Review: Seen by A.M. Arthur
SYNOPSIS:
Hell is a six-by-six jail cell and no hope for the future.
Kell Iverson has never raised his hand against another person in his entire life—and yet somehow he’s been arrested and charged with the murder of his alpha mate Krause. Sure, Krause brutalized him on a daily basis, and Kell hated his mate, but he never wanted the man dead. Not fighting the charge and accepting his fate is the easiest path—except Kell doesn’t think he’ll survive a week in prison, and he doesn’t want to disappoint his younger brother Braun by giving up. He also doesn’t expect to recognize the lawyer who shows up to defend him.
Ronin Cross was barely eighteen when he felt the mating bond with then-fourteen-year-old Kell, but his family moved away before Ronin could decide what to do. For the last ten years, he hasn’t forgotten teenage Kell, hasn’t mated, and now he’s in Sansbury Province to defend adult Kell from a capital murder charge. The mating bond is still there, but now isn’t the time to pursue anything with his fragile, battered, emotionally-damaged client.
For Kell, the term “kind alpha” is a contradiction, because he’s never known one. He went from abusive father to abusive mate, and for twenty-four years, he’s simply done what he’s told. But Ronin asks Kell what he wants. What he likes. Ronin sees him, and it’s both confusing and delightful. But Kell is facing prison time at best, execution at worst, and as his trial date looms, he can’t indulge in a fantasy that will never come true…or can he?
REVIEW:
So I wanted to give the first book the benefit of the doubt, naturally I decided to dive into book 2, especially since it was Kell’s book. Alas, I just can’t connect with this series. I am not sure if it’s the writing style, the story itself, or an inability to connect with the characters but this series isn’t for me.
I think the biggest issue I have with this book is it’s trying too hard. The whole story is one big poor Kell sob story. Kell was just such a vulnerable and weak character, even as he goes through his trial he still struggles to find any inner strength. Everything in his life is tainted by his Krause and while I understand what the author was trying to do, it didn’t work. The story became boring and predictable.
Ronin leaving abruptly made absolutely no sense. If Kell was your true mate, why didn’t you once try to contact him or find him? From a plot line perspective, this made no sense. And this frustrated me to no end. Ronin ends up representing Kell during his trial and well we all know how this going to play out. The story was just so heavy and filled with drama that there was little room for any moment of joy. Everything is overshadowed by the past or present drama. So needless to say I am done with this series.
LINKS:
