Review: Shelter by Jay Crownover
SYNOPSIS:
His life is chaos and confusion. It’s a storm of uncertainty and raging emotion.
Sutton Warner is a mess. Everything in his life feels like it’s unraveling.
He’s let a lot of people down lately, including his daughter. Sutton always promised his little girl he would never disappoint her and that he would always be there when she needed him. Until he wasn’t.
The truth is, he’s used to disappointing the women in his life. First was his mother who couldn’t find a reason to stick around when he was growing up. Then there’s his ex. The woman who takes unbridled delight in making his life incredibly complicated.
Luckily, his daughter is still young enough to believe her old man is some kind of hero. But, he knows the day is coming when she realizes the truth, that he’s just a man with some serious flaws and a list of ever-growing weaknesses.
Finally, there’s the woman he’s desperately trying to forget with every shot tossed back and each pill popped.
He more than disappointed Emrys…he almost got her killed.
Her love is steady and sure. It’s a shelter shaped by conviction and silent assurance.
Emrys Santos is lost. Everything in her life feels pointless and futile.
She’s been busy running away from her feelings and all the people who love her the most—including her best friend, the one person who knows exactly what she’s been through. They promised to always stick together and to lean on one another. It was a promise Em had to break so she could lick her wounds and figure out her next move. For once, there is no easy way out of the tangled web of emotions she’s caught up in, and right now, she recognizes that all roads lead back to Wyoming…and back to Sutton.
The man she nearly got killed.
REVIEW:
*This Review Contains Spoilers, Proceed At Your Own Risk*
I am having a real love-hate relationship with this book. While the story line was just as fantastic as Retreat, I had several other lingering issues with Em and Sutton that I couldn’t get over. As a result of these peeves, the story was a let down in some ways. So let me start off this review with the good and work my way towards the bad.
The plot made this story. Honestly, Jay Crownover knows how to write one h*ll of suspense novel. The ever present element of surprise, and the ability to constantly keep me guessing until the very end is why I continued to read this book. I had no idea the direction the book would turn and was left shocked when the truth was revealed. In addition, the first 30% of the novel I was absolutely captivated by Em and Sutton.
But we reached a turning point along the way where things went down hill fast. My first issue is the word wanton or wantonly was used in this story far too much. Once or twice is okay but during almost every intimate scene wanton appears and it was making my eye twitch, there are numerous adjectives that exist that could also be used.
Second, so much unprotected sex and then casually joking about it…RAGE! NO, NO, NO! I don’t believe that such a thing as you are so consumed by passion and want that you can’t even bother to protect yourself or maybe after the first slip up, as a female you didn’t think it was a good idea to get the pill? Then they would be like oops, oh well if something happens we will tackle it together. Which ties into the third issue, their relationship didn’t really evolve past a lot of sex and words whispered during these moments. I would have liked to have a few more scenes outside the bedroom, bathroom, barn…wherever they were f*cking and have a connection actually occur. Its okay we have only been having a ton of unprotected sex and have spent no other time together but I love you and if I get knocked up…oh well. (This type of mentality is toxic.)
And my final issue, which had me annoyed because it was obvious that no research was done…anal sex. While anal sex can be written correctly and I have seen it done many times in m/m books, I found this story all wrong. It almost felt like Sutton was pressuring Em into it and then it all happens at once which is unrealistic. No *sshole is ready for a dick without several different occasions of foreplay before to stretch and prepare it. Also I find it hard to believe that it just happens spontaneously, I mean you aren’t worried how clean she is? Just no…this was all wrong.
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble
