Customer Reviews

Bodacious

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bodacious by Sharon Ervin is a title that I come across a lot during my various book trolling sessions on Amazon romance discussion forum. All reviewers have commented upon the fact that this story is unlike most romances and has the ability to draw the reader in from the first page itself. And I do have to agree with other reviewers on these aspects, yes, the story has a unique way about it and it does draw the reader in from the first chapter itself.

31 year old Alex Bo Cadence or Bo as he is known through most of the story is a man who suddenly one day turned up in a remote mountainous area and made a home for himself preferring to live in the most primitive fashion possible by foregoing all luxuries of the modern world. 3 years on, Bo doesn't speak to anyone except for communication via grunts and his disreputable looks as in the huge beard that covers his whole face and his long and messy hair keeps others at bay and some even label Bo to be part human and part something else. Bo's character remains a mystery throughout the story until towards the very end which makes this story a unique one based on that fact alone.

26 year old Sara Loomis, an only child is a successful news reporter who has resigned herself to being one of those women who are not at all successful in having an enjoyable sex life. Labeled as a frigid, Sara doesn't even want any man to notice her since the only two sexual relationships that she had been involved in had turned into unmitigated disasters in the end.

On her way to a new job and a new life, Sara is kidnapped when she is stumbles into a convenience store robbery by a group of half-wit hillbillies from the surrounding mountainous area. Sara barely manages to escape the clutches of the lecherous man who kidnaps her only to be left with a man who her captors fear more than anything else in the forest. But as she gets to know the silent man with whom she shares 12 days of her life amidst her attempts to escape her growing feelings towards Bo which almost always ends her up in trouble, Sara finds herself inexplicably drawn to Bo as a slow awakening of her dormant senses begin with gusto.

And when life as she knows it comes calling, Sara is torn between choosing life with all the luxuries she has been accustomed to and choosing to live with the love of her life as a recluse for the rest of her life. However Bo doesn't give her any chance to make a decision as he is the one to leave her behind only to turn up again to claim the woman he loves more than life itself.

I liked:

1- As I said during the start of this review, this certainly has been a unique romance such that there are no verbal interactions between the hero and heroine until the very end of the story. But rather it is Sara who babbles along, talking a mile a minute while a silent Bo grunts every now and then in response to her conversations. It is through other means; facial expressions and body language that these two really talk, taking the reader on a journey of discovery along with them which is one of the best parts of the book.

2- Sara Loomis. She is a heroine who knows what she wants and sticks with obtaining what it is she wants regardless of the obstacles standing in front of her. Though she makes one stupid decision after the other in her attempts to flee Bo and his brand of magic which works like a charm on her, Sara is a plucky heroine who I loved from the beginning.

3- Bo. It is his gentle and giving nature that made him so very appealing. And of course his so very appealing hot bod coupled with his dark gaze is enough to make any red-blooded woman swoon. I loved me some Bo so very much and wouldn't mind a mountain man of my own to take home. ^_^

4- The dough kneading scene. Oh my! *fans self*

5- I liked how the author brought about the subtle changes in Sara and the journey of sensual awakening that takes place which doesn't suddenly come up and punch the reader in the face; but rather based on her past experiences and her aversion to having any sort of relationship with a man the road she takes is a subtle but nevertheless an enjoyable one for the reader.

I disliked:

I loved 3/4 of this story so very much. But suddenly from the moment that Bo leaves Sara to let her head back to life as she knows it, the story suddenly took a turn which I couldn't seem to like much. Yes, there is a happily ever after for the two but I didn't feel that there was much need for the endless retelling of what took place between Bo and Sara on the mountains, nor the need for what took place during the time they spent apart. Though that wouldn't put me off from reading any other book by Ms. Ervin, I just felt that a lot of unnecessary scenes which never really contributed towards making the story were included towards the ending which plummeted my levels of enjoyment with the whole book.

