Rescued by the Woodsman by MS Parker

​NEW ADULT ROMANCE

Publication date: 01/17/2018
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: I dunno, I don’t care

Ugh. I was duped again. Deceived by good reviews, a good cover, and a good blurb. When will I learn that these things don’t always add up to a book I’m going to enjoy? Hell, this one didn't even add up to one I could finish. But I won’t waste anymore time whining. Here are the many, many, many things that irked me about this one:​

• At the beginning of the book, Stella doesn’t even really seem to like her boyfriend, Aaron. (I don’t either. He’s a douche. But I digress…) She’s not happy when he comes to visit her, she’s not happy that he mansplained why she should accept a job working for him and why she should move from New York to Denver. But that doesn’t stop her from having sex with him (which I had to read about in detail), or from following him to Denver to take a job she doesn’t really want. This all made me think Stella has no character or backbone. Dump the douche, sweetheart, and go after what you REALLY want. If you can ever figure out what that is, of course.
• I find it hard to believe that a small plane crash landed in the Rocky Mountains, and Stella walked away with nothing more than some stiff muscles. My bullshit meter was really going off at this point in the story.
• Stella wanders away from the crash site, even after the pilot tells her not to, just to see if she can get some bars on her cell phone? At night? In the woods? Yeah, Stella is inching dangerously close to TSTL territory for my liking at this point. When she’s almost attacked by wolves and stumbles down an embankment, I would’ve been OK with it if she’d died and the story ended right there. Because “stupid woman wanders where she shouldn’t and ends up dead in a ravine with wolves feasting on her corpse” seems like a perfectly plausible storyline to me. Hey, wolves gotta eat too and at least Stella would have served a purpose.    
• Lukas, the titular woodsman, saves Stella (pity, that). Does Stella thank him profusely for coming to her aid? No. She never thanks him. (Buying a “thank you” card after she’s rescued doesn’t count, in my opinion) She does take some time to berate the dude on his conversation skills, though. She’s surly and rude and completely unlikeable, and at this point in the story, I want Lukas to dump her ass back in the ravine and let her fight off the hungry wolves by herself. (Or not. Because I’d be OK with it if she was dead, too.)
• After returning home (and immediately going back to the douche-y boyfriend like the weak-willing little lemming that she is) Stella quickly finds out that Lukas is her new boss. And he’s a multi-millionaire. Jesus. Talk about false advertising. I got into this story expecting a hot, grumpy, recluse. Instead I get yet another BDSM story about a hot corporate millionaire? Ugh.   
• And while we’re on the topic of BDSM...where the heck did that come from? This isn’t being marketed as a BDSM romance. How about giving a girl some warning? I don’t have anything against BDSM romance, but a heads-up would’ve been nice.
• Stella finds out the douche-y boyfriend is cheating (of course he is, dumbass. Everyone knew this but you, Stella). Does Stella take this as a wake-up call to reevaluate her life choices? Nope. She jumps her new boss instead. And...I’m out.

All that was enough for me to DNF. If all of that doesn’t bother you, go ahead and give this one a read. Hopefully you’ll like Stella better than I did. (Just to be clear: I hate Stella.)

Oh, and one other thing. Since the author doesn’t seem to be that big on giving readers a heads-up, let me tell you that the woodsman story (about the dude who isn’t really a woodsman at all) ends at about 36%. There’s another story included after that. So, this book is actually more like 2 novellas than it is a full-length story. You’re welcome.

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It’s like the Charlie Sheen of books. (And it’s not winning a damn thing) No amount of rehab can save it.  

Other reading suggestions
For a great “hot guy saves injured woman” story, try Into the Storm by Melanie Moreland. You can check out our review here. Another fabulous option is Unloved by Katy Regnery. You can check out our review of that one here. We also put together this list of the sexiest recluses you’ll ever find in romance. Again, you’re welcome.

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