Taut: The Ford Book

by J.A. Huss

• ASIN: B00HXZME1I
• Publish Date: 2014
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Format: eBook (Kindle)
• Pages: 325
• Language: English

Reviews

[Berls]

I've loved Ford since I met him in the Rook and Ronin series, so I was really excited to read a book dedicated to him. Slack was good - I enjoyed seeing a day in his life - but it was far from complete. Taut took it THERE, though. Ford gets such a bad wrap because of his idiosyncrasies, manner of talking, pets, etc. But I think we all knew that he was actually this ridiculously sweet guy just waiting to show the world how sweet he could be. He just needed the right lady... and, as it turns out, her baby!

Y'all if you'd asked me the scenario that I thought would win Ford over, I NEVER in a million years would have thought it would be a single mom scenario. But it fit. Perfectly. I enjoyed watching him fall in love with Ashley and her 3 month year old baby, Kate. He transforms in this book - he's still Ford, and yet he's grown into someone a little different too. It's the perfect example of how love can change a person.

I've done some out of order reading - not on purpose! - so I knew a bit about Ashley before reading this book and it was actually kind of neat to see how they started, considering what I know about how they ended up! And I'm really excited to read Spencer's book next :) I never liked him as much as Ford, but he's still a favorite Huss character.

Oh and I whisper read this - meaning I did some ebook time and some audio book. The narration was fairly perfect. I read the last 10% on kindle, but the ending was SO PERFECT that I had to reread it on audio so I could hear Ford in some of his best moments, hands down. I think this is one I'll be doing a reread (or 2) of!

[stacey_is_sassy]

Really good, but...

I ended up loving this story, but the first half dragged for me. Way too much internal monologue. Ford was a very hard character to love with his insults and issues with touch, you started to think he was incapable of love. I wasn't even sure Ashleigh was his love interest at first.

Lots of deep, emotional stuff for both Ford and Ashleigh. It took them both a long time to work out that they were perfect for each other. Ashleigh's issues took a really long time to come to the surface and it wasn't until the very end that you worked out that Tony, her former lover, wasn't her only issue.

Unfortunately my expectations were too high, if they were set a little lower I might not have been so bored with the beginning. Ford spent too long sulking about Rook and her not returning his feelings in the same way. I also felt that Rook, Ronin and Spence were a little insensitive, he was handling it in the only way he knew how.

A good read but didn't hit the 5 star mark for me.

[Linda]

Harsh, honest, gritty, complicated - Taut is all that an so much more! Ford blew me away, and Ash is the perfect woman for him!

This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews

[Angie]

Despite my hate for all things baby, I quite enjoyed Taut. In fact, I loved parts of it. Ford was my favorite character from the Rook and Ronin series, so getting into his head, and witnessing his journey to love was a special treat. However, as much as I love Ford, his book has a lot of things that just didn't work for me. Yes, I liked it overall, but I felt like the story derailed at the end.

Taut starts out with Ford leaving Rook behind. He realizes that she loves Ronin and isn't going to leave him, and it's just too painful to watch them together. He's suppose to be on a flight to LA in the morning, but he can't wait, so he jumps in his hunk-o-junk truck and drives. Of course, his crappy truck can't make it through a blizzard, so he calls for a tow and stays in a crappy hotel in his home town. There he sees Ashleigh, who's sitting in a car with an infant and no heat. He invites them back to his room, and then offers to pay for her car, and drive her to LA since that's where he's going anyway. It doesn't seem like very Ford-like behavior, but he needs a distraction from Rook, and Ashleigh needs a ride. He's just taking advantage of a mutually beneficial situation.

The baby road trip was weird for me. I do not enjoy reading about crying infants and dirty diapers. Ford isn't a baby person, but little Kate ends up growing on him. Who'da thought a baby would melt Ford's cold heart? But, who cares about the baby. Let's talk about the breastfeeding. Ashleigh does this a lot (of course, baby's gotta eat) and Ford unabashedly watches her and gets turned on by it. I started to feel like a bit of a pervert since I liked that he liked it, and was actually hoping this would trod over into lactation fetish territory. It doesn't really, but there is some milk involved during their one super, duper, insanely hot night together in Vegas. So...yeah, BDSM and lactation. If those aren't your thing, pass on Taut.

Now for what kept me from loving Taut (aside from the dirty diapers). First, there was Rook. She seriously got on my nerves even though she was only in the beginning chapter and a chapter near the end. She was so whiny and clingy and I wanted to slap her. Ford made his feelings very clear, but she will not let go! She's all "I need you," "I love you," "don't leave me!" Bitch, give him some space to get over you! My gosh! Second was Ashleigh's backstory which comes out close to the end. It's pretty ridiculous and felt random. Finally, the twist at the end involving Ashleigh's deep, dark family secret was weird and honestly, it didn't make sense to me. Was her family exaggerating or lying? Were they telling the truth? I have no clue! Then Ford's solution to that actually made me laugh, since it was so out of nowhere.

I love Ford and I almost loved Taut. My rating is more like 5★ for getting into Ford's head, coming to understand him more and the sex (and making me fell dirty yet intrigued). Then 2★ for everything else. Sometimes less is more, and everything in the last part was too much.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[littleread1]

Ford ... oh Ford. You are so messed up in the head I didn't think you would ever be able to get over Rook. Neither did you. But one night in the snow you took pity on a young woman and her baby and you were done for. I wonder if you knew how things would turn out, if you would have still done things the same? I think so.

And Ashleigh - you poor thing. I am so glad you and baby Kate found Ford, but I wish the road to get to where you are now had been easier for you. But remember it was a rough road for Ford too, so have some patience with him. He needs a gentle but firm hand, and I know you will take good care of him. If I can't have him, I am glad it is you.

Baby Kate - you are so loved already you have no idea. If all single mom's were as lucky as your mom there would be no kids unloved in the world. You will want for nothing, not things nor love and attention. You are going to be raised around some of the smartest and most loyal people I've ever known of. I am not going to lie, my parents are great but I am little jealous of you.

All readers - I suggest you read the Rook and Ronin trilogy before reading Taut, but it is not required. Either way, Taut is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I couldn't put it down and my love for Ford surpassed my love for Ronin, and I didn't think that was possible, I LOVE Ronin. Huss' writing is beautiful and tragic, and you will be sucked in, wondering what will happen next, and left satisfied and a little sad that it is over at the end.