Seduction

Seduction (Devil’s Den #2) by Violetta Rand

Synopsis:

Marisela Gonzalez’s luck with men has been terrible in her short life. She is running from her abusive ex-boyfriend, so she heads over to the Devil’s Den strip club where her sister used to work, determined to take charge of her own life. However, Marisela soon finds herself in trouble once again, ending up at the wrong place at the wrong time messing with the wrong guy. Unexpectedly, she crosses paths with a guy who is brave enough to stand up to her even when she tries to push him away. She begins to believe she is not too much of a damaged girl. Maybe she needs one particular man in her life more than she ever thought she would.

Craig Hanson is an ex-cop now head of security at The Devils Den strip club, he has been a player for a long time. Commitment has been never in his future. So when he discovers this urgent need to hold and protect Marisela Gonzales he doesn’t know what to do with these feelings. She is the little sister of his ex-girlfriend now turned close friend, and she is only nineteen. But he can’t seem to resist her tough girl attitude and their instant chemistry is undeniable. He knows there is something else there behind her tough girl persona. What is she hiding? He plans to show her how a real man treats the woman he loves; he will protect and cherish her even when she tries so desperately to push him away.

My Review:

This is book two in The Devil’s Den series, we met Marisela and Craig in book one. He was lusting after her sister Robyn and Marisela was an innocent teen struggling to find her place in the world. We only got a quick glimpse of these two in the first book, but I could tell that Marisela had a crush on Craig. At the time, he only had eyes for Robyn. Even though Craig sounded like a big ole jerk, I knew there was something more to him. Finding out more about Craig in this book was amazing, he had his arrogant moments but deep down he is a good guy looking for a love. With Marisela, it took a little more for me to get into her as a character. I understood she went through a lot in her young life, the way she pushed even her sister away seemed a little unrealistic to me. When I found out about her past, I was shocked that she went through so much on her own. I guess I was just as frustrated as Craig, trying to get into Marisela’s head. When she opened up and let people in it was a beautiful thing. No one could deny these two had chemistry from the start, the sex scenes were hot, the author threw in a little BDSM I loved it.
I actually thought this book was better than the first, it had a fuller story. Where the first book at times seemed a little rushed, this one had a better flow to it. The Gonzales sister’s sure know how to find trouble, definitely made for an exciting read. Loved the epilogue. I am very glad I stuck with this series the author did a better job with this one than the first one for sure, the goal is always to get better as a writer I believe. I am looking forward to delving into Macey’s story. Though she pretends to have it all together, I am thinking she is a bit of a hot mess. Can’t wait to find out.

*RECEIVED AN ARC FROM NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW *

The second book in the Devil’s Den series is focusing on Robyn’s sister Marisela. In this story, Violetta Rand makes some interesting choices for her characters as we continue this New Adult romance series.

Marisela is running from an abusive ex, Esteban. While not graphic in the details of that less than savory relationship, Rand presents enough detail to let readers see Marisela’s life, and bring her some empathy. Until she keeps contact with him. Now, I understand the psychological damage and manipulations that happen in abusive relationships, but leaving him behind should have shut the door. She just didn’t get that memo.

Marisela is difficult to appreciate: I initially thought I could like her, she was brave enough to try and strike out away from what was known (if not comfortable) and was trying to redefine herself. But, her redefinition was almost a full-scale cloning of her sister Robyn’s approach and attitude: making her prickly and not particularly intriguing.

For his part, Craig was an all too typical frat-boy type, with posturing and crass phrasing that hid what was not a bad guy underneath. As in the first story, I still have difficulty with the backstory for him, although his past as a cop made him more believable as head of security. I just found him limited, and here is my real problem with the story: language. Now, I’m no prude, and I have a mouth like a sailor, but there is crude ‘boy speak’ that wholly shows a character’s limitation with language and attempts to impress, and then there is just crude – where crass steps in to ramp up the rawness of the plot without providing an equal balance in emotional connection. Sadly, this feels more like the second example.

Another disconnect is the frequent head-hopping, without full development for an emotional oomph for readers. I didn’t find that Marisela and Craig had anything more to offer one another than a hook up here and there: and why would they? Their interactions, with Marisela trying to find ‘herself’ and her quick responses to Craig, even with her issues, just didn’t feel honest or plausible to me, and his knowing her history but rushing in white knight like also didn’t work. Logic would dictate that both are hesitant and concerned about the danger from her ex. Neither are. And the danger and tension surrounding that whole subplot just felt flat and unbelievable to me.

There is attraction and smexy times, much of which is hot and steamy. It was far more passive for me, as I didn’t feel the characters sparked off one another to make me feel their desires or needs. There wasn’t the angst that I felt in the first book, so it was harder for me to believe in the more dramatic moments. And while I didn’t dislike either Marisela or Craig greatly, I didn’t find the head-hopping helped me to form solid opinions about either character: there were moments of ‘that won’t end well’ thoughts that never quite came to pass in the plot. It’s not a bad story, it’s just not enough for me to grab onto and need to see more.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.