Recommended for:

1- Those who are tired of reading the same old story over and over again. This one's certainly different.

2- Contemporary romance lovers.

Reviewed by: Maldivian Book Reviewer

The good news is that the underlying storyline here is really great: memorable, suspenseful and enjoyable. The bad news is that this book needed some serious editing; I'm not talking about typos, but smoothing over the dialogue and thoughts that were sometimes jarring, othertimes downright stupid.

The premise is that Sara, a 27-year old journalist is on her way to a new city, new job, when she is abducted during a gas station robbery. The hillbilly criminals intend to rape and kill her, but through a curious twist, instead leave her tied outside the cottage of Bo. To them, Bo is a scary guy who'll kill her, possibly savagely. Instead, he keeps her captive and over the course of a few days, Sara and Bo develop a bond.

Bo is great because he starts off so unappealing and you're like HOW is he going to be a decent hero, but he gradually morphs into someone that you totally want. I'm on the fence about the heroine, Sara, because while she does demonstrate bravery and is overall a good person (and beautiful, of course), she is borderline TSTL, which is a big no-no for me. By the end, I feel like she redeems herself, but it's touch and go there for awhile.

I LOVE beauty-and-the-best plotlines AND stories that have a bit of a twist, so that made this book a winner for me. However, be prepared for several WTF moments, like "I can't believe she's stupid enough to think/do that" and "How did you just jump from here to there in this conversation?" (explained more in the spoilers) It's really a bummer because if those little hitches were smoothed out, the book would be a knockout 5, but for that I rated it 4 stars.

*SPOILER ALERT*

The most ridiculous part about the book is how she keeps going on about how she is bad in bed as an excuse for men not to rape her, not once, but several separate times. I can understand how her bad experiences would lead her to be sensitive about that, but when you're terrified of getting raped, you are NOT busy lamenting your lack of sexual abilities, trust me. The other mildly ridiculous point is that Bo never really apologizes for keeping her captive in the first place. It's partially explained away, but not -quite- to my satisifaction.

YOU MIGHT LIKE...

Stranger in my Bed

Lord Dangerous

The Devil Wears Plaid

This is the first Sharon Ervin book I've ever read. This is also the first review I've ever written.

When I read the plot I thought this could not be a good book. But then I read the reviews and I knew I needed to take a chance. I mean, how could these reviewers all be wrong?

They weren't. I loved this book! It was wonderful. I read all of it in one day. I plan on reading it again and again.

I've now read most of her other books and they, too, are wonderful.

Take a chance on this book if you like a good romance. Most of you may love it like I did.

Throw out all the formulas of the romance genre and prepare for an intense experience.

As the blurb states our heroine, Sara, is kidnapped during a robbery. The bad guys aren't like anything I've read before... they're not international thieves maniacally twisting their mustaches... but very believeably scary. The author writes them gritty and real; odors and lack of teeth and drool, and a believeable pattern of speech that completes the tremors in your gut, creating fear in the reader as we root for Sara.

Ah, Sara. There's a lot to like about her. She's not particularly brave, yet not a coward. She's pretty smart, but lacks common sense at times. Her previous encounters with men have me wanting to reach out and smack her, but yet... I get it. She's flawed... she's real.

The hero saving Sara from her struggles with man and nature is perfect. Bo. Learning about Bo completely from Sara's POV does make you wonder about his motivations... without giving anything away, let's just say everything is cleared up nicely in the end.

What a well written story, and full length too... not some quick novella as I thought when I saw the price. It was well paced and evoked emotions. There was more than one time where I caught myself having a physical reaction to this book: cringing, increased heart rate, scowling, dry-mouthed, smirking, laughing, sighing...

Loved it! Highly recommend :)

I also love this beauty and the beast theme in romance, and Bo definitely makes this theme come alive. Bo is an eccentric, reclusive, and implacable mountain man, all shaggy, a bit unkempt and rugged looking. It's worth reading this story just for Bo alone. I thought he was just an unusual character, his odd outward appearance hiding something much deeper inside.

