Initial reaction: I'll have to think on this one, but I really did not like this portrayal of the collective story at all. Too jagged of presentation, the characterization seemed off, and I did not like the presentation of the tough elements this story had to offer. I'm wavering between one and two stars, and I'm not sure it's enough for me to bump up to two because of how irritated I was with the overarching story.Full review:I went into this story thinking it would be a brief sexy read and it turned out to be an experience that left me cringing in more ways than one. There were sparks in this story that I saw, but in the end, it didn't amount to much.I really wish that authors who introduce the issue of rape within the context of a story would have more sensitivity with its approach, because alongside the jagged narrative in the way that this starts off, I didn't think it amounted to more than simply a plot device. There was something about this reveal that seemed off in the context of the story. That's a shame because it wasn't as if the premise lacked promise, though I'll admit I spent quite a bit of time having to go over certain details in this overarching story again to understand what happened. That doesn't fare well in a brief narrative like this. The characters felt wooden and lacked a certain depth that I crave for any story I would pick up, but especially for the erotic genre and for the theme of this story.I wanted to feel more for Lori's experience, but I'll admit the environment or circumstances of her employment wasn't well drawn or intimate. Lori herself had my sympathies in spurts, but more often than not, I found her actions to be irritating and out of character as the story went on. There was very little true depth to her, and the guys that draw her affections (Garrett and Eli) are just as frustrating. I liked Garrett from his surface attributes, but that seemed like all he amounted to. I did feel for him as the story went on particularly with how he cared for Lori in turns.I couldn't have cared two cents less about Eli. He was a bonafide jerk and I didn't understand Lori's attraction for or trust in him. I'm not going to spoil who she ends up with, but I was really annoyed at how the triangle was done in this book and felt it didn't have any true coming to terms for the heroine or the other characters. For me, the story was forgettable and not very sexy or fulfilling at all.Not a story I would really recommend.Overall: 1/5Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.
