Trust (Things That Matter, #1)

by Casey Diam

[Eve1972]

 
~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~
So first up, I usually avoid series lately that drag one couples story out over the course of several books. Duets are still on my "maybe" list, and I actually thought this was going to be a duet, but nope, it is a trilogy...so I was a little frustrated by that. BUT...that little niggle didn't take anything away from how very much I enjoyed this book. The writing was excellent. Especially when you consider this is the author's debut novel. I've read a lot of books lately by "seasoned" author's that are not anywhere near as well written. It was very well paced. The plot was engaging. It had good twists and turns. Last, it ended on a cliffhanger that will leave you champing at the bit for book two.


~HERO~
CALEB...I loved Caleb. He was a pretty perfect book boyfriend. He was sweet. He was a good friend. He had a conscience. He wanted to get out from under the thumb of his father. He was all about Paige. That said, I think we just sort of scratched the surface of Caleb in this book. His past isn't gone into in any great depth, so I am hoping in the next book(s) that we will get to see a little more of what makes Caleb tick. I also wouldn't mind getting a few more chapters from his POV.


~HEROINE~
PAIGE...Paige and I had a bit of a love/hate relationship in this book. I liked that she was so bada$$ and strong, but I found her a little bipolar in her interactions with Caleb. Her constant flip-flopping from between "I trust you" to "I don't trust you" started to get a bit annoying as the book went on. Especially considering Caleb never really did anything that would make her think he was "one of them." But ok, I tried to cut her some slack given what she went through. I am hoping the relationship between her and Caleb finds a more solid footing in the next book(s).


 

~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
There was a nice array of secondary characters in this one. Coworkers, boyfriends, brothers, and baddies. All of them added to the mystery. Some I loved. Some I hated. One (Calvin) I would love to read more about. 


~HEAT LEVEL~
MEDIUM. This book had some nice heat to it, and the frequency of the sex scenes felt organic to the story.


~ANGST LEVEL - SEXUAL HISTORIES~
MEDIUM. There is a lot of secrets and trust issues between this couple creating a fairly angsty read. Not to mention a twist that had my stomach in knots (lol). The heroine was a virgin which honestly, I am SO tired of, but in this case, it made sense. Plus she was only 19 and paranoid as hell about everything, so I could buy her being a virgin. The hero (of course) got around, though his past isn't really mentioned too much which was nice. There was no OM drama or OW drama. 


~IN THE END~
Did I enjoy it? Totally!
Am I annoyed it is a trilogy? Unfortunately, yes (chalk it up to my mood).
Will that stop me from reading the next book(s)? Not in the least!
Would I recommend it? Undoubtedly.