This book grabbed me from the sample. I just had to read it. One of my favorite themes in romance is the kidnapped/captive theme so the only thing that kept me from loving this book is the ending. It's not a bad ending, definitely HEA, but it does seem discordant considering the first 3/4 of the book. Before the ending, the story is unusual, gritty, less formulaic, and the last three chapters or so are a little too happy and almost have a let's explain and make everything smoothed out feeling.

On the whole, I enjoyed the writing here, the amazing hero, and the unique story concept. Good read.

I found out about this book in the Romance forums here on Amazon. I tried the sample and couldn't stop reading! It was an excellent story, exciting and tender. Also the book is very well formatted for the Kindle. I appreciated that as well.

I heard someone describe writing as painting with words, and Sharon Ervin definitely does that. Her writing flows as smoothly as a stream, drawing you in and keeping you there until you turn the last page. She's a natural storyteller, and made me feel as if I was right there with Sara. Wonderful story!

Jane Campion needs to make Sharon Ervin's latest novel into a movie. The relationship between hostage and captor was fascinating. This book had me hooked from the beginning.

Disclaimer here: The author is an old friend from college. I liked her than and I like her now. I am just bowled over by her writing. Her romances deliver interesting plots and well-written sex. Wow! The pages fairly smolder. Who knew? Her characters are very interesting people. I found the book to be fun and well worth the price. I intend to read more.

The "Beauty and Beast" theme is a perennial favorite with romance writers.
Combining innocent feminine purity with beastly male passion is an explosive mix dear to an adventurous author's heart. When these two primeval forces combine, conditions are present for a tsunami of sensations. In this tempest of cascading ecstasy, where the edge is left far behind and the very soul of passion unites in universal exhilaration, "Self" and "Other" lose all form and become pure intuition. In short, a mystic experience. This remarkable potential smolders within the Beauty and Beast theme. The question is, "can the author make it happen?" Let's see.

The "Beauty and the Beast" theme can be expressed as a fantasy or fairy tale; it can be a science fiction story of an experiment gone wrong; it can be a metaphorical morality play, as in a "beast of a boss". In "Bodacious", however, the author takes the bold and audacious challenge of creating a realistic Beauty and Beast. No fantasy, no magic, no science fiction. The odds of doing this, while maintaining reader believability, seem nearly insurmountable. Sharon Ervin beats the odds.

Bodacious is a story of kidnap, near rape, hillbilly horrors, hostage emotions, forbidden darkness, isolated mountain cabins, freezing rain and scorching passions. It is told with such realism you can smell the bacon, feel the chill winds, and breathe the beastly air of raw desire. You are there; but so is the beast. And this beast becomes more real and more dangerous with each passing page.

While the heroine, Sara, is not exactly innocent, at nearly 30, she has never had a satisfying lovemaking experience. She considers herself frigid. She does not believe physical love can ever be enjoyable for her. But when she has strange feelings for the beast that emanate from the very center of her sensual being, she is both repelled and tempted. These strange feelings get stronger as the beast grows less beastly in her eyes. Is it the Stockholm syndrome, she wonders? Is it even natural?

A realistic Beauty and Beast theme provides the perfect setting for the most erotic sensual experiences. Does the author make the most of this artistic opportunity? Bodaciously! (That's remarkably, unmistakably.)

As nature rages with days of storms, sleet, ice and wind outside the cabin, the inside erupts with a marathon of primitive passion. From the forest primeval to a future fantastic, the heat burns in these two hearts like a single eternal flame and forges a love tempered to last beyond any temporal bounds. "Hot" is too cool a word for what happens behind these closed doors.

This story is a virtuoso performance. The author took a risk and it worked. Bodacious is a keeper you'll enjoy time and again. It will be very interesting to see what this talented author chooses as her next challenge. How about a realistic Rapunzel?