Customer Reviews

Steam and Sunshine

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

 

 

I was pretty disappointed with this book. After the wonderful ride that was "Racing the Moon," I thought this one would be as good since it involves the continuing antics of Sonny and MJ. Wrong! Basically, this should have been two seperate books. I love Sonny and MJ. I love the second couple, Neil and Paddy, at least until they meet Sonny and MJ. From there it all goes downhill. The personalities of Neil and Paddy do a complete 360 in the first third of the story; turning them from a cute and sexy couple to just plain annoying excess baggage that I really wanted MJ to get rid of so the story could be decent again. You do learn more about MJ's past, but that doesn't make up for the overall lack of chemistry in the rest of the book. I think the book would have been better if I had read it before "Racing the Moon," but since the ending it left open, perhaps there will be a third book that will make up for this one.

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 6/10

PROS:
- I still like the original characters: both Sonny and MJ have volatile personalities and enjoy a good fight almost as much as a good round of sex. The result is that sex between them is always fast and hard, but there's more emotion in this book than in the first volume, which I enjoyed seeing.
- The secondary romance is sweet and compelling and, for me, more interesting than the primary story of Sonny and MJ. Paddy is the most fluttery character I've ever seen in this genre (similar to Sammy in Sean Michael's Between Friends series, but a little bit worse). And naturally, Neil does a brilliant job of calming him.
- There's a decent plot in this book, with some intrigue and some mystery and some interesting/confusing flashbacks. However... (see cons below)

CONS:
- The plot is overshadowed by the sheer number of sex scenes, most of which involve Sonny and MJ. So I would become interested in a development either in the plot or in Paddy and Neil's relationship, and then I would have to wait to read more about it because the next chapter was a Sonny-MJ sex scene.
- The sex gets repetitive--not only because there's a lot of it and the characters repeatedly think and say the same things about/to each other, but also because I've read a lot of Sean Michael books, and Tortuga's and Michael's narrative voices are so similar that I literally can't tell them apart. This reads like a Sean Michael book; that's not a bad thing in and of itself--overall, I'm a Sean Michael fan. But there are numerous instances in which the characters here think and say things that mirror or exactly copy phrases I've read in other books (specifically, Between Friends and Jarheads books).

Overall comments: If you're looking for a book with a decent plot and a lot of sex, this might fit the bill. If you want the sex to be secondary, I suggest you look elsewhere.

This sequel to "Racing the Moon" definitely measures up if not better. MJ and Sonny are back and are as twisted yet fascinating as ever. The sex is darn hot. MJ is at his most psychotic but brilliant self and Sonny, his sexy and protective Redneck, is there to pacify and soothe.
Tortuga has also given us another wonderfully cute couple in Paddy and Neil. Neil is the mind reader with the British descent and accent while Paddy the red head weapon genius is absolutely adorable.
Ding-dongs, Twinkies, Pop-tarts, chocolates, pies, bombs, drugs...Get these 2 couples together and we are in for one roller coaster ride and what a crazy road trip!
I highly recommend this M/M adventure erotic romance.