally like in paranormal/fantasy romance. When the mating call (sexual attraction) overruled their dislike for each other, it felt yucky instead of sexy.
I may go on with the series, but I'm not 100% sure I can recover from this one. I think I will take a break and maybe consider it again when it's not so fresh in my mind.
September 27, 2020
Wow Chris pretty much ruined this book for me. Which is sad cause I loved his character in the first book but god this whole book I just wanted to punch him in the face. He was a douche for like 90% of this book and there was not enough redeeming scenes for it to work for me. And when I say 90% I mean it, there is like one chapter at the end of the book where he finally realizes what a douche he is and apologizes and then it's the epilogue. Only one chapter!! That was just not enough for me, it should have happened sooner. My two stars are for Isabella cause I loved her and for all the returning characters we got to see which I enjoyed. Overall this one just wasn't for me.
May 3, 2018
Meh, I didn't like it.
April 29, 2012
Unfortunately, it was with regret that I found myself not enjoying this book as much as the first one in the series. The book started out good enough, and then just didn't propel forward. The 2 main characters Chris and Isabella, never connected, sexually yes, but that had more to do with a mating attraction than any real chemistry. The Chris I loved from first book, was no longer that charming, witty boy that I adored, but rather a hard, vindictive jerk. I understand that his circumstances in the last book left him wounded and suffering, but I would think with the realization of finding his mate Izzy, that his mood and demeanor would have softened him, instead he got worse. The whole "she needs to be safe, but I'm going to be a jerk to her so she hates me" got a bit old after a while. I never really warmed up to either of them, which made me sad, because Chris was a relateable, fun character in the first book.
What I did enjoy was the return of Ephraim and Madison and the rest of this delightful unconventional family. Everyone is grown and it was nice to see where they were in their lives. One thing that RL excels and was consistent with in this book, is her ability to write some steamy sex scenes. Not just between Chris and Izzy, but Ephraim and Madison got some sexy time too...no, not as a group, they had their own one on one time. We were introduced to two new characters, Logan and Kale, and it appears that they will be a part of the story from here on out. Also, big changes for Joshua...big, big change in his life.
Even though I struggled with this book, I look forward the next one. RL is a proven story teller and I'm sure there are good things to come.
What I did enjoy was the return of Ephraim and Madison and the rest of this delightful unconventional family. Everyone is grown and it was nice to see where they were in their lives. One thing that RL excels and was consistent with in this book, is her ability to write some steamy sex scenes. Not just between Chris and Izzy, but Ephraim and Madison got some sexy time too...no, not as a group, they had their own one on one time. We were introduced to two new characters, Logan and Kale, and it appears that they will be a part of the story from here on out. Also, big changes for Joshua...big, big change in his life.
Even though I struggled with this book, I look forward the next one. RL is a proven story teller and I'm sure there are good things to come.
February 27, 2012
I have really liked all the other books by R.L. Mathewson, unfortunately this one was a let down. There are two main reasons I didn't like this book ver much:
1. Chris Williams, the main character, who I LOVED in Tall, Dark & Lonely suddenlt morphed into a complete twat. I mean a SERIOUS dick. He was horrible, even downright cruel to Izzy (who was awesome) and didn't seem to have any compassion for her, the woman he has been waiting 10 years for, what so ever. What happened to the really sweet over protective guy from the first book? I don't think his personality transplant was well justified. What annoyed me most about him being such an ass, was that some how Izzy still feel in love with him, if I was Izzy, I would be wearing his balls for earrings. He did not grovel nearly enough.
2. The editing. Now, I know these books are self published and maybe don't go through such a rigorous editing process as most the other books I read do. But, there were so many mistakes, misspellings, sentences that didn't make sense, words missing etc, sometimes it could become really hard to read. I have read a few of R.L.'s books now, and although they do have some errors in, this book had more errors then all the others put together.
But, there were things I did like about this book, Izzy, the heroine when she wasn't being stupid enough to fall in love with Chris the douche bag, was hilarious, I loved her personality. There were also some other interesting things going on with the rest of the Williams family and despite being a little let down by this book, I will still read further.
1. Chris Williams, the main character, who I LOVED in Tall, Dark & Lonely suddenlt morphed into a complete twat. I mean a SERIOUS dick. He was horrible, even downright cruel to Izzy (who was awesome) and didn't seem to have any compassion for her, the woman he has been waiting 10 years for, what so ever. What happened to the really sweet over protective guy from the first book? I don't think his personality transplant was well justified. What annoyed me most about him being such an ass, was that some how Izzy still feel in love with him, if I was Izzy, I would be wearing his balls for earrings. He did not grovel nearly enough.
2. The editing. Now, I know these books are self published and maybe don't go through such a rigorous editing process as most the other books I read do. But, there were so many mistakes, misspellings, sentences that didn't make sense, words missing etc, sometimes it could become really hard to read. I have read a few of R.L.'s books now, and although they do have some errors in, this book had more errors then all the others put together.
But, there were things I did like about this book, Izzy, the heroine when she wasn't being stupid enough to fall in love with Chris the douche bag, was hilarious, I loved her personality. There were also some other interesting things going on with the rest of the Williams family and despite being a little let down by this book, I will still read further.
June 23, 2016
Loved it!
