Book Review Genre: Contemporary Romance

Disclaimer: Reading is all about exploring new worlds, but this Book Review does not shy away from spoiling specific scenes as this is more of my free-flowing thoughts about a book.

The Analysis:

This story is told through dual timelines, but it converges at the midpoint when both characters find themselves in college. I chose this one wanting to find a read about couples on opposite ends of the political spectrum falling in love like North and South. Although, this goes further than that and includes a male white nationalist. But, let’s book review it. First, follow me on Goodreads.

Here’s The Blurb:

Tiana:
Falling for an enemy is taboo.
Falling for a guy who stands for everything you and three generations before you have fought against?
Unthinkable.

But the day Gunner Cox saved me from a fire was the day my heart no longer belonged to me.
It belongs to the damaged and broken boy being dragged down by a monster who shares his DNA.

Gunner:
Race. Hate. War.
It’s all I know.
Until Tiana Williams enters my life and my heart.

Now, I’m done riding the fence between good and evil.
I will fight my demons and I will get the girl.
Even if it kills me.

Cover Critique:

I remember the original cover. The woman looked scared, maybe even a little weary. This expression is drastically different. It’s in repose and seems almost peaceful, and accepting. If we’re trying to go for what the heroine might feel for the majority of the book. This cover definitely fits. It’s a beautiful cover, but I’m left wanting more from this one considering the topic.

Now The Story:

Book Info:
Pages: 242
Author: Misty Walker
Available: Amazon

The hero and heroine both won over my heart pretty quickly. The heroine was dorky with social anxiety and loved books. The author might as well describe me. As for the hero, no white supremacist is created in a vacuum. We did a deep dive into his background first and immediately felt for the little boy this man was going to become. While I did consider that the portrayal was a tad bit of a stereotype. This stereotype is a real person too, and thus I let it slide. Especially as I remember a recent story about a white supremacist and his hypocritical views on abortion for his wife but not his mistress. That guy would totally be the father depicted in this story.

My eyes bulged out of my head at the sharp turn of the hero’s mother dying. Not only that, it was at the hands of his father and promptly hidden by other white nationalists. What! The father is clearly a monster, no chaser.

However, the six poc beating him up scene was a tad disappointing. One because I saw a documentary going into high schools asking students about race. [It aired on CNN, but the name escapes me, sorry.] Not only was the white student spouting white nationalist talking points clearly fed to him by his parents, but he also did it proudly in front of a mixed class of black and Asian students. He showed no fear. Like he knew he wouldn’t get in trouble for the things he said or be held accountable. [Now, one could say the documentary gave him immunity, but the interview with the teacher after says otherwise. She said this is the kind of conversation they have all the time and it’s hard to get through to him on some of the more harmful notions.] All that to say, 6 poc discriminating against a white student deservedly or not, doesn’t sound true. Depending on the culture of the administration, they would just as likely get in trouble, especially in a southern/republican state/district. This boy had friends and others that would be more than willing to fight back. No poc wants those problems. Instead, the baby white nationalist just creates a toxic environment for students to learn in. Now, this was certainly written to make the hero more sympathetic, but that wasn’t needed.

A welcome break from the heavier topics was the heroine’s relationship with this other man. He was funny and they were cute together. It only made me wonder how this cuteness was going to be shoved back into the closet in favor of a hero with so much baggage. Of course, we learn that the heroine is a virgin and the OM is struggling with that. Hints the chip in his white night armor and I found myself a tad disappointed by this.

But the hero does have a plan to get out from under all the hate and away from his dad. And that plan includes college. But his father finds out before he has a chance to maneuver out of it. He allows him to beat him up because his baggage tells him that’s the easier choice than fighting back. I did something similar with my book, The Bolo Dance, but maybe not as well. You be the judge.

Anyway, the father ends up in jail where he belongs, but it’s the hero’s actions that have me concerned. He doesn’t leave his father’s business and go to college. Instead, he works at his father’s business keeping it going because the man threatened him. He’s in an abusive relationship and he doesn’t know how to get out. It’s just sad. And here I was overly hopeful about the college plan. If this man can’t leave his father now I find it hard to believe he ever will.

And while he’s seen a pretty girl (I assume the heroine) around, for 30% of the book they are not dating or have any meaningful interaction. For what it’s worth.

But, if anything stood out to me as wrong it’s the depiction of college. [At least from my experience in college.] There are no bullies in college. At least not as depicted. It’s not a bunch of guys calling someone a nerd like in high school. It gets more overt and everything is channeled into this weird competitiveness. Suddenly every time you raise your hand someone else is too or group projects take on another meaning of intense as you fight for dominion lol.

But that’s a small thing compared to the bigger issue of murder and abuse. The hero keeps bringing up that his mother was murdered and yet he never thinks to turn the father in. Even after, the riot and even more abuse, it never occurs to him to call the cops. There is no push-pull of whether he should or shouldn’t. He just doesn’t bring it up. That doesn’t sit comfortably with me. If you changed as you say, your father needs to be arrested for murder at the very least. This is mainly why I take one point off as well as for a lot of small nitpicky things.

But I love this story because this riot/fire was truly a fresh start for them both. They seemed to complement each other seamlessly. The hero also had this innocence about him because there was so much to life that he had yet to experience. The heroine got to be that light in his life to say no, you can do this and this and that. It was cute and surprisingly wholesome.

So, when her parents learn of this dalliance I’m left conflicted. Just from a purely logical standpoint, if he was going to hurt her would he date her to do it? And is she putting their entire race as a people on her daughter’s choice to forgive one undesirable man? My biases preclude me from seeing this as anything other than a mother flexing her perceived power beyond its limits. While her concern is genuine, I don’t like the “methods” by which parents try to voice their concerns in general. So there was no way for me to perceive this positively.

I wasn’t shocked at the father’s return, but still, I was shocked. More than anything I wanted to know how this would end. But my mouth dropped open at our hero knocking the heroine’s boyfriend on his butt. Yup, our girl is emotionally cheating. And I wasn’t looking forward to her being angry at this show of the hero losing control. But it appeared as if she wasn’t and she admitted to her fault in the situation. Although it was downright comical, her not liking ASTRO (her boyfriend) because he didn’t have baggage.

But I was distraught with her at their breaking. I couldn’t possibly have to explain myself to so many people over and over. She was turning into a broken record: He only did what he had to too survive. He’s a good person. I’d be ready to change schools and locations. People would have to just get a grip.

Their first kiss was a giggly cute, sexy mess. I was feeling the tension and the love. Emotions were running high. It would put a smile on anyone’s face. Days later when they finally commit to their relationship by going further it’s downright beautiful.

At about 65%, I was tired of the father’s threats and I wanted the hero to be tired too. Go on the offense.

I did love the support system that he found in the tattooist, Ranger. And their dad was as entertaining as he was infuriating.

But it was the heroine’s thoughts of needing her mother after another incident that gave me pause. She was grateful that her mother hadn’t told her, I told you so. For what? She repeatedly said the hero, Gunner, would hurt her. That didn’t happen. While their relationship might have put her in the crossfire, it wasn’t the hero’s fault. I was also growing weary of her woe is me act. Not that it wasn’t traumatizing but for someone that protests racial injustice, she cried like she never expected to experience it. Like she never considered, going to one of these protests and catching the eye or the right hook of the wrong person and thus sending her life on a different trajectory. Like maybe on some level she was okay with protesting in her safe bubble.

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Book Review At A Glance:

Recommendation:  4 out of 5

Book Cover Appeal:

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Story & Narration:

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Romance:

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Heroine’s Personality:

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Hero’s Personality:

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Closure:

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