Dirty Deeds (Megan Erickson)
It pains me to put the rating for a Megan Erickson's book -- considering that she has been one of my favorite authors for the past two years, as she moves smoothly between MF and MM romance. But Dirty Deeds is definitely my least favorite of Erickson's book so far. Even if her writing is the only thing that saves this book from being a DNF.
The biggest issue is that there is nothing inspiring about Alex and Spencer. To quote a review here in Goodreads, it all feels very cliché. It seems that they are drawn to one another physically, but outside of that, everything that matters: chemistry, sparks & sizzle, companionship, even the emotional connection ... it's all missing. Reading this book is like watching paint dry *sigh*. I kept waiting for something to happen, something that made me believe in them, to root for them. I finally gave up around two thirds of the book, and skimmed the rest of the story.
It's too bad because I've been looking forward to Alex's book. Considering that she arrives in Tory after an abusive relationship, I wanted to see how she rises above that. But I didn't like this Alex ... she switches back and forth from being harsh, aggressive, and pretty judgmental towards Spencer, to a woman who simply wants to have quick and fun romp between the sheet (or wall, or a car), to battling with insecurities of her being just another 'burger' girl to Spencer's upper class look.
Meanwhile Spencer is just so ... blah. The only thing memorable about him is that he's a Brit. That's it. Other than that, I seriously cannot find him interesting. Honestly, I don't see him being a British to add anything valuable to the story either. He could be just another posh man from New York or Los Angeles, rather than an European, and it still doesn't give him an edge over the two Payton brothers (or even Davis, who appears in the previous book, and I thought would be a good candidate for Alex). Oh, and why did he have to be having that not-so-fortunate background too? Maybe if he truly was a posh, it could be better ... or not *double sigh*
I would still like to return to this series though, in case Erickson (or her publisher) decides to have a book about other Tory residents (Delilah and Tori? Asher and Julian?). Plus one miss will not make me stop reading Erickson's books.
The biggest issue is that there is nothing inspiring about Alex and Spencer. To quote a review here in Goodreads, it all feels very cliché. It seems that they are drawn to one another physically, but outside of that, everything that matters: chemistry, sparks & sizzle, companionship, even the emotional connection ... it's all missing. Reading this book is like watching paint dry *sigh*. I kept waiting for something to happen, something that made me believe in them, to root for them. I finally gave up around two thirds of the book, and skimmed the rest of the story.
It's too bad because I've been looking forward to Alex's book. Considering that she arrives in Tory after an abusive relationship, I wanted to see how she rises above that. But I didn't like this Alex ... she switches back and forth from being harsh, aggressive, and pretty judgmental towards Spencer, to a woman who simply wants to have quick and fun romp between the sheet (or wall, or a car), to battling with insecurities of her being just another 'burger' girl to Spencer's upper class look.
Meanwhile Spencer is just so ... blah. The only thing memorable about him is that he's a Brit. That's it. Other than that, I seriously cannot find him interesting. Honestly, I don't see him being a British to add anything valuable to the story either. He could be just another posh man from New York or Los Angeles, rather than an European, and it still doesn't give him an edge over the two Payton brothers (or even Davis, who appears in the previous book, and I thought would be a good candidate for Alex). Oh, and why did he have to be having that not-so-fortunate background too? Maybe if he truly was a posh, it could be better ... or not *double sigh*
I would still like to return to this series though, in case Erickson (or her publisher) decides to have a book about other Tory residents (Delilah and Tori? Asher and Julian?). Plus one miss will not make me stop reading Erickson's books.
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