February 21, 2012
Better than Tall, Dark, and Lonely, a million times better than A Humble Heart, but nowhere close to Playing for Keeps. Mathewson desperately needs an editor or a meticulous beta reader as there were some ridiculously misused words. Lounged instead of lunged. Contraption instead of contraction. The smartass attitude that Chris had in Tall disappeared until the very, very end of Without. In addition, he was a colossal dick for the majority of the book. Mathewson did provide some emotional context for Chris's dickhood, but I had a hard time reconciling the awesome character from Tall with the hero I saw in Without. We also never learn Izzy wasn't like the other Sentinels. I kept thinking Izzy was supposed to die instead of her brother, but something went amiss somewhere.
And call me anal, as this is a particular sore spot for me, but
This is the fourth Mathewson book I've read, two of which I've paid for, and so far, only one didn't make me groan. So why, I must ask myself, am I still shelling out 0.99 a pop to give myself angina? I enjoyed Playing for Keeps so much, I'm searching for the writer that produced that story. I think I'm going to try Perfection and then call it quits.
And call me anal, as this is a particular sore spot for me, but
This is the fourth Mathewson book I've read, two of which I've paid for, and so far, only one didn't make me groan. So why, I must ask myself, am I still shelling out 0.99 a pop to give myself angina? I enjoyed Playing for Keeps so much, I'm searching for the writer that produced that story. I think I'm going to try Perfection and then call it quits.
December 29, 2019
I read this again for the second time because it has been a while since I read the series and I have the last two books and needed a refresher on the storyline again. I liked the story, don't get me wrong, but I didn't give this 5 stars because I feel the ending was wrapped up a little too nicely. I thought that Chris acted like a real jerk to her the entire book and then she forgave him so easily in the end. I hate when authors do this as I don't feel as satisfied with the story.
I think that we, as readers, knew what all the characters were going through because of their past, but that really wasn't shared with each other and I think if that was then I would feel a little bit better about how the story ended (not much, but just a tad bit!), but would feel more satisfied if he had to do more begging to get into her good graces than he did.
I think that we, as readers, knew what all the characters were going through because of their past, but that really wasn't shared with each other and I think if that was then I would feel a little bit better about how the story ended (not much, but just a tad bit!), but would feel more satisfied if he had to do more begging to get into her good graces than he did.
July 24, 2012
Chris has become an absolute p***k in this book. I don't like him and I really don't like the female character either. My implying an obscenity here is intentional, because that is how strongly I feel about male characters such as this. Men can be tough, they can have problems from their childhoods, but they don't have to turn out like this and be accepted. Chris was a sound character in the first book and I looked forward to reading about his development. I was very disappointed
Izzie accepts an abusive relationship because he's good at sex. He calls her a whore, he tells her how he intends her future to go, much against her will, and within minutes, they're having wild sex. Change this story to a "reality" story of a working class couple living in an inner city and taking on the gangs (instead of vampires, shifters, etc) with him calling her a whore and deciding to ship her off to keep her out of his way (whilst taking what he wants regarding sex) and I dont think readers would find it as palatable.
There is no resolution to Chris' attitude - he continues to be a prat until the end, and she let's him get away with this every time. I have read the other two books and there is a thread of arrogance and nasty chauvenism in each. Each male appears to have no idea that the women have brains, thoughts, feelings, personality etc, beyond good figures and always appearing to be "gagging for it".
The characters of the females really dont come out that well either. How often do women really, seriously bitch about not getting enough chocolate, or burst into tears in order to mortify the menfolk into doing what they want, or even worse, practice marital physical abuse when they don't get what they want? It's bad enough Chris using Munchkins as a prostitute, but it's just as bad to have Madison throw Ephraim into a wall because she has prenancy hormones. Are these men stupid as well???
An extremely stereotypical version of both sexes. And very old hat.
The typos in this book are REALLY bad and as already whinged about, the style depicting the battle of the sexes is old and tired. But there is still something about these books, I like the idea behind them and I think, if another comes out, I will still give it a go.
April 11, 2024
I loved this packed full of snark, action and emotion story
I read the first book in the series a couple of years ago and bought the rest soon after. Then foolishly never actually got around to reading them. Over the weekend I realised I have over 300 bought books that I haven't yet read and I'm hoping this is the first step in remedying that oversight.
Pretty much from the first pages I was absolutely addicted to this book. I read it into the early hours even though it was a work day. I read it during any quick breaks I got during work. I read it the moment I got home and didn't put it down until I'd finished the book.
Chris and Izzy are mates, there will never be another for them, it's part of the Sentinal way. However Izzy isn't quite what Chris wanted or hoped for, and Izzy had absolutely no idea what was going on most of the time. So many times I wanted to shake Chris or slap him around the back of the head. I can understand why he acted as he did and the only reason I forgave him was because he suffered more than Izzy did. Izzy was just so perfectly imperfect, a little bat *ahem* crazy, totally sweet and very quirky. The pair had a love-hate relationship that sizzled with one heck of a lot of chemistry.
The story is a fast paced, action packed, thrilling and exciting ride. I couldn't read it quickly enough and absolutely loved every minute of it. In fact the only reason it didn't get all 5 stars was that the book had a LOT of missing words, with a few repeated words and a handful of incorrect words. Normally I can ignore it but at some points of the story their were errors on every page and it did become a little distracting. Despite that I really would still recommend this book.
I read the first book in the series a couple of years ago and bought the rest soon after. Then foolishly never actually got around to reading them. Over the weekend I realised I have over 300 bought books that I haven't yet read and I'm hoping this is the first step in remedying that oversight.
Pretty much from the first pages I was absolutely addicted to this book. I read it into the early hours even though it was a work day. I read it during any quick breaks I got during work. I read it the moment I got home and didn't put it down until I'd finished the book.
