Christie's review: Tempting Tatum by Kaylee Ryan

Title: Tempting Tatum

Series: Standalone

Author: Kaylee Ryan

Release Date: July 8, 2014

Rating: 1 star

Cliffhanger: No

What do you do when your whole life crashes and burns? How do you get through the flames?

Tatum Thompson is living the dream. Her life is perfect; with a loving boyfriend, loving parents and a soon to be college graduate how can life get better? Life is good until it isn't. When tragedy strikes Tatum runs to Josh only to find him in a compromising position with someone else. Turning away from the only life she knew, Tatum is forced to alter her life plan.

Blaise Richards is a tattoo artist who moonlights as a volunteer fire fighter. Lies and deception leave his broken heart closed until the beautiful green eyed girl casts her spell over him. She’s making him feel things he’s never felt. Making him want things he thought he would never want.

Tatum wants Mr. just for tonight.

Blaise wants Tatum to be his forever.

Can Mr. Just for tonight convince Tatum that she’s the one? How long can Tatum resist Blaise’s determination to make her his?

[ No (hide spoiler)]

This is one of those cases where everything about the book sounded appealing, I loved the cover, the reviews were (mostly) all positive, and I liked all the quotes I saw from the book. So naturally, I assumed this was a safe bet. Unfortunately, it seems I'm really in the minority here because this book really just was not for me. I hate writing negative reviews, especially when the author has been kind enough to share an ARC for review, but to be perfectly honest, there was a lot about this book that turned me off.

This book did not seem based in reality.I'm all for escapism and sometimes far fetched plots in the name of retreating from real life, but the characters did not act like realistic people I could empathize with and connect with. The hero was in serious insta-lust and so overly dramatic about his feelings for her from the minute he met her. It's reiterated over and how obsessed he is about needing to touch her. It got too repetitious and silly.

My hand is itching to touch her.
Again, feeling like I need to touch her, I lift her from the truck.
I continued to find ways to touch her, and hold her, longer than was legal or necessary for the game.
This girl...I've never been like this before, needing to touch someone, needing the connection.
This shit is not me, but I need to touch her.

I could go on. I was really done with hearing about it.



There was not enough character development.
Tatum has a horrible tragedy occur in the beginning of the book and I don't need a lot of angst, but as bad as the situation was, I felt nothing. She immediately picks up and moves to a new city with her best friend and her fiancé and right away meets Blaise, feels super attracted to Blaise, and non-stop thinks about Blaise. I didn't see a whole lot of the grieving process, or any normal reactions that a regular person would have.



Not enough steam
Some sexy times are not absolutely necessary for me to enjoy a book but I really felt it was lacking here. The hero is a former player who is so infatuated with her, that he refuses to sleep with her until she admits that she's his. I liked the idea of that-in theory. It's sounds sweet and romantic. But it dragged on through the majority of the book and not in a building anticipation and intensity kind of way. For me, it didn't make the first encounter together any hotter or worth the wait. In fact, my eyes may have done an eye roll and a possible, "You can't be serious." may have been uttered. Because, "hot" Blaise was a minuteman. He was invited to go condom free and was so overcome that it started....and then it was over.

Her breath hitches as I start to move a little faster. I'm not going to last. She feels like silk. My hand glides down and I begin to rub against her with my thumb. I hate this is happening so fast, but I can't stop it. I refuse to go without her.

And afterwards they were all...that was SO intense. I was not feeling it.



The writing I did not connect with.
The writing was so simple it was strange. At first, I thought it was just a random occurrence. But after about 30% in, I started seeing that every mental dialogue and "description" of feelings was very unembellished and very plain.

Her green tank is the same color as her eyes. I love her eyes. She looks to be about five foot five or so. Almost a full foot shorter than me. She's beautiful.

A little more detail, please? Like, she was so beautiful she made my head swim and my knees weak. She takes my breath away...

I don't know. Something.

The structure of the sentences was so mundane and bland it just kept jumping out at me no matter how much I tried to ignore it.



The basic story idea was good, but for me, it did not carry through in bringing the emotion and enjoyment of the characters. I liked that Blaise was a tattoo artist who was a twin and was a volunteer firefighter. It was also an easy, fast paced read, but too unbelievable for the majority. This apparently is a case of it's not you, it's me, based on the general public's reaction to this book, however. So if you are thinking about reading this book, don't judge by my reaction. You may be pleasantly surprised.



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