Review: Fever

Reviewed by Allison
 

Let me preface my review by saying that I loved Ms. Banks' Sweet series. I think she's a talented writer and I have always enjoyed reading the relationships she creates. That being said, this book was hard to get through.

This is the second book in the Breathless series, the story of Jace Crestwell and Bethany Willis. Jace is a self made millionaire who sees Bethany at his sister's engagement party from across the room and wants her immediately. Bethany is a homeless woman forced to do odd jobs to keep money in her pocket, since no one will hire her on a continuous basis. When Bethany is confronted by Ash, Jace's best friend and the man he shares his women with, what she sees for the evening is a guaranteed place to sleep and a warm meal for free. She agrees to go upstairs with them both, even though Jace doesn't seem 100% on board. After they spend the night together, Jace wakes up to find Bethany gone and goes crazy. He spends two weeks tracking her down and eventually finds her in a women's shelter and steals her away.

This story is very unique in that I've never read about a homeless heroine, and it was very interesting to get inside her mind and watch her face situations most people don't have to. However, I was less than impressed with Jace. He completely took over Bethany's life without thought to how she might feel about it. Granted, she didn't have much of a life to live, but for me, a woman's choice is one of the most important things she has to hold on to. Which brings to me to my biggest issue with this story.

I understand that there is a delicate balance between building trust and taking care of the person you love while being the dominant partner in the relationship. However, I felt that the dominance went over board. Jace was more than just "demanding" or "exacting". He was a pushy jerk.

"Do you understand that I would be in absolute control over every aspect of our relationship, Bethany? Do you really get that? That every decision will be made by me. Where we eat, what we eat, where we go, where you go. When we have sex. When we don't have sex. What you wear. Who you talk to. Are you getting it yet? I'm a controlling bastard and that won't change. Are you really willing to sign on for something like that?"

I don't mind a man taking care of me or not having to think about things for a while, but since when did becoming an all out asshat become a good thing in a hero? He crossed the line so many times it was hard to count.

As soon as Jace had taken that step in exerting his dominance, a part of her had sighed in relief. It had been so freeing to hand over responsibility to someone who cared about her. Someone who took care of her and was insanely protective of her. It gave her a measure of security she hadn't enjoyed until now. It made her feel... safe.

How can I argue with that? If that's what it took to make her feel safe, who am I to judge? It's just not my thing. My mind rebelled the whole way through. I liked Bethany a lot, even when her constant self hatred got tiring, I wanted her to have a better life and a better future.

In the end, I think this may simply be a case of "not my cup of tea" - but it may be yours, who knows? Either way, it's a breathtaking cover; I still enjoy the author, but I won't be following up with this series.

Grade: D

*ARC Provided by Berkley

Click to purchase: Amazon

Fever

by Maya Banks

Release Date: April 2, 2013

Publisher: Berkley