Chris and Izzy are mates, there will never be another for them, it's part of the Sentinal way. However Izzy isn't quite what Chris wanted or hoped for, and Izzy had absolutely no idea what was going on most of the time. So many times I wanted to shake Chris or slap him around the back of the head. I can understand why he acted as he did and the only reason I forgave him was because he suffered more than Izzy did. Izzy was just so perfectly imperfect, a little bat *ahem* crazy, totally sweet and very quirky. The pair had a love-hate relationship that sizzled with one heck of a lot of chemistry.
The story is a fast paced, action packed, thrilling and exciting ride. I couldn't read it quickly enough and absolutely loved every minute of it. In fact the only reason it didn't get all 5 stars was that the book had a LOT of missing words, with a few repeated words and a handful of incorrect words. Normally I can ignore it but at some points of the story their were errors on every page and it did become a little distracting. Despite that I really would still recommend this book.
April 29, 2012
This one left me conflicted cause it was disappointing but also good read,the story started out good but in between i was very disappointed with Izzy's character,she was a weak woman & her constant denials and not accepting about Sentinel irritated me ,Chris i completely understand his disappointments and his love-loyalty towards his family which made him to make Izzy go away cause she might cause danger to his family but later the way he treated and rejected his child angered me, also there was no grovelling which disappointed me so much.....
But later on the story progressed really well,loved the fact Kale gave up his revenge & Kale-Eric became friends and enjoyed their cute row about who will be a better
god father to Jessica,Eric passed out when he saw baby's head and Chris teasing him and when he asks to hole the baby telling him "get your own" made laugh so hard,Chris not letting anyone hold Jessica taking her where ever he goes and doting on her melted my anger away. Logan giving up and his falling for Jill is quiet interesting,so hoping we get their book.Loved Madison-Ephraim so much and their son Marc adored him,enjoyed Chris-Joshua's fights and whatever happened to Joshua it is left unclear but its killing me wanna know what happens now........
Overall enjoyed the book but the later part of the story more,going on next one.
Recommend it
But later on the story progressed really well,loved the fact Kale gave up his revenge & Kale-Eric became friends and enjoyed their cute row about who will be a better
god father to Jessica,Eric passed out when he saw baby's head and Chris teasing him and when he asks to hole the baby telling him "get your own" made laugh so hard,Chris not letting anyone hold Jessica taking her where ever he goes and doting on her melted my anger away. Logan giving up and his falling for Jill is quiet interesting,so hoping we get their book.Loved Madison-Ephraim so much and their son Marc adored him,enjoyed Chris-Joshua's fights and whatever happened to Joshua it is left unclear but its killing me wanna know what happens now........
Overall enjoyed the book but the later part of the story more,going on next one.
Recommend it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2012
Part of what scared me off of this series was the review for this book. But after reading (and loving) Tall, Dark & Lonely, I jumped right into this one.
Initially, I had concerns for this book because of Chris’s reaction to Isabella. He was such a jerk that I immediately understood why people had problems with this book. But after I thought about it, I was okay with it. Chris was acting completely in character for the guy we met in Tall, Dark & Lonely. Chris was completely devoted to his family and would do anything to protect them…even sacrifice his happiness. Once I adjusted my thinking, and understanding, I sat back and enjoyed the show.
This was definitely action packed, from start to finish; and it kept me hooked until the very last line.
I haven’t been disappointed by any books I’ve read by R.L. Mathewson and I’m looking forward to reading more from her.
Initially, I had concerns for this book because of Chris’s reaction to Isabella. He was such a jerk that I immediately understood why people had problems with this book. But after I thought about it, I was okay with it. Chris was acting completely in character for the guy we met in Tall, Dark & Lonely. Chris was completely devoted to his family and would do anything to protect them…even sacrifice his happiness. Once I adjusted my thinking, and understanding, I sat back and enjoyed the show.
This was definitely action packed, from start to finish; and it kept me hooked until the very last line.
I haven’t been disappointed by any books I’ve read by R.L. Mathewson and I’m looking forward to reading more from her.
January 4, 2018
2-2.5 stars
**Fair warning..this review is likely to be spoilerish so don't read this if you don't want to know**
Isabella is a computer geek that is a genius at writing code. She writes all kinds of code and sometimes the programs she invents aren't exactly on the legal side which has put her in trouble with the authorities in the past. Isabella grew up with parents that didn't give a damn about her and her life hasn't been great. Isabella is very short and petite so when confronted with danger, she tends to be someone that runs and hides rather than try to fight.
Chris is a Sentinel, which is a sort of supernatural creature that is strong, fast and heals quickly. Sentinels are put on Earth to protect the human from bad supernatural creatures like Vampire, Shifters and such. Chris was born into a horrible home life and things didn't improve until he was adopted by Ephraim (the hero from Tall, Dark & Lonely). Because of Ephraim helping him have a better life, Chris feels he owes everything to his adopted family...sometimes to his own detriment.
So in this mythos, Sentinels are born in pairs and the other half of their pair is their soul mate. Chris learned about this when he was 16 and from then on he was anxiously awaiting the time when he'd finally meet his other half. Chris waiting to meet her for 10+ years meant he had a lot of time to dream of what his mate would be like which wasn't such a good thing when it came time to actually meet his mate. Since Sentinels usually have something push their abilities to spark early, Isabella is extremely unusual to have reached the age of 27 without having done so. When she writes a program that is of interest to the vampire community, Isabella finds herself attacked by vampires for her program and then kidnapped by the Sentinels that saved her from the vampires. The Sentinels quickly realize that Isabella is also a Sentinel and that she's Chris' missing mate so they take her to Chris' house (where he lives with his family). This is where Chris' preconceived notions about his future mate cause some major issues.
