02 December 2014

ARC Netgalley: Swept Away 1-3 by J. Haymore



My rating: 2.5 stars

Synopsis from GR:
He is everywhere. He surrounds me, wends his way under my skin. I can’t escape his strength, his intensity, his presence.
I’m trapped.
There’s nowhere to run.
Nowhere to hide.
But even if I could escape... would I be strong enough to leave?

I needed something — something big — to get myself out of the rut I’d fallen into after the car accident that killed my sister. This sailing trip was meant only to mark a new chapter in my life. Until Ethan Williams stepped on board.
Ethan radiated confidence. His darkly handsome good looks and ocean-blue eyes mesmerized me. But it was the way he looked at me that drew me in. He wasn’t looking at my past or at my scars, but the real me behind all that baggage I was trying so hard to leave behind.
But Ethan had secrets—dark, dangerous secrets. I was trapped in the middle of the ocean in a tangle of lies, sex, and violence. The problem was, I was happy to be trapped forever...if it meant I could have him.

*ARC courtesy of NetGalley: I've received a a compilation of Volumes 1-3*

First things first: DO NOT read book #1 and #2 without book #3 at the ready...for you own sanity!!!
That said, the Swept Away series was an okay read to me. While I'm curious about how Tara and Ethan will resolve the mess that is their relationship, reading the 4th volume of the series is not exactly on the top position of my TBR list.
One of the reasons I couldn't enjoy more this series is the amount of drama in it. There's a lot of it...A LOT! Both Ethan's and Tara's lives - mostly Tara's - are full of it to the point of becoming ridiculous! As a consequence, I couldn't quite like Tara or Ethan as characters: Tara for her insecurities and dramatic soliloquies, Ethan for his paranoia and controlling manners (not that he wasn't justified for the first one). Even Kyle, who I like the most on the 1st book, became a caricature of a scorned man in the following books  - what a pity!. Not to mention Justine, she's definitively the queen of drama and bitchiness...in addition of being a sociopathic murderer!

In my opinion, Swept Away could have been way better if the author didn't put so many elements of angst in the plot or in her characters' lives. As some say, less is more! Still I'd like to thank J. Haymore for the chance to read an ARC of her books through NetGalley; I hope she appreciates my honest - even if not very positive - review.


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