The Club (The Club Trilogy, #4)

by Lauren Rowe

[inlibrisveritas]

3.5 Stars

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I picked this up hoping it would fill three requirements: One, be a quick but ultimately fulfilling read. Two, be addicting. Three, be fun and easy but have depth. And while The Club does have some flaws it definitely managed to check off all three boxes.

I One-Clicked this one because the summary reminded me a bit of another book (Three Simple Rules) which I really loved, and while it didn’t really match that book it definitely made it’s own mark. The story kicks off when Jonas Faraday submits his application to something known as The Club, which is basically a club for people looking to find people interested in the same things as them though the emphasis is definitely on their sexual desires. And this little introduction tells us exactly what sort of man Jonas Faraday thinks he is. He’s confident (really confident…), decisive, and not afraid to say what’s on his mind. In short…he’s sort of an asshole and he knows it. After reading the first chapter I was almost certain this book was going to be on of those super alpha train-wrecks where the guy can’t decide if he wants to hump her leg or pee on it. In comes his saving grace, Sarah. Sarah is a smart law student who helps process the applications for The Club, making sure the truly scary deviants are weeded out. She’s got a lot of attitude and fire, which is perfectly for putting Mr. Faraday in his place. They both have a lot to learn about themselves, namely what makes them happy and what they think makes them happy. It is a bit cliche to have a journey of self-discovery kicked off by physical attraction, but it is erotica so that’s basically the name of the game.

The attraction between Jonas and Sarah is electric, and the utter need for actual connection not to mention fulfillment leads to more than a few steamy scenes. I also really liked the way the whole ‘The Club’ thing was handled for the most part. I had some questions about the ‘how. However the end portion seemed oddly thrown in, and I didn’t really like how the focus went from Jonas and Sarah’s relationship to a more thriller-esque type motivation. I also had some issues with the dialogue. There were moments when it veered into cheesy territory instead of touching or sexy…and other times when it was downright clumsy. The actual interaction between the two really saved those moments, but they definitely pulled down some of the enjoyment. I did really like that all of the focus wasn’t on their intimate relationship, but also did a really good job fleshing out a real substantial connection and while the beginning was basically insta-love (his email wasn’t that good sweetie) there was time for the reader to get to know them both and come to the same conclusion on their own.

I’m adding book two to my wishlist immediately, even though I think it’ll probably pick up with the same romantic suspense feel that this one ended with. But I’m excited to see where it’s going to go.