Chris pretty much ruined this story for me. If he had been a halfway decent hero I would have easily given this story 3 or maybe even 4 stars. Sadly, I was so disappointed with Chris that I was sorely tempted to DNF the book and I've never DNFed a book. Chris basically decided that because Isabella hadn't sparked her abilities that there was something wrong with her. Isabella on the other hand is just trying not to freak out because she thinks Chris is a kidnapper that's trying to get her to join a cult. He decides to take her into the woods to fight a group of werewolves, thinking it'll spark her abilities but doesn't bother to warn her about his plans or even tell her what a Sentinel is. When she doesn't fight back like he expected, Chris then decided she was a disappointment as a mate and wrote her off without another chance. He then proceeded to treat Isabella like total shit. He verbally abused her, telling her to her face that she's a weak, pathetic coward. He even called her a whore when he found out she wasn't a virgin! Yeah, I definitely wanted to reach through my Kindle to kick Chris in the balls numerous times!!!
Understandably, Isabella keeps trying to escape Chris and when she does, he keeps acting like her attempts to escape him are a betrayal...like she should automatically want to do anything he wants her to with no questions. Well, until he decides to get pissed off because she wasn't trying to escape more...Chris really couldn't seem to make up his mind. Chris also seemed to think that Isabella was wrong not to automatically trust him but when he'd done nothing at all to engender her trust who could blame her (well, except for Chris)! In fact, he treated her like a peice of shit he wants to scrape off the bottom of his shoe pretty much all the time and does everything in his power to make her hate him so he was being totally unreasonable to blame her for his actions. What's worse is that because of their "bond" Isabella has such a strong attraction to Chris that she's turned on any time he touches her. This really sucked because I hated seeing Chris treat Isabella like shit to the point where she starts yelling at him for being an ass but then he starts touching her and the argument is suddenly over. It drove me nuts because I liked Isabella and seeing her backbone melt constantly like that was just lame. This bullshit basically went on until almost the 90% mark of the book and then things blow up so there's no apologies or grovelling needed by Chris and the story ends with their HEA.
TBH, this story was rather disappointing. The story itself wasn't too bad but Chris disgusted me as a hero. His actions towards Isabella are despicable....I think he's one of worst heroes I've ever had the misfortune of reading. The fact that this behavior went on until almost the complete end of the story just made it worse and Chris getting away with it all without having to beg for forgiveness or at least do some good grovelling was just sad. After all that crap, when Chris did finally change his behavior, it just wasn't believable at all and I found myself rolling my eyes at the new "nice" Chris and still didn't like him. I'll probably go ahead and read the next book in the series since I've already bought it but I wouldn't recommend this story unless you REALLY like asshole heroes. :(
* note - I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator did a very good job.
**Fair warning..this review is likely to be spoilerish so don't read this if you don't want to know**
Isabella is a computer geek that is a genius at writing code. She writes all kinds of code and sometimes the programs she invents aren't exactly on the legal side which has put her in trouble with the authorities in the past. Isabella grew up with parents that didn't give a damn about her and her life hasn't been great. Isabella is very short and petite so when confronted with danger, she tends to be someone that runs and hides rather than try to fight.
Chris is a Sentinel, which is a sort of supernatural creature that is strong, fast and heals quickly. Sentinels are put on Earth to protect the human from bad supernatural creatures like Vampire, Shifters and such. Chris was born into a horrible home life and things didn't improve until he was adopted by Ephraim (the hero from Tall, Dark & Lonely). Because of Ephraim helping him have a better life, Chris feels he owes everything to his adopted family...sometimes to his own detriment.
So in this mythos, Sentinels are born in pairs and the other half of their pair is their soul mate. Chris learned about this when he was 16 and from then on he was anxiously awaiting the time when he'd finally meet his other half. Chris waiting to meet her for 10+ years meant he had a lot of time to dream of what his mate would be like which wasn't such a good thing when it came time to actually meet his mate. Since Sentinels usually have something push their abilities to spark early, Isabella is extremely unusual to have reached the age of 27 without having done so. When she writes a program that is of interest to the vampire community, Isabella finds herself attacked by vampires for her program and then kidnapped by the Sentinels that saved her from the vampires. The Sentinels quickly realize that Isabella is also a Sentinel and that she's Chris' missing mate so they take her to Chris' house (where he lives with his family). This is where Chris' preconceived notions about his future mate cause some major issues.
Chris pretty much ruined this story for me. If he had been a halfway decent hero I would have easily given this story 3 or maybe even 4 stars. Sadly, I was so disappointed with Chris that I was sorely tempted to DNF the book and I've never DNFed a book. Chris basically decided that because Isabella hadn't sparked her abilities that there was something wrong with her. Isabella on the other hand is just trying not to freak out because she thinks Chris is a kidnapper that's trying to get her to join a cult. He decides to take her into the woods to fight a group of werewolves, thinking it'll spark her abilities but doesn't bother to warn her about his plans or even tell her what a Sentinel is. When she doesn't fight back like he expected, Chris then decided she was a disappointment as a mate and wrote her off without another chance. He then proceeded to treat Isabella like total shit. He verbally abused her, telling her to her face that she's a weak, pathetic coward. He even called her a whore when he found out she wasn't a virgin! Yeah, I definitely wanted to reach through my Kindle to kick Chris in the balls numerous times!!!
