Long and Short LASR
Freya had known Jared for most of her life. She also knew he had craftily orchestrated her life to be at the stage it was – he’d helped organize her apartment, created the perfect job position for her in his company…she knew he had shifted things around and made them just so for her. And she just couldn’t be mad at him for it. Despite a large part of her wanting to give in to him and his desires, she still held back. She knew it would be hopeless though, that eventually she’d become addicted to his touch. I found this to be an interesting and somewhat intense story. Freya is not your typical heroine – feisty and fun on the one hand but also quite riddled with self-doubts and insecurities. Her parents had somewhat warped her views on relationships and sex, to the point where Freya was a virgin, despite her often bold exterior. I found myself quite drawn to her, sympathizing and empathizing on quite a few levels and this really had me invested into the story early on. I’ll be honest, Jared could have come off as a complete jerk. For me, he didn’t, I could see through to the man who truly wanted to just shower Freya with all her hearts desires and give her the things she craved, but in a different authors hands this could have been quite the train wreck. Readers who are sensitive to over-bearing heroes or characters who like to be in control (Jared installed cameras inside Freya and Sophia’s apartment “for their own safety”) still might not feel the same attachment to Jared in particular that I did. I don’t think this story will be everyone’s cup of tea – Jared flirts a little too close to the edge for it to suit everyone’s tastes – but I do think it’s worth taking a chance on. I personally enjoyed it, mainly I think because Jared makes it crystal clear that he’s not interested in just anyone, that he’s not wanting to conquer “a woman” or rise to a challenge. It’s Freya – specifically and only Freya – that he is interested in. That made up, in my mind at least, for a multitude of sins and made the story romantic and Jared just a fairly different, incredibly determined hero. I was really impressed that Jared didn’t rush Freya either. I feel this helped make the story more romantic – that he didn’t just want to push her straight into bed and consummate their relationship. I honestly feel Freya’s emotional doubts (her fear of being tossed aside when Jared was “done” and her worry about being hurt and cheated on) were the main reason Jared worked hard to not hustle her into bed. So when they finally did make it there it felt extremely important to me – like a milestone they had reached together. Erotica readers will also, I think, be impressed with the sex. While there’s clear emotional attachment between Jared and Freya, the sex is a little dirty and a lot hot. Spicy and explicit, I don’t think readers who like some heat in their reading material will be at all disappointed. With interesting characters and a whole bunch of emotion in the blossoming relationship between Freya and Jared I feel this story will be addictive for a wide range of readers. While certainly not to everyone’s tastes, I personally really enjoyed this story and found it different enough to be refreshing and hot enough to certainly earn it’s hot and sexy labeling. Recommended.
