Publisher: Bantam
Where did you get the book: e-ARC from publisher
Release date: 2nd December
New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy begins a sexy new contemporary romance series—perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Emma Chase—that introduces three sisters born to wealth, raised to succeed, ready to love, destined to make waves.
I’ve moved through life doing what’s expected of me. I’m the middle daughter, the dutiful daughter. The one who braved a vicious attack and survived. The one who devoted herself to her family’s business empire. The one who met an ambitious man and fell in love. We were going to run Fleur Cosmetics together, Zachary and I.
Until he got a promotion and left me in the dust. Maybe it’s for the best, between his disloyalty and his wandering eye. But another man was waiting for me. Wanting me. He too has an overwhelming thirst for success, just like Zachary—perhaps even more so. He’s also ruthless. And mysterious. I know nothing about Ryder McKay beyond that he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.
One stolen moment, a kiss, a touch . . . and I’m hooked. Ryder’s like a powerful drug, and I’m an addict who doesn’t want to be cured. He tells me his intentions aren’t pure, and I believe him. For once, I don’t care. I’m willing to risk everything just to be with him. Including my heart. My soul.
My everything.
*blurb taken from Goodreads*
This is a hard review for me to write. While I had no issues with the quality of the writing and enjoyed the smexy scenes, I didn’t like the multitude of characters in the story, including the hero and heroine.
I would class this book as a NA meets soap opera which is not my type of read. From the hero, Ryder, to his scheming lover, Pilar, to the heroine’s fiancee, Zachary, there’s not a decent person amongst the lot. They’re all scheming and using the heroine to advance their own personal gain, and it all felt rather tawdry. Ryder has his tortured history from which his on-and-off lover, Pilar, rescued him and since then they’ve had this screwed-up relationship which stank of unhealthiness. Ryder is attracted to Violet and wants her but a part of the attraction for him was that she’s the owner’s daughter and she’s Zachary’s fiancee, who Ryder can’t stand.
Ryder is all sorts of screwed up but not once did I feel he was heroic material. Even after he felt guilty for the lies he was telling Violet, he still treated her like crap. The possessiveness was not sexy and I wanted Violet to run away from them all. Violet had her past history in she became passive when her fiance cheated throughout their relationship, and why she turned a blind eye. She did eventually grow a backbone with Zachary but she reverted back to type when it came to Ryder. She doesn’t let him walk all over her but she takes him back after he treats her like crap. The sexual scenes between Ryder and Violet did have chemistry but outside of the bedroom, Ryder was again a horrible asshole. He ran hot and extremely cold with Violet. Abruptly so. It all felt rather immature.
By the 60% mark of the book, the plot was starting to fizzle out and while I was expecting a huge reveal of what Ryder and Pilar had schemed up, nothing happened. Pilar’s storyline turns into the bizarre (and icky) and instead of Pilar getting her upcommence, she actually advances (icky) and Violet and Ryder get their HEA in which she forgives him for his shitty and manipulative behaviour. WHY, VIOLET, WHY? I was also expecting a storyline to develop which related to her past but it never showed up. I did like what I saw of Rose, the other sister, and Lily intrigued me with her past drug habit but if it’s the same type of soap-opera style then I don’t think I’ll pick up their books.
I give Owning Violet a D. While the sex scenes were good, I really disliked the characters.