Short Take Reviews: Fireball | River's Guilt

 

Fireball

by Abbi Glines

Series: Smoke #2

Tropes: age gap, alpha male, mafia/organized crime, TSTL heroine

Buckle up, buttercups, because we’re back for another ranty review. Fireball is the sequel to Smokeshow and you can read my reviewfor that craziness here.

When we last saw our dimwitted heroine, she had learned some shocking/disturbing news about her a-hole boyfriend, Blaise, and taken off on her own. A few weeks have now passed and Maddie (aka our dimwit heroine) returns to Blaise. Of course she does. Because Maddie has no backbone, zero agency, and just passively does whatever she is told what to do. Everyone around her is shady AF and she is consistently kept in the dark. Then Dimwit manages to get kidnapped… again. That’s right, folks, she gets kidnapped in both books. I swear, I don’t know how this girl gets through the day without walking into walls. But okay, I’m hanging in there… until the train really jumps the track. Because Dimwit wants to stay with her kidnapper. YOLO, right? There are Reasons, but whatever, I’m so over her at this point. Dimwit is rescued/sent back home and then makes excuses for the person who betrayed her and helped her abductor. I’m sorry, what? *shakes head trying to comprehend* Then Blaise builds Dimwit a big house so she can decorate it. The end.

There you have it, friends, that’s Fireball in a nutshell. Now you don’t have to read it. You’re welcome.  2.5 stars

River's Guilt

by Monique Orgeron

Tropes: motorcycle club, enemies to lovers, single parent

Based on the reviews and average rating (4.47) at Goodreads, this is obviously a case of it’s-not-you-it’s-me. The synopsis made it sound like this would be right up my alley. I mean, I seriously love a pining hero. Unfortunately, I was left wanting.

Regina’s husband Aiden, a member of the Crescent Kings MC, was killed six years ago, leaving her to raise their young son. Aiden’s father, the president of the MC, has been there for them, as has Aiden’s best friend, River. After six years Regina is desperate to move on but the one man she wants is River, the man who is there for her son but clashes with Regina constantly. Meanwhile, River is tormented by his love for Regina, but will not betray his fallen friend. This means both of them are (outwardly) denying their feelings and continuously lash out at each other. That’s well and good… up to a point. But this went on for 300+ pages and felt so repetitive. The payoff happened way too late in the story – as in the last 5% of the book. They bickered, said horrible things, and hurt one another over and over. Rinse and repeat. And then, in the last chapter, River comes to his senses, and all is well. Sure, I love pining, and I love a good slow burn, but there had better be a big payoff at the end. And this one just didn’t deliver. 3 stars 

Have you read either of these books?