Bad Romeo
Series: Starcrossed #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Leisa Rayven
Release Date: December 23, 2014
While performing the greatest love story of all time, they discovered one of their own…
Cassie Taylor was just another acting student with big dreams at her prestigious performing arts college, then she met Ethan Holt. She was the good girl actress. He was the bad boy on campus. But one fated casting choice for Romeo and Juliet changed it all. Like the characters they were playing on stage, Cassie and Ethan’s epic romance seemed destined. Until it ended in tragedy when he shattered her heart.Now they’ve made it to Broadway where they’re reunited as romantic leads once again, and their passionate scenes force them to confront the heartbreaking lows and pulse-pounding highs of their intense college affair. For Ethan, losing Cassie was his biggest regret, and he’s determined to redeem himself. But for Cassie, even though Ethan was her first and only great love, he hurt her too much to ever be trusted again. The trouble is, working with him reminds her that people who rub each other the wrong way often make the best sparks. And when it comes to love, sometimes it’s the things that aren’t good for us that are the most irresistible.
Love is weakness. That’s not the only thing Holt taught me, but it’s the thing I remember most.
I’ve had this book sitting in my kindle for months now. At first I put off reading it because I realized it was a cliff. Then when the final book came out…I’m not really sure why I kept waiting? I’ve seen it making the rounds on Goodreads and so many friends loving it. It promised angst and an epic love story…yet the only thing I got was a mad case of indigestion.
But wait! Before you get out your pitchforks and torches, allow me to explain….
See I loved the premise of this book and I truly enjoyed the writing style. Leisa Rayven clearly has incredible talent and I’ll happily read all her future books. This was a case of the characters doing absolutely nothing for me. So let’s talk about that, shall we?
The hero.
Now look, I love me an asshole. Nothing better than an alphahole finally falling for the girl and changing his ways. BUT and this is a big but, there’s a big different between a redeemable asshole and a downright douchebag. And Ethan Holt? Oh he was squarely in the douchebag category. On a scale of 1 to stabby he was at justifiable homicide. I couldn’t stand his treatment of Cassie, and this is coming from someone that usually swoons with every insult. But there has to be some semblance of a justification for the treatment and in the case here, while there may have been one, I just didn’t buy it. He’s almost cruel to Cassie and his reason for it didn’t redeem him in the least. As a matter of fact it was downright lame. Sure I can understand his reluctance to get into a relationship, but he was a dick from the very beginning when he just meets Cassie. Suffice it to say it did nothing to endear him to me.
The heroine
Just keep your pants on for the love of gawd!
This girl gave new meaning to horny virgin. Sweet baby jebus but she had an eager beaver. Her vagina went from 0 to panting in the span of a breath. God help her if there was a stiff wind. Why? Hell if I know. Holt was downright cruel to her, but yet she kept coming back for more. Maybe she saw something in him that nobody else did but I wasn’t sipping from the kool aid so I wasn’t buying it. Allow me to sum it up so:
I want you.
No. I’m bad for you.
*vagina pants*
But I still want you.
No. I don’t want you.
*douchebagery intermission*
OMG my vagina weeps for you.
No. You have to stay away from me.
But my vagina! *humps*
You’re different. I can tell, because….reasons
No. We can’t.
*more douchebagery intermission*
*pause for fantasies of Holt’s penis*
Rinse. Lather. Freaking repeat.
As much as I hate using the term doormat, that’s exactly what Cassie was. Her simple acceptance of Holt’s treatment of her was nausea inducing. Why? Why I ask you? He gave not a semblance of a hint that he was worth any of it. *rips hair out of head*
The Pacing
The story is told in alternating past/present with a diary entry from Cassie’s journal thrown into the mix. However, when I’d normally love that sort of thing, the pacing here was…off. Sometimes the present was a a couple pages, sometimes a couple chapters. There was no consistency and I found it
threw off the balance of the book.
The older versions of Cassie and Ethan were a lot more tolerable, but unfortunately it was overshadowed by the Cassie and Ethan of six years ago. I found nothing angsty about this book. Sure I wanted to rip my hair out but not because the angst. To be quite honest, it felt more manufactured than natural. The sexual tension of will they, won’t they, OMG they’re about to, nope false alarm drove me out of my ever-loving mind! Their back and forth of I want you/I can’t lasts for the entirety of the book.
For the love of my ovaries! I wanted to chuck my kindle at the wall by the 90% mark!
I wanted to love this book but sadly it fell totally flat for me. Aside from the premise of the story there just wasn’t much I enjoyed about it. I just don’t think I’m cut out for these types of romances. Clearly my douchebag meter is malfunctioning and my tolerance just isn’t what it used to be.
While I’m not sure I’ll continue with the story because I just don’t think I care that much what happens with these characters, I do plan on reading more from this author. This was a case of wrong story for the wrong reader, you know? And so I’m writing it off as that. You never know what you’ll think, though, so give it a shot and see for yourself. Who knows? You just may love it.
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