Understandably, Isabella keeps trying to escape Chris and when she does, he keeps acting like her attempts to escape him are a betrayal...like she should automatically want to do anything he wants her to with no questions. Well, until he decides to get pissed off because she wasn't trying to escape more...Chris really couldn't seem to make up his mind. Chris also seemed to think that Isabella was wrong not to automatically trust him but when he'd done nothing at all to engender her trust who could blame her (well, except for Chris)! In fact, he treated her like a peice of shit he wants to scrape off the bottom of his shoe pretty much all the time and does everything in his power to make her hate him so he was being totally unreasonable to blame her for his actions. What's worse is that because of their "bond" Isabella has such a strong attraction to Chris that she's turned on any time he touches her. This really sucked because I hated seeing Chris treat Isabella like shit to the point where she starts yelling at him for being an ass but then he starts touching her and the argument is suddenly over. It drove me nuts because I liked Isabella and seeing her backbone melt constantly like that was just lame. This bullshit basically went on until almost the 90% mark of the book and then things blow up so there's no apologies or grovelling needed by Chris and the story ends with their HEA.
TBH, this story was rather disappointing. The story itself wasn't too bad but Chris disgusted me as a hero. His actions towards Isabella are despicable....I think he's one of worst heroes I've ever had the misfortune of reading. The fact that this behavior went on until almost the complete end of the story just made it worse and Chris getting away with it all without having to beg for forgiveness or at least do some good grovelling was just sad. After all that crap, when Chris did finally change his behavior, it just wasn't believable at all and I found myself rolling my eyes at the new "nice" Chris and still didn't like him. I'll probably go ahead and read the next book in the series since I've already bought it but I wouldn't recommend this story unless you REALLY like asshole heroes. :(
* note - I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator did a very good job.
September 23, 2014
Warning: FULL RANT AHEAD
1,5 I'm-Soooo-Pissed-Off-Right-Now Stars!
Ugh!
Without Regret, sadly, is Tte worst Mathewson book I'd ever read! Chris is a BIG PRICK, DOUCHE, ASSHOLES, JERK and the most one dimensional hero I've ever known. Add it with her mate, Izzy that too MEEK, DOORMAT, DAMSEL IN DISTRESS....GAAAAAAAH!! I have so many regret after reading Without Regret (har har!!)
Such a letdown after book #1 that I loved and adore :((. Chris is like a stranger here. His treatment to Izzy boiled my blood, make my eyes see red and I'm so tempted to throw my Tab, which I don't do it, because the Tab is expensive. Also, there were too much telling rather than showing, juvenile writing (not new actually), filler paragraphs, jumbling plot, not forgetto mention so many plotholes and....some repetitive words like "living in hell", "hell bla de bla". Mathewson seems like to use word "hell". Also, enough with "cute little bla de bla" and Chris's endearment "Munchkin" make me gag.
I aggree with some reviewers that this book need editing. Heck, Without Regret need to be rewrite. From the start to the end. The saviour..if there was any, just in the form of Madison-Ephraim, Joshua, Jill and Eric. Heck, even the bad guys, Kale Quinn and Logan have more personality and much much interesting rather than our MCs. I don't know what going on with Ms Mathewson to write Without Regret, to totally change Chris and also do not give him a heroine that kick ass. Also, what with the groveling and apologizing that Chris did in the last 5 pages. Too late, I said. TOO LATE!!
So disappointed! :(
I will..of course read the next. Just don't want to have a high expectation anymore.
1,5 I'm-Soooo-Pissed-Off-Right-Now Stars!
Ugh!
Without Regret, sadly, is Tte worst Mathewson book I'd ever read! Chris is a BIG PRICK, DOUCHE, ASSHOLES, JERK and the most one dimensional hero I've ever known. Add it with her mate, Izzy that too MEEK, DOORMAT, DAMSEL IN DISTRESS....GAAAAAAAH!! I have so many regret after reading Without Regret (har har!!)
Such a letdown after book #1 that I loved and adore :((. Chris is like a stranger here. His treatment to Izzy boiled my blood, make my eyes see red and I'm so tempted to throw my Tab, which I don't do it, because the Tab is expensive. Also, there were too much telling rather than showing, juvenile writing (not new actually), filler paragraphs, jumbling plot, not forgetto mention so many plotholes and....some repetitive words like "living in hell", "hell bla de bla". Mathewson seems like to use word "hell". Also, enough with "cute little bla de bla" and Chris's endearment "Munchkin" make me gag.
I aggree with some reviewers that this book need editing. Heck, Without Regret need to be rewrite. From the start to the end. The saviour..if there was any, just in the form of Madison-Ephraim, Joshua, Jill and Eric. Heck, even the bad guys, Kale Quinn and Logan have more personality and much much interesting rather than our MCs. I don't know what going on with Ms Mathewson to write Without Regret, to totally change Chris and also do not give him a heroine that kick ass. Also, what with the groveling and apologizing that Chris did in the last 5 pages. Too late, I said. TOO LATE!!
So disappointed! :(
I will..of course read the next. Just don't want to have a high expectation anymore.
