I Can Explain (Awkward Love, #2)

by Missy Johnson

[Eve1972]

 
 
~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~
So I enjoyed this one. Did it blow me away? No. There were a couple of things that made me scratch my head and I didn't particularly like either of the main characters. But it was still a very well written and well-paced book. It was a fairly quick read. The page count falling somewhere between a novella and a full-length book I would guess. The plot was engaging and kept me turning the pages. And it all wrapped up on a sweet note although I would have liked to have seen a further in the future look at this couple.


~HERO~
CHASE...he was OK. Honestly, I thought he was an a$$hole on and off for most of the entire book. And not the kind that you just can't help to love because he is just so swoon-worthy in his a$$holeness. Nope, he was pretty much just a straight-up a$$hole in both his private life and especially in his professional life. Like honestly how did this guy keep ANY employees around? I thought his behavior towards Alana in a professional setting was very childish. I also didn't quite get WHY he needed to keep something a secret from Alana for the entire book. I mean seriously, did he not think she wouldn't NOTICE? It left me scratching my head (lol). That said, there were times (few and far between) where I did find him likable and swoon-worthy. Just not enough to sway me into loving him.


~HEROINE~
ALANA...I did like her slightly more than Chase but that was it. Her behavior had me scratching my head a lot of the time as well. She was supposed to be this highly intelligent and totally overqualified for her position woman but she let Chase treat her like a doormat. And maybe this was just MY interpretation of her actions but she seemed totally fine with the idea of sleeping her way into a better position. *shrug* But like Chase, there were moments that I really liked her spunk when she stood up to Chase. So she was a bit of a mixed bag as well.


 

~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
There was really only a couple worth mentioning. Peyton, Alana's friend and coworker and Chase's brother who is marrying Chase's ex-wife --- nasty I know (lol). Peyton, I liked a lot. There were a couple times I was confused about what direction the author was going in regard to her character. Like she couldn't decide if she wanted to make Peyton a backstabbing b!tch or a BFF. Josh was a WHOLE other ball game. DUDE it is BROS before HOES my brotha. I don't care what type of sob story your brother's wife is giving you, you simply DO NOT go there. Alas, he did. Therefore...Josh will forever more be known as a douchebag.


~HEAT LEVEL~
Medium to High. The sex scenes in this one were both smokin and plentiful. They had some good sexual chemistry at times while at other times I struggled to connect with them as a couple. I'm chalking this up to me just not liking either of them very much overall.


~ANGST LEVEL~
Low to Medium. I didn't find this one particularly angsty. There wasn't really any OW or OM drama per se. The hero came across as a manwhore (but not an UBER manwhore) and I didn't see the actual point of it being mentioned that he had sex with his PA Jade. In fact, the whole "JADE" scenario was just odd to me. Anyways, the heroine goes home with an OM and plans to have sex with him. Decides not to follow through but before she can leave the wife shows up. She wasn't aware he was married.


~IN THE END~
Like I said, I enjoyed it for the most part. I struggled with a few things but they never bothered me enough to have me setting the book aside. So yours truly is going to give this one a thumbs up and I'll be keeping my eyes peeled to see what this author has up her sleeve for us next.