West of Want by Laura Kaye

West of Want (Hearts of the Anemoi, #2)

by Laura Kaye

Betrayal is all he's ever known, but in her, he'll find a love strong enough to be trusted...When Marcella Raines' twin brother dies, she honors his request to be buried at sea, never expecting the violent storm that swamps her boat. Though she's gravely injured--and still emotionally damaged from her recent divorce--Ella fights to survive. Zephyros Martius is the Supreme God of the West Wind and Spring, but being the strongest Anemoi hasn't protected him from betrayal and loss. Worse, he's sure his brother Eurus is behind it. When Zeph's heartbreak whips up a storm that shipwrecks a human, his guilt forces him to save her. Ella is drawn to the vulnerability Zeph hides beneath his otherworldly masculinity and ancient blue eyes. And her honesty, empathy, and unique, calming influence leave Zeph wanting...everything. When Eurus threatens Ella, she and Zeph struggle to let go of the past, defend their future, and embrace what they most want--a love that can be trusted.

Reviewed by Angie on

2 of 5 stars

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If I ignored the plotholes, West of Want is pretty good. But I can't, so it's just okay. This time we're following Zephyros, the god of Spring, as he finds his one true love in Ella. Ella has taken her sailboat out to spread her twin's ashes when a storm hits. It's no ordinary storm. It's actually Zeph is his elemental form, and he's quite upset. The storm is raging and Ella is tossed from her boat. Of course, Zeph is drawn to her and rescues her. After getting her to the hospital, he sticks around to make sure she's okay, but there's something else keeping him in the human realm with this woman.

In addition to the romance, West of Want also has more plot than the first book. Zeph and his brother Eurus do not get along at all, and it's causing some major upheaving. Eurus stole Zeph's wife and had a child with her, whom he wants to get placed as heir of the west in place of Zeph. That is, unless Zeph can get an heir within the next week or so. Well, Ella is infertile, but Zeph wants her anyway! But then things happen and he believes she's in cahoots with his brother, and blah blah blah.

West of Want had a few moments that made me go huh? First of all, in the beginning Zeph feels really responsible for Ella getting hurt on her boat. But being a wind god, hasn't he caused many storms before? And don't people die in storms all the time? So why all of a sudden does he feel someone dying during one of his storms and has to rescue them? I highly doubt he attempts to save everyone who gets caught in his storms, or else, just don't cause huge storms! Then there's a scene of Elle and Zeph out for dinner, he eats something that's SOOO hot that he has to turn into his elemental form to heal. Seriously? That sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen, if crab dip is served so hot it nearly burns a god to death. This wouldn't be such a big deal, except it's the catalyst to the inevitable temporary break up.

So, West of Want was okay. The plot-holes were really distracting, and I don't feel like the romance was all that well developed. All in all, they probably spend like one day together total, mostly just having sex or apologizing to each other. Not really the kind of romance I want to read about.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 6 January, 2015: Finished reading
  • 6 January, 2015: Reviewed