The Opposite Effect (Enigma, #8)

by Shandi Boyes

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I am a big fan of the enemies to lover’s trope—so when I discovered it would be the feature of The Opposite Effect by Shandi Boye I could not wait to dive into the story. This is the eighth book in The Enigma series, however there is no need to read the previous books prior to reading this installment.

The Story
In this installment, readers are introduced to Brax Anderson and Carla McGregor. Brax is a tattoo artist and manager of Inked, the number one tattoo parlour in Ravenshoe. He is a self-claimed bachelor and does not intend to settle down. The only woman who owns a piece of his heart is his grandmother. No other woman has breached the walls surrounding his heart until the day Clara McGregor walked through the doors of Inked.

Clara is unlike any woman Brax has ever encountered. She sets his blood on fire; however, she had other things on her agenda, which did not include hooking up with a tattoo artist from a different side of the tracks.
It is said opposites attract, but Brax and Clara not only attract they also sizzled. These two together made for some laugh out loud moments. Their interaction was funny, entertaining and snarky. The story was easy to follow, and I enjoyed how the events unfolded.

There was a part of the story which I had an issue. It had to do with the male protagonist's desire to keep mentioning a particular part of his anatomy throughout the story. If I did not know, better I would believe it was a character. Every time Clara appeared, he saw it fit to mention its reaction to her. At first, I did not mind, but too much of one thing after a while can become intolerable.

The Characters
I enjoyed getting to know Brax. As the story was told solely from his POV, I had no trouble connecting with him. There were moments throughout the story when I felt he was speaking directly to me. I understood what made him tick. If you were to ask me, what kind of man is he my answer would be confident, sexy, protective and caring?

The words that first came to mind when I met Clara was snobbish and entitled. Fortunately, she managed to redeem herself by the time the story concluded. By this time, the words I would use to describe her were determined, sassy and proud. She challenged Brax and made him feel things no other woman was able to do.

Unfortunately. I never connected with her. I believe my disconnection stemmed from the fact I never felt her emotions throughout the course of the story. The author made it known she was down on her luck but I was not feeling her desperation. Clara was a mystery for most of the story. I did not understand why she was desperate for a job but owned expensive things. Everything I learnt about her I learned through Brax’s POV. Her voice was silent throughout the story.

The secondary characters helped to make things interesting. They added to the fun moments in the story.

The Romance
I did not connect with the romance, which I contribute to me not connecting with one-half of the couple. The issues I had with character growth, manifested itself in the development of the romance. Once again, I only got Brax’s perspective. I knew how Brax felt about Clara, but I had no idea how she felt. While Brax’s feelings were demonstrated throughout the story, hers was told from his POV.

Conclusion/Recommendation
Despite my issues, I enjoyed The Opposite Effect, and I would read more from this author.