Ben by Cora Rose (Unexpected #8)

TITLE: ⟫ Ben

AUTHOR: ⟫ Cora Rose

RATING: ⟫ 3/5

SERIES: ⟫ Unexpected #8

BLURB: ⟫ It’s often said that everything is impossible until it’s done.

And while I’ve always known my infatuation with Cash and Ford was meant to remain an unfulfilled dream, I never really lost hope.

Hope that the two men, twice my age, would ever see me as more than just a kid. As more than just their best friend’s son.

But I’m not a kid any more, and at twenty-one, they’re about to see that little meek and quiet Ben is old enough for many things. Old enough to finally attract their attention. And frankly, old enough to know better. To know that these stolen touches and lustful trysts behind closed doors could never really amount to more.

Because everything will crumble as soon as Cash, Ford, and my father find out what I’ve been up to. That I’ve been keeping secrets from them all.

I can’t possibly keep them both.

I can’t keep them at all.

I know our love is impossible.

But, god help me, when has that ever stopped me?

REVIEW: ⟫ I find myself agreeing with another review that I saw that said this book could have just been a smutty novella without the unnecessary side-plots. Basically, this book was a sexfest from start to finish – not a bad thing by any means, but after a while I found myself wanting something more.

Ben was a confusing character for me. His insistence on secrecy made sense initially – having two best friends who happen to be your father’s age/friends and having sex with both of them secretly is a humdinger. I appreciated the fact that he told both Cash and Ford upfront that he wasn’t exclusive with either of them, thereby avoiding any hint of actual cheating. However, once the cat was out of the bag with those two, and it became increasingly obvious that Dean just wanted to connect with Ben and wouldn’t judge him, the concern about his father’s views seemed a little overblown and like padding that the story didn’t need.

I loved the dynamic between Ben, Ford and Cash – although I felt that their behaviour at the party was more than a little outrageous – and would probably have enjoyed this book more if it had been shorter. Full of Cora Rose’s standard banter, inner dialogue and interesting side-characters, this was well written but I do think it could have been much shorter and had a little more relationship development and a little less sex!

Diablo by Cora Rose (Unexpected #7)

Title: ⟫ Diablo (Unexpected #7)

Author: ⟫ Cora Rose

Rating: ⟫ 3/5

Blurb: ⟫ After my honorable discharge from the Marine Corps, it only made sense to put my skills to good use as a personal bodyguard. The contracts keep me moving and traveling, and the money is good. All I’ve ever wanted was to make sure my mother and sister were taken care of after my father passed away. So when Anthony Costello, the notorious mob boss and my dad’s ex-employer, asked me to take on a special job for his family, I couldn’t say no.

But not even my six-year stint as an elite Marine could have prepared me for the hellscape that is being trapped in a secluded safe house with his son. Diablo Costello is a rude little chaos gremlin that lives to push all my buttons. I can’t keep him safe if he’s determined to fight me every step of the way. But I can see through the bratty facade. I know what Diablo needs. What he longs for. And God help me, I’m going to give it to him.

This book is a little different than my other books due to the characters involved. Please check the content warning in the beginning of the book!

Review: ⟫ From the first page, you’re thrown into the chaos that is Diablo's life – when we begin reading, he is being threatened by an ex-boyfriend of his twin brother’s who he has ‘hacked’ and needs to be put somewhere safe.

Skylar is his bodyguard, a man pushed beyond his patience by the chaos that is Diablo and how he goes through life. The difference is that Skylar sees Diablo, as well as the needs he is hiding behind his chaotic, obnoxious exterior.

This would normally push so many of my buttons: size-difference, bodyguard, psycho falling in love, mafia – so much to choose from and devour. Unfortunately, this book simply did not work for me. I disliked Diablo intensely and thought he was immature and annoying. The refusing to admit he liked something was amusing to begin with – when it kept happening in situations where his denial was completely absurd, I began to get annoyed.

The feelings of annoyance got worse the more that I read and I finished the book because I felt obligated rather than because I wanted to know what happened in the end.

The physical relationship/sex scenes were intense and fun but I didn’t feel that there was enough between our two leads for there to be a HEA – Diablo felt too young and immature, and I didn’t know enough about Skylar to feel like I knew who he was and what he wanted. Some of their interactions were funny, but overall this book just didn’t work for me because I didn’t like the main protagonist. I admit I have been enjoying Cora Rose less and less with each book but that may well be my issue – YMMV. If you enjoyed Lex, then you will probably enjoy Diablo but this book wasn’t for me.