Reviews: Twisted Perfection and Simple Perfection by Abbi Glines
Twisted Perfection (Perfection #1)
by: Abbi Glines
Publication Date: Apr. 24, 2013
Publisher: Atria Books
Age Group: Contemporary Romance
Genre: New Adult
Source: Borrowed from library
Page Count: 290 pages
Order Links:Amazon
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Life outside of her house was a new experience for Della Sloane. The dark secrets of her past weren’t something she ever intended to share with anyone. They would never understand. No one would ever get close enough to find out. There was always a chance she’d go crazy sooner than they expected…
Woods Kerrington had never been one to be attracted to fragile females. They seemed like too much work. He wasn’t in it for the work just the pleasure. A night full of naughty fun had been exactly what was on his mind when he’d laid eyes on the hot little number that didn’t know how to pump gas and needed some help.
What he didn’t know was she was as fragile as they came.
The carefree girl who spoke her mind and didn’t care what the world thought of her was more breakable than he could ever imagine…
This was actually my first encounter with Woods Kerrington. I know, I know. I need to read the Fallen Too Far books already. I've completely read this series out of order, having started with Grant's books instead, so I already know the outcome to Woods and Della's story. I did enjoy going back to see how they began though. I had no idea of the things that Della has had to deal with and the trauma she has faced as a young child. I also was not aware of all the expectations that came with being a Kerrington. I felt for Woods, as his life is not his own. His controlling father has all the power and threatens Woods' legacy should he not do as is expected of him.
I feel a bit like the black sheep for not loving this one like most everyone else did. I just felt the storyline went a bit too fast and things wrapped up too easily. When we first meet Woods, he is resigned to the fact that he is going to be forced into a loveless marriage to the daughter of an old family friend. After having an incredible night with Della, he is shocked to see her show back up in Rosemary Beach a few months later looking for a job. He knows that he wants her and can't seem to stay away, even though he knows he should. It's not very long after this that he decides the hell with it- he's not going to let his father dictate his life, even if it means losing his position as future owner of his grandfather's country club. I just felt he went from one extreme to the other and I would have preferred to see more character growth in between.
I am glad Woods stood up and started making decisions for himself. He knows Della is something special and he refuses to let her slip away from him. Della is a sweet character who has endured a lot of pain and tragedy in her life. After so many years of being involuntarily repressed, she is now on a quest to find herself and experience true freedom for once in her life. She falls for Woods easily, but due to her traumatic past, she has anxiety attacks and horrible night terrors that she can't wake up from. Woods' jealousy was a bit irritating to me though. He is the one that is engaged and yet he is still entirely too territorial for his own good. He does acknowledge his faults though, which I liked. He realizes he's being ridiculous and tones it down.
Della and Woods have some super sexy times together. However, that's not all there is between them. When Woods finds out about Della's nightmares, he wants to be there for her and show her he's in it for the long haul. There are a few misunderstandings between the two, which caused some problems for the budding couple. Woods really shows he's a good guy though when he refuses to let Della's issues drive him away and he won't let her run from what's happening between them.
The book ends with Woods getting some rather unexpected news, so I'm worried as to how everything is going to play out in the sequel. It's not a cliffhanger, but it does leave you with a foreboding feeling.
Simple Perfection (Perfection #2)
by: Abbi Glines
Publication Date: Sept. 23, 2013
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC received via Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 256 pages
Order Links: Amazon
| B&NMy Rating: 3/5 stars
Woods had his perfect life mapped out for him. Rise up the ranks of the family business. Marry the rich girl of his parents’ dreams. Pretend that wealth and privilege was all he’d ever wanted. Then a girl named Della breezed into town, a beautifully imperfect stranger who captured his heart and opened his eyes to a new kind of future. Woods is ready and willing to sacrifice everything for her when the sudden death of his father leaves him with his mother to care for and a business to manage.
Della is determined to be strong for Woods, even as she’s quietly falling to pieces. No matter how far from home she’s run, the ghosts of her past have never stopped haunting her. Struggling to hide her true feelings from Woods, Della fears she can’t be his rock without dragging him down into the darkness with her. But is she strong enough to let go of the last thing holding her together?
Simple Perfection is a book that really tests our main characters. Change is a-comin' in Rosemary Beach and the foundation upon which it sits will be seriously shaken before the end of the novel. While Della and Woods may have gotten their happy for now ending in Twisted Perfection, Woods' father's sudden death really throws a lot of change into motion.
On top of dealing with his mother and his seriously crazy ex, Woods is definitely feeling the pressure lately. He refuses to acknowledge any kind of feelings for his parents, instead placing his sole focus on Della and her happiness. For the majority of the book Della feels she is a burden to Woods because of her nightmares and her constant worries that she's going to end up like her mother. She feels she is holding him back and that he needs someone strong beside him, not someone who is likely to fall apart one day. Della's constant stress of this really brings a 'woe is me' vibe to the book and I didn't care for that at all. Della isn't the only one to blame though. Woods coddles her too much. He sees it as his unfailing love, but really he's just adding to the problem. She starts to feel suffocated by his hovering and their relationship is not what I'd consider a healthy one for the good first half of the novel.
We have the dreaded miscommunication arc early in on in the book, and while I get irritated by those, I do feel it ended up serving a greater purpose. Della has some soul searching to do and she can't do it while feeling the way she has been in Rosemary Beach. After a horrific childhood, she has to find her own self-worth and be able to find her strength as an individual before truly giving herself over to the love of another person.
I do like that we got a lot more time with the other Rosemary Beach characters. Woods really needs his friends to lean on during such an unstable time and I liked seeing him interact with Rush, Grant, and Jace. Della also really depends on Braden and Tripp to get her through and I'm glad they were both there to support her. Revelations about her past come to light in this book that really play a large role in her reshaping who she is and how she's going to approach life.
Overall, Simple Perfection wasn't a bad read, but it didn't wow me either. I still have issues with Glines' somewhat simplistic writing style and I felt so much was overdramatized and made into a bigger deal than it needed to be. I am pleased with how Woods and Della's story ended and I feel they are a much stronger duo as the book came to a close because of everything they had learned and endured along the way.
3 comments
I still haven't gotten started on the Rosemary Books either. I do plan to one of these days but I just feel so overwhelmed by her series and they way they all intertwine. Also if it didn't wow you I'm not sure it will wow me either. Thanks for the honest reviews.
ReplyDeleteI love Abbie Glines! I haven't read her stuff in a while and I've been contemplating these ones. Thanks for the awesome reviews -- still debating on how long to hold off on these while I go for the better ones :)
ReplyDeleteI can't read books out of order - I'm way too OCD for that! Sorry this one wasn't your favorite.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
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