Short Take Reviews: The Dark Light of Day, Risky Play, Filthy Vows

Three reviews that run the gamut from good to medium to... meh.

  

THE DARK LIGHT OF DAY by T.M. Frazier | 4 STARS

I’ve had Frazier’s King series on my TBR for years but I chose to start with The Dark Light of Day because it happened to be available on audio via the Hoopla app. I was in the mood for something dark and twisted and Frazier delivered (although, to be honest, I had expected even darker). Abby and Jake are both seriously damaged characters, with backgrounds that had long lasting effects and shaped who they were. Abby found herself unexpectedly on her own and when she and Jake meet it’s a case of two lonely, damaged people recognizing each other. Their story was unconventional but I totally bought in to their connection. But it’s not like things turned rosy once Abby and Jake were together. Outside forces (and their reactions to them) wreaked havoc with their lives. This was far from a “typical” romance and didn’t follow the usual conventions. I’m not even sure Jake could be considered an anti-hero much less an actual hero, but he did have his own (some would say skewed) sense of morality and justice. Frazier didn’t shy away from showing the darker side of human nature, or from putting her characters through hell, and some scenes were downright  disturbing. But it was just what I wanted at the time and I’ll definitely be reading more from Frazier. 

RISKY PLAY by Rachel Van Dyken | 3.5 STARS

Risky Play is the rather unlikely tale of an heiress who is ditched at the altar, months later has a one night stand in Mexico, and returns to the States only to find herself employed as the guy’s personal assistant. Now there’s a lot here that stretches the imagination. Like the fact that Mackenzie was 30 years old, she and her fiancé had been together for years, and yet she was still a virgin. Not saying it couldn’t happen… but really? Also, she was an heiress, and a highly paid sommelier at her father’s wine empire, and yet when she decided to take a break after the wedding-that-wasn’t, she got a job as a personal assistant. She’s a millionaire heiress, why would she take a job as a P.A.??? Sure, it made for a convenient plot device, but it also made zero sense. Beyond the believability issues, Risky Play was actually a fun story. Mackenzie was likable and her insecurity issues were understandable and relatable. She also took no crap from Slade. Which was good because Slade spent the first quarter of the book being a total jerk. Once he came around he was a fun mix of cocky and charming and I really enjoyed the interactions between he and Mackenzie. Their banter was great and it felt almost like a second-chance romance since their initial tryst ended so badly. With a couple of great side characters adding to the story, namely Slade’s manager Matt and his teammate Jagger, this one ended up being an enjoyable read.

FILTHY VOWS by Alessandra Torre | 3 STARS (more like 2.75)

I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting with Filthy Vows – I mean, with a title like Filthy Vows you kind of know what you’re going to get, right? – but somehow I expected more. Overall I felt like not a whole lot happened. Elle and Easton met in college and with Easton being drafted by a major league baseball team, their future seemed golden. Fast forward a couple years and things are vastly different. Easton’s career ended with an injury, they were in debt and living beyond their means, and Elle was devastated by infertility issues. She also had incredibly detailed sexual fantasies. (Supposedly a side effect of the fertility medication?  I just went with it.) To be honest, her fantasies grew tiresome. The reader is in Elle’s head a lot which was boring and also not a lot of fun because Elle wasn’t all that likable. She was a bit of a prima donna. I was also confused by Elle and Easton’s relationship. Inwardly she talked about him like he was sheer perfection and how their marriage was so rock solid, but their interactions were filled with petty bickering and she acted like a total princess most of the time. So the story plodded along with Elle and her fantasies until finally she opened up to Easton and they agreed to make one a reality. They did and… boom, story over. It was kind of open-ended and there is a follow-on book but I don’t think I care enough to find out what happened after.

Have you read any of these books?