October 30, 2016
I picked this book because it has a structure I usually enjoy; hero is kind of an alpha-male-jerk to heroine until the end, when he falls on his knees and promises her the world and realizes he has been a fool because she is everything. Unfortunately, in this book, the hero really never stopped being a jerk (and I mean a serious, no-holds-barred, bashing my head against a wall a-hole). The heroine took everything he dished out, never got really pissed, never walked out on him, nothing! And she wasn't all that interesting or developed either, in my opinion, or she would not have gone from hating him one second to jumping into the sack with him the next to hating him again (but still thinking he's the sexiest man alive and not stopping herself from drooling, even after he's just treated her like absolute garbage). She made me almost angrier than he did, the way she never got a word in edgewise and always fumed silently while being dragged and handcuffed and generally mistreated. I read the whole book, waiting for that moment when he falls to his knees, but it never happened. She remains his doormat until the very end. Ugh. I gave it two stars because the action was OK and the premise of the story has interesting, though unfulfilled, potential.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2017
Chris Williams basically raised himself, his mother was trash and he fought every day to survive. He never expected to be adopted at sixteen by a Pyte and his best friend Madison. He also never realized he was a Sentinel whose job it was to protect humans.
Every ten years 10 Sentinels are born, 5 male and 5 female, they are destined to be mates. After he is injured he thinks he is going to meet his mate soon, but she is nowhere to be found. Years later Isabella comes into his life, but she has no clue she is a Sentinel or what her duties entail.
Isabella think she has been kidnapped by a chocolate stealing cult. She is a geek through and through and this family that has kidnapped her keeps talking in circles while she is just thinking of a to escape. After she realizes that there are things that go bump in the night, that she does have a mate, and that he doesn't want her Isabella forms her own plan. She is not letting some overblown hot head send her off to an island without a fight.
I started off liking this one quite a but then Chris turned into such a jerk. He redeems himself at the end but he was so mean to Isabella, you know why but still it was almost cruel at times. Overall good series, introduced some new characters I am very curious about.
Every ten years 10 Sentinels are born, 5 male and 5 female, they are destined to be mates. After he is injured he thinks he is going to meet his mate soon, but she is nowhere to be found. Years later Isabella comes into his life, but she has no clue she is a Sentinel or what her duties entail.
Isabella think she has been kidnapped by a chocolate stealing cult. She is a geek through and through and this family that has kidnapped her keeps talking in circles while she is just thinking of a to escape. After she realizes that there are things that go bump in the night, that she does have a mate, and that he doesn't want her Isabella forms her own plan. She is not letting some overblown hot head send her off to an island without a fight.
I started off liking this one quite a but then Chris turned into such a jerk. He redeems himself at the end but he was so mean to Isabella, you know why but still it was almost cruel at times. Overall good series, introduced some new characters I am very curious about.
February 14, 2012
R.L Mathewson ROCKS!!!! I loved "Without Regret" (which should be read after Tall,Dark & Lonely!!). I had to pull an all-nighter on this one because I became completely lost in the story AND because I needed Chris, who I loved in TDL, to redeem himself cause I WAS NOT loving his offensive and insulting behavior to poor Izzy. Though it's got to be said that *blush* I still kind of "loved" him despite all that!!! It was fab that all the family from TDL were back and this book, like all of R.L Mathewson's books, had me all emotional one minute and in hysterical laughter the next. I mean this one is a classic tears from laughing moment: .."If you want to hold one then we'll just have to get you knocked up again so you can have one. This one's mine.."
(Oh and yes Chris redeemed himself...but left it almost too late)
Mathewson you are Fab-u-LUSH!!!
(Oh and yes Chris redeemed himself...but left it almost too late)
Mathewson you are Fab-u-LUSH!!!
June 13, 2013
Points about this book
If i could give it 0/5 i would
The hero and heroine really piss me off
im not gonna finish the book
nobody like chris deserves a happy ending
isabella was weak emotionally , she didnt do it for me as a heroine.
IF someone calls you a whore, you slap him , you do not sleep with him moments later
YOU DO NOT FORGIVE HIM
I never understood d whole Kale/Logan story
I think the novel has too much flashbacks from the characters. The most annoying is that most of the flashbacks where from Chris , I was expecting the flashbacks to be from Isabella, seeing as she was just introduced to the series
Isabella shouldnt have forgiven me
This is the kind of book that makes me read only historical romance
I was expecting this book to be as interesting as the first novel in the series. But alas , I was thoroughly disappointed.
This books deserves a rewrite. I demand it. I dont think I will like a hero who calles the person he is supposed to be in love with a whore. For any reason . Even in reality that doesnt work . NOT AT ALL. And fiction is supposed to be better than reality . Come on .
The Chris/Izzy story didnt do it for me , I am afraid I would have to stop reading this series now, as I am afraid of what the third installment would have for me .
Any one who supports Chris's treatment of Isabella needs to check their self-esteem . No one deserves to be treated the way Chris treated Isabella. This novel was kind of like reading the story of a man emotionally abusing his girlfriend. Please do not read this book.
If i could give it 0/5 i would
The hero and heroine really piss me off
im not gonna finish the book
nobody like chris deserves a happy ending
isabella was weak emotionally , she didnt do it for me as a heroine.
IF someone calls you a whore, you slap him , you do not sleep with him moments later
YOU DO NOT FORGIVE HIM
I never understood d whole Kale/Logan story
I think the novel has too much flashbacks from the characters. The most annoying is that most of the flashbacks where from Chris , I was expecting the flashbacks to be from Isabella, seeing as she was just introduced to the series
Isabella shouldnt have forgiven me
This is the kind of book that makes me read only historical romance
I was expecting this book to be as interesting as the first novel in the series. But alas , I was thoroughly disappointed.
This books deserves a rewrite. I demand it. I dont think I will like a hero who calles the person he is supposed to be in love with a whore. For any reason . Even in reality that doesnt work . NOT AT ALL. And fiction is supposed to be better than reality . Come on .
The Chris/Izzy story didnt do it for me , I am afraid I would have to stop reading this series now, as I am afraid of what the third installment would have for me .
