Right off the bat, something about this book seemed to grind me the wrong way. Being an ARC e-book, I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt that the at times short/choppy sentences near the beginning will be addressed before final publication. However, what can’t be overlooked is at nearly 30% I realized too much time was being spent on several sub-characters and not enough on the main couple. The hero and heroine seemed to rarely interact. It’s kind of hard to have a romance when the couple isn’t even in the same room or other people’s woes are being discussed. Obviously, that eventually changed, but I found myself resenting when sub-characters kept stealing the show.
It didn’t help the hero obviously had no problem using his fame as a skateboarder to score with girls and ogled every good looking female he came across either. It was definitely a shot to this true romantic’s heart when he did spend the night with a random woman he met earlier on the street simply because he was feeling restless. Yes, it was after meeting the heroine. Again, I think any hanky-panky should have been reserved for the main couple. I felt at times I was twiddling my thumbs waiting for their relationship to begin.
Eventually they do have a heated but very brief spontaneous sexcapade. However, he soon gets a call and completely ignores her, while she does a walk a shame to her car. I know we are supposed to like the hero because he gave up his career temporarily to help take care of his mom and is always there for his family and friends, but, honestly, he wasn’t my ideal good guy kind of hero. It was also a shame to see this strong heroine’s character diminished by her doubts/uncertainty regarding him. Ultimately, even she had little faith he would stick around long term. Yes, they end up having an affair they keep hidden. Then there is a very predictable separation followed by a tragic event that reunites them.
All in all, I found this to be mostly entertaining, but skimmed through lots of it as there was too much focus on other people/events. Their romance seemed like a subplot at times. And, again, I knew I was told the hero was a good guy, I just didn’t always feel it. For this reviewer, the heroine is what made this story worth reading.
Title: The Grind, Series: The Vert Series (Book 2), Author: Kristen Kehoe, Pages: not listed, stand-alone, HEA, some violence, a couple VERY steamy scenes, strong/sassy heroine, hero was with other women.
(This review is based on ARC generously provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion. No compensation was paid to the reviewer nor is there any affiliation between the reviewer and author/publisher.)