Inarticulate by Eden Summers

​CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Publication date: 09/12/2016
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

I have a feeling I’m part of the “unpopular opinion” crew on this one. While there were a ton of things I really liked about the book, ultimately I felt like it was a bit over the top. Too much angst, not enough substance.

First of all, the good stuff. The author is obviously extremely talented. The writing is beautiful. There’s a very natural flow to the story, and the steamy scenes are VERY steamy, without being gross (I’m looking at you, Wrong) All that being said, I have a few issues:

• I have no trouble believing in lust at first sight. But I would prefer that the heroine and hero exchange at least a few words before he drags her into the house and sticks his hand down her pants. I’m not joking. There were NO WORDS exchanged. Only hot glances. Sorry, that’s not enough for me in a romance novel. (Might work for erotica, though. I dunno.)
• I found it hard to believe that Savannah, who is—by all accounts—highly intelligent, would automatically assume that Keenan is some low-level hotel employee because of his inability to speak. Assume and stereotype much, Savannah?
• I got a little irritated with Savannah’s male cousin telling her to stay away from Keenan because he wasn’t good for her, but still saying what a great guy he is. And never once did she ask, “So, if he’s such a great guy, why are you so sure he’ll break my heart?”
• No one in Savannah’s family thought it might be helpful to clue her in on who Keenan was?
• The “big reveal” at the very end? The reason why Keenan doesn’t speak? Totally. Lame. There’s no reason AT ALL he should’ve been ashamed of that, and there was no reason to keep that (among other things) from Savannah.          

Long-story-short: if you’re looking for an angsty, lusty read, this one is gold. If you’re looking for something with more depth, you might want to steer clear.

Full disclosure: the author generously provided a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. 

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
Meh, it’s not really doing much to contribute to or crush the stigma. It’s just kind of there.

Other reading suggestions
My all-time favorite hot-guy-who-doesn’t-speak romance is Mia Sheridan’s Archer’s Voice. Can’t recommend that one highly enough. Another hot-guy-who-doesn’t-talk-much romance is Carian Cole’s Tied. Check either of those two reads out. You won’t be sorry.

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