book recs, author services, general badassery
  • Blog
    • Free Romance Reads
    • Our Thoughts
    • 1-Click Wonders
    • Author on Authors
    • Chattin' with Authors
    • So You're New To...
  • Book Recs
  • Reviews
    • 5-Star Reads
    • Contemporary Romance
    • Historical Romance
    • New Adult Romance
    • Paranormal Romance
    • Romantic Comedy
    • Romantic Erotica
    • Romantic Suspense
    • Teen Young Adult
    • Hall of Shame
  • About
    • Contact
    • Review Policy
    • Guest Post Guidelines
    • Advertising on Romance Rehab
  • For Authors
    • Romance novel blurb help
    • Referral Program
    • Romance Author Services
    • Online Writer's Resources
    • Do It Yourself Blurb Help
    • Proofreading Test >
      • Proofreading Test Answers
  • Blog
    • Free Romance Reads
    • Our Thoughts
    • 1-Click Wonders
    • Author on Authors
    • Chattin' with Authors
    • So You're New To...
  • Book Recs
  • Reviews
    • 5-Star Reads
    • Contemporary Romance
    • Historical Romance
    • New Adult Romance
    • Paranormal Romance
    • Romantic Comedy
    • Romantic Erotica
    • Romantic Suspense
    • Teen Young Adult
    • Hall of Shame
  • About
    • Contact
    • Review Policy
    • Guest Post Guidelines
    • Advertising on Romance Rehab
  • For Authors
    • Romance novel blurb help
    • Referral Program
    • Romance Author Services
    • Online Writer's Resources
    • Do It Yourself Blurb Help
    • Proofreading Test >
      • Proofreading Test Answers
Picture

Made for Him by Athena Braveheart

8/1/2019

0 Comments

 
Made for Him by Athena Braveheart
Rating: 1/5
Heat rating: 2.5/5
Picture
Category: New adult romance
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

Christ on a cracker, what did I just read?

via GIPHY

Plot overview: Waitress and former model, Izzy, starts an escort business with her friends. On a completely unrelated note, Karl, her boss at the restaurant, is afraid of water and has the hots for Izzy. There’s a stalker at the end. That’s it.
​

If that plot overview sounds a little wack-a-doo, that’s because IT IS. The plot of this book is almost nonexistent. At 50% of the story, Izzy and Karl have barely interacted AT ALL because Karl is busy running his business and going to therapy to overcome his fear of water (which stems from a childhood trauma), and Izzy is busy trying to start up an escort business. Until about 70% of the story, I wouldn’t even call this a romance. It’s the story of 2 people leading totally separate lives with only the barest hint of sexual attraction between them.

There’s a lot about this book I don’t understand. It’s a lot to unpack, frankly. So, (deep breath) here it goes: 
  1. Izzy has issues. She doesn’t trust men because REASONS. So, what does she decide to do? Start an escort service. (No sex) This makes no sense to me. Why on earth would a woman who doesn’t trust men TRUST the men who pay her to go on dates with them? The logic there seems tragically flawed. 
  2. While we’re talking about Izzy’s flawed logic, maybe she’d have more money and not need to live with 2 roommates if she didn’t spend all her money on clothes and shopping sprees. That just reeks of immaturity to me. 
  3. I’m thinking that any smart woman who starts an escort business would do a lot more than ask potential dates a series of questions and a super informal background check. If I wanted to ensure my safety in a business like that, I’d have professional screening done. Like, I’d hire a former CIA interrogator and a PI or something. But, no, Izzy doesn’t really do any of that. Again, I’m questioning her judgement and giving her a pretty hard side eye. 
  4. Izzy wears a midriff-baring tube top, mico-mini and super high heels to work and gets all ouchy when Karl reminds her of the company dress code. Um...it’s not a Hooters, sweetheart. When you agree to work somewhere, you agree to their dress code. Wear your tube top elsewhere. (Again I’m side-eyeing her because she acts and thinks like a child)
  5. Doesn’t exclusive dating defeat the purpose of the escort business? Isn’t that just...a relationship? And yet, Izzy eventually agrees to taking on an exclusive client. At this point, I’m thinking she’s just an idiot. I hate idiots in my romance novels. 
  6. Karl seems really worried that Izzy is bulimic.  I get that he has family history with the disease, but I didn’t see the point of adding this element to the story since nothing really ever came of it. It seemed like wasted pages that could be spent on actually focusing on THE ROMANCE, which was damn near nonexistent. 
  7. The whole suspense subplot at the end felt totally tacked on for the sake of drama. It was useless, other than to prove my point that Izzy’s logic is terribly flawed. Her business was ill-planned and dangerous, frankly. I have no problem with the idea of an escort service, but you have to be smart about it, and Izzy wasn’t.  

So, at the end of the day, I finished the story. It wasn’t poorly written, just weird. And Izzy is an idiot. And it’s not much of a romance. But other than that...

via GIPHY

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It’s not stigma-y. It’s just not much of a romance.

Reading recommendations that will NOT disappoint

Romance gems in Kindle Unlimited (for now)
Romance gems in Kindle Unlimited (for now)
The BEST workplace romance reads you'll ever find
The BEST workplace romance reads you'll ever find
New Adult romances even the grumpiest of old readers can get excited about
New Adult romances even the grumpiest of old readers can get excited about
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Romance Rehab newsletter sign up

    FOLLOW US 
    Reedsy Top Book Reviewer 2019

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    February 2025
    January 2025
    July 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    January 2024
    November 2023
    September 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017

Picture

BLOG
FREE Romance books
​Book Recommendations

Our Thoughts
1-Click Wonders
5-Star Reads
Authors on Authors
Chattin' with Authors
So You're New To...
What Not to Read
REVIEWS
​
Contemporary Romance
Historical Romance
New Adult Romance
Paranormal Romance
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Erotica
Romantic Suspense
Teen/Young Adult
ABOUT
Contact
Review Policy
Guest Post Guidelines
Advertising on
​Romance Rehab

​
FOR AUTHORS
Online Writer's Resources
Proofreading Test
ROMANCE AUTHOR SERVICES 
Romance novel blurb help
Romance Remedy program

Referral program

Romance author services
  • Book cover critique
  • Animated book covers and social media graphics
  • Beta reading
FREE Romance Rehab newsletter: ​Subscribe here
KnockinBooks LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
​© 2020 KnockinBooks LLC