Any one who supports Chris's treatment of Isabella needs to check their self-esteem . No one deserves to be treated the way Chris treated Isabella. This novel was kind of like reading the story of a man emotionally abusing his girlfriend. Please do not read this book.
December 24, 2020
Hero(s) rating: 4 stars
Heroine rating: 5 stars,
Sexual tension rating: 4 stars
Sex scenes rating: 4 stars
Sex scenes frequency: 4 stars
Plot rating: 4 stars,
Dialogue rating: 4.5 stars
Storytelling rating: 5 stars
Story ending rating: 5 stars
Emotion: 4 stars.
Humor: 5 Stars.
writing: 5 stars
CLIFFHANGER: NO
Did i connect with this book?: yes.
I think I reread R.L. Mathewson's novels at least once a year, so my initial opinion of this novel has definitely changed over the past 6 years.
I still remember what I thought about it the first time I read it, I remember hating how disappointed Chris was with his mate, how he would make her feel like she wasn't what he was expecting at all, made her feel less.
The funny thing that didnt make me hate the book at all because I ALWAYS go back to it every year. Maybe I had too much expectation for Chris's novel since the moment I met him in the first book, but either way i love this book and its vulnerabilities because the more you read the better you grasp this specific concept and accept how true it is:
Even when you have the highest of expectations of someone and they dont fit those specific assumptions you have built up in your brain, love will smash each one of them down to show you that not everything you THINK you want/need in life is necessarily good for you. Everything happens for a reason!
Heroine rating: 5 stars,
Sexual tension rating: 4 stars
Sex scenes rating: 4 stars
Sex scenes frequency: 4 stars
Plot rating: 4 stars,
Dialogue rating: 4.5 stars
Storytelling rating: 5 stars
Story ending rating: 5 stars
Emotion: 4 stars.
Humor: 5 Stars.
writing: 5 stars
CLIFFHANGER: NO
Did i connect with this book?: yes.
I think I reread R.L. Mathewson's novels at least once a year, so my initial opinion of this novel has definitely changed over the past 6 years.
I still remember what I thought about it the first time I read it, I remember hating how disappointed Chris was with his mate, how he would make her feel like she wasn't what he was expecting at all, made her feel less.
The funny thing that didnt make me hate the book at all because I ALWAYS go back to it every year. Maybe I had too much expectation for Chris's novel since the moment I met him in the first book, but either way i love this book and its vulnerabilities because the more you read the better you grasp this specific concept and accept how true it is:
Even when you have the highest of expectations of someone and they dont fit those specific assumptions you have built up in your brain, love will smash each one of them down to show you that not everything you THINK you want/need in life is necessarily good for you. Everything happens for a reason!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2012
I really enjoyed the first book from this series, Tall, Dark & Lonely (Pyte #1) and was excited to see what happened to Chris' character. Unfortunately, Chris went from a smart mouthed/hilarious teenager in #1 to a 28 year old jackass.
He was your tortured hero that treated the heroine/Isabella like crap. I've read plenty of these types of romances and as long as the Hero comes to his senses and grovels sufficiently I'm okay - Oh and as long as the heroine has a spine I'm okay too! Chris redeemed himself way to late in the book and the heroine put up with more BS than she should've and forgave him too quickly.
That being said it was still a fun read (when I didn't want to kick Chris to the curb or yell at "munchkin" to grow a pair). LOL
I'm hooked tho and will read Sentinel #2.
Update: Even though Isabella shouldn't have been such a pushover with Chris she was still a fantastic and funny character. She had me laughing out loud more than once plus she shares my addiction to chocolate!
He was your tortured hero that treated the heroine/Isabella like crap. I've read plenty of these types of romances and as long as the Hero comes to his senses and grovels sufficiently I'm okay - Oh and as long as the heroine has a spine I'm okay too! Chris redeemed himself way to late in the book and the heroine put up with more BS than she should've and forgave him too quickly.
That being said it was still a fun read (when I didn't want to kick Chris to the curb or yell at "munchkin" to grow a pair). LOL
I'm hooked tho and will read Sentinel #2.
Update: Even though Isabella shouldn't have been such a pushover with Chris she was still a fantastic and funny character. She had me laughing out loud more than once plus she shares my addiction to chocolate!
February 12, 2020
This one wasn't as good as the first book but it could have been. Mostly as I stated in my reading note the heroine never won. This was basically a battle of the sexes and was fairly humorous but that humor wore off fast for me. In all the battles the heroine never came out ahead. It was just so frustrating. She had been kidnapped, basically tortured, belittled, taken to a werewolf fight and expected to fight when she didn't even know werewolves were real and then told she was going to be imprisoned on an island for the rest of her life and then every time she tries to escape the hero just basically catches her with what amounts to an idle snatch of one hand was not fun to read.
And in the end she just falls in love with him because it's a fated mate thing and forgives him everything. He had to make no effort at all to win her when he decided to stop being an ass.
And in the end she just falls in love with him because it's a fated mate thing and forgives him everything. He had to make no effort at all to win her when he decided to stop being an ass.
March 16, 2023
**re-read** I love this book but Chris got off WAY, WAY WAY to easily he needed to suffer more 4 1/2 stars
January 20, 2016
3.75 Stars. I love the world that RL has created, but for me this book suffered a bit and needed some additional words to make it work. I loved Chris in the Ephrain’s book, but didn’t love him here until the very end of the book almost. Chris was hard on Izzie and he never got her history or how she was raised. He called her a coward and told her in every way that he was ashamed of her. Although in the end he apologized it was too little to late. I just wish that she would have got to tell Chris where he could get the heck off the bus and take a frying pan to his alpha stupid head.
