Panic (Rook and Ronin, #3)

by J.A. Huss

[Angie]

I wasn't sure what to expect going into Panic after the end of Manic, but it was not this. Rook's abusive ex is in jail, and her first love has shown up, so what does this all mean for her? Well, none of this comes up until about two-thirds in, and that's when things head into Crazytown. Before the story takes a totally out of nowhere turn, it's all about Rook, Ford, and babies. Some of this I loved. Some of this I hated. My feelings are very torn on Panic, but I figure since I read it in one sitting--even as my puppies were jumping all over me--I must have liked it.

Let's start with Ford. I love him. I found him interesting in the previous book, because he was so different from Ronin and Spencer, but I fell for him in Panic. He is the only person who can actually see that something is seriously wrong with Rook and that she's hiding something major. He takes time to help her help herself, even if he doesn't know exactly what he's helping with. He got her into exercising, he helps her get back into school, and he's the only one who doesn't lie to her! He may withhold information that isn't his to tell, but he's a lot more honest with Rook than Ronin is. Sure, he's a little...unusual, but he's my favorite. Not necessary as a romantic partner for Rook, but I'd definitely think she'd be better off with Ford as a friend than Ronin for a boyfriend.

One of my biggest annoyances with Panic was all of the baby talk. Elise finds out she's pregnant so everyone is fawning over her and going baby shopping, except for Rook. We already know about her miscarriage, but there's more to it than that, which I won't go into. However, Ronin has baby fever. I'm pretty sure he's more excited about the baby than Elise and Antoine. He wants a family with Rook, and brings it up a few times, even though it's super obvious that she is not ready for that! He actually uses the phrase "barefoot and pregnant" which is just screwed up. She's only 20 years, just got out of an abusive relationship which caused her to miscarry, and all that's on his mind is wrangling her into another marriage and knocking her up. Ronin needs to open his eyes! Clearly, I still don't like him.

Then secrets start coming out. Ronin is a professional liar and he's been involved in some effed up crap. When faced with this truth, Rook doesn't want to hear it. I'm pretty sure she got slapped with the stupid stick between Manic and Panic. She runs from a man who almost killed her, but she does nothing when told that her boyfriend actually did murder someone? Really? But then things get crazy and I felt like I was reading a different book. I should probably mention that human trafficking ends up playing a huge role in the plot, so if that is not something you want to read about, then you should probably not read Panic. There's some super disturbing stuff discussed. I'm not sure if it was included to show that this kind of stuff happens here in America right under our noses, for shock value, or what. But it seemed so out of place that I had to roll my eyes a few times. Yes, it kept my interest, but necessarily in a good way.

Panic was really an unnecessary sequel, in my opinion. I really enjoyed the first two books, and I loved watching Rook take control of her life. I wanted to see her succeed almost as much as Ford did. However, it seemed like she took several steps back in this book for no reason. She's in an even more messed up situation than the one she ran from and is somehow connected to all kinds of illegal activities. I just feel like Manic made more sense as the end to this series, since almost everything here felt disconnected from the other books.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.