Izzie wasn’t raised with loving parents, as a matter of fact, her parents have a party every year for her dead twin. He was the one that was supposed to live, not Izzie. So she has been alone pretty much all her life. She is also extremely smart and has been in trouble for hacking many, many times. Now she has created a piece of software that everybody wants, including the Master vampires, the Sentinels and demons oh my. Izzie never knew she was a Sentinel, so when she is taken by a bunch of Sentinels she thinks she has been drugged. Chris for his part feels insta-lust for his mate, but soon it turns to horror as he realizes that his mate in her first fight just folds like a deck of cards into the fetal position. Ya think Chris, she has never been trained for what she is to become…never even been given a hint and you take right into a nest of shifters and expect her to hold her own??
So for his family’s sake, Chris is going to have Izzie shipped off to an island for her own good. So what if he never consummates his destiny. But Izzie for her part isn’t going to go quietly into that goodnight. Especially now that she is fighting for something that she has wanted all her life. She will kick everybody’s ass to hang on to it, including that bone head Chris, just as soon as she learns how to kick-box. Izzie is a favorite character; she was funny with her geeky ways and chocoholic tendencies. Chris eventually apologized to Izzie, but I felt he needed some more groveling or something. It was also fun to see Ephraim and his growing brood. I can’t wait for some of these character’s stories. Kale’s is going to be HAWT! He already has a starring role in my fantasies, as long as he doesn’t mind sharing them with Kaleb, from the Pys-changling world.
Izzie wasn’t raised with loving parents, as a matter of fact, her parents have a party every year for her dead twin. He was the one that was supposed to live, not Izzie. So she has been alone pretty much all her life. She is also extremely smart and has been in trouble for hacking many, many times. Now she has created a piece of software that everybody wants, including the Master vampires, the Sentinels and demons oh my. Izzie never knew she was a Sentinel, so when she is taken by a bunch of Sentinels she thinks she has been drugged. Chris for his part feels insta-lust for his mate, but soon it turns to horror as he realizes that his mate in her first fight just folds like a deck of cards into the fetal position. Ya think Chris, she has never been trained for what she is to become…never even been given a hint and you take right into a nest of shifters and expect her to hold her own??
So for his family’s sake, Chris is going to have Izzie shipped off to an island for her own good. So what if he never consummates his destiny. But Izzie for her part isn’t going to go quietly into that goodnight. Especially now that she is fighting for something that she has wanted all her life. She will kick everybody’s ass to hang on to it, including that bone head Chris, just as soon as she learns how to kick-box. Izzie is a favorite character; she was funny with her geeky ways and chocoholic tendencies. Chris eventually apologized to Izzie, but I felt he needed some more groveling or something. It was also fun to see Ephraim and his growing brood. I can’t wait for some of these character’s stories. Kale’s is going to be HAWT! He already has a starring role in my fantasies, as long as he doesn’t mind sharing them with Kaleb, from the Pys-changling world.
February 21, 2013
wowwie I really did not like this book its not that the story line was shit because it wasn't, it was because chris continually treated her like dirt something he can throw away and discard and she sat there and took it! fuck that shit im mean really? a guy treats u like dirt and you continue fucking seeing him? I mean really? she was thrown away from her parents they abandoned her just like chris and he treats her like shit? he should have known how it felt to have no one like her the one person that's supposed to understand her, the one person in the entire world meant to keep her and HE HIMSELF THROWS HER AWAY?!?!?! she kept disappointing him at the start of the book, it felt like to me he disappointed her more because he was so disappointed well mate YOU disappointed me and im disappointed in this book.
September 7, 2012
LOVED THAT MUNCHKIN!!!!,
Ok, Ok, Ok... Chris was a total ass for most of this book... but isn't that what we love ladies... the bad boy being bad and then the girly turning him around and bringing him to his knees??? I know I do!!! I just knew Chris would be hard to get!!! Actually he wasn't hard to get, he was hard to keep!!!!
I started this book on Saturday morning and finished on Sunday around dinner time... I would have been done sooner, but I had to do some other stuff... you know... like take care of my family, feed them, stuff like that!!! Infact at one point, my five year old came up to me and said "Mom, my tummy just rummbled, you're starving me!" Total LOL moment!!!!
I so fell in love with Izzy the second she started talking... what a cutie, "Munchkin!" Perfect for a loud mouth, meanie like Chris!!!
I'm glad so many new characters were introduced in this one... would love to see a book about Kale, Lucan, and Josh!!! <>. Patiently awaiting Tall, Dark, and Heartless!!!
5 STARS!!!
Ok, Ok, Ok... Chris was a total ass for most of this book... but isn't that what we love ladies... the bad boy being bad and then the girly turning him around and bringing him to his knees??? I know I do!!! I just knew Chris would be hard to get!!! Actually he wasn't hard to get, he was hard to keep!!!!
I started this book on Saturday morning and finished on Sunday around dinner time... I would have been done sooner, but I had to do some other stuff... you know... like take care of my family, feed them, stuff like that!!! Infact at one point, my five year old came up to me and said "Mom, my tummy just rummbled, you're starving me!" Total LOL moment!!!!
I so fell in love with Izzy the second she started talking... what a cutie, "Munchkin!" Perfect for a loud mouth, meanie like Chris!!!
I'm glad so many new characters were introduced in this one... would love to see a book about Kale, Lucan, and Josh!!! <>. Patiently awaiting Tall, Dark, and Heartless!!!
5 STARS!!!
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